1D lights?
- Thread starter flatline
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Yeah, I have one big Husky 3 D cell light that has 3 xp-l emitters, but I wouldn't have it if I didn't have D cells for my Streamlight Seige lantern. I think D cells can still make sense for some of the good LED lanterns, but not as much for modern LED flashlights. Even then I think 18650's are becoming much more mainstream for consumers so I don't know how many more D cell lights/lanterns we'll see in the future. I don't know though. NiMh D cells are amazing with high capacity and great safety if you are willing to pay for them and the charger. I guess some of the multi-chargers can charge those too though these days. My XTAR 4 bay charger seems to be killing my cells though--- that's for a different thread.
I think D cells still have a place particularly for people who don't want to have to deal will the all the safety issues that go along with Li-Ions. D's are great for lanterns for power outages and camping trips and I still like the D cell Mags (particularly the new 3rd Gen variety).
D cells for the most part is almost an exotic chemistry when it comes to rechargeables as it requires considerable research and cost to get batteries and chargers that very few people will go through to get the cost per cycle down plus Nimh D cells are considerably heavier than alkalines and lithium cells of the same size the main advantage of alkaline D cells is their incredible capacity at low drain levels. IMO the 1D LED light is a perfect use of D cells, and in low output D cell lanterns aren't bad for occasional use but for us heavy user flashaholics D cells are a constant drain on the budget and the NIMH D cell solutions aren't attractive vs lithium ion solutions. The main issue with lithium ion is limited choices in local stores mostly with integrated cells and chargers that when they fail over time render the device useless unless repaired plus downtime waiting for a recharge cycle to complete.
I don't buy that in that there are dozens of tool manufacturers these days using 18650s in packs with no problems if you go to a home improvement or tool store you will see 20v 5 or 10 cell battery packs everywhere and they even have 40v and 60v and up packs of lithium cells for use outdoors even on weedeaters and saws and mowers etc. It is when the cells are bare that they can be unsafe to an uneducated user. The main reason Ds are still attractive is the startup cost. You probably can get 2-3 alkaline Ds for $2 in quantity for lights vs about $12 or so for a 2x18650 solution which most likey would be integrated charging for safety concerns which render the light out of service to recharge when depleted. Let's face it stores don't really profit a lot off selling 1.5v rechargeable technology they do make a fortune off selling overpriced lithium chargers for devices with built in chargers though.
Flatline- No flickering, rock steady. And, by the way, it passed my 500 click switch test with flying colors. (With a new cell, under power.) I'm going to pick up a two-pack next HD run...
Still resisting this one, but dawg-gonnit you aint making it easy.
Enabler...lovecpf
Battery packs are safe in devices they are intended for if properly designed and manufactured, but a good battery pack/charger usually adds $50-100 to the price of a power tool.....I have had a bunch of professional quality power tools that were put out of service because of dead battery packs that cost more than buying a new tool to replace a couple of the batteries. Contractors have to deal with this, but most of the general public does not want to deal with the cost and hassle for a simple flashlight that might get used for a few hours during infrequent power outages and such......much easier to buy a new set of alkaline D's when a storm is coming. And a $12 2x18650 solution is not safe for the vast majority of the general public as it stands now.
Resistance is futile.
:devil: enabler :help:
My point is lithium ion can be made safe enough for general usage in that it is in power tool, and even most cell phones also use the batteries such that safety is less of an excuse but I agree the cost vs alkaline D cells discourage such use but compare the cost of D cell nimh batteries and a charger to 18650 lithium ion batteries and a charger and you get about the same price or even cheaper. You can also get lithium ion lights with charger and battery built in for a decent price. It is when you go bargain basement like the 1D energizer plastic light that lithium cannot compete at all. As long as you don't spend a fortune on D cells over time it can be a savings for sure.
If I didn't already have several of the first generation 1D Energizer lights I would get one to use the circuit in it to create another 1D area light.
lumen aeternum
Enlightened
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TL & old DR
are there any such lights in 2018?
are there any such lights in 2018?
Well, to sum up:
The current generation of Eveready 1D flashlights (about $3 each at a hardware store or $6 for a pair at Target, identified by having a clicky switch and a real reflector instead of an optic) are surprisingly good for the price. They have a good beam, non-objectionable tint, robust switch, and can run a really long time (a runtime test earlier in the thread got 100's of hours of dim but usable light out of the provided heavy duty battery...implying that an alkaline might approach 1000 hours based on relative capacities). The circuit is a real battery vampire and some of us have reported getting many hours of usable light out of batteries that were too dead for other electronics to fire up on.
As a $3 light, it's probably not something you'd carry, but it seems like a great light to stash in the house as a loaner/give-away light for emergencies or as a night light for power outages. The price makes it appealing for a project light (use the circuit to make a lantern, for example). I've been sticking "dead" batteries in mine and using them to navigate the house at night. I'm currently on 1 month of use from a "dead" AA battery that I pulled out of a game controller.
