Flashlight | Ubin

Posts Tagged ‘flashlight’

Outdoors gadgets –

We are always for new gadgets to try out in Pulau Ubin. Here are some we have bought.

Flashlights

The biggest collection we have tried are flashlights. Gone are the days we would carry heavy flashlights with bagful of expensive batteries and spare bulbs for camping overnight. New and evolving LED technology made flashlights a lot lighter, reliable, longer lasting and powerful at the same time. As tools, we are also looking for ones that is well machined with quality materials, and have been very impressed with SC600 Cree XM-L 750Lm Flashlight 18650 by Zebralight. Update 14 Nov. We have just ordered the new neutral white version (ZLSC600w). Update 28 Nov. We received the SC600w over the weekend and tested at the about to be demolished Bukit Brown cemetery. It emits a huge wall of light. To a group trekking there, its bright as a car with headlights on. It gets uncomfortably hot at the brightest setting. Stepping one level down fixed that. Run time is impressive with a single 18650 battery used for a 2 hours walk, lasting much longer with AW 18650 3100 mAh battery which we would soon order. This will be our next durian hunting flashlight, allowing us to take census count of number of durians from the tallest tree, and allowing us to sweep for hours to find them as they fall and roll hidden in the jungle floor.

SC600

Digital cameras
It is tiring carrying a heavy DSLR to Pulau Ubin, with dripping sweat and oily repellents gumming up its knobs and switches.

The efforts paid off, like this baby owl taken in extreme low light conditions with a Nikon D3s. (Taken by Andy Ho)

But there are days where we have too many things to carry so our gear needs to be light. Nikon 1 series V1 camera looks promising. What I like so far its its ability to take fast moving subjects in focus. Like these dogs running and playing.

Click for animated gif

Helmet cam

Digital cameras nowadays are capable of motion videos. But few are completely waterproof or as versatile than GoPro 2 which is now available in Singapore. With so many questions from first time visitors about Pulau Ubin, short clips would be useful to get a feel what it is like and for archiving disappearing scenes.

Bumboat ride.Click to play.

Trail Cameras

I haven’t seen mousedeers and otters in Pulau Ubin which others have spotted. Other elusive creatures include swamp mouse with its white colored belly. Maybe I get lucky with this trail camera on special offer by Amazon.

Despite its flimsy looking construction, its small and comparatively cheap. Unfortunately it draws attention due to its blinking LEDs used to take infrared photographs in total darkness. One its first night I gulped when I saw a guy in shadow silently coming out from the direction I set the trail cam. Next the weather turn stormy and it rained heavily non-stop for a few hours. The silent guy have missed it and it survived the rain. Only one picture was taken but no animal was seen. Maybe its too fast. It must have spooked a village dog sleeping near us which jumped in fright and howled in all four directions. Must be a large boar. Hopefully we will be lucky the next time.

Walky talkies

Consumer walky talkies we used so far have been disappointing, with signal breakups just a few hundred metres apart. The Motorola TLKR T7 is designed for outdoor sports use. Then again it may not. I bought it for its included accessories like twin charging bay and that it is approved for local use without requiring a license or paying annual fees. Despite its limited practical use, the kids look forward to play with them during school holidays.

Handheld GPS

The Garmin Montana is a bright touch screen designed for dual function as vehicle GPS which you can use with free downloadable maps for many Asean countries. Although most GPS should work in Pulau Ubin, the Montana proved itself to be very useful when I was in Phuket. Despite pouring rain, I was able to navigate by listening to its spoken road directions through a ear-piece.

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Durian Season 2011 –

Update 23 October 2011

According to Ubin villagers. A mini durian season is expected in November 2011. Harvest quality is not expected due to constant rains. For die-hard pickers.

Update 10 July 2011

Its the height of the durian season in Ubin with most of the durians already dropped. Still there are some late bloomers trees which should start dropping in the coming week before the season ends. This year’s harvests has been lower than previous year.

We got about seven durians last night. 2 of them are very good. One was dry with slight bitterness. Another was sweet. Rest have rotted or worms infested.

My friend KP Tan who helped out on the island saw massive crowds who heard of free durians, some carrying scraps of newspapers cutting with maps purportedly showing locations of durians. I haven’t seen the cuttings but if true, such tabloid journalism can put people into danger. The jungle floor near demolished houses contains rusty spikes and broken glasses. There are more than 10 deep boar pits dotted about which have been neglected. The villagers have reported their pets missing so we do not know if they are victims of predators or if they have fallen into the pits. One can easily fall into them and break a leg.

