# Brightest AA or AAA bar mount light?



## AKCheesehead (Apr 30, 2008)

Looking for recommendations on a disposable battery light. Will be used for long winter treks in cold weather (Alaska). Not always possible to recharge a rechargeable so want something that takes AA/AAA. 

Haven't seen anything over 200 lumens? Am I missing it or is that about all I'm gonna get?

Thanks


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## Texan-n-Fla (Sep 22, 2013)

Walmart's line of Ozark Trail has several options worth looking at. I use a 250 LM with 4xAA rechargeables. They also have a 6xAA 500lm that might be worth your time.


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## kjlued (Jun 23, 2011)

I use a 200 lm coast flashlight at work that uses AAA batteries and although it is a great flashlight, if I had to pay for batteries I wouldn't use it. The batteries just don't last anywhere near as long as I my cheap Chinese bike light with a rechargeable pack. 
I also haven't really seen anything much brighter that uses disposable batteries. 

If time worries you, I would buy an extra rechargeable battery pack.


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## sadbuttrue (Sep 9, 2013)

Forget the lumens war. At this power level you want directed light so none of it is wasted. The new Busch Muller Ixon IQ Premium looks interesting. It takes 4xAA batteries.

Product Review: B&M Ixon IQ Premium LED Headlight | Captain Overpacker






Not sure when/if available in the US but can be purchased from various European stores.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

dinotte has aa headlights

XML-1 AA headlight ? DiNotte Lighting USA Online Store


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

*AAA/AA Amoeba*

I have been offering a AA battery pack for my Amoeba light for about 5 years now. The light has been put to the test in Alaska during the Iditarod Invitational by Pete Basinger for about the last 5 years. I can do a AAA also if that is what you want/need. I am thinking AA's are a little larger but runtimes will be better.









Would be using the latest XP-G2's or XM-L2's depending on your preference. Output would be about 700 lumens.

Shoot me an email to the address in my signature if you would like some more info.

****


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

Dinotte also has single XM-Ls that run on AAs: XML-1 AA headlight ? DiNotte Lighting USA Online Store

You can see a review of what I guess is still the same version here: Dinotte XML-1 ? 2012 Mtbr Lights Shootout | Mountain Bike Review

Scar's lights get very good reviews from people who use them.

Tim


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## Texan-n-Fla (Sep 22, 2013)

scar said:


> I have been offering a AA battery pack for my Amoeba light for about 5 years now. The light has been put to the test in Alaska during the Iditarod Invitational by Pete Basinger for about the last 5 years. I can do a AAA also if that is what you want/need. I am thinking AA's are a little larger but runtimes will be better.
> 
> View attachment 867252
> 
> ...


I'm using tapatalk with no sigs visible. Let me know what's up!


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## AKCheesehead (Apr 30, 2008)

Ended up going with a Fenix BT-20 after doing a little more searching...

Thanks for the input!


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## RossJamis (Aug 27, 2013)

These zefal Bike lights are quite bright..(Sold at wallyworld) I would not recommend them for narrow single track but for most open riding they work well. Amazon.com: Zefal Light Set: Sports & Outdoors


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

AKCheesehead said:


> Ended up going with a Fenix BT-20 after doing a little more searching...
> 
> Thanks for the input!


You can run the BT-20 on AA's? I was just researching these lights and saw that the lower powered bt-10 can run on AA, but I wasn't aware that run the BT-20 on AA's/ 
Here's a kit for the BT-10
Amazon.com: Fenix BT10 350 Lumen XP-G R5 LED Bike Light with four NiMH rechargeable AA Batteries, Charger & four EdisonBright AA Alkaline batteries: Sports & Outdoors


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## AKCheesehead (Apr 30, 2008)

varider said:


> You can run the BT-20 on AA's? I was just researching these lights and saw that the lower powered bt-10 can run on AA, but I wasn't aware that run the BT-20 on AA's/
> Here's a kit for the BT-10
> Amazon.com: Fenix BT10 350 Lumen XP-G R5 LED Bike Light with four NiMH rechargeable AA Batteries, Charger & four EdisonBright AA Alkaline batteries: Sports & Outdoors


The BT-20 runs on the CR123A which is a fairly common camera battery and works well in the cold... excited to try it out.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

AKCheesehead said:


> The BT-20 runs on the CR123A which is a fairly common camera battery and works well in the cold... excited to try it out.


tip if you are not using rcr123's and instead use primaries

whenever I have gifted a power-led cr123 flashlight to someone, I supply a box of cr123 to get started. mainly because drugstore or grocery store cr123 are damn expensive I don't wanna gift a light that comes with a financial monkey on it's back out the gate...

