Post by davesenesac on Nov 25, 2019 9:34:20 GMT -8
Whichever LED flashlight or headlamp one buys it is important in this era to buy one that has a voltage regulated output so the lumen output remains constant despite lowering battery voltages. I also have a supply of rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, AA, AAA, and 18650 including chargers that run off both 120vac, 12vdc (car), and USB.
As a sometimes night hiker, I've been using higher power Fenix headlamps for years. However also have 4 each Fenix E01's that I carry one in my pocket both outdoors and at home as they are about as small as is possible for running off AAA batteries.
Surprising all the ways around the house I use them simply because one is usually right in my pocket and that is often reading text on items that are too dim otherwise. The E01 used to sell for about $12 but notice price has doubled as the model is out of production. The E05 is the same size with a brighter LED and less battery life. There are now also some similar AAA voltage regulated products available that are cheaper and is probably the reason the E01 has been discontinued. But again beware of models that do not specifically state they are voltage regulated.
Post by swiftdream on Nov 25, 2019 13:44:19 GMT -8
Those little Fenix flashlights are super nice. Still have an older EO5 with one light level and it’s my favorite little light.
My only headlamp is an old but rock solid Surefire Minimus. Love the wide flood beam and not only use it camping but around the house all the time. You can dial up light from 1 lumen to 100. Normally I’ll use the lowest settings for close up in dark to around the middle range, very rarely have to light the night on fire with a wall of light high setting.
Importance is an illusion of mankind -Marguerite Duras
Post by k9education on Dec 13, 2019 0:04:48 GMT -8
Since this thread is still floating up here, I'm going to chime in with a very brief 1 year update on the Petzl Actik Core.
It's performed largely as expected and gets every minute of the rated battery life on high. I don't run it much on medium so can't comment on the battery life, but in terms of brightness it's plenty for most night hikes. The low mode is largely useless aside from in-tent use. Note that all of the above applies only to the Core battery. I tried running the unit with rechargeable Eneloop AAAs when my Core had dropped into medium mode and I only got about 1/5 the time on high. I repeated the experiment with another set of Eneloops and had the same result/ Thus, for those looking to run it on AAAs I can't really recommend it. If you're running the Core battery though it's a great light and I've been very pleased with it.
k9education, the problem with the Eneloops might have been the batteries, not the headlamp. I’ve been distinctly unimpressed with their rechargable AAs and AAAs.
www.Rebecca-Douglass.com A Is For Alpine: An Alphabet Book for Little Hikers, and other non-hiking-related books.
True Eneloops are good batteries. There are a lot of knock off Eneloops out there that are not of the same quality.
But the biggest thing is that at fully charged they are only 1.2V. Alkalines start at 1.5V and are 3/4 dead when they are at 1.2V. If a device is designed for alkalines the Eneloops may not be able to provide enough voltage for very long.
If the Core battery is a lithium chemistry then it is likely a single cell which is 4.2V fully charged, discharged about 3.2. The device has to limit discharging a lithium or it will damage the battery so if it is designed to take lithium there is likely a hard lower cut off. Three alkaline would be 4.5V but 3 Eneloops would only start at 3.6V. If 3.2V is the low voltage threshold, Eneloops don't have far to go.
Eneloops have good storage, just at a lower voltage which a lot of things don't like.
The cheerleader waves her cyanide wand. There's a smell of peach blossom and bitter almond.
k9education , the problem with the Eneloops might have been the batteries, not the headlamp. I’ve been distinctly unimpressed with their rechargable AAs and AAAs.
True Eneloops are good batteries. There are a lot of knock off Eneloops out there that are not of the same quality.
But the biggest thing is that at fully charged they are only 1.2V. Alkalines start at 1.5V and are 3/4 dead when they are at 1.2V. If a device is designed for alkalines the Eneloops may not be able to provide enough voltage for very long.
If the Core battery is a lithium chemistry then it is likely a single cell which is 4.2V fully charged, discharged about 3.2. The device has to limit discharging a lithium or it will damage the battery so if it is designed to take lithium there is likely a hard lower cut off. Three alkaline would be 4.5V but 3 Eneloops would only start at 3.6V. If 3.2V is the low voltage threshold, Eneloops don't have far to go.
Eneloops have good storage, just at a lower voltage which a lot of things don't like.
They're genuine Eneloops, but I can't say I've been impressed with their quality either. While the AAs have been running strong for quite some time, I've already had a few AAAs go kaput on me much sooner than I would have expected.
