What Is The Purpose Of A 12 AA Cell Large Flashlight ?

[Quattro Pete]

I just bought D cells to replace the ones in my old school Maglites. My auto cat feeder uses D cells also.

I've got a mattress pump that runs on 4 D cells, although I use D to 3AA adapters in it and load it with rechargeable AA NiMH cells whenever we go camping.

Also, there was some talk a while back about which batteries sell out the fastest in an emergency (like when hurricane is approaching). I can't recall now which one it was, but probably AA since it's the most popular. Sometimes it's good to have one or two flashlights in your arsenal that take an odd size battery that nobody else wants to buy.

 

[Hall]

A lot of people are missing the point about C or D vs AA or AAA batteries. Yeah, C and D batteries still exist but go to any store and look at the battery selections. How many choices do you have of each ? We all know the answer....

I have to wonder if this isn’t design reuse. I don’t see a manual, but I know a lot of the cheap flashlights use a plastic holder to use 3 AAA’s.

This is common with HF flashlights, many of the "tactical" flashlights on Amazon that are sold under hundreds of different brand names, and so on. If I'm not mistaken, the diameter of 18650 batteries is the same (or close enough) too and the length is the same as (2) AA or AAA batteries stacked lengthwise.

 

[billt460]

If it was designed for D cells, then it wouldn't need 12 of them. 4 would suffice.

I have a 6 "D" Cell older Maglight. It's lighter than this 12 AA Cell I just bought.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Haha, I remember those too ! They are, literally, "lantern batteries".

Heck yeah! As a kid I thought they were sweet! And they were indestructible. My dad had a big yellow Ray O Vac lantern. I think I still have it. I remember you could dunk them underwater and everything.

 

[billt460]

We used "Lantern Batteries" to start our Cox Nitro burning control line airplanes.

 

[Quattro Pete]

If I'm not mistaken, the diameter of 18650 batteries is the same (or close enough) too and the length is the same as (2) AA or AAA batteries stacked lengthwise.

My one flashlight that takes 3xAAA (in a cartridge/holder) has a tube that's wider than a standard 18650 cell, but not overly so. I've used an 18650 cell in it just by wrapping some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a bit. Length was not an issue. A 21700 cell would be a better fit from a width perspective, but then it might be too long.

 

[Hermann]

Nobody uses C and D cell batteries any more.

I do. Portable radios , lanterns, flashlights. The place to buy them is Amazon.

 

[billt460]

I do. Portable radios , lanterns, flashlights. The place to buy them is Amazon.

I just came from Lowe's this morning. They've got plenty of "C" and 'D' size batteries. In dual, 4, and 6 packs. Both Duracell and Eveready brands. These batteries are still selling, and will for a long time.

 

[Dave9]

lol, 12 batteries! No way I'd want to juggle that many to get a single flashlight running.

It does look like it's 4.5V as 4S3P. That is a larger diameter than C cells even if you did try to adapt both ends but then could use a spacer tube. "Maybe" D cells would fit without both ends of the cartridge taking up some of the length, and the tailcap wouldn't be hard to mod to put in a spring for that, but the other end, if the head doesn't come off the body tube, that could be more of a challenge.

Meh not worth it.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

50 dollars at Walmart

Robot or human?

 

[Hall]

I've used an 18650 cell in it just by wrapping some electrical tape around it to thicken it up a bit.

I have some flashlights at work (bought off Amazon) that use either a cartridge that holds (3) AA or AAA (can't remember) batteries or can use an 18650 or similar. They include a clear, plastic tube that the single battery fits inside, presumably to make up the needed diameter.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FK5XYN4/

 

[Quattro Pete]

I have some flashlights at work (bought off Amazon) that use either a cartridge that holds (3) AA or AAA (can't remember) batteries or can use an 18650 or similar. They include a clear, plastic tube that the single battery fits inside, presumably to make up the needed diameter.

Would have to be 3xAAA then. 3xAA cartridge has a diameter of a D cell battery.

 

[Quattro Pete]

50 dollars at Walmart

Robot or human?

A baseball bat would be cheaper.

 

[Trav]

50 dollars at Walmart

Robot or human?

And I just threw a bunch of them in the trash. LOL

 

[Warstud]

I recently purchased this flashlight from Harbor Freight. It is an excellent flashlight for the money.

Take it back and get a modern flashlight that runs off of one 18650 battery. Probably cost half of what you paid for that one.

 

[methusaleh]

Looks like the Duracell-branded lights sold at
Costco about ten years ago.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Can you imagine how big a flashlight would be having 12 series connected C or D cells ?

I wouldn't buy such a flash light requiring 12 batteries.. The batteries probably cost more than the flashlight.

I guarantee you there would be at lest 10 BITOG's waiting in line to buy a 3 foot tall flashlight like that...you may have stumbled onto something here.

 

[billt460]

50 dollars at Walmart

Robot or human?

That's for 6 C cell. The 6 D cell model is $111.00.

 

[SR5]

When I was in the military (been out a few years) it was easy to get AA batteries from the Q-store, but I never saw the other sizes.

To me AA = military and civilian,
While C or D = civilian only.

But that was just me and my supply chain, probably different for others.

 

[Quattro Pete]

That's for 6 C cell.

Description says 6 D cells.