Rechargeable or battery lights - ?

[roley poley]

why are chargeable batteries 1.2 v and throwaways 1.5v???...does it make any difference to the choice on this thread versus output for a light ???

 

[classic33]

why are chargeable batteries 1.2 v and throwaways 1.5v???...does it make any difference to the choice on this thread versus output for a light ???

Batteries, whatever sort, have a life that is often shorter than the lights they're fitted in. Rechargeable batteries that can be recharged, sometimes in the lights, but aren't sealed in, are the halfway mark.
They do give the option of not binning the light(sealed in batteries) once they fail.

 

[andrew_s]

why are chargeable batteries 1.2 v and throwaways 1.5v???...does it make any difference to the choice on this thread versus output for a light ???

Chemistry.

It's unlikely to make much difference in an LED light. In old bulb lights 1.5V would be brighter than 1.2V.
However, in both cases the voltage isn't constant, dropping as the battery is used. On average, between putting batteries in, and taking them out for charging or replacement, the 1,2V rechargeables were probably a bit brighter.

If you want, you can have 1.5V rechargeables that are lithium inside (3.7V) with a regulator that cuts it down to 1.5V. They are the full 1.5V right to the end, but the downside is that there's no warning of where the end is (they just turn off), so you have to charge them frequently. An advantage is that they charge via a micro-USB port in the battery.

 

[roley poley]

[QUOTE="andrew_s, post: 6581003, member: 187"
It's unlikely to make much difference in an LED light. In old bulb lights 1.5V would be brighter

whoever invented the L.E.D deserves a medal

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE="andrew_s, post: 6581003, member: 187"
It's unlikely to make much difference in an LED light. In old bulb lights 1.5V would be brighter

whoever invented the L.E.D deserves a medal

A viable white LED, Shuji Nakamura.
He was denied the "royalties" from his invention and work for many years.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

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.

I can't see many instances where even a long night ride is going to deplete a fully charged USB light. The cheap & cheerful Crivit USB rechargeables I use will run for well over 10 hours on their low setting if starting out from a full charge. I've tested the things indoors just to see how long they run for, and was getting bored by the time they ran down. Unless you are riding all night on pitch black unlit rural lanes on a night when there's no moon, you don't need the high output settings so the lights would last from dusk to dawn if needed. That's from a £13 set of lights courtesy of Lidl.

 

[Alex321]

I can't see many instances where even a long night ride is going to deplete a fully charged USB light. The cheap & cheerful Crivit USB rechargeables I use will run for well over 10 hours on their low setting if starting out from a full charge. I've tested the things indoors just to see how long they run for, and was getting bored by the time they ran down. Unless you are riding all night on pitch black unlit rural lanes on a night when there's no moon, you don't need the high output settings so the lights would last from dusk to dawn if needed. That's from a £13 set of lights courtesy of Lidl.

Well most of my riding is on pitch black unlit rural roads - and in winter there is often no moon So I do use it on full power a lot of the time (1600 lumens, enough to be reasonably comfortable at 25mph).

But even on full power, my light lasts around 2 hours, and I am very rarely out longer than that, particularly after dark.

 

[Blue Hills]

Well most of my riding is on pitch black unlit rural roads - and in winter there is often no moon So I do use it on full power a lot of the time (1600 lumens, enough to be reasonably comfortable at 25mph).

But even on full power, my light lasts around 2 hours, and I am very rarely out longer than that, particularly after dark.

I'd expect more than 2 hours from a decent light. I suspect a lot of the light from your 1600 lumens is shining other places than on the road.
The Lidl lights (at least the older ones which use the german beam standard) would do better than that.
I have ridden the Dynamo night ride on a Lidl light.

 

[Alex321]

I'd expect more than 2 hours from a decent light. I suspect a lot of the light from your 1600 lumens is shining other places than on the road.
The Lidl lights (at least the older ones which use the german beam standard) would do better than that.
I have ridden the Dynamo night ride on a Lidl light.

Well I have never actually ridden long enough to be sure how long I would get.

A lot of rechargeables only specify 1 hour at maximum power. This one is better than average at 2 hours.

Drop it down one power level, and I would get a lot more, and would still be enough for most of the roads I know reasonably well.

 

[Dogtrousers]

My main lights are a hope vision 1 (front) and cateye Omni (rear). Powered by rechargeable batteries (4 AA front 2 AAA rear). Easily last all night (as tested on Friday Night Rides to the Coast)

I do have other bits and bobs - I carry emergency/backup lights that are cheapie internal battery USB rechargeable jobs from decathlon.

I tried a dynohub but I didn't get along with it. Too feeble at low speed.

 

[Blue Hills]

My main lights are a hope vision 1 (front)

How do you find the beam pattern on the Vision 1?
The great thing about that light is of course the wonderfully easy battery swap if you ever need to do it mid ride because of the neat 4xAA cartridge system. Who needs built-in batteries with that system? The B&M light I referred to upthread is a great light (better than the Hope I think) but I would never ever try to change batteries by the side of the road mid-ride - it's just too fiddly and delicate. Instead I just clip on another if inferior light to the same mount.
Is the Vision 1 line now discontinued?

 

[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.

another reply to this - those batteries are a bargain - I just had a look and it lists the 2450 batteries as new which is kinda odd as I have had a set for a fair old while. Not sure what could have changed? I do a fair bit of through-the-night riding and mistakenly bought 2 sets of four batteries from 7-day shop which are labelled as something super impressive like 2900. But they aren't low self discharge - I am forever recharging them before one of my night rides - I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they drop to something less than those IKEAs soon after being taken out of the charger so all a bit pointless.

 

[Dogtrousers]

@Blue Hills I really like my Hope Vision 1. I'm not a connoisseur of technicalities like beam patterns but I think it's a really good light, and while it works I won't be buying another.

I think it may well be discontinued. I have a couple as I grabbed a second one when someone had them on offer.

 

[Blue Hills]

I think it may well be discontinued.

A pity - was well worth developing I think.

 

[Tenkaykev]

another reply to this - those batteries are a bargain - I just had a look and it lists the 2450 batteries as new which is kinda odd as I have had a set for a fair old while. Not sure what could have changed? I do a fair bit of through-the-night riding and mistakenly bought 2 sets of four batteries from 7-day shop which are labelled as something super impressive like 2900. But they aren't low self discharge - I am forever recharging them before one of my night rides - I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they drop to something less than those IKEAs soon after being taken out of the charger so all a bit pointless.

I've seen a few tests of rechargeable batteries and the stated capacity is often " optimistic " There's a YouTube channel by Big Clive, he took an Eneloop apart :

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBg4ximDrsk