Rechargable light for walking

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melmgmel

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
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I walk every morning, about 5am, thru our local park. It's a cement trail, surrounded by woods so, as you can imagine, it's very dark at times.

I currently use a hand held battery for light but go thru the batteries very quickly.

I'm not looking for something too expensive since I am a senior on a budget. Just a good oen, that lights up my path very bright but I can plug in when I get home to ready it for use the next day.

What models would you suggest? What should I avoid? Any info you care to share to help me make an informed choice would be greatly appreciated.

Melanie
 
Welcome - I think you'll discover many fine choices here that use rechargeable batteries. Keep reading and good luck
 
Hi Melanie :welcome:
I recommended an EagleTac P100A2 to a friend at work who does that same walking around before the sun rises thing.
That light uses 2 AA batteries and has a hi setting of 195 lumens for approx 2 hours and a lo setting of 55 lumens for approx 8 hours.
She uses the lo setting while walking and she says every so often she'll up it to the high setting if she thinks there's some creature along the tree line that might be out to get her :eek:
She picked up a 4 pack of rechargeable AA's and carries a set of regular AA's in her fanny pack ...just in case :thumbsup:..always good to have a back up plan!
 
HSG said:
Hi Melanie :welcome:
I recommended an EagleTac P100A2 to a friend at work who does that same walking around before the sun rises thing.
That light uses 2 AA batteries and has a hi setting of 195 lumens for approx 2 hours and a lo setting of 55 lumens for approx 8 hours.
She uses the lo setting while walking and she says every so often she'll up it to the high setting if she thinks there's some creature along the tree line that might be out to get her :eek:
She picked up a 4 pack of rechargeable AA's and carries a set of regular AA's in her fanny pack ...just in case :thumbsup:..always good to have a back up plan!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information. I'll check those out.

I would really prefer one I can recharge though since I walk daily for over an hour a day. According to spec's on those lights, low light is good for about 8 hours, which means I have to replace batteries about once a week. That's why I thought recharging would work better


Melanie
 
Hi Melanie, :welcome:

You mean, you want to be able to recharge the batteries without having to take them out of the light ?
The rechargable AA's solution HSG suggested is far the most economical solution which doesn't limit your choices much.

How much are you planning to spend for this flashlight ?
 
You're on a concrete path, so you don't need much light to see to walk safely. You don't say what type of batteries your existing light takes, but if it lights your way sufficiently, why not just buy rechargables for it? That will in all likelyhood be the cheapest option.

I would recommend against a rechargable light. A light that takes rechargable cells is far better, because you just change the batteries over and top-up the ones you've been using. Cells can also wear out (either through the memory effect, overcharging, or running them too flat) - it's cheaper when that happens to replace cells rather than have to buy a new light.

A light that takes AA cells is easiest as NiMH batteries are readily available everywhere, as are chargers, and they're very cheap (you can get expensive NiMH chargers, but cheap ones are still safe).

Many of the lights available take CR123 cells (non-rechargable) and you need to buy a very good quality charger fr the rechargable CR123 cells to stay safe. There are also lights that take other Li-ion type cells, which again need a good quality charger to stay safe. You need to factor that in when buying a light that takes those sort of cells.

You don't say what your budget is, but the Fenix E20 is nicely priced, takes 2 AA cells, and seems to give out a nice light. I would still say your first thing would be to investigate rechargables for your existing light though. It's worth knowing that rechargable NiMH batteries last a lot longer than alkaline cells (typically 3-4 times longer in my digital camera).
 
:welcome:

It sounds like any of the 2xAA format lights would be great for you if you pick up some NiMH rechargables. I don't have any exerience with the Eagletac products, just the Fenix ones... an L2D-CE specifically. If you keep your eyes out on the Marketplace you can find them in the neighborhood of $30.
 
Hi and :welcome:

You might want to look at this light which looks like a pretty good deal for $24.45 (before using the "CPFuser" discount and excluding some nominal shipping). Alternatively, maybe one of the LED minimags (2xAA) with the multi modes might work. What light are you currently using?

I own the single mode version and that will run (based on what i have read) about 2hrs pls before output lowers to 50%. I would suggest getting rechargeable NiMH cells, eneloop, duraloops or any of the others but seeing as you will be using the light everyday, get those with higher capacity (higher mAh) for a longer runtime.

Get the 2xAA light, 4 rechargeable cells (they sometimes come packaged with a charger)) and you're all set. Go for your walk, carry 2 spare cells (always be prepared) and when you come back home, pop the 2 used cells into the charger, slip in the charged ones and you're good to go.

I'd stay away from those lights that have a cradle to charge as they're usually larger than a 2xAA light and also, gettng replacement cells are usually more expensive while rechargeable AAs are easy to find.

In the long run, i am of the humble opinion that this solution might work for you.
 
OK, now you all see why I came here. You all have some great info and questions and I truly wasn't informed in all areas.

First, HSG, I misunderstood your battery suggestion. The light I currently use is a hand held that my local bank gave me as a gift. It is about 6 inches in length and is about 15 years old. Works great but I felt a rechargeable would work better.
I walk for over an hour each day. About 65 minutes is my route time. The route is cement, surrounded by tree's for the whole route.
I hadn't thought about how much to spend but how about less than $50? Maybe for that price I could get 2 and rotate them each day???

I'm not sure what a nimh battery is. How long is their charge? How does I recharge them? I've never heard of them before so sorry for my questions.

