About to buy paleblue AAA USB-C Rechargeable Batteries for my Coast HP7 from their website. 4 pack plus charging cord (I believe with 4 leads) $24.99. Thoughts?
They're available from paleblue directly for 19.99, but even then, $5/cell is kind of steep, and the price and cells with built-in chargers doesn't scale well, and we don't have any comprehensive tests available for these cells. The price is very high especially when considering
Eneloop AAA are about $3/cell, and it is highly unlikely paleblue has as much capacity and can deliver as much current or number of charge cycles as Eneloop. I'd recommend instead getting this
Panasonic Quick charger with two quads of Eneloop AAA cells included for $45.50. Subtracting the cost of the cells, you'll get a decent charger for less than $21. Though you'll spend twice as much, you'll get twice as many cells plus a good charger.
My flashlight blinks when using these batteries on high setting. I suspect circuit protection from the flashlight and/or the batteries.
Unlikely there is any "protection circuit" involved. Far more likely the cells can't provide enough current for any length of time, causing the light to blink off when current drops. If you can, return the cells for refund, and get the charger and cells I recommended above. You won't regret it.
And welcome to CPF, gjk735.