Noobie questions on rechargeables

Hi everyone, this is my first post here but I have been watching for a while now. There is tons of info here! Really amazing. My question is about a Energizer rechargeable 3 watt LED light that is at the local Walmart here. The part number is rclm3nmbp. It says it is 21x brighter than a standard 5mm LED. They are priced at $46.68. I am a service tech and would like to find a rechargeable light that is of good quality for a reasonable price. This light comes with a 12 volt and a 120 volt charger making it perfect for my service van. On the advice of this forum I purchased a 2 c cell light from advanced auto parts and for the price I dont think it can be beat. Will the Energizer rechargeable be as bright and is this a good price or is there something else in that price range you would reccommend?
Thanks for the help
ccnova

Welcome to CPF ccnova!

For quality and a slew of options, I would recommend getting some Eneloops (rechargeable batteries) and a charger, then you could get tons of good, long lasting, bright, durable flashlights recommended here sir

:welcome:

How much are you willing to spend, because there are brighter lights out there for the price.

My choice around that price range for AA powered lights(that will also get to you within a week) will be either the Fenix L2T V2.0.

Which 2C light? Was it the Taskforce Cree(60x)?

If it was, then it would be hard to beat with something you can buy from a store.

:welcome:

Well I was hoping to keep it around $50-$75. The light I bought from Advance auto does not say Cree on it I believe it says Lumaled?? Its back at the shop right now. What would be ideal for me would be to have a 12 volt charger so I can just keep it charging in the van. What else would you suggest? Are there 12 volt chargers available for the Eneloops? And if so what light would you reccomend? Or would I then be better off to just stay with the Advance Auto light with rechargeables?
Thanks
ccnova

I think most 12v input smart NiMh chargers should work for the Eneloops.

If you advanced auto light is one of the older Luxeon versions, and you are willing to mod(you'll need thermal glue/paste and soldering stuff), you can swap in a Seoul P4 U-bin for double the output at no less runtime (the current gen LEDs are twice as efficient).

Is there an easy way to tell on the Advance auto lights without opening the package? I just got the light and I could probably take it back. Also how hard is it to modify it to the Seoul P4 U-bin? Thanks for all the help
ccnova

As for the Advanced Auto lights, I'm not sure how to distinguish the old from the new(I don't even remember if they had a Current gen LED light out).

As for the swap, I can say most LED swaps work this way:

1) Open up the light to access the LED(probably just unscrew the bezel).
2) Unsolder the Luxeon III.
3) Clean up the heatsink pad.
4) Place a bit of thermal glue/epoxy on the heatsink area(where the older LED was). Enough so the base if the LED will be isolated from the heatsink.
5) Place the Seoul P4 U-bin to where the Luxeon III was.
6) Solder the LED in(make sure the polarity is right)
7) Reassemble the light.

As long as you are decent at soldering, It shouldn't be too hard. The hardest part might be waiting for the LED to arrive.

First the answer to your first question (get it and try it out for a week and see how you like it.
If you don't like it than you can return it for refund.
While you have it, do a review and post it here in this forum.

Suggestion regarding the Taskforce light. Here:
Pictures :

Pictures removed by moderator - too large.

Images originally posted by Supertorch in the said thread. You can read up on it if you like.

If I were you, I would pick up a taskforce 60x (which is cree) and since they both use the same batteries
would be beneficial to you as far as cost and convenience.

You will be using the same type of batteries, same charger. Much better lighting.

Regards.
Noob

Newuser01, please read the rules about posting pictures.

For 20-25$ you can get a charger that will charge AAs off of 12v. Then, any AA light you get will have a rechargeable solution. A lot of the lights you order online will blow away anything you buy in a store.