Rechargeable or battery lights - ?

[classic33]

agree with you generally but where can you get four decent rechargeables for £1?
I would always these days/for any new batteries I bought use low self discharge batteries - I bought some from Lidl that weren't and they are noticably poor. Their LSD low self discharge ones are better.

The pack of batteries for a £1, are the non rechargeable sort. A "get me home" fix, should the rechargeables not last.

 

[Blue Hills]

Just had a look at the IKEA site. It is showing two types of AA batteries, one type are 1900 Mah at £4 for 4 batteries, the other type is 2450 Mah at £6.50 for four. The pack of eight CR2035 for £1 looks a bargain.
I think I remember that one way of telling that the IKEA batteries were the rebadged Eneloops was the country of manufacture being Japan.

thanks for checking.
Yes there clearly can't be that many factories making these things.
I also checked the claimed capacity which is slightly unusual on the lower capacity ones.
These would be my batteries of choice - with a good charger.

By the by, for happy free campers, Ikea used to do a very cheap (but works) AA/AAA battery charger that takes power from a powerbank (which you could have charged from a dynamo of course) but I don't think they do it anymore. It was so cheap that some cheeky sods used to resell it on the bay at a premium.

 

[Tenkaykev]

thanks for checking.
Yes there clearly can't be that many factories making these things.
I also checked the claimed capacity which is slightly unusual on the lower capacity ones.
These would be my batteries of choice - with a good charger.

By the by, for happy free campers, Ikea used to do a very cheap (but works) AA/AAA battery charger that takes power from a powerbank (which you could have charged from a dynamo of course) but I don't think they do it anymore. It was so cheap that some cheeky sods used to resell it on the bay at a premium.

Indeed, I’ve seen my £3 “ DYMPA “ bag (which is the ideal size for a folded Brompton ) being resold for £12 on the bay😮

 

[bonzobanana]

you have to be careful if going down that route to check that you are getting the batteries from a reputable source. Unless you want to take the chance of fires. Generally I find it easier to source rechargeable AAA and AAs from sources I trust.

That's a fair point although fires are extremely rare even from the cheaper 18650 batteries. Some lights taking 18650 batteries even allow them to be quickly removed and replaced just like the old AA batteries. So you can take backup charged batteries with you. I guess 18650 is the nearest we have to a standardised lithium ion battery although the end contacts can vary I think from normal removable contacts and solder tags.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

What type of charger are you using? A smart charger is really an essential to look after rechargeable batteries. Any El'Cheapo dumb charger (like the ones Duracell have typically included in their battery & charger combo packs hung up near the checkouts in diy stores and supermarkets) will drastically shorten the service life of an otherwise good battery.

It is an 'intelligent' charger than can do a variety of things - not some cheap thing
I have had experience of rechargeable batteries when I worked in school - so I knew to get a decent charger

 

[Milzy]

Wow, they still sell battery lights!!!? Crazy.

 

[simongt]

the new company isn't the same one.

Just pinged an enquiry to the 'new' Maplin. We'll see what their reaction is - !

 

[simongt]

shhh no-one mentions dynamos ok
On that reminder, I've also e-mailed my LBS about the cost of lacing a dynohub into my front wheel and installing a decent lamp with a standlight.
As I'll be using my Galaxy for at least another two years for work and then starting a bit of touring, will be worth the expense and peace of mind.
I did have a bottle dynamo setup a while back but two issues - in the wet, the dynamo wheel slipped and the bracket for said dynamo was a ruddy ugly ungainly great piece of kit. The design hasn't changed in sixty years - !

 

[BalkanExpress]

+1. 2x Hope Vision Ones (AAs) for the front and a Smart or Wilko rear (2 x AAAs). Commuting for twenty years (plus the occasional commute since) & many, many other night rides including well over a hundred FNRttCs. Reliable, fault-tolerant & never let me down.

The real clincher for the Hopes is that you can mount then underneath the handlebars, where there look as cool as....

 

[Blue Hills]

The real clincher for the Hopes is that you can mount then underneath the handlebars, where there look as cool as....

the Vision 1's don't have the german approved beam pattern though do they?
(I have two, including the one that has the "feature" of instantly cutting the light when, in a hissy fit, it decides that it can't be bothered with the batteries any more. I don't really use them any more though they were excellent lights in their time)

 

[ColinJ]

A torch and rechargeable battery's are OK, but you are losing voltage as a 1.5V battery size is only 1.1V in a rechargeable so it will not be so bright

Duracells (for example) might start off at 1.5 V but the voltage reduces as they get used up and they end their life below 1.0 V. A typical NiMH rechargeable is about 1.2 V when charged and holds onto that voltage better. So the Duracell-powered light will start off brighter, but it doesn't stay that way.

While I'm at it... I had to buy Duracells on a forum ride because one of my NiMH AAs suddenly died on me after years of use. The only place I could find selling them was a supermarket which charged me £8 for a pack of 8. I commented at the time that I had a lifetime supply of Duracells. I wish... All 8 of them packed up, 6 or 7 without even being used, more than a year before their expiry date!

 

[Alex321]

always amuses/horrifies me to see the rush to USB lights on the back of commuting. Hell, commutes on a bike are one of the most predictable, and relatively short, trips there is. And even if a charge at work were needed (shouldn't really be) there is presumably mains power. If someone can't manage their battery lights for such a trip I don't think I'd employ them/trust them to get into work wearing their socks.

Sorry, but I really don't understand this comment.

USB charging is exactly the same as rechargeable AAA batteries from this POV.

Some (like me) prefer USB recharging. Others prefer rechargeable AAA (or AA). There really is no right/wrong here. Both work well, and for most cyclists with a predictable usage and in-the-dark journeys of less than 2 hours, both are equally good.

If you are regularly going to be riding longer than a single charge worth, then the ability to swap out one set of rechargeable batteries for another is an advantage. If you aren't, then IMO USB has the advantage, because no need to faff around opening the light and taking the batteries out to charge. But that is my personal preference.

 

[Blue Hills]

Sorry, but I really don't understand this comment.

USB charging is exactly the same as rechargeable AAA batteries from this POV.

Some (like me) prefer USB recharging. Others prefer rechargeable AAA (or AA). There really is no right/wrong here. Both work well, and for most cyclists with a predictable usage and in-the-dark journeys of less than 2 hours, both are equally good.

If you are regularly going to be riding longer than a single charge worth, then the ability to swap out one set of rechargeable batteries for another is an advantage. If you aren't, then IMO USB has the advantage, because no need to faff around opening the light and taking the batteries out to charge. But that is my personal preference.

See upthread about binning the light when the battery is shot.

 

[Alex321]

See upthread about binning the light when the battery is shot.

Different argument entirely.

 

[classic33]

Different argument entirely.

Part of the same argument.
You can buy lights with sealed in batteries or lights where the batteries are intended to be changed. The choice is yours when you decide which to buy.