Are disposable batteries better or worse than rechargeable ones in a torch?
READER Will iam Read asked us to shed light on this conundrum at a time when torch manufacturers are increasingly switching to rechargeable devices, rather than ones powered by disposable batteries.
There are several reasons for this, not least because alkaline AA, AAA or C-size batteries are almost ‘singleuse’ and should be recycled once flat.
But they are often simply put in the household rubbish. There’s also a cost element to factor in, because disposables require up to 500 times more electricity to produce than they can deliver.
For an in-car torch, rechargeable devices have an added advantage, because they can be revived via a USB slot if they have gone flat while stored. That’s not the case with disposable batteries.
However, are you giving up performance by using rechargeables? A side-by-side test would be difficult, if not impossible, to level the playing field, because there’s a much wider range of capacities and outputs among rechargeables than with AA or C power packs.
But the former test-winning Coast HP7 offers a good comparison, because it comes with two rechargeable batteries, plus a cartridge to take four AAAs. Coast’s performance figures give an interesting insight. Using the supplied pair of 2.4Ah rechargeables in maximumpower mode, the HP7 delivers 300 lumens, seven hours of runtime and a 352-metre beam. The four alkaline AAAs manage 265 lumens, 1.75 hours of runtime and a 326-metre beam with a very similar Ah capacity.
The low-beam mode is also interesting, because both power sources can deliver 30 lumens and an 111-metre beam, but rechargeables last 33 hours, while the AAAs manage just 12 hours before running flat.
It’s no wonder that rechargeables are the power source of choice for torch producers. If you are now convinced to ditch your AA, AAA or C-powered torch, our recent test top picks are the NightSearcher 1000-R, Nitecore MH15 and the Coast HP7R, with prices starting at less than £50.