titanium innovations brand cr123 are the only UL rated -and-cheap cr123 around.
others you pay more for quality (duracell procell as an example ) or you pay less for something sketchy 'high failure danger' and 'splody stuff

anyhow if you use cr123 and not rcr's I suggest titanium innovations for a good batt that saves loot CR123A Lithium Batteries - BatteryJunction.com


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

127.0.0.1 said:


> anyhow if you use cr123 and not rcr's I suggest titanium innovations for a good batt that saves loot CR123A Lithium Batteries - BatteryJunction.com


Excellent lead. I have a torch that uses CR123s that if it was not for being provided cells back when I worked, I'd have tossed it in a corner and forgotten about it. Too short a life and too expensive at about $7 for 2 at the local stores.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

In addition to the many choices above, you could also use one of Lezyne lights that have a field replaceable Lith Ion battery.

the SuperDriveXL is $120, 500+ lumens. Decent replacement batteries are $20 each (not the lezyne ones. Orbtronic, Nitcore 3400 mah). I've got 2 + hrs on 500 (blast) with the orbtronic 3400.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

IMO, AA or AAA batteries are garbage for this application. The NiMH batteries out there tend to go bad in less than a year, and they self-discharge pretty quickly. Alkaline batteries, of course, you use them once and they end up in the landfill. 

These days LiIon batteries and lights are so cheap, I don't see any reason not to go that route. Well, one. I guess if you are doing some rides out in the boonies, like if you went to India, Africa or rural China, and the only source of battery power was the little grocery stores in the villages, where they only stock regular batteries... and there is no electricity to recharge your LiIon batteries.


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## AKCheesehead (Apr 30, 2008)

pimpbot said:


> IMO, AA or AAA batteries are garbage for this application. The NiMH batteries out there tend to go bad in less than a year, and they self-discharge pretty quickly. Alkaline batteries, of course, you use them once and they end up in the landfill.
> 
> These days LiIon batteries and lights are so cheap, I don't see any reason not to go that route. Well, one. I guess if you are doing some rides out in the boonies, like if you went to India, Africa or rural China, and the only source of battery power was the little grocery stores in the villages, where they only stock regular batteries... and there is no electricity to recharge your LiIon batteries.


That's exactly why I want disposable batteries.. where I'm riding it's very remote and lithium ions don't work worth a crap in cold weather.


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

> I have a torch that uses CR123s that if it was not for being provided cells back when I worked, I'd have tossed it in a corner and forgotten about it. Too short a life and too expensive at about $7 for 2 at the local stores.


For CR123 devices, you can use 16340 rechargeable LiIon, available on Amazon or eBay. Saves a bundle! I ordered 4 from eBay today for a total of about $8 delivered.

Just be sure not to run them too low, or they will be destroyed. You can get them with built-in protection circuitry to prevent them from being damaged by too deep a discharge. However, they cost more, are more fragile, and the flashlights I use them with have built-in protection.


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

AKCheesehead, I have an idea for you. Don't use AA or AAA. Use C or D!

Here is the MaH rating:

AAA 1250
AA 2800
C 8200
D 21000

We have an old 3-cell D Maglite that I got the Mag LED retrofit for and got D-size NiMH. It runs 12 hours or so.

The larger cells are more expensive, but I bet they are cheaper per mAh, and will weigh slightly less per mAh too.

Energizer Watt-Hour Battery Specs | eHow

If you could find a bicycle-specific LED light with a remote battery pack that uses a single LiIon, you could replace the LiIon with your own battery pack holding 3 C or Ds, and I think you'd have a good system.

CREE LED XML XM L T6 LED 1800Lm Bicycle Light Bike Lamp Headlight Headlamp Set | eBay
This one apparently uses one or two 18650 lithium cells. 3 alkalines are going to have a little more voltage than a single lithium, so it should work perfectly. If it didn't, you wouldn't be out much.

That said, everything I can find says that Lithium is GREAT for cold weather.

Which Batteries for Flashlights and Tools in Cold Weather | ToolGuyd
Batteries: How to Choose

Every chemistry will be degraded by cold, but apparently LiIon is the best. I use aluminum LiIon flashlights for biking, and they get warm. Perhaps you could work that to your advantage. I live in the South, so glad it's your problem and not mine 

You could use the above light and bring the LiIon pack to charge when juice is available, and use the Cs or Ds when it is not.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

AKCheesehead said:


> That's exactly why I want disposable batteries.. where I'm riding it's very remote and lithium ions don't work worth a crap in cold weather.


So you went out and bought a lamp that runs off off of CR123's or CRC123A's.....which are Lithium primaries or Li-ion rechargeables ...

