Let there be dimmer light !

[Propwash]

As far as I can tell, all torches (aka flashlights) blast out a beam that's far more powerful than we usually need, thereby unnecessarily draining the batteries faster, so I'm wondering if there are t/f's on sale that have a much dimmer beam so their batteries will drain much more slowly?
Any reccomendations or advice? Thanks.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Many lights have a dimmer setting and if it's LED it lasts a very long time.

 

[DrHenley]

Mine all have a low beam.
I've been using SK98s and SK68s for many years. The SK98 takes a 18650 Li-Ion battery and the SK68 takes either a 14500 Li-Ion or an AA battery. I even swapped out the pathetic light on my wife's bicycle with an SK98.

 

[Propwash]

Thanks, i'll shop around..

 

[GaRp58]

My EDC flashlight has 4 different levels of light, the SOS function and a zoom which will beam out to 300 meters or floodlight the whole backyard and garden. I can use 3 X AAA batteries with rechargeables, or alkalines or I also have a Li-Ion battery with 8000 and another with 4000 MiAmp strength, With my solar powered power bank and the USB connector, I can run this flashlight for about 5 days at 7-8 hours a day and 15 days at 7-8 hours per day without any electricity from outside...if the sun is shining well enough. With the solar panel, 12V 92 AmpHr battery, inverter to 3000 W....you get the idea. All together tho, I think I have 6 flashlights at the moment. Gotta check the bags and car to make sure.

 

[Propwash]

My EDC flashlight has 4 different levels of light,.

Yeah I bought one like that a while back, but the brand I bought was too fiddly because when I switch it on it starts flashing SOS in morse, then another half-press cycles it to a flashing strobe, then to bright, medium and dim.
So I'm trying to find one that has a simple way of guaranteeing a dim light the first time its switched on..

 

[DrHenley]

My Surefire P2X Fury starts in dim mode. I've had that a very long time and I don't think they make that model anymore. But you can get one on EBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275002705226

 

[Propwash]

My Surefire P2X Fury starts in dim mode. I've had that a very long time and I don't think they make that model anymore. But you can get one on EBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275002705226

Thanks, I looked it up but a message said "cannot ship to UK", however I've found one pretty much like it called the 'Fenix LD22 v 2.0' and have ordered it from Amazon..
It can run with a rechargeable battery or two AA alkalines, and on the dimmest 2 Lumens setting it runs for a massive 190 hours on AA's which should be enough to see me through any power cut.
It's only a few inches long, ideal for lightweight camping, and of course I can keep it on the dimmest 2 lumens setting in my tent so's not to attract zombs and aliens from miles around..
I think it goes through the fiddly cycle thing but i suppose we can't have everything..

https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/led-h...-led-torch-with-usb-rechargeable-battery.html

 

[DrHenley]

That sux about not getting it shipped to the UK. I've bought a number of things on EBay that were shipped here from the UK.

 

[Propwash]

Coincidentally last week I tried to buy a game on Steam for my pal in the USA but couldn't because a message came up saying the difference between the pound and the dollar wouldn't allow it.
I know our new Prime Minister Liz has just introduced a new budget and stuff, so that might have had something to do with it.

 

[Propwash]

Incidentally another question I've been meaning to ask is whether ordinary brandnew non-rechargeable alkaline batteries lose their power while sitting in storage, so that when we want to use them months or years later, we find their power has evaporated into thin air?

 

[Proud Prepper]

Incidentally another question I've been meaning to ask is whether ordinary brandnew non-rechargeable alkaline batteries lose their power while sitting in storage, so that when we want to use them months or years later, we find their power has evaporated into thin air?

Most alkaline batteries will last for years. Many brands claim to last up to 10 year's.

 

[Propwash]

Well my Fenix arrived and I can't stop playing with it..

https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/led-h...-led-torch-with-usb-rechargeable-battery.html
At its lowest setting (2 lumens) it gives about the same light as a single candle, ideal for reading my Playboy collection in a power outage and the rechargeable batt or alkalines are good for around 200 hours, wow!
So if i've got my maths right, in winter at 2 lum the batteries should last about 3 weeks if used for 8 hours a day from 4 in the evening til beddy-byes at midnight, and in summer should last for 9 weeks if used from 9 pm til midnight.
A power outage will rule out recharging of course but it can take 2x AA alkalines so I've laid in a small supply of AA's which should hopefully see me through many weeks of a blackout and put a smile on my face bigger than a wave on a slop bucket..
And its dead easy to use, not a bit fiddly, there are 5 light settings from 2 to 800 lumens, and at the two highest settings it blasts out a beam like a dazzling searchlight and gets hot, but there's a safety cut out if it gets too hot, making it step down to a lower setting., but I'll always use it at 2 lums mostly anyway.
The Apocalyse? Bring it on Vlad..

 

[Propwash]

Incidentally the LED 'bulb' in it lasts for 50,000 hours according to the advert and is not replaceable, so the whole torch has to be binned when the bulb burns out, grrrr...
But I've been using a calculator and it's not as bad as it sounds, because 50,000 hours equates to 2083 days (5 years)..
Wait, it gets even better!- correct me if I'm wrong, but if I use it for only about 8 hours per day during the apocalypse (in long winter evenings and dawn's early light) it won't burn out for about 15 years if I've got my sums right, whoop holler..

 

[Propwash]

I just asked Duracell what the shelf life of their batteries are and got this reply, they're good for years in storage, wow..

 

[Proud Prepper]

I just asked Duracell what the shelf life of their batteries are and got this reply, they're good for years in storage, wow..

I've had some rechargeable AA's still recharge for 12 years.