Guessing insides of cheapo C and D are a AA jammed inside of them….
What Is The Purpose Of A 12 AA Cell Large Flashlight ?
- Thread starter billt460
- Start date
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
My wife got them at an antique place (birthday) - she knows I’m an oil geek and have a few old cans and signs etc, etc, too …
They are sitting on my burlwood desk in that pic …
I think another possibility for the high number AA flashlights currently on the market, is that in the larger sized flashlights, rechargeables are pretty much taking over the market.
And their cost keeps coming down. Today I've seen larger sized machined Aluminum, Lithium Ion rechargeable lights, some with the "power bank" feature, for as low as $30.00.
Alkaline "D" cells can run $1.25 to over $2.00 each. That adds up. And they're heavy. I just bought a 32 count box of Eveready AA's for $13.00.... And they're everywhere. Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. "D" Cells, not so much. And rarely, if ever are they on sale. Because they're far less in demand today.
Also, most all flashlights today are LED. They consume far less power, and give off far more light. Back when the large 6 "D" Cell Maglite's were all the rage, most all had Halogen bulbs that drank power.
My old 6 "D" Cell Maglite with a Halogen bulb lasted nowhere near as long as my 12 AA Cell LED does. Yeah, that is no longer true because I converted my big Maglite to LED also. But "back in the day" those were not available.
Most everything today runs on AAA or AA... So that's what the makers build around.
And their cost keeps coming down. Today I've seen larger sized machined Aluminum, Lithium Ion rechargeable lights, some with the "power bank" feature, for as low as $30.00.
Alkaline "D" cells can run $1.25 to over $2.00 each. That adds up. And they're heavy. I just bought a 32 count box of Eveready AA's for $13.00.... And they're everywhere. Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. "D" Cells, not so much. And rarely, if ever are they on sale. Because they're far less in demand today.
Also, most all flashlights today are LED. They consume far less power, and give off far more light. Back when the large 6 "D" Cell Maglite's were all the rage, most all had Halogen bulbs that drank power.
My old 6 "D" Cell Maglite with a Halogen bulb lasted nowhere near as long as my 12 AA Cell LED does. Yeah, that is no longer true because I converted my big Maglite to LED also. But "back in the day" those were not available.
Most everything today runs on AAA or AA... So that's what the makers build around.
I have a very high quality led flashlight that takes two C cells but they are becoming difficult to find these days. I have had to make up some spacer tubes to pack out AA cells to keep the thing working. Not hard to find but becoming increasingly expensive are 9V PP3 batteries. I have so many things that take PP3's I hope they are not on the way out too.
So far so good. I don’t use it a lot. Keep it in my truck just in case, worked the other day when I needed it.
This is an odd choice for a flashlight made today. Rechargeable flashlights have been fairly standard for a number of years.I recently purchased this flashlight from Harbor Freight. It is an excellent flashlight for the money. It has both a "HIGH" setting, as well as a "LOW" setting. And it also has a, "SOS Strobe" setting. It is extremely bright and well made.
The only "problem" is, it takes 12, AA batteries in a removable pack. It could have been easier, (and most likely cheaper), if it had been designed to take 3 or 4 "C Cell" batteries. Or even multiple, "D Cells".
Does anyone know what is the purpose is of having so many smaller AA Cells? I would think it would last longer with the larger cells. Or is it a voltage issue of some type?
Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977
Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!www.harborfreight.com
Not really as you can build use off shelf battery pack that is either cheaply supplied AA batteries or have add rechargeable pack, circuits and related charger to your product.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,283
OMG! It's the radio from Gilligan's Island!Both my Zenith portable radios use D batterys. The Trans Oceanantic uses 6 D cells and the AM Royal also uses 6 D cells. They usually last two to three years.
Both radios have qxcellent sound and have such a nice feel to them. Very smooth without any static.
That's when radios were decent. It will play with those D-cells forever. Beats a phone and ear buds.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
I like the smaller aluminum LED flashlights so I can stash them in several handy places - But seems the rechargeable units always have power - whereas the AA lights are more hit or miss …
I still have a vintage 6-volt lantern that uses the old 918 battery. The beam is pretty weak; maybe it's running the wrong sealed beam?
I have 2-3 D-cell Maglites (incandescents) that I use around the house and garage.
I keep a new, Fulton MX991 flashlight on my nightstand. I find the angle head very handy.
I have 2-3 D-cell Maglites (incandescents) that I use around the house and garage.
I keep a new, Fulton MX991 flashlight on my nightstand. I find the angle head very handy.
What kind of bulb?
I can't recall what number bulb it is. I do know it's a PAR36 pencil beam.
Many people prefer AA-powered devices so they have to stock only one type of battery that works in every device. AA batteries are also the most common battery type in handheld devices.