As durian gathering is added fun for a night camping, I am also looking for ways to enhance my enjoyment.
Getting enough sleep outdoors is a challenge. Hard sleeping surface makes one turn about to ease pressure build-up and resulting discomfort. For this I bought a Therm-a-Rest air mattress to improve sleeping comfort. This air mattress is too expensive, bulky and takes too long to deflate so hammocks might be better solution.
As most local ones are cheaply made, its another Amazon shopping spree to get one that works for heavy folks. Shopping with Amazon is excellent with timely shipping and immediate refunds for loss. They are shipped using Vpost to save on shipping (Customer service is poorer with Vpost, but it the only option for retailers who does not ship internationally). Fortunately, they arrived in time for this camping trip and the whole idea worked (although time will tell) and I slept well without backaches.
Here are the details for those interested. I got the Eagles Nest SingleNest Hammock which is able to bear loads up to 180 kilos. A generous safety margin is needed as the whole system is subjected to uneven weight stress. The hammock does not come with suspension ropes to allow for customization. For this I bought military grade 1″ tubular webbings from Sheares Marketing to wrap around trees without strangling or damaging them. 4 meters lengths at each ends should be slip proof and sufficient to wound the trunk a few times. In addition I bought 2 pairs suspension rings from a ship hardware shop in Sungei rd for each end to form a quick release system and to prevent dead knots. As usual, watch youtube videos and read camping forums on how to set hammocks correctly and safely.

Update 2 July 2011

Our friends at Naked Hermit Crabs are planning a Chek Jawa boardwalk nature trip cum durian gathering on Saturday 9 July at 9.30am. Highly recommended. You’ll need to be at Changi Jetty by 8.00am to reach there on time.

Update 26 June 2011.

Durian season has just started in Pulau Ubin. The early fruits are usually premature or rotten ones. We camped overnight as it is fun as always. We brought our newly purchased flashlights to see how they performed in durian seeking department. The latest Surefire 3 cell ‘Invictus UB3T’ did not disappoint, the most powerful yet. It was able to light up durians from the topmost tree for a ‘census count’. The rate the durians fall over the next month will help us determine when it peaks to plan our next overnight camping trip.

We also brought Malkoff high-cri drop-ins. I am impressed by its excellent color rendition, good-runtime and excellent flood. Zebralight headlamps are a class of their own also. More pictures will be posted.

Line-up of flashlights we brought.

For boys and girls, your requests are being heard. Since there are so many search requests for “Ubin ghost”, this is probably how she looks like when we found her. Full details embargoed for now.

Ubin ghost

Update 12 Jun 2011. Durian season must be in the air. This site got so many hits for latest durian season updates. Went to the trees where I took pictures of its blossoms. It a total fail for one tree as none of its flowers got pollinated with no fruit. The other was a lot more promising with clusters of growing durian fruits. That was two weeks ago and a number of nonviable small ones have already dropped prematurely. Ubin’s durian season 2011 should start end June but no bumper harvest is expected. Meanwhile I went to Giant Hypermart just before closing and bought the “cat mountain king (猫山王)”, custard like and slightly bitter with ample flesh with its small seeds, at half price.

Update 2 April 2011: The full season should start at around July. Durian buds are now appearing. This is the actual photo taken. I will be tracking its growth stages for the next few months.

Update 18 April 2011
Durian flowers blossom at night and by midday they would fall and the grounds will be covered with them. Luckily I managed to catch them at mid-bloom. The air is sweet with their fragrance. And some say they taste great when cooked with curry!

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Flashlights –

Night walks in Pulau Ubin can be unsettling a first timer. After hearing spooky stories, imagination runs amok when one see moving shadows among leaves caused by slight breeze and moonlight. Flashlights are reassuring. Great toys if you are a flashaholic. Best tool when looking for durians.

Shopping for your first flashlight can be a bewildering experience. There are many considerations choosing the right one for you.

1. Throw. Lights that shine far are heavier as they require extra batteries and a larger reflector. Before the latest LEDs flashlights arrived, incandescent lights such as Surefire M6 would hold as many as six expensive CR123 batteries. Dedicated powerful throw lights are useful for shock and awe value but not much else. Users get tunnel vision due to extremely bright center spot. Views at longer distances are hampered by night mist and fog.

New LED lights are being made that are good throwers with broad beams. Our current favorite is SC600 Cree XM-L 750Lm Flashlight 18650 by Zebralight.

Durians illuminated by throw lights.

2. Flood. Floody lights are great for lighting up the forest floor or close range illumination. Headlamps are also in this category and Zebralight LED headlamps are my favorites.

