Lithium AA in Infinity Ultra, worth it?

Geheim

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I have just started to use a lithium AA in my Ultra to see what the difference would be versus a alkaline.

What has been your experience using a lithium AA in a Infinity Ultra or just a plain Infinity for that matter? It looks to me it could be slightly brighter. I know it is lighter. Do they really last longer? If yes, is the runtime that much more to justify the added cost? I want to get some feedback from people that have used them.

Chad
 

paulr

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Runtime should be a little longer, no big deal. The main difference is that it will be a bit brighter and stay at nearly the same brightness throughout the run. An alkaline will get fairly dim by the time the regulator cuts out. An L91 will stay at full brightness the whole time.

Also, the L91 will work much better in freezing temperatures. Though, if you keep the light in your pocket or under your shirt, that should keep it warm enough that an alkaline should be ok too.

As for cost, jeez, how much do you plan to use this light? For most typical use, an L91 or even an alkaline should last at least a year, so the cost is trivial compared to what the light itself costs.

If you're using the light enough to care at all what the batteries cost, use rechargeables. The Ultra runs for 12 hours or so on a 1600 mAH NiMH AA. You could run it on that and carry an alkaline or L91 cell as a backup/spare.
 

franken2

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been using lithium in my white ultra about a month or so. still a bit brighter than alkaline, roughly 5 mins. use per day. this and inretch's 2aa are the only lights i use aa lithiums in
 

Geheim

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The consistent brightness of the L91 is what really drew me to trying it.

I do use the light a lot here at home and at work. It will not use as many batts as a LS, of course, so I guess price is not really a problem. I can also pickup a few L91 from the Batterystation when placing an order and get a good price. I can always use them in the new ARC AA.

Chad
 

Geheim

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[ QUOTE ]
franken2 said:
been using lithium in my white ultra about a month or so. still a bit brighter than alkaline, roughly 5 mins. use per day. this and inretch's 2aa are the only lights i use aa lithiums in

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for info. L91's it is then!
 

Blikbok

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I run NiMH in almost all the AA lights that will handle it, and carry a couple pairs of Lithium AA's as backups. I've stopped carrying alkaline spares. I can top off the NiMH whenever I feel it's getting dim, and then if I ever run the NiMH dry, I'll likely *need* the lithiums. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The NiMH is a little dimmer than lithium, but the output is much flatter than alkalines. I also like feeling guilt-free when I leave a rechargeable constantly running, but maybe that's just me.
 

steve_vance

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in my opinion, only if you want the shelf life of a lithium battery, like if you're going to stick it away and forget about it until it's needed. Runtime is fine without it.
 

raggie33

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aint alkies shealf life very long to it says on pacage like 2009 on most alkies i buy .hell ill lose flashlight b4 then.or am i not understanding waht ya all mean by slealf life?
 

Steelwolf

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Raggie33: I think you understood right. Shelf-life is how long the cells would retain at least 70% of their total power while sitting on a shelf.

Lithiums are supposed to be able to remain sitting on a shelf for up to 10 years and still have about 70% of their original power left.

Alkalines are supposed to be only able to do that for 3 years. I've been surprised at seeing the new packs labeled for 2009. Maybe they have a new internal design that helps retain the power?

I used lithiums in flashlights that either will draw a huge current or are meant for emergency use. In the case of my Ultra, I don't EDC it but have it on reserve for blackouts or other little nuisances when I might suddenly need a light. I don't want to leave it hanging there and then turn it on one day only to find that the cell has died or worse yet, leaked and ruined the flashlight.
 

RAH

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[ QUOTE ]
Steelwolf said:
or worse yet, leaked and ruined the flashlight.

[/ QUOTE ]
Glad you mentioned battery leakage. I seldom see this mentioned in this forum (I guess folks use their flashlights enough that this isn't an issue). Are lithiums less likely to leak than alkalines? How about NIMHs (after they gradually lose all their power in a few months, can they still leak?).

Along these lines, I have never seen a 9-volt battery leak, whereas it seems to happen with barrell-shaped batteries (AA, C, D, etc). Is this true or have I just been lucky? (Perhaps this belongs in another forum, but since we are talking about potential lithium leakage, it seems to also belong here).
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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Yesterday I had my Ultra over at my Dads house. It stays loaded with an L91 lith.

There were a bunch of AAs of unknown life hanging around. I needed 3 decent ones for a childs toy for my cousin. I used the Ultra as a batt checker. The L91 is at least half again as bright as the best alky I tried. Some of the alkys made it quite dim.

Anyhow, there may be no significant difference... but I'll use L91 to get a bright semi-regulated burn, and so the light will be ready when I am!

Is there an easy way to get all (or most) of the juice out of the Alky AAs??? I know it has been discussed.
 

Likebright

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Lithium leaks less, runs longer, has better shelf life and cost more. And like has been said before,they are great for a light that you want to depend on. I use em in all my AA lights.
Mike /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Geheim

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I have tried NiMh batts in various items, including flashlights. They tend not to last as long. In my experience they do not hold their charge as long either when in storage, not in use. I do keep some with me. I use them for other items besides flashlights. I have to make sure the are charged up every so often. Thats a pain. I guess I'm too lazy. They do save you money and you do have that nice feeling of not "wasting" energy if you want to leave the light on for awhile.

I have formed the opinion that a L91 gives good bang for the buck on LED lights.

Chad
 

avusblue

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In Minnesota, lithiums are perfect because in subzero temperatures they will still make the light work when it's too cold for alkalines. It's 80 degrees today, but winter's coming, you know.

I've had Arc AAA's not light up in bitter cold because an otherwise good battery couldn't get the circuit started.

Dave
 

Charles Bradshaw

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I would venture to say that NiMHs are for routine and frequent usage, while L91s would be best for shelf life and in the Ultra, are really great for the cold conditions that alkaline don't like.

If you are going to store the Ultra, it is best to do it, without a battery in it. Why take the chance of the battery leaking?
 

Steelwolf

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NiMH have ridiculous self-discharge rates. I think it was mentioned in another thread before. About 3-4 mths to totally self discharge. NiCd will last longer. IIRC up to a year.

If I'm planning to keep a flashlight strictly for emergency, not for infrequent use, I use lithiums stored in a sealed plastic bag taped to the flashlight (not inside the flashlight).

In the case of a circuit like the Ultra's, where it is an unregulated boost, the slightly higher starting voltage and relatively flat discharge curve of a lithium should show some benefit.
 

Blikbok

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Guys, I'm merely sharing my technique. I think Charles understands what I'm doing the best.

I'm not advocating the use of NiMH instead of lithium, but in addition to lithium. 90% of my light usage is urban, not High Seirra. So I'm not majorly inconvenienced by runtime issues or self-discharge-- I refresh the cells anytime I feel like they need it, which is about once each month. The best advantage for me of NiMH is guilt-free usuage. I'll just leave the light on without care because the batteries will be full again with an hour or two in the charger.

I feel the hybrid approach is the best for my usage, and I've always got a pack of fresh L91's if I need them. I also run Li-Ion in my C3, backed up with a SC full of 123's.
 
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