Best torch that runs on AA batteries

northcave said:
I couldn't agree less. Lots of things in life you pay for the name but torches are not one of them. You will not get the same quality or brightness from a petrol station £5 torch compared to Petzl. I've used Petzl for years while mountaineering, ski touring and caving. They are one of the only companies left to genuinely do their own R&D and the services / quality is excellent. My Petzl Mypo puts out 200 lumens, its waterproof (even though they don't claim it is I've tested in by submerging in a cave), and when it went wrong within 2 years of use, they replaced it outright.

Skimp on your beans, your dinghy, your shackles etc but when it comes to knives and torches, get the best and even if it isn't their top model.
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Fair enough but I'm not talking about a petrol station model. For a fiver I can get one of these that puts out 300 lumens, is water resistant and runs on 1 AA battery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-Q5-3...ing_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item35cae28442

Ive had a couple that I'ved used in wet, dirty fishing conditions for the last two or three years. They're unebelievably bright, robust, and perform flawlessly. In over two years of use and abuse they haven't gone wrong and if they were to then they cost a fiver to replace. What's not to like?

To each his own, but I just want a torch to work and light things up and so can't see any reason to pay 50 or 60 quid when I can get comparable performance for a fiver.

I have a bunch of these Chinese Cree led torches in varying sizes and styles, all under a tenner, and they are just as bright (in fact brighter) and just as good as the more expensive Lenser torches I also have.
 
My boat was saved yesterday by the brightness of my Decathlon LED torch.I had dropped the anchor because I had found my mooring occupied by another boat and it was already dark.The fishing boats were going out by then, one after another.As I was outside the channel I was relaxed about it until this idiotic skipper came straight at me,maybe he was looking down ,I don't know.Luckily I was on deck and had the torch in my pocket which I shone directly at the boat's wheel house.He veered off at the last moment.I'm definitely getting more of those!
 
I have got a bright torch on home made bracket next to the companion way. The modern equivalent of a white flare.
Just be a bit careful where you shine it. If shone right at someone not a long distance away they won't be able to see much because of glare and loss of dark adaptation.

Often you are better to shine it at your own yacht.

Shining it at them is useful on occasions it will get there attention, just use it with a bit of caution. Even if they are asleep down below often the light is enough to wake them. Useful to alert someone who is dragging.
 
just to bounce this back a bit..Banggoog.com
Ok, I dont run around in a black tshirt or have a latin phrase tattoed on my arm, so maybe my comments are worthless.
However, I have tried Banggood the T6 bundle (11 quid) and the Q5 bundle (7 quid). Thats torch,batteries and a charger.Both packages arrived pretty fast, considering, say 7-10 days, for free, from the other side of the planet....Not a bad start.
So, I havent dismantled the lithium battery, and sure, at 2-3 quid the charger isnt going to be the most sophisticated (I think my multi li-ion charger was 60 quid).. so... how does this pan out against the cost of a pint of lager and crisps?
Err.. pretty good... I havent been out to some golf range at 2 in the morning to test, but compared to the few quid nonsense in your high street, this is pretty friggin bright. I think if you shine it into your mouth, your underwear might glow.
So, I am sure the covert-ops boys arent going to be impressed, but for a few quid this is bloody good value, and I m really impressed with the quality and delivery.
I am certainly going to get a few more at this price.
And for the sceptics, no, I am not the owner of Banggood etc etc....
 
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Be careful with the lithium battery and charger.
Lithium batteries can explode or burn with an intense fire. The better cells are "protected" and with a good charger it quite safe, but it's not an area to skimp on quality.
 
noelex said:
Be careful with the lithium battery and charger.
Lithium batteries can explode or burn with an intense fire. The better cells are "protected" and with a good charger it quite safe, but it's not an area to skimp on quality.
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Well, yes they can, and I agree a little more care is needed, but these are single cells, not multi packs that need balanced charging. The risk is more if they are shorted, rather than self ignite while sitting on a shelf one day.
 
noelex said:
The better cells are "protected" .
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Actually, I am curious about this comment. Since we are talking about single 3.7v cells 18650 and 14500, who makes protected cells and how are they protected? I have had a look on a few sites who claim to make 10s of millions of these things and I havent come across anything about it.
 
The protected cells have a small circuit board mounted at one end (the battery is made a tiny bit smaller so the length with the board is the same). It's buried in the battery so it can be difficult to see but the specs will tell if its there.

The board autmaticatically cuts power from (or to) the battery if the voltage gets too low, or too high. So if charger becomes faulty the battery will not be subject to voltages where it will explode or catch fire (these are not much above normal charging voltages)
The explosions and/or fire can be very dramatic.

