Same brand, same led, same output but different runetime. Why ?

[zifnab69]

Hello
i.m looking for two jeatbeam flashlight
Both use 2 AA with XP-G(R5) leds
PA20 230 lumens 1h30. / BA20 270 lumens 1h45 ???
PA20 16 lumens 26h30 / BA20 30 lumens 35h ???

PA 20 have better runetime with higher output. how it is possible?
thank you.

 

[Scourie]

The batteries as tested might be different. BA20 has the better specs.

BA20 has specs with 2500mah batteries, PA20 has Eneloops with 2000mah.

Rob

 

[AnAppleSnail]

"Runtime" is a tricky thing. Odds are great that both lights drop at least 10% output in the first minute just from heat. The driver can also play tricks to dim down in a way that is difficult to detect by eye (And won't matter for general use) but greatly extends runtime. The Mini Mag Lite AAA is a great example. You get about 70 lumens for a minute, and it drops gradually to 40 lumens. This is almost half the output, but only looks a bit dimmer to the eye. Most people won't notice it without comparing a 'fresh' MM AAA to a 'stale' one.

tl;dr, the ANSI runtime standard allows tricky lights that output 500 lumens for 3 minutes and 200 lumens for 2 hours to claim '2 hours x 500 lumen' runtime.