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Post by PlanZ on Aug 20, 2016 1:54:09 GMT 10
looking for cheap source of: 1. Enloop AA batteries & charger 2. Compact, robust, reliable & waterproof (yet cheap!) AA torch 3. Cheap but still functional multi tool
i already have sone quality stuff (leatherman, gerber, maglight etc) but want some extras. But don't want to get junk either.
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shinester
Senior Member
China's white trash
Posts: 3,119
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Email: shiny@ausprep.org
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Post by shinester on Aug 20, 2016 3:10:51 GMT 10
1. Enloop, I have found ebay the best option and be advised that there's fakes in the market. The easiest way to tell [after purchase unfortunately] is their weight as better quality typically means more material [lithium]. These ones were real and the best price I saw at the time of my purchase and a nice case. - HereChargers, meh, they're all fairly similar inside. There's some advantage to individual cell charging for a balanced individual battery charging as opposed to group [2 at a time] that is common, though I wouldn't worry too much about where or what you charge them with so long as they're suitable for the type of battery they are. [most are] I say this coming from an understanding of the electronics under the hood. 2. Not sure on all of your criteria though all of my first aid kits have very cheap $1 LED torches in them from aliexpress. I'm personally [and a couple of other members have also mentioned this] that they prefer headlamps. To which cheap and functional also works for me as again I've gone more numbers than quality, redundancy the best quality in my view and besides chances are I'll never need to use my kits. I have a pair in my blackout lighting kit.
I got ones similar to this as they have a focusing lamp and you can get all black ones. They're not amazing or anything, you couldn't swim underwater with them but do the job well enough and at $3 each who cares. I have about 12 of them all up, the price of one 'good' one. Lol.
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Post by ziggysdad on Aug 20, 2016 8:20:06 GMT 10
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hd1340
Senior Member
Posts: 330
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Location: WA
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Post by hd1340 on Aug 20, 2016 10:11:43 GMT 10
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Post by Fractus on Aug 20, 2016 17:21:47 GMT 10
Costco have enerloop packages includes AAA and AA plus charger
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Post by PlanZ on Aug 21, 2016 15:44:07 GMT 10
1. Enloop, I have found ebay the best option and be advised that there's fakes in the market. The easiest way to tell [after purchase unfortunately] is their weight as better quality typically means more material [lithium]. These ones were real and the best price I saw at the time of my purchase and a nice case. - HereChargers, meh, they're all fairly similar inside. There's some advantage to individual cell charging for a balanced individual battery charging as opposed to group [2 at a time] that is common, though I wouldn't worry too much about where or what you charge them with so long as they're suitable for the type of battery they are. [most are] I say this coming from an understanding of the electronics under the hood. 2. Not sure on all of your criteria though all of my first aid kits have very cheap $1 LED torches in them from aliexpress. I'm personally [and a couple of other members have also mentioned this] that they prefer headlamps. To which cheap and functional also works for me as again I've gone more numbers than quality, redundancy the best quality in my view and besides chances are I'll never need to use my kits. I have a pair in my blackout lighting kit.
I got ones similar to this as they have a focusing lamp and you can get all black ones. They're not amazing or anything, you couldn't swim underwater with them but do the job well enough and at $3 each who cares. I have about 12 of them all up, the price of one 'good' one. Lol.
Questions: 1. Enloop or enloop pro? 2. Any specific recommendation for a AA battery charger? Preferably one that can take power from multiple sources such as usb, 240v, car 3. I get what you're saying about multiple redundancy being comparable to spending more for quality but I want to have one (maybe two) lights in each kit (or car) and I want to KNOW they will work. So really I think I need a balance between value and quality.
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shinester
Senior Member
China's white trash
Posts: 3,119
Likes: 3,578
Email: shiny@ausprep.org
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Post by shinester on Aug 22, 2016 6:34:33 GMT 10
1. Eneloop standard has proven storage life of 65% after 5 years. Eneloop pro doesn't make that claim [they last longer than ordinary however]. They also have far fewer charge cycles so they will die quicker and they have a higher capacity. To me the choice for preppers assuming that you keep the batteries in storage mostly is your standard ones for their excellent endurance. 2. Frankly any 'smart charger' that does individual batteries is good, heck as good as you'll get. The electronics/brand don't really make much difference as there's a chip that regulates the charging cycle and is so cheap it's used in any/all of the smart chargers these days. The packaging is just esthetics. In my own gear, I don't even use smart chargers as I've got individual USB chargers for my standard battery which is AAA as my 8 or so kits are USB Solar powered. The AAA is for headlamp and first aid torch and I have a couple of battery replacements for radios, though I have spare radio batteries also. The kit also has alkaline [which have a good storage life] as back up. I didn't say a specific one because they're much the same.
3. Yep, there's different approaches to the problem, and I would agree that there's a balance with quality and quantity. For instance I have top quality spanners [most of my tools actually] because cheap ones will [and do] fail.
- Chances a cheap LED torch will work? - incredibly high, it's a simple circuit with a bulb that lasts 20-50,000hrs. Having another torch such as that all my kits have a first aid kit with a second torch using the same sized batteries gives further redundancy. I keep spare batteries as they're the weak link in my estimations. - Will I need this torch - Highly improbable in a BOB, probably once every 10 years in a car. A couple of times a year at home with blackouts. - If I spend $3 on this instead of $50, what could I do with that other $47. What if I get 2? - Is it essential? - no. Daylight will come again if all else fails. - How many do I want - I've got about 15 cheapo ones. Less than the cost of one 'good' one lol. - What utility does it serve - headlamp for walking at night [hopefully not but a possibility] and small torch for first aid kit. - no need for anything that's super powerful or long range in my use. I'm not planning to use them as err.. blunt force encouraging as some maglite's might be for instance. If I were, then the criteria would shift to that. - Choices? Many. You can pick up a decent one from Kmart or Officeworks for a few bucks or get a cheaper one that's much the same from Aliexpress if you can wait 4-6 weeks. The office work ones are great IMHO.
Some people are really into gear, I'm really into practicalities, I don't care how 'amazing' it is, so long as it does the job.
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