Sorry to bring up a dead thread, but I finally decided to go with a small pocket torch, the ThruNite Ti3 NW. It had good reviews, small enough to fit in my pocket, and has a clip (also it was $20 shipped) and has more common AAA battery. Thanks for the suggestions!
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If NW is âNeutral Whiteâ then good choice - the small reduction in faceplate lumens will be more than compensated for via better color rendition.
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TruNite knows how to build a well made light, you will remember fondly this decision. I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago, when I acquired one of their lights. For the price point on ALL of their lights, I cannot say enough good things about them.
As far as AAAs are concerned. I used to believe that I needed to carry a light that would work with off the shelf batteries. The reasoning was that during an emergency, once the my light runs out, I can get more batteries practically anywhere. Then an actual emergency happen and all the store where either closed or bare⌠NO regular batteries anywhere. My light ran out and I had to borrow a single 18650 powered light. I used it for around two days, somewhat heavily and it still had plenty of charge. Only then did it dawn on me, that it is preferable to bring a spare 18650, than rely on the possibility of finding spare batts.
18650 or other lithium powered lights all the way!
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18650 or other lithium powered lights all the way!
This might end up becoming another expensive hobby for me. I will try to find a AAA equivalent for a lithium to use. For a EDC flashlight this one is good.
Iâm personally a fan of 14500 batteries. In most lights that use them, they can be subbed out for standard AAs if the need arises. They donât last as long as 18650s, but in my current light they last over an hour which is more than enough for my small semi-daily usage.
I have been refraining, but itâs gonna kill me⌠I know itâs none of my business, but what on Earth requires DAILY use of a flashlight? I have to think in general if i do something daily requiring a flashlight, Iâm gonna be looking to wire up a fixture or provide for a drop light⌠So my curiosity is peaked.
I had no idea my life was so sheltered.
As a computer tech, Iâm all the time having to poke around in little spaces that arenât well-lit, such as the inside of a computer case or behind a counter where I dropped my screwdriver. I donât necessarily have to illuminate the same thing every day, but Iâm likely going have to illuminate something pretty often.
I believe the word you are looking for is, âpiqued.â
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Thatâs what I thought, but spell check kept tagging it and I gave up without due diligence.
Thank you.
I printed some sleeves so that I could convert an LED flashlight I had from using 3 AAA cells to one 18650 Lithium Ion cell.
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I also printed an 18650 screw cap holder (on the right) so that I could keep an extra battery in the car without worrying about it shorting out on somethingâŚ
In addition to poking around the insides of computers / 3D printers / machines / etc., there are the less frequent reasons for needing one that really make a difference. Like dropping something in a parking lot at night.
I also have a light with an adjustable beam, so I can use it as a ghetto laser pointer if I need to point something out.
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Fashioning a sleeve to allow for an 18650 or other Li-ion cell is a great idea.
I have some 3x AAA cell lights mostly left over from the 5mm âshowerheadâ era and detested the concept back then. Now, since diver electronics are stupidly cheap and readily sourced, I have no idea why it continues to exist. The carrier is fragile, something to lose, introduces additional contact points, makes changing batteries difficult, and is just poor design.
I created it on Tinkercad, and here is the link if you want to download it and print it so that you donât have to spend even the 3 minutes it took me to create itâŚhehehehe
It should be public, let me know if you have any problems downloading it.
In case you want to create your own, the outer diameter of those AAA holders is 22mm, and the inner diameter of the hole that needs to be able to accept an 18650 battery is 19mm.
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Oh, and I printed mine 40mm long instead of the 18650 length of 65mm so that it would not potentially interfere with different models of flashlightsâŚ
Here is a quick tutorial on how I reclaim 18650 batteries:
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Obtain a BAD laptop battery:
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Carefully open it up:
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Peel the âweldedâ metal tabs from the batteries. The way I do it is I take a needle nose pliers and pinch the tab then roll the pliers like a toothpaste roller, or like opening a sardine can, and it peels the tabs off the batteries leaving just a little sharp specks on the battery. I flatten those out by pressing the battery on a hard surface to flatten the leftover metal parts:
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Once you have separated all the batteries, check each cell with a multimeter. It should be obvious which ones are bad. In these pictures, the good cells are over 3 volts, and the bad cells are under 2 volts:
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After you have checked them all out and found the good cells, buy you an 18650 Lion battery charger from China for a couple of bucks, and some battery holders if you like and voila, you now have some rechargeable, low cost batteries for your projects, flashlights, etcâŚ
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I did a review of the Thrunite Ti3 NW. Overall its a very simple powerful pocket light.
I am actually finding having a flash light is really handy day to day. Last night for 4th of July I could light up my path outside walking to the car in the gravel. For working on computers or 3d printing itâll be much easier to see what Iâm doing.
I actually have an opportunity to use 3d printing maybe even ninjaflex to make a custom clip to clip the light to my glasses so I can have a small convenient headlamp.
See my earlier post about the cheap (sub $20) headlamps you can get from ChinaâŚ
Out of all the stuff I carry in my pockets, the flashlight is the only thing I actually use EVERY single day. For the vast majority of the population, if the lights go out they can no longer see. If the situation turns critical enough one will regret not having a flashlight.
There a Several reasons that come to mind to carry a variable setting, powerful flashlight in your pocket 24/7. One reason no one has mention yet is as a preemptive defensive weapon. If you have not experienced it yet, anything above 750 lumens is blinding, and disorienting specially at night. Using Light as a deterrent leaves no traces, and its âharmlessâ from a legal perspective.
I have experienced situations where while out late at night for âreasonsâ - someone who one would not want getting close IS closing the distance. When a simple, âSir, step back, do not come any closer!â does not get their attention a 1000 lumen strobe blast to the face usually stops that person in their tracts. At night it is highly effective. Specially useful giving you a leg up, when it turns that individual actually meant you harm.
@paulstaf Excellent guide! I home more and more will jump at the chance of cheap/free 18650. There are SOOoooo many good condition batteries out there wanting a new home.
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Good points. Thatâs why a six âDâ cell aircraft-grade aluminum Maglite is the weapon of choice for many security guards.