I wanted a small flashlight. You know how hard it is to find a nice AA or AAA flashlight? I'm sick of USB C. I don't want another cord. I want to go to the store and buy an eight pack of Duracell double A batteries and live my life in peace.
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It's a battery inside. You just recharge it, like you would a rechargeable battery. They last a long time - they aren't mini computers with built in phones.
I love Coleman battery guard for a home flashlight. Metal, bright, o-rings, great build, and best of all ... it has a single switch and only two modes!
Although it is not super small but compact, I bought a wind up flashlight at Walmart. Has a handle to crank it up works great but not for being on a long time just for usage. Small enough to fit in my pants pocket.
You can buy a 3 x AAA to 18650 adapter if you really want to use alkaline in your USBC torch. But the 18650 is a far superior battery. Better to use that and keep the triple A adapter for emergencies.
Look into stuff designed for camping. A lot of that stuff has also gone towards rechargeable or solar panels, but you can still find ones that are battery powered fairly easily. Or at least you could when I was doing it a few years ago.
MagLite Mini LED PRO Flashlight - Ultra Bright 332 Lumens, Adjustable Beam, Water-Resistant IPX4, Shock Resistant, 2 Power Modes, Includes 2 AA Premium Alkaline Batteries - (Holster Pack, Black) https://a.co/d/chY5me4
I hate many electronics are going to USB c...like if the power goes out, I feel more safe with battery's and candles then USBC (which cannot be recharged if the power goes out and no back up power
Sure. I'm not saying this isn't possible or sensible. But when I talk to family and friends, the vast majority don't keep a fresh pack of AA/AAA batteries around any more.
Everyone has a few (li-ion) power banks though, so if there's a way to recharge them during a power outage (24-72h)..
No offense, but if you think most can afford solar/generator related stuff for power outages, you'd sadly be mistaken. Hell some city's dont even allow it without a shit ton of permits
its an entire system to force you to require their help.
to make sure you can't be self efficient.
A perfect example of this, is how america stops most of its own people from collecting rain water.
Like some how, me providing for myself from the literal earth, is some how "illegal" on a state level??
makes no fucking sense.
urban rainwater is typically not potable and almost certainly not going to be stored potably by amateur collectors. the law is there to prevent people from harming themselves or others through DIY
And in rural areas where rainwater is potable, the laws are usually set up to prevent people from establishing catchments and fucking up the planned water flow. Sometimes the laws are broad enough to technically prevent rain barrels, but often not, and not really enforced either.
I was just thinking this! And generators run on gas, which is costly these days too. We have a generator & still use battery flashlights & lanterns when the power goes out (which is often here). Batteries last longer than gas does to have light inside
Responding to a reply that suggested "the power going out" by suggesting people in a house *do* have an option for solar/battery/generators to recharge batteries and from that you got "put a solar generator in your pocket"?
How many AA cells do you walk around with in your pocket at all times? 🙄😜
Clearly you don't live in California. The power goes out when the wind starts, stays out until the wind stops. Might be a day, might be a week. Still gets dark every night and no, most people can't afford noisy smelly generators
Yes, clearly that's what I meant when responding to a person's post about "the power going out" because people can't work out the context for the reply.. 🙄🤷♂️😜
We've had to deal with an extended loss of power (> 48h) and used a generator to power a couple of appliances (fridge, internet router) and to recharge some of the power banks we could then use to power (recharge) torches, phones etc.
- You are out walking at night
- Carrying a torch
- Which has run out of power and died
- Which you happen to be carrying replacement batteries for in your pocket
All the best with that. I've done the first three steps and never had the 4th one happen yet, sadly.
Don't get batteries or light bulbs at Dollar General. You might get 1/2 of them that work for a short period of time, but never all of them!! Learned the hard way!!🤣
i think i bought my mini (2xAA) and solitaire (1xAAA) maglites over twenty years ago and have had to change the batteries maybe twice. i upgraded them from incandescent to LED with cheap kits but LEDs come stock now. the solitaire's on my keychain, mini in my bag.
I have a glorious 2 aa battery led flashlight that can light a bedroom to read a book. It has a magnetic bottom so it can attach to my car and has a red emergency flasher. Got it 12 years ago and love it.
I even have my mister Maglite that requires 4 D batteries but is a weapon for self defense
I have had a Fenix E12 in my pocket at all times for the last eight years or so. I feel naked without it, but live in rural exurbia. I use it at work and home multiple times per day. One AA, easy to use, good balance of bright and longevity, tough, not bulky.
I have two of these I got as swag at some conference and I treasure them. Bought a 24 pack of store brand batteries five years ago and am barely through a third of it.
On the other hand, I hate buying stuff to throw in landfill all the time. Or even recycle. Why make little metal chemical capsules to ship energy around on a truck when it already comes to your house through wires?
100%. I get range anxiety with rechargeable flashlights, probably from years of cycling with big old lead-acid rechargeable lights that might die on a dark lane. The 2AA USB torch was a blessing. I still have 2 that I bought 20 years ago and taped to my bike handlebars.
I JUST bought a 3 pk bundle of Rayovac battery flashlights from Walmart, for $10.97. 2 smaller but w/ different lumen levels & one big enough to be a weapon. I also bought a Rayovac BIG one, square kind w/ flat bottom & handle. 4 D batteries. Also Walmart, both online orders.
