UKH

Evening

Can anyone offer any advice on the best batteries to use in a headtorch (BD Icon, for what it's worth). Conscious that different brands and types give better performance, particularly in the cold. Are Lithiums a good call?

Did a search and found lots of techy comments that made no sense and (believe it or not) a lot of contradiction

Si

In reply to Si Withington:
Tesco sells Kodak high power AA's for a pound a (6)pack.

That's a lot of batteries for the price of a pack of 4 lithium.

In reply to Si Withington:

Duracell every time

In reply to Si Withington:

I think lithiums are worth the extra cash. Lighter, higher output towards exhaustion, last forever, don't leak. But I don't use mine very often, if I was changing them every fortnight I'd just use Duracell.

In reply to Si Withington:
My Petzl headtorch's instructions suggest that either lithium batteries OR rechargeables (NiMH) will give a longer burn time than alkalines? Which seems strange, given Wiki gives (for AA batteries) 400-700 mAh for zinc carbon, 1000-1500 mAh for zinc chloride and 1700-3000 mAh for alkalines, while NiMH will typically be 1300-2900 mAH (so comparable to the alkalines).

Either way, I would use lithiums for cold/long term storage and just use NiMH rechargeables normally?

In reply to Si Withington:

I use Eneloops normally, but I think it would make sense to have a set of Lithiums for spares - last forever, less affected by cold etc.

In reply to Si Withington:

Lithium here also......but just remember, Lithium are not always compatible with your device/torch.

In reply to Si Withington:

A decent set of budget alaklines will last a long time in an LED headtorch. I think they're hard to beat.

In reply to Si Withington:
As for AA power source Lithium batteries are better in cold (will start to loose capacity only below -10C). They are very good at hi loads and probably most green. But most expensive as well.

Alkaline is a good battery for a device which draws small amounts of power. Like a watch. Drawing at least 500mA will reduce capacity by a half (modern flashlights can utilize 1A - 6A on hi settings). Alkaline are good for long shelf life, cheap and light.

NiMH is probably the best choice for AA torch in warm conditions. They can work well on hi loads, rechargeable and have good capacity. Only real downside is that they are very bad at -5C and useless at -15C. They are heavy as well..

If you are in to the numbers here's a good article about different AA battery chemistry:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?367081-Comparison-of-AA-...

In reply to Si Withington:

I use some hi capacity eneloops with my polar Icon and I'd say they are spot on. Regulated light so the discharge profile of rechargeable suit it better than normal chuck away batteries. Plus you don't have the debate about how long till they die after a few long days out. Use with a good quality charger and they are very good, and don't self discharge nearly as fast as other rechargeable and or normal batteries.

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to StuDoig:

I agree with this logic. I am sure that lithium have their place in cold or remote trips. But this http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Headlamp-Reviews/Beam-Test?beamA=49009&v=...
shows how little bright time you might expect to get. So being able to top up rechargeables for a day or weekend trip ensures some reasonable performance. And stops the dilemma of throwing alkalines out after a few hours of use.

In reply to Si Withington:

Lithiums in the cold, where normal alkaline batteries quickly become useless. My headtorch even has an extender cable so I could carry the battery pack in my jacket, but have done so only rarly. Clipping the entire setup to the helmet is just so much more convenient.

For normal I use rechargeable AAs. In the Alps I will take a regular set of batteries or a second set of rechargeables as backup.

CB

In reply to Si Withington:

Normally my head-torch is loaded with rechargeables or budget alkalines, but then despite being IPX7 waterproof and having a great beam it's not recommended for lithiums. In winter I also take as backup an older, less powerful one that does accept lithiums (not just in case of battery exhaustion - torches can get lost/broken too).

As for alkalines, there doesn't seem to be a significant difference in performance between budget and premium brands - check out the findings on this site - http://www.batteryshowdown.com/