Covering your battery bases...

Hey all :wave:

Just thinking (typing) out loud - all this recent terrorism drama in NYC has made me reevaluate my stuff and what I'm carrying :sigh:

Anyway, just wondering - in your emergency/bob kits, do you guys have a high quality light reserved for each battery type? You know, just in case you run out of/have no access to your cr123 supply you have a great light that runs on AA, and if AAs are a problem you have a killer light to run on AAAs... etc.

I guess most of us die hard flashaholics by default will have at least one light per battery type, but just wondering if this was a conscious decision in packing you bob or disaster kit (and if you do this, which light for which battery did you choose?)

I'm also looking for a nice and tough new AA light just for this purpose (sold my D10 - should I finally pull the quark AA trigger???) :candle:

http://www.rei.com/product/769769

Problem solved...

Marduke said:

http://www.rei.com/product/769769

Problem solved...

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Wow Marduke - thanks!

I cnt believe I've never heard of this light (clever name)... :twothumbs

Any first-hand experience with it?

Time for some research.

Marduke said:

http://www.rei.com/product/769769

Problem solved...

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Great, but what about a single cell light that will consume C and/or D batteries? I seem to end up with more of them any anything else.

The Gerber Omnivore seems like a pretty cool light. I haven't follow any of Gerber's line for years. I think I'm going to get one just to toss in the car.

flatline said:

Great, but what about a single cell light that will consume C and/or D batteries? I seem to end up with more of them any anything else.

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Single cell not really, but 2-cell yes. Decent light with a LED PR-base dropin.

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/qs2aacd.pdf

However, with the dim 10mm version of the NiteIze PR dropin, it will run off a single D cell (for days and days), so if you use a D cell spacer with the above light...

I forgot all about that omnivore. . . . .

In addition to it, the Gerber Infinity Ultra is a 1xAA light that will also run on AAA but I'm not sure if Gerber tells anyone that.

http://www.rei.com/product/784343

Similar to the Omnivore, but it's rated at 55 lumens.

Pfffftt. My lights run off of a 10S nicad pack, I just short the flashlight body across the terminals of a car battery for 10 seconds and I'm good to go :nana:

But seriously, my plan is to use the harbor freight 10$ panel. I modd'd one to go from a 2 cell carrier to a 1 cell carrier and based on my measurements should charge a cell in a day or two.

Hmmm...I thought I was done buying "other lights" (i.e. non-SF)...I'm seriously considering one of these just on the fact they can use three types of cells...maybe even 2 or 3 of these for first aid/bob kits...Will probably even grab one of the Energizers with an LED drop-in for the same reason.

I have most of the common battery types covered: AA, AAA, AAAA, C, D, 9V, 6V lantern, LR44, CR2016, CR2032, CR123. You never know what batteries are gonna be left on store shelves or for how long when it hits the fan like with Katrina. So you have have to grab whatever is available and have at least 1 flashlight that uses that type of battery. Don't have a CR2 flashlight, come to think of it. I have flashlights that have 2 or more batteries in them, but if possible I also keep a singe battery flashlight of each type (and a battery vampire to boot) if things get down to the nitty gritty.

I have Petzl headlights that run on AAA and AA.

When in the field I find I use headlights more than handhelds.

I do plan on checking out the new Sure Fire headlight that will run on 123 and AA batteries.

Most all of my hand helds are Sure Fire, and thus 123 batteries.

I am going to "upgrade" to SF G3LED's for my traveling ESL's [Emergency Standby Lights] as in a pinch they will glow in the dark with 2AA's.

NE450No2 said:

I have Petzl headlights that run on AAA and AA.

When in the field I find I use headlights more than handhelds.

I do plan on checking out the new Sure Fire headlight that will run on 123 and AA batteries.

Most all of my hand helds are Sure Fire, and thus 123 batteries.

I am going to "upgrade" to SF G3LED's for my traveling ESL's [Emergency Standby Lights] as in a pinch they will glow in the dark with 2AA's.

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Glad yer catching on to the most versatile SF's out there...reading what you wrote and then seeing your psot in the thread, you may want to try building one of these to get a little more light out of your AA's...and in what ever color you want...never thought of using these in a G3 myself til just now.

I ponder this a bit as I've been trying to decide how to thin the herd a bit and one consolidation point is to reduce the number of different battery types I have floating about. I'd like to go to AA and CR123 as my primary lights - but realistically I still have a few D Mags with LED drop ins that aren't going anywhere...

One downside to consolidating to one or two cell types, however, is emergency planning where you can't be sure of what you'll get or what will be available. As I rate my current threats for disaster (natural or otherwise) they are as follows:

House fire (the single highest probability disaster any of us will face, and I've known surprisingly more people who've had a house fire resulting in at minimum a period of displacement). This is a grab and go scenario without widespread availability issues so while there are significant preparations I have and need to complete - batteries aren't high on the list.

Hurricane/Ice Storm. This far inland hurricanes that have plowed through caused plenty of damage and power outages - but not like on the coast - downed limbs and no power for a period of days. Ditto for ice storms. However, that period of days can last for awhile - we had an ice storm a few years back where we had no power for 3 days but friends nearby were out for 6 days. Still that is a scenario where I have plenty of lumens to get me through 6-7 days with batteries currently in the supply line - heck my Novatac on the lowest setting with the 17670 tube would likely run nonstop for the better part of a month. It won't light up a room but enough to navigate. If I need light for close to a month I've likely got much bigger problems and will need to resort to zombie plans.

Terrorist Attack/Infrastructure breakdown. This is sort of the one eyed jack in the deck, isn't it? My hometown has 3 nuclear plants in close proximity and several financial institution headquarters or major operations - not the highest likelihood target but higher than a lot of other cities. This is a scenario where we could be displaced or even bugged in with a very long period of supply shortages and my current setup as mentioned is good for 6-7 days (given intermittent nightime use) but I can't swing 2 weeks ... it does make me wonder if I need to be a bit more prepared...:candle:

Gatsby said:

it does make me wonder if I need to be a bit more prepared...:candle:

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This is where lithiums (namely AA's and 123's) have there advantage...these can actually be stored safely (won't leak) and for a long time (~10-15 years). Get a few (2 or 3) spares carrier's (waterproof and nigh on indestructible), and forget about 'em until you need them. Maybe even get at least one set of D lithiums as well.

Or just get some adapter. You can get a set that allows you to use AAA, AA, C, or D on the same light (as long as it fits, being the next size up of course).

So a 2D Mag can run using a NiteIze on 2xAAA if you really wanted.

I've got at least one light per battery type up to C cells. I'm still thinking on a Mag-lite drop-in, but can't find anything either strong enough or versatile enough to justify the move on D batteries.

Cataract said:

I've got at least one light per battery type up to C cells. I'm still thinking on a Mag-lite drop-in, but can't find anything either strong enough or versatile enough to justify the move on D batteries.

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What's your C-cell light?

I've been thinking of getting a dim 2D light and putting battery upsizers in it so that when push comes to shove, it will run on AAA, AA, C, or D cells. Just haven't decided on what host to use (probably something that I can put the dim NiteIze bulb in...).

flatline said:

What's your C-cell light?

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Rayovac Sportsman 150 lumen 4 watts... comparable to a TK11 on general mode Except with a very cool color temperature. It looks just like a light-sabre and it's very well balanced. The beam profile is pretty much the same as a Fenix and cost only 30-35$

bullfrog said:

Wow Marduke - thanks!

I cnt believe I've never heard of this light (clever name)... :twothumbs

Any first-hand experience with it?

Time for some research.

Click to expand...

It sucks!