3. Throw and flood lights. Most LED lights come with bright hotspot for throw with side spill for flood. Deeper reflectors have greater amount of throw while dimpled or orange peel reflectors give better floods. Newer designs come with TIR optics that bend the light beams just right. The trick is to get one just right for you by trusting your own eyes. Avoid lights which allows throw to flood by zooming. Maglite is one bad case with its plastic reflector and lens, ringly beams and projected artifacts. New Cree XM-L LED lights have arrived on the scene that provides a combination of throw and flood due to its high current draw but which requires high capacity batteries. Although there is a problem of heat build-up, they can be minimized by switching to lower output.

4. EDC (every day carry) lights . These are small and pocket-able one-cell lights designed for daily use while working reliably. They should not switch on accidentally or have its threads come loose easily in your pockets. Type III anodizing is used to minimize wear. Besides sufficiently bright, it should also include a low brightness mode for better run-time and preserving night vision. Our current favorites include Ra clicky by HDS Systems which is very reliable although pricey.

5. Multiple stage lights. Early models include Surefire U2 using a dial knob to adjust brightness settings. It’s a expensive 2 cell light currently selling for US$290 at Amazon. Since then there are many more brands coming out with different UI (user interface), awkward ones included. Cheap ones even come with 5-8 stages including strobe and SOS functions which you have to cycle to the right setting which is slow and impractical. Get the best if you can afford it. Flashlights made by Zebralight has proven to be highly reliable. Go for lights that runs on AA battery, including rechargeable AA Sanyo Eneloop batteries which is highly reliable.

6. Incandescent lights. Incands are ideal for jungle use as it differentiate greens better. Unfortunately it uses up batteries quickly due to heat and get uncomfortably hot. Although becoming obsolete, they are fun to use beside being handy for relieving insect bites. You can also buy cheap drop-ins from DealExtreme for one cell or two cells lights. Lumensfactory.com also offers some high-end incand bulbs.

7. LED lights. Cree LEDs are now very common with every chinese manufacturer stamping “CREE” on their brands including cheap soldered ones. There are versions such as XR-E R2, XP-E, MC-E, XP-G XM-L is the latest and is said to be the brightest and most energy efficient.

8. High CRI LEDs vs Cool-white and Neutral-white LEDs.
LEDs with cool white tints are brighter. Due to its blueish color cast, it gives an unnatural cast in jungle environment so LED with neutral white tints are more suitable. But not all neutral white LEDs have the same color characteristics as some are too yellow in output. High CRI LEDs are becoming popular due to its more faithful color rendition. Its light output is the weakest however. There are also no high CRI XML LEDs. Lumensfactory 3 stage warm white 90 CRI LEDs drop-in is worth checking out.

9. Construction. Good quality flashlights are usually built tough and durable with hard coated aluminum (HA III) with “O” rings waterproofing and tempered glass lens. Less visible are electronic components that fail due to heat, poor soldering, oxidized contacts. Cheap ones are most likely to fail due to poor quality control.

Many Chinese made lights come standard with strike bezels that tears up jeans pockets. Their thick aluminum tubes make them heavy on the pockets for neck wearing. Reverse clicky switches come mostly standard and are often cheaply made and unreliable with screw threads that easily come loose.

Size (Clubs vs portability). A 6 D-cell maglite can be used as a defensive club. We prefer lighter flashlights and carrying extra as spare should the first fail or get overheated.

10. Mix and match parts. This is another way of getting lights that is cheap, reliable and fun. You start by ordering cheap Surefire flashlights (6p or G2) or Chinese made surefire clones online. Your purchase is future proof by ordering the latest “drop-ins”. The Cadillac of drop-ins are Malkoffs which can be ordered from www.illuminationsupply.com. Look for 3 modes configurations that switch between low, medium, high modes. Lumensfactory.com got several options available.
You can also order a UV drop in for scorpion watching.

11. Batteries. The batteries of choice are usually Lithium CR123 which can be expensive. Flashlights enthusiasts are turning to rechargeable li-on batteries with advantages of lower running costs. Rechargeable 18650 batteries are ideal with its higher capacity. Alternatively go for safe AA versions using Sanyo Eneloop batteries.

12. Rechargeable flashlights. It may sound convenient to have a light you can plug to a power socket, fully charged and always ready. But flashlights are failure prone and complex ones all the more so. Best is to get flashlights that use reliable AA rechargeable batteries like Sanyo Eneloop (see related posts on batteries).

I have at least 3 different flashlights when camping. My current favorites include RA high CRI light and Zebralight headlamps.

Zebra headlamps pleasing color rendition

Colorful picture using multiple led light source.

