Is There a Fundamental Difference Between Battery Types

Is There a Fundamental Difference Between Battery Types?

I have noticed most manufactures offer the same model lights in all the basic battery types.

Does one type offer an advantage over another? Such as 123 verses AA. Size is a given, anything else?

Thanks

tjloeb said:

Is There a Fundamental Difference Between Battery Types?

I have noticed most manufactures offer the same model lights in all the basic battery types.

Does one type offer an advantage over another? Such as 123 verses AA. Size is a given, anything else?

Thanks

Click to expand...

output, operating cost, safety issues, weight, battery availability, temperature extremes, and on and on. People tend to fit their lights they buy to useage and associate them to batteries that fit the usage and desired running costs.

This should be in the battery section

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=9

But, quickly, there are different sizes, chemistries, capacities and availabilities, which cater to different markets.

Example, an AA light would be less powerful, but its battery source is cheap and easy to get hold of, while a light that only took CR123a's would be more powerful, a different shape, but cells could be more expensive.

Different chemistries of the same cell also cater to different markets... a rechargeable IMR cell has high output for devices that can handle it while non-IMR cells can't be used in the same application. LSD cells last a long time on the shelf between charges.... you get the idea

It is a huge question, and you would be better to just read a lot on the forums and work it out yourself, there is no real definitive guide here. There are just too many cells to give you a simple answer, and too many uses for each cell to really answer your question. Time will reveal everything you need to know...

Perhaps start small, like what are the different types of rechargeable lithium-ion cells

tjloeb said:

Is There a Fundamental Difference Between Battery Types?

I have noticed most manufactures offer the same model lights in all the basic battery types.

Does one type offer an advantage over another? Such as 123 verses AA. Size is a given, anything else?

Thanks

Click to expand...

This would be a good place to start: http://batteryuniversity.com/

Almost all different battery types have advantages/disadvantages

The NiMH battery page is really out of date on the Battery University page. They don't mention the Low Self Discharge (e.g. eneloop) NiMH batteries at all.