The only higher quality light that I'm aware of is the Lumintop SD4A which is a 4AA light that will happily run at reduced output on 1D. The reviews I've found have all been positive, but only one actually gave any information about how the light behaves on 1D. Reported output on 1D: 1/38/111/166/208. Review: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?440874-Lumintop-SD4A-XM-L2-4AA-Review
So, not many options, but at least the cheap option seems like an excellent value. The more expensive option gets good reviews but nobody in this thread has experienced it firsthand.
--flatline
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lampeDépêche
Flashlight Enthusiast
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So I turned on my two Eveready 1-D lights 37 days ago. One of them with a fresh Eveready zinc-carbon D-cell. The other with a Duracell alkaline, rated at 60% by my ZTS meter.
Tonight I noticed that the one running the Eveready was no longer a useful area-light in the kitchen. Too dim for the ceiling-bounce to make the area navigable. So I decided to replace the battery.
It was still putting out some light. About the same brightness as the lowest level of light on my Photon Freedom white light running a single 2032 cell. Or the middle L2 on my H52w, which is rated at 0.06 lumens. I could read a book with it held 15cms/6" away. So some useful light. But not enough to act as a general night-light for night excursions to the kitchen.
37 days = 888 hours. From a zinc-carbon cell rated at 8000mah. So it's drawing about 9ma. And when I took the battery out, the voltage was at 0.39v. That was too low for it to restart it, of course, but it was still running on it.
The other light, with the used Duracell, is till chugging along with a decent useful output.
If it's drawing an average of 9ma from a 1.5v cell, then I assume it is delivering well less than half that current to the LED. Cut it in half to boost it to 3v, then trim off some more for losses to the boost circuit, and maybe it was feeding 3ma to the emitter?
Anyhow--it's a vampire alright. Down to 0.39v and still putting out minimal but usable light. I don't know how far down it would have dropped the voltage to before going out altogether.
Tonight I noticed that the one running the Eveready was no longer a useful area-light in the kitchen. Too dim for the ceiling-bounce to make the area navigable. So I decided to replace the battery.
It was still putting out some light. About the same brightness as the lowest level of light on my Photon Freedom white light running a single 2032 cell. Or the middle L2 on my H52w, which is rated at 0.06 lumens. I could read a book with it held 15cms/6" away. So some useful light. But not enough to act as a general night-light for night excursions to the kitchen.
37 days = 888 hours. From a zinc-carbon cell rated at 8000mah. So it's drawing about 9ma. And when I took the battery out, the voltage was at 0.39v. That was too low for it to restart it, of course, but it was still running on it.
The other light, with the used Duracell, is till chugging along with a decent useful output.
If it's drawing an average of 9ma from a 1.5v cell, then I assume it is delivering well less than half that current to the LED. Cut it in half to boost it to 3v, then trim off some more for losses to the boost circuit, and maybe it was feeding 3ma to the emitter?
Anyhow--it's a vampire alright. Down to 0.39v and still putting out minimal but usable light. I don't know how far down it would have dropped the voltage to before going out altogether.
That's an amazing result.
The open circuit voltage of the "dead" AA that I've been using is still above 0.8v and the output is still greater than 1L, but it only runs about 20 minutes each night and then rests all day. I'll replace the cell before too much longer simply because I don't want it to leak in my adapter.
Leaking cells are the bane of the battery vampire. And wall clocks.
--flatline
The open circuit voltage of the "dead" AA that I've been using is still above 0.8v and the output is still greater than 1L, but it only runs about 20 minutes each night and then rests all day. I'll replace the cell before too much longer simply because I don't want it to leak in my adapter.
Leaking cells are the bane of the battery vampire. And wall clocks.
--flatline
dgbrookman
Newly Enlightened
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Just to verify, is this the one?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eveready-Economy-LED-Flashlight/50033830?
Gotta check these things before laying down the princely sum of $2.47. Seriously, thanks for the pointer and discussion. I can see lots of uses for a long-lasting, modest output light like this.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eveready-Economy-LED-Flashlight/50033830?
Gotta check these things before laying down the princely sum of $2.47.
Seriously, thanks for the pointer and discussion. I can see lots of uses for a long-lasting, modest output light like this.Just to verify, is this the one?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eveready-Economy-LED-Flashlight/50033830?
Gotta check these things before laying down the princely sum of $2.47.
The packaging on mine advertised 25 lumens and 60 hours runtime, so that looks like the same thing. I'd be more confident if we could see that it had a reflector in it rather than an optic. The previous generation with the optic was pretty terrible and I'd hate for you to get one of those by mistake.
--flatline
lampeDépêche
Flashlight Enthusiast
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Just to be clear, I am running these with a 39-ohm resistor in-line between the cell and the circuit. (Nothing fancy, just taped to the top of the cell with some electrical tape for insulation). That is why I got 800+ hours from it--without the throttle, I would have gotten more like the manufacturer's 60 hours.
lampeDépêche
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
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Just to verify, is this the one?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eveready-Economy-LED-Flashlight/50033830?
Gotta check these things before laying down the princely sum of $2.47.
That looks plausible, and I'm even more confident of the two-fer package advertised below it:
http://https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eveready-LED-Economy-Flashlight/38752870
C'mon, big spender--roll double or nothing!