In keeping with your original OP I'd a thought going with the AA's was the way to go. The only down side is that AA cells ( Lithium primaries or low-self-discharge ( LSD ) rechargeable NiMH's are not going to work well in cold arctic temperatures. Really no battery works great in arctic cold but Li-ion is better than most as long as you have a big enough battery.

Since you originally wanted to be able to easily buy batteries on the fly I think going with the AA's was the better idea. Good Duracell or other Lithium primary AA's can be bought at most common convenience or drug stores. If it were me I'd of gone with the DiNotte XML-1 ( AA version ) and then contacted DiNotte to see if one could be bought with arctic level wiring ( which in my opinion would be really important in order to withstand the arctic cold.)

The next real issue you now need to focus on is , "How to keep the batteries warm", so you get the maximum run time from the battery set-up. You can try isolating the battery in a frame bag but at the temperatures you are likely dealing with this will only help for a matter of a half hour or so.

Over the years I've tried to tackle this problem myself and have come up with two possible solutions: First, you carry the battery inside your coat next to your body to keep it warm. This of course precludes that you will need a long extension wire ( attach to the light leading to the bars if you use bar mounting. An easier alternative would be to use a helmet mount and forgo a bar lamp. For me though this is not a viable option. I like my bar lamps. 

The long wire to the bars would work but for safety sake you would need to add an "easy disconnect" connector set-up just in case you fall off the bike. All this can be done but a PITA to deal with a wire sticking out the front of your coat.

Solution #2 was to make a battery bag that I could lightly insulate 
and then add a small Zippo catalytic hand warmer. While this might sound dangerous ( and it can be ) if you aren't an idiot and take precautions it can work. When I tested mine ( @ 10°F ) the battery never got below 60°F. ( I used cheap digital thermometers with remote sensors to monitor the temperature of the battery to make sure it didn't get too hot or too cold ) Where you live you might need more than one but I'd start with one and see how that works. Cheap digital thermometers can be bought on the web anywhere. If you follow my suggestions follow all of it.  Regardless of what method you use to keep a battery warm it is all, "ONE MAJOR PITA". :smilewinkgrin: ( **edit, The more I think about it the more I think that a dynamo set-up for the bars and a battery lamp for the helmet would be the way to go and much simpler to deal with when dealing with the really cold temperatures ). :thumbsup:


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## AKCheesehead (Apr 30, 2008)

Carrying C's or D's is a little to heavy for me and the price of a lithium C or D is a bit much. I haven't had any issues finding CR123 batteries, just as easy as finding AA/AAA and price is roughly the same.

Cat-man-do, all that sounds well and good, but seems like a lot of unnecessary work to me. Sorry if I was confusing before but I wanted a lithium battery, not any form of a rechargeable. For all the years I've used AAA/AA headlamps and such this little bike like performs just as well
with the lithium CR123A, batteries are super easy to find, not expensive in my eyes ($1 a battery) and have been just fine being stored in cold temps just like I expect them to. My primary focus is riding the bike, not worrying or caring about battery temp, when it dies, change it out... Simple and so far very effective.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

AKCheesehead said:


> ...Cat-man-do, all that sounds well and good, but seems like a lot of unnecessary work to me. Sorry if I was confusing before but I wanted a lithium battery, not any form of a rechargeable. For all the years I've used AAA/AA headlamps and such this little bike like performs just as well
> with the lithium CR123A, batteries are super easy to find, not expensive in my eyes ($1 a battery) and have been just fine being stored in cold temps just like I expect them to. My primary focus is riding the bike, not worrying or caring about battery temp, when it dies, change it out... Simple and so far very effective.


Hey, whatever works for you. In my neck of woods AA cells are cheaper / easier to find and the lithium CR123A's are about $8 for two in the local stores. Yeah, on-line you can buy them for just a little over $1 a cell but on-line you can buy anything cheaper.

Since you already have the lamp you want I would still suggest buying a handful of the rechargeable CRC123A type batteries and a charger and just use those when you have access to electricity. This type of battery is simple and fast to recharge, then use the lithium primaries for back up. Assuming you are using the lamp on a regular basis having some rechargeables should save you some buck$. On the other hand if you're not using the lamp on a regular basis then you are probably good just having a good supply of disposable lithium cells on hand.

Now about the battery / temperature issue; You can ignore this issue and carry as many batteries as needed but the issue still exist and is a hindrance to battery performance. This said since you are using disposables you are probably going to be throwing batteries away that aren't dead but just too cold to properly operate the lamp.

Anyway, hard to give advise to a person if you have no idea how long they generally ride, how often and the conditions in which they generally ride. Hopefully the advise being offered is going to help at least a little.


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

> Carrying C's or D's is a little to heavy for me and the price of a lithium C or D is a bit much.