Anatomy of a good flashlight.
Update 20 June 2010. I have received a RA clicky which is becoming my new favorite. Although expensive at S$240 its pluses include:-
Top notch quality HA III construction with well machined threads.
Low battery warning to avoid over discharge and damage to li-ion cells
3 programmable brightness levels using simple single, double, triple clicks.
Brightness levels down to the lowest moon mode (great nightlight for restful sleep when you travel overseas).
Faithful color rendition (high CRI) with sufficient flood for better detail definition in forest settings and photography application.
Potted for resistance to shock and vibration, and for exclusion of moisture and corrosive agents.
Allow use of single cell rechargeable li-ion battery in addition to stock CR123 batteries.
Lego option including 17670 battery tube for extended runtime
Minus points
Expensive express shipping from USA.

Chinese made and designed Zebralights.
Zebralights is getting attention from flashaholics for its efficient and well designed one cell AA lights. We tried out its 18650 SC600 Cree XM-L light and impressed by output and compact design. So much so that we went on an acquisition spree and bought more lights including a high-CRI H51Fc AA Floody headlamp. I got the additional headlamp to see better and help us clean our furry pet’s ears.
There are many advantages with a high efficient AA power led light as you can use NIMH rechargeable batteries like Sanyo Eneloop which is safe and does not leak when depleted.
Another good news is Zebralight also ship to Singapore via DHL at very affordable cost. There is a good change of receiving next day once it is shipped.
Based on our extensive experience with Singpost, Singapore Post service is abysmal and should be avoided if you can. Their customer service staff are totally indifferent and treat you like any snail mail user.

4Sevens Flashlights
4sevens produces a wide range of affordable and high-quality lights. They include limited editions runs introducing lights fitted with newest LED technology. Their customer service and order fulfillment is one of the best, with free delivery and low cost insurance as optional extra, taking about 12 days to order and deliver from USA to Singapore.
4sevens Quark Tactical Series allows users to create different configurations with their lego heads, body tubes and tail caps. We are very impressed with the Quark “X” AA² with its bright XML led using 2 AA batteries. They have a neutral white version listed separately.
From top – Neutral-white Quark “X(XML)” Double AA Tactical, Double AAA High CRI Preon 2 Satin Titanium, Single AAA High CRI Preon 1

Buying Surefire lights. Surefire lights are built for combat situations so its designed to be reliable 100% and simple to operate. The manufacturer recommends only disposable CR123 (expensive) cells to be used. Do careful research on their high end lights as you may find them too specialized. You should definitely try them first by visiting Sheares marketing who is their local agent. Look out for faithful color rendition and by asking if you can test them on surrounding dark areas at night. Sheares is also local dealer for brands like Fenix, Thrunite.

Brands I have used and liked.

ZebraLight
HDS Systems
Surefire
Jetbeam
Fenix
Quark lights

Brands with mixed results.
Streamlight, Princeton Tec (breakable plastics); Nitecore lights (many failures), Quark lights (initial QC issues).

Do not ship with Singpost Vpost as batteries are banned. Use online-stores that ship to Singapore instead. You get full manufacturer support buying direct from on-line The ones we use include:-

4sevens
bugoutgear
oveready.com (for surefire parts)
illumination supply (for Malkoff dropins)
goinggear.com
hkequipment
zebralight
dealextreme
lumensfactory

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Durian season –

Durian season 2010
The durians in Ubin are dropping at its peak. It will be all over in a week or so. We camped overnight determined not to miss out. The durian trees nearby are known to have the best tasting durians.

Unlike commercially harvested durians, Ubin durians are harvested from the jungle floor as the ripe ones drop, sometimes from a great height, its spiky skin strong enough to absorb any hard landing.

We can only hear muffled thuds so its not easy to locate durians by sound. The first step is shine our flashlights at the tree to check where the durians are hanging in numbers, this will give us an idea where to look as they roll hidden in the bushes. Still, they are easy to miss, you need a keen nose to catch a slightest whiff, so we would not consume any durians until the hunt is over in order to preserve maximum sense of smell.

Durian night hunt

Picture of durian tree. Click to zoom in.

Suddenly a durian dove straight towards us. There is no time to react, it shatters right between us with a loud thump. The durian exploded inches from my feet, bounced and spikes into my friend’s calf, drawing blood. We have been lucky, it could have smash our faces as we looked up. The durian was already rotting. Durians get watery and some rot on the branches from too much rains.

The durian that nearly hit us.
durian

The rains also brought in mosquitoes in huge numbers, we covered ourselves with expensive spray repellents and planted no less than 10 mosquito coils around our camp area, having run out of egg cartons to burn.