The general consensus is that unprotected cells are not safe and should never be used. I subscribe to this view. Most of the quality brands are "protected" cells. AW make probably the best quality batteries.

Without getting too technical there is an alternative type of lithium cell with a different chemistry. These are often called IMR cells. These are safe and cannot explode or burn so do not need the protection circuit. However, they are more expensive, have slightly less capacity, and require a slightly different charging voltage.
 
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noelex said:
The protected cells have a small circuit board mounted at one end (the battery is made a tiny bit smaller so the length with the board is the same). It's buried in the battery so it can be difficult to see but the specs will tell if its there.

The board autmaticatically cuts power from (or to) the battery if the voltage gets too low, or too high. So if charger becomes faulty the battery will not be subject to voltages where it will explode or catch fire (these are not much above normal charging voltages)
The explosions and/or fire can be very dramatic.

The general consensus is that unprotected cells are not safe and should never be used. I subscribe to this view. Most of the quality brands are "protected" cells. AW make probably the best quality batteries.

Without getting too technical there is an alternative type of lithium cell with a different chemistry. These are often called IMR cells. These are safe and cannot explode or burn so do not need the protection circuit. However, they are more expensive, have slightly less capacity, and require a slightly different charging voltage.
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Thanks. Admit my charger for RC has limiter at 4.2v, and in use there is another cut-off at 3.7v, and it has cell balancing. Havent heard of cells with that inbuilt.
Personally, I think the message is that you do need to take more care on li-ion batteries both not to over charge them, or to over discharge them, but these arent that powerful and this isnt using a fast high amp charger... I am bit more wary of the high discharge ratings and high amps on the RC packs.
 
How annoying Boo, and a shame too, as I have a few of those and use them on the boat and for night fishing. It's amazing how bright they are for such a small and cheap torch.

Presumably they'll send out another but it is a pain having to wait for it to come from China.
 
abraxus said:
How annoying Boo, and a shame too, as I have a few of those and use them on the boat and for night fishing. It's amazing how bright they are for such a small and cheap torch.

Presumably they'll send out another but it is a pain having to wait for it to come from China.
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Yes, a bit of a nuisance but they did refund me, kudos to the vendor for that.

Boo2
 
Have just bought such a beast from Lidl. Aluminium case, Cree bulb driven by 2xAA batteries, & also has an energy saving mode plus a flashing mode. Brilliant vision at circa 70 metres. Just £7 !! Now looking for a second one.
 
agree

Bosun Higgs said:
maybe I'm cynical, but is this really worth ten times ( literally) as much as a cheepo from ebay? Is it not a case of the Harley syndrome - put a brand name onto a dog turd and you will sell it - not that I'm suggesting the torch is dog turd quality, just that it looks to me like £5 for the torch and £30 for the brand name.
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I bought an expensive petzl for a family member within a year the plastic had cracked and later the circuit board failed _ I repaired it because I was gutted at the waste.

Bought myself a cheaper petal and plastic cracking on that too.

Read Ming Ming books by Roger and I am sure I remember his petal failed, but his cheapo backup lasted.

I will never buy another petzl. There are a lot of better value h torches out there.
 
I have got a FENIX LD40 a lot of money but a hell of a lot of torch. Don`t look into the beam on full brightness, bit like watching a welder! It has 4 brightness levels, strobe and sends SOS in cw. Had it 3 years, use it a lot, looks like new.
 
+ 1

gjgm said:
just to bounce this back a bit..Banggoog.com
Ok, I dont run around in a black tshirt or have a latin phrase tattoed on my arm, so maybe my comments are worthless.
However, I have tried Banggood the T6 bundle (11 quid) and the Q5 bundle (7 quid). Thats torch,batteries and a charger.Both packages arrived pretty fast, considering, say 7-10 days, for free, from the other side of the planet....Not a bad start.
So, I havent dismantled the lithium battery, and sure, at 2-3 quid the charger isnt going to be the most sophisticated (I think my multi li-ion charger was 60 quid).. so... how does this pan out against the cost of a pint of lager and crisps?
Err.. pretty good... I havent been out to some golf range at 2 in the morning to test, but compared to the few quid nonsense in your high street, this is pretty friggin bright. I think if you shine it into your mouth, your underwear might glow.
So, I am sure the covert-ops boys arent going to be impressed, but for a few quid this is bloody good value, and I m really impressed with the quality and delivery.
I am certainly going to get a few more at this price.
And for the sceptics, no, I am not the owner of Banggood etc etc....
Click to expand...

I ordered one of the Q5's, 10 days to deliver, less than 8 Euro, i'm ordering another ten for scouts!
 
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