Cavechat.org

Buford wrote:I say get rid of those crummy little 2@AA Maglites! We have them because they are small and cheap, but we rarely use them, they might fail when we really need them, and they produce inadequate light anyway.

Chads93GT wrote:was on a rescue where the guys only had mag lights as backups. leave them at home. get HEADLAMPS for backup lights that are actually worth a damn.

I used to carry one of those little AA Maglites as a caving backup... about 10 years ago or more, when everybody had dim caving lights and better vision.

I totally agree they are only slightly better than nothing, and should not be a serious choice for caving when there are a lot more effective options. Carry as many little extra lights as you like, but what we call our two 'backup lights' should really be redundant light sources. Any one of which should be able to be used as a primary caving headlamp.

I'm to blame for this discussion veering off track and onto mini Maglites, but I didn't make it clear that I'm not advocating them for caving. The little Maglite I was referring to was a gift for my 8 year old non-caver nephew for when he goes camping. It has the retrofit LED insert and I was hoping he could run it on the new style Rayovac NiMHs, but obviously not.

The problem with all you "light it up" cavers, is your eyes never get a chance to adjust to the dark. No, I can't see in the dark, but I have much better depth perception with shadows than in a totally bright basement. I love mini-Mags, especially the 1 AAA size, but have dueling Coronas, one always in my zippered junk bag (hesitate to call it a purse, because its made by Bass Pro, and doesn't have much "pursey" stuff in it) but the most useful light I have right now is an inch and a half long Streamlight nano that runs on watch batteries. Bought it in Sept. 2010 and have never changed the batteries. It's a keychain light, but built like a tiny tank-- good thing, where my keys end up. Yep. I got the pink one. It's sort of the safety pin of little lights. And it's the brightest little thing...I have plenty of NimH rechargeables, and have never had any issues with them using them anywhere I would use a AA battery.

I wonder how long it is going to be before they say Stens and Scurions are not "safe". I suspect as soon as something new comes out.

Just received Sanyo Eneloop XX AA 2500 mAh NiMH batteries and a smart charger. Plan to use them this weekend.
http://www.eneloop.info/products/batteries/eneloop-xx.html

Always used Duracell (non-rechargeable) batteries in the past, so this is a big deal for me. Never trusted rechargeables, but reading through this forum has "possibly" changed my mind. We will see if they perform as well as the Duracell's and what life they give.

Caver John wrote:Even though it's off topic I'm goin with the flow and
I'll just go ahead and say it, cause I've owned dozens of mags in all sizes and still have a few but...

They're junk. U less of coarse you mod it for 1000lumens!!!! Mooohahahaha

I have owned two maglights that have LED's and use 3 AA batteries. They are awesome! Fully reliable and the batteries last forever, and they put out a great beam. I think the LED is 3 watt. I lost the first one, so I bought another. For some reason, I think they have been discontinued.

Now to get back on topic:
I bought some Eneloops along with a LaCrosse charger recently. I use the batteries mostly in my GPS, but also in a few other gadgets as well. I am really pleased with the performance, and have just bought a bunch more. Hopefully, I now have enough so that we will never have to buy regular, non-rechargable batteries again.
Thanks to everyone on this forum who reccomended them!
Trogman

Somewhat off topic, but where do you recommend I buy a Lacrosse charger and which model do you recommend?

John

NSS8921 wrote:Somewhat off topic, but where do you recommend I buy a Lacrosse charger and which model do you recommend?

John

John, I got mine at Amazon.com I got the BC 1000 , I think it is an update to the BC 900 series. Mine monitors each battery individually and allows you pick a charge rate for each battery . It also automatically switches to trickle charge mode when each battery if fully charged. It will let you know how long each battery has been charged and where it is in relationship to a full charge. I paid around 40 bucks for mine and it came with a carry case and a set of AA and AAA batteries ( non eneloops).

Amazon, Lacrosse and others did not carry the model when I was looking for it. I had to search for an online source. It is no longer made and the available supplies are dwindling, and they are no longer available for less than about $80 (incl 4@ AAA and 4@ AA batteries), so if you really really want one, go fishing for one, swallow the price tag and just buy it. I'm happy enough with mine, but not real happy with 1.2 vDC. I still use alkalines in some things. Also have a friend who buys alkalines by the case because he does a lot of cave photography and 1.2v won't set off his flashes. Look hard at the appliances that you want to use with the rechargeables, and make sure 1.2v will work for them.

Buford wrote:Amazon, Lacrosse and others did not carry the model when I was looking for it. I had to search for an online source. It is no longer made and the available supplies are dwindling, and they are no longer available for less than about $80 (incl 4@ AAA and 4@ AA batteries), so if you really really want one, go fishing for one, swallow the price tag and just buy it.

Uh, you mean like this La Crosse BC-1000 for $59.99 with free shipping on Amazon? Or perhaps this Maha MH-C9000 for $51.97? Both are readily available and seem like pretty good deals to me. I have the now-discontinued La Crosse BC-900, and it's still working great after about 3 years of regular use.

Also have a friend who buys alkalines by the case because he does a lot of cave photography and 1.2v won't set off his flashes. Look hard at the appliances that you want to use with the rechargeables, and make sure 1.2v will work for them.

That's weird. My numerous flashguns - mostly Sunpak units - all work great with LSD NiMH AA cells. Better than alkaline. Most of these were designed prior to the emergence of NiMH technology, too. I've only ever noticed minor incompatibility issues with rechargeable AA voltage. Namely, some devices with battery meters measure voltage and therefore show a newly charged battery as only two-thirds full. On the upside, they stay that way for a very long time without the steady voltage decline associated with alkalines.

I guess I paid more than 40 or so for the BC 1000. I got the charger and two sets of eneloops for around 75 bucks. That was last fall as I got it for X-mas. Amazon offers bundle deals where you can buy the charger and a few sets of eneloops. It is nice to know you will not overcharge . Very nice charger.

My cheap ass Walmart Duracell Charger is doing a great job with my NIMH rechargeables. Quick and no problems. Probably cost about $8.
I think quality batteries is more important than a super expensive charger. Just my two cents.

NZ, I thought we were talking about the 9009. 'Scuse me!

Buford wrote:NZ, I thought we were talking about the 9009. 'Scuse me!

As I recall the BC-9009 replaced the BC-900, after being modified for better thermal protection. Now the newer BC-1000 seems to have higher current options (1800mA maximum) and a higher price tag, but otherwise seems to be pretty much the same device.

When they come out with an improved version that also turns water into wine, maybe I'll upgrade.

rechargeables, LED upgrades, and tailcap pressure switches have made my old AA Minimags into quite respectable backups.

tncaver wrote:My cheap ass Walmart Duracell Charger is doing a great job with my NIMH rechargeables. Quick and no problems. Probably cost about $8.
I think quality batteries is more important than a super expensive charger. Just my two cents.

From many previous discussions on this forum, it seems the experts disagree (if you consider a $60 battery charger 'super expensive').

Over time, I suspect you'll leave a trail of dead and maimed batteries in your wake by skimping on a quality battery charger. How long have you been using the same set(s) of rechargeables?