Ok, I was referring to alkaline C or Ds as they are readily available. Unless one set of AA or AAAs is enough to finish the ride, there would be no weight penalty to carrying the same capacity packaged in fewer, larger cells. Unless you have trash cans along your ride where you can dispose of the empty cells.

Anyway, glad you found something that works for you. Stay warm!


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## manbeer (Oct 14, 2009)

Jeez, out by me 123's are 11-13 for a pack of two. Amazed to see how much the price varies by area


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

manbeer said:


> Jeez, out by me 123's are 11-13 for a pack of two. Amazed to see how much the price varies by area


Yeah, you're right. I haven't bought these batteries in a good number of years. As I recall I paid maybe $12 for two which at the time I thought was outrageous. I was ballparking a Walmart price which I figured would be lower. Two Rayovac 123's are about $10 at Walmart. Most places are likely more, especially if you want Duracell.


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## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

DennisF said:


> That said, everything I can find says that Lithium is GREAT for cold weather.
> 
> Which Batteries for Flashlights and Tools in Cold Weather | ToolGuyd
> Batteries: How to Choose
> ...


It isn't actually so, but it depends from two factors: how cold is "cold", and which namely "lithium" we're talking about... 

Statement about any chemistry's degradation is true, though.


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## johnD (Mar 31, 2010)

127.0.0.1 said:


> anyhow if you use cr123 and not rcr's I suggest titanium innovations for a good batt that saves loot CR123A Lithium Batteries - BatteryJunction.com


I agree, their cr123 batteries for $1 each are excellent.


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## PaulRivers (Jan 2, 2009)

I see you already bought a lamp, but I was going to ask - what kind of riding are you going to be doing?

If you want a light that's -
1. Completely unnaffected by the cold
2. Zero concerns about battery issues - no recharging, no battery going bad, no buying disposables, etc. Never needs to be recharged - period. Ever.


You should consider a dynamo light. You buy a special front hub that has magnets in the hub that generate power, and a dynamo light.

I live in Minnesota, and that's what I use on my winter bike, for all of the above reasons. (And my summer commuter as well to avoid battery changing / discharging hassles).

The drag from the bub when it's on it extremely negligable for anything other than road racing. I cannot feel the drag, on I have one on my summer commuter because I feel that any extremely slight time loss from the hub is much smaller than the time I waste on batteries (recharging them, changing them, etc).

While dynamos used to - frankly - suck when lamps were incandescent, with LED light they put out over 200 lumens, same as the battery lights you're looking at.

If you're doing relatively flat riding (roads, trails, things to get from point a to point b), the Lumotec IQ Premium Cyo ($120) is a "shaped" beam like a car headlight with a cutoff on the horizon.

If you're more mountain biking - need light off to the sides and in front of your rather than on the road, it's between the Supernova e3 ($165) or the Supernova e3 triple ($270 - higher light output).

A dynamo front wheel (the whole wheel and the hub) cost around $130-$212 depending on model.

A dynamo is more expensive upfront, but removes all light issues in the cold, and never requires hassle with batteries.


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## PBNinja (Jan 30, 2014)

I like my flashlights, i changed all my cr123's back to lights which run AA or AAA batteries only, simply for the sake of availability and carrying spares. When you're running most of your lights on one battery type spares become universal.

I tend to carry a keychain light which is AAA and will last for 6 months for all the amount of time I use it, it pairs well with my headlamp which is also AAA batteries.

My bike lights are run off large capacity lithium power packs, I keep two lights on the bars and two batteries in the bag on the top bar, the weight isn't noticed and I always have a backup light or backup battery, i rarely need to use both at once as individually they are more than bright enough. One light has great throw and not a lot of side spill which is perfect for roads but not so good for singeltrack, the other light is more of a flood but still with great throw on high mode. Both were bought from ebay, both were cheaper than dirt, both have worked for ages with no issues and the battery packs are cheap and easy to replace if needed, I haven't needed to though. Running either light off both batteries can give me up to 8 hours light depending on chosen output level and to be perfectly honest low mode is more than ample in both cases. Headlamp will run on 3 AAA batteries for another 8 hours but without the same output. Enough to make careful progress though. With just one spare set of AAA batteries I have enough capacity for a full 24 hours of light.

If you hunt about the net you can find battery carriers for all sorts of battery types so you are now able to run most lights on most batteries with a bit of mixing and matching, failing that ask at your local hobby stores and those guys could probably make you one for a few beer tokens to run whatever battery you like on whatever connection you need.


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## John Serkaian (Oct 11, 2013)

Fenix BC20 - Bar mounted, 4AA, 2Hr 20Min at 400 lumens. I'm waiting for the BC30 - more lumens and battery options. I hope the beam patterns are wide enough at the advertised lumens. Price and availability???


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