Crank flashlights: Which batteries are in there?

The umpteenth flashlight was completely corroded out by a battery that
leaked despite the fact that it was delivering power. It almost wrecked
a nice cabinet along with it. So, I just got a flashlight with crank
from Costco. Duracell KP028, two for $15, even has a radio with weather
band in there. Now I am curious: Does anyone know what kind of batteries
are in there? Maybe even a super-cap?

Google didn't lead to any hints and according to the Duracell site they
don't even make them (!). Then again their site isn't very good, lots of
"The system cannot find the path specified."

I am not a fan of LEDs, they just aren't as bright as regular flashlight
bulbs. But this thing is pretty good. One minute of cranking and it
lights long enough to find stuff, even keeps its charge. Ok, they say 30
minutes but it gets dim after 5-10 minutes. Good enough for me, if the
battery holds up over the long run.

 

I took apart the small one I just got and it had a 40mAh NiCad. Rounded
case, about 3" x 1.5" x 1", three LEDs, on-off slide switch, short attached
wrist-strap like those on digicams. $6. Works quite well, brighter than
the bigger one I got last year, nice and small, fits in one hand.

 

IMO,Duracell batteries are prone to leaking.
If they are used in your crank flashlight,then that will fail,too.
Get a flashlight that uses lithium cells.

The 1W and 3W Luxeon LED lights are pretty good.

IF.

 

When I took apart my crank LED flashlight to fix the switch I found to
my surprise a large capacitor instead of a battery. Explains why the
thing is so damn light. Not as bright as a regular flashlight but I
find it usable. Mine uses a ratchet based crank for single handed
operation so I can actually use it while cranking. Don't know the
brand though.. probably made in China.. I got it as SWAG from a Fluke
booth at a convention.

 

That's what I was thinking (but still hoping for a super-cap...). I
guess that NiCd will eventually croak under these frequent and partial
cycles. Just like those for my lil' hand grinder. Lasted only one year :-(

 

Hmm. They also had a four-pack of others but I figured a brand name
might be better. Plus the radio feature is nice in case the really big
shaker comes.

Well, great, here you just blotted out my optimism ... Oh well, let's
hope it lasts. We also have a humongous $10 flashlight with a lead-acid
gel cell. It was said not to last but surprisingly it has now lasted
three years. We use it every day to clean up after the dogs when they do
their late night potty. You can light up the road signs clear across the
valley with that one.

 

Then it should last nearly forever. Well, until something mechanical
gives up. Mine won't open without destruction but what surprised me was
that the lights they had there at Costco lit nearly for the max time,
sans cranking. I tried the one I bought: Turned it one, went through the
store to load all the other stuff I needed, returned 20 mins later and
it was still going. At least a NiMH would not hold a charge for months
while shipping.

 

I've been buying Fuji Novel alkalines,they don't leak and they are cheaper
than Everready or Duracell,seem to last just as long.

For what you paid,it was an OK buy,IMO.

I had a couple of 12v 20AH gel cells(scooter batteries) that came in handy
after Hurricane Charlie took out my electricity for 7 days;I used old PC
power supply fans to give me a mild breeze to sleep in the hot,humid
Florida weather,and had a 12v fluorescent lamp for light.

But they eventually succumbed to sulphation. :-(

 

This reminds me of the $3 "forever" shaker flashlight I bought,only to find
the coil was not connected,no storage cap,and two lithium coin cells
actually powering the LED.(1 CR2032,1 CR2025)

 

It's hard to find brands other than Duracell out here since that is what
Costco and other discounters carry. At the supermarkets batteries are
really expensive. Had to do the scraping and vinegar thing on our
emergency lantern yesterday. Same thing: Lit up brightly on both tubes
but one D-cell had oozed all over :-(

Yeah, I guess. It also has an amber blinker LED. I want to try that
during our evening dog walks. Sometimes we chat with neighbors and
whoops, it's dark. The usual lanyard blinker gizmos are mostly junk,
fell apart on us. Costco also has a headlamp, maybe I'll see if I can
mod that to red and wear it "in reverse". It's all a 25mph zone here but
some of those kids really tear down the road.

We have a Statpower "suitcase" with a piggybacked 300W inverter. It has
kept the wood stove fans going for six hours once. Very nice. For longer
periods one can connect a car battery to it.

But they still last an amazingly long time.

 

Mos likely some sort of recharegable battery rather than a supercap for
that one. My 3 LED crank light uses a NIMH pack, although my 1 LED
shake light uses a Supercap.

Most likely they leased out their brand for those devices.

 

Super caps don't have the energy density required.

Graham

 

Maybe the Chinese manufacturere just 'borrowed' the Duracell name ?

Googling "Duracell KP028" just leads to ebay which is a bit of a giveaway.

Graham

 

Yes, and a lot of people brought them back to the stores because of
premature "failure". Lack of honesty usually doesn't pay.

 

If they market these in Europe it couldn't be NiCd. I've never seen a
shake light. Wonder if scraping out the super cap and LED would beat the
Digikey prices for super caps (pretty high).

That would be a rather dangerous business practice. If they hold up,
fine. But if they don't, hoo boy. They have their corporate address in
CT on the warranty slip. AFAIK they belong to PG now.

 

Well, these are carried by Costco and the package has the correct
corporate address for warranty returns on there. Costco is a major
country-wide discount chain here in the US, they could not possibly sell
merchandise from "shady" sources. Or let's say they could only do that
once ;-)

 

Probably because they're a gimmick -- "shacking" is just about the most power
inefficient way I can manage to turn human motion into electrical energy!

 

The factories get paid up front. It doesn't pay to be lazy in spot
checking and evaluating product from third-world countries.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

One has to hope that the merchants or whoever ultimately pays for the
loss learn. A classic example was a lanyard lantern my wife wanted to
buy from a hardware store, for walking the dogs after dark. The clerk
finally gave up after the whole thing fell apart upon battery
installation and exclaimed "That stuff really is junk, as you said."

 

That's what I thought. It's kind of ok for watches where little energy
is needed. But even there you can buy "shaker cradles" to place them
into at night if you don't exercise them enough. It's quite a joke IMHO.