Although the harvest is plentiful, we were contented with 7 durians. Other diligent groups got more. There are small shelters built under the trees, keeping the occupants dry and safe from falling durians. Others use electric bikes, criss-crossing the island revisiting each durian grove.
Updated: 10 July 2010

————————
Took leave. Camped overnight for the past 2 weekends. We heard that Ubin durians are beginning to fall and were excited. Unfortunately we were too early. There were unriped durians on the grounds with teeth marks. Like us humans, monkeys are also excited and plucked the durians too early before they ripen. We sheepishly accepted durians from Mr. Lim, a Ubin villager staying at Marman “Orchid farm”.

We were again unsuccessful on the second week. There were durians pickers camped under the trees. One sat motionless for hours, coming into life on sounds of durians dropping. They would race towards the spot where they heard the durians drop. These people must have heard tales of thousands of dollars earned picking free durians. There is a family of 10 brothers earning $10,000 picking free durians or $1,000 for each brother. Small sums for many but there are lots of poor folks in Singapore.

We only managed to get one before they came running over. During to the rainy season and the cooler weather this year, the durians were watery and bland, quickly fermenting within space of several hours, unlike the previous seasons where they tasted a lot better.

It looks like we have to go to remote parts of Ubin for our durian hunt.
Updated: July 01, 2010.
————————

Durian seasons come to Ubin twice a year. The major one lasts a few weeks and no one knows the exact dates. The first sign is the abundance of durian flowers, indicating the season is about to due in a few months.
Some durians will fall earlier but these are usually premature durians. Fully ripened durians will fall a few weeks later and lasting for about 6 weeks. Other tropical fruits also ripen at the same time including rambutans, mangosteens, dukus and langsat.

Ubin durians are a treat. In the midst of the hot season, the durians are expected to be more fragrant too They are your organic varieties having been left abandoned by islanders who resettled a long time ago. Being older varieties without the benefits of modern cultivating techniques, Ubin durians are tough to open with flavors that vary from tree to tree. Use gloves and a “durian knife” to pry open.

During durian season, entire families would converge heedless of snakes that may hide in the bushes. Ubin villagers usually wear “phua chu kang” boots to protect themselves while gathering durians. Some even use umbrellas to protect themselves from falling durians.

Q. Why durians drop at night
Durians drop during the day too, although more at night. From the same tree, its durians will drop over several weeks, but sometimes they hang tantalizingly for weeks and are suddenly gone in a week or so. Once ripen, the frequency seems to in favor when temperatures dip or rise quickly when night come or when dawn breaks. Strong gusts of wind will also bring about unexpected bonus. Which is why picking durians is a waiting but rewarding game.

As durians usually drop at night, there are brave ones who stake out at cemeteries waiting for the loud thuds of durians falling. You need a trained eye plus a strong flashlight to find them as they roll into shrubs and bushes.

Update: 19 June 2010.
Durians are beginning to fall and we were excited for a night of adventure and durian hunting. Have bought a couple of new flashlights to try out including my favorite lights. They include:

Zebralights H60 Headlamp 18650 Flood.
HDS CR123a Ra Clicky ExecutiveTM Flashlight (General purpose)
Quark CR123x² Turbo (For throw)

I am bringing LED lights for its weight, excellent run-times, super brightness, and good color rendition. Qualities that are essential for durian searching.

If you intend to find some. Just follow your nose and look for them on the forest floor. Sometimes you hear a lucky thump of durians which has just fallen. Make sure you rent a bicycle with basket, like this lucky couple did. You also need repellents to deter mosquitoes from feasting on you.

Don’t congratulate yourselves too soon if you find durians on the floor. They are probably bad if they are discolored and smell a bit off, Those with bites marks are from frustrated monkeys who cannot get through the though shell.

Unseen, the wild boars are waiting too. During the night, they would push the durians against the forest floor with their tough snouts until the durians split open like flower petals. By morning only empty husks remained. Many ‘ghosts encounters’ were results of mistaking these pigs or islanders trying to scare people away from collecting durians.

Although durian gathering can be fun, there are ‘geylang types’ from mainland Singapore who act as if the trees are theirs. They would intimidate others including Ubin villagers who come near, loudly proclaiming their ‘ownership’. Its not true of course.
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Ghost Month –

August happens to be 7th month in Chinese Lunar Calendar. It is believed that hell gates opened up and hungry ghosts are everywhere. Visitor levels to Pulau Ubin would drop during this period as people prefer safety by staying indoors. For us, August is as good time as any to tour Ubin by night.

Ubin’s hell guards (黑白无常). