Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Stella 120-N vs 120-AA

Both are 120 Lumens.

Both have a run time of 1-2 hours

One uses a NIMH pack made from AA cells. The other uses 4 AA batteries.

But wouldn't using AA batteries actually be better since once could carry spares and double, triple, or quadruple their run time? With a pack, when it's dead, it's dead.

Am I missing something?

Is the NiMH pack sealed for some some odd reason?

Anything that's AA can take AA-sized NiMH rechargeables, so I must be missing something about this, too.

The upside to a pack is one-plug charging. No need to remove four cells, stick them in a charger, and put them back into a holder. The two-hour runtime is not the greatest... if it were me, I'd save for the Stella 200N.

have you looked at the dinotte only a little more and almost twice the lumens. for 149.00

Both are 120 Lumens.

Both have a run time of 1-2 hours

One uses a NIMH pack made from AA cells. The other uses 4 AA batteries.

But wouldn't using AA batteries actually be better since once could carry spares and double, triple, or quadruple their run time? With a pack, when it's dead, it's dead.

Am I missing something?

120 lumens is not enough light if you actually want to see where you're going, at anything besides crawling speed.

120 lumens is not enough light if you actually want to see where you're going, at anything besides crawling speed.

I agree. I have a Minewt which I upgraded with a SSC P4 LED putting it at the same output as the Minewt X2 which puts out 150 lumens. I average 20mph and peak at about 27mph on my commutes home. I ride on city streets but riding on the causeway at night or on the streets that flank Hwy80 at night on in the rain with 120 lumens would suck.

150 lumens does not shine for squat in the rain. Its like I don't even have a light on.

I would opt for at least 200 lumens, and preferrably for 4-600. The Dinotte 400L has been measured to put out the same amount of light as the NiteRider Trinewt. The trinewt is $429 and the 400L is $269.....

600 is about the minimum in heavy rain. rain and city lighting take far more lumens then then a dark street.

I average 20mph and peak at about 27mph on my commutes home. I ride on city streets but riding on the causeway at night or on the streets that flank Hwy80 at night on in the rain with 120 lumens would suck.

150 lumens does not shine for squat in the rain. Its like I don't even have a light on.


Right now I'm using a Lowe's Task Force LED flashlight and a sort-of-cheap Cygolite Night Rover. The Lowe's light throws out a really good spot but the spill is only sort of OK for up close. That's why I have the Cygolite - which really lights up the area right in front of me, but doesn't quite light up the road as far ahead as I'd like. Together, the two lights are just fine on the Causeway. I was thinking the Stella would replace the Cygolite, and especially, the lead-acid battery that powers it.

As for the rain, I'm a teacher so I usually have the option of leaving early if it's raining.

Right now I'm using a Lowe's Task Force LED flashlight and a sort-of-cheap Cygolite Night Rover. The Lowe's light throws out a really good spot but the spill is only sort of OK for up close. That's why I have the Cygolite - which really lights up the area right in front of me, but doesn't quite light up the road as far ahead as I'd like. Together, the two lights are just fine on the Causeway. I was thinking the Stella would replace the Cygolite, and especially, the lead-acid battery that powers it.

As for the rain, I'm a teacher so I usually have the option of leaving early if it's raining.

Ah, well that makes sense then. IMHO, if I can avoid having to deal withi individual batteries and a holder I tend to like that better. I like simply plugging in a sealed box and the next morning unplugging and going.

That's just me.

The 2h runtime with AA`s is stipulated useing 3000mAh batteries. Not so easy finding these, as 2500-2700 is most common. 1 - 1.5h Runtime is to be expected.
And in the dark, replaceing the AA`s is fiddely. (I should know, cause I have the AA one :-))

If you know a little about soldering and electronics, it should not be a problem makeing your own batterypack