Hearing aids are even worse. You always need them. I have to charge them every day. I must bring a charger and yet another cord with me anytime I’ll be out overnight.
As long as they don’t end up in landfill & are recycled instead. Batteries are almost 100% recyclable & not everyone knows they are quite toxic if they’re not disposed of correctly. Not sure where you are but we have great battery recycling here in Australia & drop off points all across the country.
I really like my Streamlight 1L-1AA. Takes AA batteries, or gets even brighter with CR123. Basic ass clicky tail cap, but you can set high or low to be default, and tap & hold to get to the other setting. Good brand reputation for durability as well.
We have flashlights on our boat that you can shake and recharges them - kind of like those mini shake weight things. They work great and require nothing but your energy. A good backup for your backup!
I understand the sentiment, and I still buy some Alkyline batteries, but I try to make sure they end up at a place that will handle them responsibly (as opposed to landfill). Bestbuy and hardware stores accept used batteries these days.
I'm the opposite--so tired of collecting dead batteries cuz Idk how to recycle them! Plus I have this theory/feeling that the afterlife is just us alone in a realm with all of our trash. Everything should be USB chargeable these days
Then so it every other day. If we can charge our phones everyday, a reading light isn't that hard is it? I'm not having a go, I just dont understand the resistance to something that can be ultimately more convenient in cost and waste.
That's bad, but that's the quality of the light and not typical. I use a backlit Kobo ereader because I need glasses to read and falling asleep with glasses on and breaking them, yes that's happened, costs more than the ereader. And you can enlarge the print. It's not for everyone though.
I’m a big fan of Fenix lights. The LD22 can be run on two AAs, or on a larger capacity rechargeable battery. They are pretty much indestructible and when I was researching they were the brightest on the market for that battery configuration.
Coast G22. AAA, tail cap switch, no fidgety multiple clicking to get to the mode you want, bulletproof metal construction, lifetime warranty, under 10 bucks street price. EDC for about ten years, none have ever failed me. Recommend the HX5 if you want AA.
I have a lumintop flashlight from amazon that looks very much like this one. I use it all the time. Best part is being able to clip it to my ballcap to use as a headlight in a pinch when I’m under the car hood or need my hands free.
Disappointing so many replies in this thread fail to grasp: no power=no USB charging; no power=no powering USB power banks. AAs can be replaced on the fly and you'll get a week-not a few hours. Solar powered power banks would be the only best alternative.
This is the one I took from my parent's house - https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/NEBO6525 It takes four AAA batteries has a magnet on the end slides out for a work light and it's heavy enough that I could absolutely clock the hell out of an intruder with it which ticked every box I had
Check out Menard's. I got a nice little flashlight with a case with a belt loop and a number of different lense covers. The red one for night star gazing without the distraction from a bright light. There are blue and green covers too. Costs less than $20. Uses 2 AA. It's made by Rayovac.
Lumintop makes several for either size. https://CountyComm.com also (under the name Maratac), a little fancier. All of them can use alkaline or rechargeables
I have a USB-C and a Lightning cord, one power bank and I never have to buy batteries till I discovered my 5 year old portable keyboard’s batteries died yesterday.
Comments
- What stops the option for having "back up power"? (solar, generator etc)
- one time use batteries also lose charge, go bad over time..
For emergency situations having AA or AAA devices with a fresh pack of batteries is less likely to fail for the majority of users.
Everyone has a few (li-ion) power banks though, so if there's a way to recharge them during a power outage (24-72h)..
its an entire system to force you to require their help.
to make sure you can't be self efficient.
Like some how, me providing for myself from the literal earth, is some how "illegal" on a state level??
makes no fucking sense.
How many AA cells do you walk around with in your pocket at all times? 🙄😜
The current house has solar panels and a battery and that's a lot nicer when power is lost.
- You are out walking at night
- Carrying a torch
- Which has run out of power and died
- Which you happen to be carrying replacement batteries for in your pocket
All the best with that. I've done the first three steps and never had the 4th one happen yet, sadly.
You don't already have Type C cords?
I even have my mister Maglite that requires 4 D batteries but is a weapon for self defense
It will probably outlive me.
https://www.costco.com/batteries.html?batterysize=aa&refine=%7C%7CBattery_Size_attr-AA
Times change!
The little torches take 3 AAA batteries
No purchases. No Amazon. No Walmart. No Starbucks. No unnecessary gas fill-ups. No online orders.
No engagement. No big-brand entertainment or news cycles to divide us.
Absolute focus. This is about unity, discipline, and demonstrating collective will.
https://www.rei.com/product/202774/black-diamond-spot-400-headlamp
https://www.harborfreight.com/200-lumen-led-penlight-70755.html
They are getting scarce!
https://www.olightstore.com/?sscid=21k9_wz51c&
They do I still exist, eg https://ledlenser.co.uk/products/p3-core-battery-operated-torch
It still works.
If you wanna go cheap, try a LED keyring for cars, I find them in supermarkets and dollar stores.
https://fenix-store.com/collections/aa/products/fenix-ld22-v2-0-compact-edc-flashlight-800-lumens
https://coastportland.com/products/g22?srsltid=AfmBOorbEYCszneTyYojnI4bGuHMmqHy88Eq13KJ_LWqogIEyiZw1LPr
Kinda annoyed we were taking it out for basically flashlights like Mr. Cait is complaining about.
As a kid, the power went out pretty much every winter, and it could be out for days. Batteries are literally life savers at that point