I would have to agree on AA but now with solar chargers and USB connections Lithium is all I use. I can via solar in about 4 hours with a 26650 cell or about 1-1.5 hours via USB plugged into the car charging off battery alone. 18650`s are just insanely powerful and run times are crazy, they do last as well if you get good companies like Panasonic, LG or Sony. We`ve been using LIPO for many emergencies over the years and never had an issue including when sandy hit.
Yes, you can leave alkaline batteries longer but they don`t have the run time LiPo has with high outputs and with low outputs plus the efficiency of new dyes they are unbeatable. The only time I would say alkaline is better is if your a person who doesn`t want to think about it. I charge mine up every couple of months so I won`t have an issue, people who neglect the cells may run into an issue. Personally with Olight and thier protection systems, even neglectful people won`t have an issue 6 months to a year IMO and leaving. I have some lights that can run days on end without a charge putting out over 100+ lumens, that in itself is literally impossible to do with alkaline. Like I said all you need is a car or a simple amazon solar charger and your set for years.
If you ask me certain lights in general are not for emergencies but are for specialized purposes. Lights like the acebeam X80 (Which I want to use for corrections) or noctigon M43 for a crazy CRI/corrections/color matching. Small EDC lights like the R50 are literally unbeatable, power output, size and run time they cannot be matched.
The other thing is if your handy, in diar situations you can pull the cells and use them for a number of tasks from starting a fire to powering large scale machines due to thier insane amperage. No alkaline can discharge the amount of power an 26650 or even an 18650 can. I think about multiple tasks not just lighting when buying stuff like this. In emergencies, multiple uses are key, Sandy (No power for 3 weeks) definitely showed us that.
The one thing I will 100% agree on is scarcity, AA`s can be found anywhere but just like gas in bad situations they also go quick. To be honest, I also prefer 18650 Lipo`s in emegencies because most 99% of the population don`t realize they have them and won`t try and kill you over them. I can find excellent 18650`s in cheap garbage laptops, simple powerbanks and tons of other devices that no one would ever suspect, especially in an emergencency.
Fun fact: 90% of the old dell, HP an sony laptops which school districts throw out by the hundreds every year use TOP end Sony 18650`s which are slow drain and last days upon days. They can be found in landfills, dumpsters or even recycling centers. I know a gentleman that guts old laptops from school districts and sells the cells in 10 packs, they work amazing. Scarcity of lipo is more a myth then truth, people just don`t know enough about lipo or are scared of it.
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