I'm trying to find a new flashlight to put in the car. currently I'm running a no-brand AA Led bit of kit. but having seen what can happen if you leave Alkaline batteries hanging around too long, I'm looking to change. does anyone know of a light like this? re-chargeable, idealy with an in-car adapter. (although I can always run an inverter) metal bodied - I don't trust plastic bodied lights. reasonable quality - doesn't need to be top-end stuff, but it needs to be reliable under normal circumstances less than around £50 currently all I can find are "million candlepower" models, which have a poor reputation for quality, and models like the magcharger and streamlight strion, which are all well over budget. or, does anyone have a better way to keep a flashlight long-term without risking failing or leaking batteries?
I'd suggest a Quark AA or AA^2 with Eneloop rechargeables. Back those up with some Energizer Lithium primaries and you're good to go. If you don't use it frequently or you don't want to deal with recharging it, use Engergizer Lithiums and skip the Eneloops.
+1 The AA quark can run up to 10 days in the lowest mode on a single AA Eneloop and has the +100 lumen highest mode too. (my current EDC). If you go for the AA2 it's 30 days in lowest mode and +200 lumens at highest.
Or, if looking for a lower price option, what about something like an olight i2 or terralux 100? http://www.amazon.com/OLIGHT-Flashlight-Cree-XP-G-lumens/dp/B005GMF0TS/ref=sr_1_24?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1321137537&sr=1-24 http://www.lighthound.com/Terralux-LightStar-100-Dual-Mode-with-Strobe_p_3238.html I'm thinking of getting one or two of these myself to keep in the family vehicles. I already have a quark mini AA for EDC, which is nice enough, but it seems a little expensive for something which will be used very rarely.
is the important bit for long-term storage the lithiums? because if I can run AA batteries that don't leak, I can just carry on using the current flashlight, and just change the batteries. re-chargeable would have been handy because it would remove the need for spare batteries (more alkalines to end up leaking) but if I can have cells that store long-term, I can do without.
Eneloops would allow you to carry and use light often. A pack of lithium primaries kept in glove box is a great back-up.
Eneloops are rechargebles that can keep a charge up to 3 years, normal rechargebles will loose their charge affter a couple of months or less. The lithiums have a storage life of 10+ years and work better in cold conditions. For instance energizer lithiums bought today have an exporation date of 2023 or later.