Melanie
 
I have bought several flashlights for my family: father, grandfather, father in law, etc. Each of these people had a need for a quality flashlight but did not need anything fancy or overly complicated.

Because of their needs which are essentially the same as your's I bought them the Fenix E20. It is only $38 and is a single mode flashlight that is very high quality but is less expensive since it is simpler in design but just as high quality as other Fenix lights costing much more.

You can read more about it here

It will run for over 3 hours at 100 lumens which is much brighter than anything you've probably experienced.

Next, go to Walmart or a similar store and go to the photo or electronics department. Purchase a Duracell "Precharged" kit that includes a charger and 4 AA batteries. Lots of us here can talk your ear off about batteries, but you don't need to know much more than simply put the batteries in the recharger and remove them when they are charged.

Some of these recommendations for other flashlights are good also, but some may be more complicated than you really need or want.
 
melmgmel said:
Maybe for that price I could get 2 and rotate them each day???
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea. Even better, why not use one as the "working" light for that day and carry the other as a backup. Wouldn't it be nice to have a backup if the first one fails? It gets awfully dark out there...

melmgmel said:
I'm not sure what a nimh battery is. How long is their charge? How does I recharge them? I've never heard of them before so sorry for my questions.
Click to expand...

NiMH is just the chemistry of the battery. They're nice because they don't have a "memory" effect. For more info, go to Wikipedia and search for NiMH and "memory effect" (if you're really dying to know). You can go to your local Radio Shack and pick up these batteries and a charger. If you don't like the selection, lots of places sell them online.
 
Also wanted to add...

You'll get LOTS of information on this forum. In fact, you may experience information overload.

Best novice advice I can give:

1. Just find a light that you like. Check out the local stores (like Target) and pick one that calls to you :laughing:

2. Get two and carry both so you won't be caught in the dark.
 
Paul,
Thanks for the info. I went to the local store and looked at their lights but they seemed so cheap. Plus, I'm not schooled on the brightness levels so wanted to make sure I get something brighter than I have currently.
That is one reason I reached out here. Wanted to get a quality light, that is very bright, is rechargeable, and will last me for quite a while.
Yucca, I'll look at that light this morning online.
Hyper, what is this CPFuser discount you speak of?

Melanie
 
Hi Melanie,
Here is an example of a set of the rechargeables. It's on amazon for 14.99
There are more than a few lights in your price range that these batteries will work well with.
cover-2.jpg
 
Where could I find, or perhaps someoen could explain to this old gal, an explanation about Lumens/brightness of flashlights? I'm trying to gather distance for certain levels, width brightness and so on. Hope I've explained myself appropriately.

Melanie
 
melmgmel said:
Where could I find, or perhaps someoen could explain to this old gal, an explanation about Lumens/brightness of flashlights? I'm trying to gather distance for certain levels, width brightness and so on. Hope I've explained myself appropriately.

Melanie
Click to expand...

Hi Melanie

I'm new here too but I found the information in the following link helpful (The welcome mat). Probably more information than you want to know, but helpful at trying to give an introductory explanation to some common flashlight related terms. I couldn't find a good non-technical summary of lumens or I would have linked it.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=172991

Asking about Lumens/brightness is a seemingly neverending topic at CPF. Measuring output has a science to it but there is a subjective element to many of those discussions too. These discussions can be quite lively. Although most flashlight vendors today rate their products by advertising the output in "lumens", their isn't an industry standard as to exactly where this measurement is taken, so it ends up being just a ballpark number for comparing flashlights.

In my opinion choosing a quality flashlight from a good manufacturer is more important than getting too hung up on how many lumens a particular flashlight has.

The only "things to avoid" comment I would have is around the user interface (often referred to as UI). This basically means how do you turn the flashlight on & off or access the different modes and features advertised. Some flashlights have complicated UI's - so the comments made previously by Yucca Patrol are good advice (that is - a single mode flashlight keeps the UI simple). At least be aware that exactly how you change from one mode (i.e. Low-Med-High) to another can vary from one flashlight to another.

:welcome:
 
melmgmel said:
Paul,
Hyper, what is this CPFuser discount you speak of?

Melanie
Click to expand...

Well, should you decide to purchase a light from Shiningbeam, when you check out, there will be a box for you to enter a "Promo Code" that is where you type in 'cpfuser' and you'll be given a discount on your purchase.

NiMH as explained earlier is a cell chemistry type, all that I personally know is that:-

1. they do not leak like alkaline cells
2. there is no 'memory effect' meaning you can charge or recharge the cells as often as you wish without having to discharge the cells first (meaning to use the cells till they run 'dry' so to speak)

With your budget of about $50, you could get a 2 mode RC N3 II warm white (2 modes, nice warm tint, DEFINITELY should be brighter than a 15 year old light) and have enough leftover for cells and a charger, perhaps even enough for a backup 1xAA light (also available from shiningbeam, you could look at lights filtered by way of cell size).

Tell you what, DON'T BUY ANYTHING YET!!! Seeing as you are a senior on a budget, let me gift you my Romisen RC N3 warm white single mode. It would warm my heart that my light would see more use than it currently does.

PM me your address and i will post it out (it's going to be coming from Singapore so may take a while).

:D

EDIT: my only condition is that you have to post here to tell us your impressions of the light, how you like (or dislike) it and how it's serving you. And if at all possible, maybe some pics of the light in action. How's this for a great deal??? Just get some cells and you're all set.
 
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