frank1492 wrote:
Should have Li-Ion battery, with good life, and be rechargeable. Saw a
nice bike light, but would like this to be hand-held. Would prefer
flood to spot, high lumen.
Recos much appreciated. Thank you!
Frank


I like the idea of AA cells. In my experience, AA NiMH will hold a
charge many weeks, and you can carry a charged set in your pocket in
case you get caught short.

My most useful light uses 3 AA NiMH. Unfortunately they are soldered
in. To me, that's a big flaw because I can't change to charged cells
when using it as a lantern in a power failure, and it will be more
trouble to repair if it needs new cells. However, the 14-hour run time
has always been adequate, and the cells work fine after 2 years.

It's a Victor Bright Bar trouble light with 26 LEDs. It cost me about
$25. The first advantage is that it floods an area with an even light
that makes it easy to see what I'm doing. The second advantage is that
it's versatile in the way it can be hung, stood, leaned, or laid to
light a work area. The light is so effective that if I'm working on my
car, I may be able to see better if I wait until dark and depend
entirely on the Bright Bar.

Its yellow handle and 15" height make it easy to spot in a cluttered
room. To carry, it feels about like a conventional light with 2 D
cells. The evenness of the light make it desirable to spot a small item
on the ground or a small animal 50 feet away. I have a sealed-beam
light whose beam is pretty intense even 1000 feet away, but for most
purposes I can see better with the Bright Bar.

I also have an Energizer LED head lamp, which cost about $10. Its
switch sequences through a 70ma spotlight, a 35ma floodlight, and a red
light. The floodlight makes a better work light and for my purposes is
as bright as the spotlight. I would have designed it with the
floodlight only and to use 3 AA cells instead of 3 AAA cells.

It's useful because it requires no hands and fresh cells could be popped
in during a power failure. That reminds me, I should buy more AAA NiMH.
They're pretty cheap these days.