Chilly batteries
Chilly batteries
I hate how my LED headlamp gets dim in cold temperatures. What type of batteries (AAA) perform the best in sub-zero temps?
Re: Chilly batteries
Lithium ions are generally the recommended battery for cold weather use. They can be pretty expensive though. Good luck!
Re: Chilly batteries
Yes, LiFeS2 cells perform well, but they prohibitively expensive, which is made worse by the fact that they're single use.
I've read that Nickel Cadmium fairs well in cold conditions, but they will self-discharge over time, and I don't think they're even sold any more.
I guess I'll just have to tuck a heat pack under my headlamp
I've read that Nickel Cadmium fairs well in cold conditions, but they will self-discharge over time, and I don't think they're even sold any more.
I guess I'll just have to tuck a heat pack under my headlamp
Re: Chilly batteries
Oops, my mistake, I did mean lithium and not lithium-ion!
One thing to keep in mind when comparing cost is that a lithium battery will last a good deal longer than an alkaline. How much longer is unfortunately variable, depending on things like operating temperature and discharge rate. Lithiums are also lighter, which is nice for if you've ever been annoyed by your headlamp bobbing around on your forehead. Of course rechargeable batteries are much better in terms of cost. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all headlamps are lithium compatible, you'll have to check to be sure.
My current strategy involves using rechargeables and cheaper alkalines in my headlamp around camp, and keeping the costly lithiums in a spare headlamp for those mission critical times.
If you're considering NiCd, you should also consider NiMH which are said to have at least equal performance in cold weather, not to mention other important advantages. Of the rechargeable chemistries though, lithium-ion is regarded as the top performer. You can find a nice write-up comparing rechargeable batteries here: http://www.ti.com/lit/an/snva533/snva533.pdf.
As bearbreeder notes in his post, lithium-ion begins to experience significant voltage drop around -20°C, which compares favorably to NiCd and NiMH which likely drop off around 0°C based on their specifications. One other thing to keep in mind is that lithium-ions are typically specified for discharging down to -20°C, but for charging only down to 0°C. This is reflected in the graph of cycle life vs. temperature, which shows deteriorating cycle life below 0°C.
Unfortunately lithium-ion is not available in a AAA format yet. Some headlamps come with a lithium-ion battery pack though, such as the Pettzl Tikka RXP and R+. These lamps also likely offer great real world battery life because of their adaptive lighting feature.
You might also look into a headlamp like the Black Diamond Storm which is said to have a heat sink to improve cold weather performance. If you combine that with a heat pack under your headlamp, you'll have the brightest light, and the warmest forehead around.
Anyways, I hope this helps!
One thing to keep in mind when comparing cost is that a lithium battery will last a good deal longer than an alkaline. How much longer is unfortunately variable, depending on things like operating temperature and discharge rate. Lithiums are also lighter, which is nice for if you've ever been annoyed by your headlamp bobbing around on your forehead. Of course rechargeable batteries are much better in terms of cost. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all headlamps are lithium compatible, you'll have to check to be sure.
My current strategy involves using rechargeables and cheaper alkalines in my headlamp around camp, and keeping the costly lithiums in a spare headlamp for those mission critical times.
If you're considering NiCd, you should also consider NiMH which are said to have at least equal performance in cold weather, not to mention other important advantages. Of the rechargeable chemistries though, lithium-ion is regarded as the top performer. You can find a nice write-up comparing rechargeable batteries here: http://www.ti.com/lit/an/snva533/snva533.pdf.
As bearbreeder notes in his post, lithium-ion begins to experience significant voltage drop around -20°C, which compares favorably to NiCd and NiMH which likely drop off around 0°C based on their specifications. One other thing to keep in mind is that lithium-ions are typically specified for discharging down to -20°C, but for charging only down to 0°C. This is reflected in the graph of cycle life vs. temperature, which shows deteriorating cycle life below 0°C.
Unfortunately lithium-ion is not available in a AAA format yet. Some headlamps come with a lithium-ion battery pack though, such as the Pettzl Tikka RXP and R+. These lamps also likely offer great real world battery life because of their adaptive lighting feature.
You might also look into a headlamp like the Black Diamond Storm which is said to have a heat sink to improve cold weather performance. If you combine that with a heat pack under your headlamp, you'll have the brightest light, and the warmest forehead around.
Anyways, I hope this helps!
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