The Core battery is a lithium ion 1250 mAh vs 750 mAh for the Eneloops, so I wouldn't have expected equal performance, but I was a bit surprised to see the AAAs drop out of high mode after only 15 minutes.
Have you tried testing with alkaline AAA batteries?
Also can I assume it takes 3 AAA if not using the core?
I think you might find that when you go to recharge the Eneloops after your test it is pretty quick. The headlamp is turning them off well before they are discharged. That voltage threshold thing.
The cheerleader waves her cyanide wand. There's a smell of peach blossom and bitter almond.
For those Li-what-evers, when a Li is cold, when first energized, and the battery is expected to deliver more then 1 minute of light, to de-energize the battery at, 15 to 30 seconds, for a very brief moment, and then energize.
When cold, the internal resistance is of the battery is lower, which causes more current to flow, internally, in the battery, as the battery heats up and the internal resistance rises, the batteries internal electronics attempts to maintain the higher current flow with the increasing internal resistance. A cold Li battery with good internal electronics, will disable current flow, too fast for the eye to see, and re-enable current flow. The off/on cycle of current flow internally to the battery, will shorten the life of the battery.
If the batteries electronics are poor, the battery will go into a thermal runaway, which will increase the chances the battery begins a meltdown. During months of non use and a Li battery is kept in the device, like a head lamp, the device should be ran once or twice a month for 30 seconds or more, maintenance. The better option is to store Li batteries that will not be used for months, separate from their devices.
During months of non use and a Li battery is kept in the device, like a head lamp, the device should be ran once or twice a month for 30 seconds or more, maintenance. The better option is to store Li batteries that will not be used for months, separate from their devices.
The recommended storage voltage for lithium's is 3.8V. This would correspond to about 50% charge on most devices battery gauges. Away from their devices they will hold at their voltage for possibly years. Storing them fully charged is bad for them.
@idahowalker 's comments reflect a fact about lithium chemistry batteries. They have light weight and high energy density but are temperamental. If not managed by their chargers and devices correctly they can be damaged or even explode. A major company like Samsung (really their battery supplier) didn't get it quite right and had a bunch of phones go to thermal run away and burn up.
The cheerleader waves her cyanide wand. There's a smell of peach blossom and bitter almond.
Have you tried testing with alkaline AAA batteries?
Also can I assume it takes 3 AAA if not using the core?
I think you might find that when you go to recharge the Eneloops after your test it is pretty quick. The headlamp is turning them off well before they are discharged. That voltage threshold thing.
The bottom line may be that the rechargables aren’t a good choice for headlamps. I use regular single-use batteries in my headlamps, in part so I don’t have to worry about hauling them home to recharge, and in part because they never seemed to me to work well. Glad to understand (sort of) why.
www.Rebecca-Douglass.com A Is For Alpine: An Alphabet Book for Little Hikers, and other non-hiking-related books.
Have you tried testing with alkaline AAA batteries?
Also can I assume it takes 3 AAA if not using the core?
I think you might find that when you go to recharge the Eneloops after your test it is pretty quick. The headlamp is turning them off well before they are discharged. That voltage threshold thing.
I have not. To be honest, I'm not particularly concerned about the why. I just wanted to share my experience so that those considering this particular headlamp know that - for whatever reason - it runs great w/ the Core battery, but not very well with rechargeable AAAs.
The bottom line may be that the rechargables aren’t a good choice for headlamps. I use regular single-use batteries in my headlamps, in part so I don’t have to worry about hauling them home to recharge, and in part because they never seemed to me to work well. Glad to understand (sort of) why.
I also use regular single-use battery headlamps. As almost entirely a summer + shoulder season backpacker, I actually don't use my headlamp very much and I don't worry too much about features, lumens, etc. I do use headlamps a lot around the house in regular life, though.
I always put brand new batteries in my headlamp at the start of the season, and before any major multiple-day trips. I save the partially spent batteries for use in less mission-critical applications, like TV remotes, etc.
I live in Alaska, so morning running in the dark from November to March....lithium batteris are also important for cold conditions.
There are two battery types referred to as lithium, rechargeable lithium's and disposable lithium's. Rechargeables are a whole big topic on its own. But the disposables, although somewhat expensive, are a good deal for hikers. They hold more charge yet are lighter than alkaline disposables. They also continue to work at well below freezing temps unlike alkalines. they also have a very long shelf life.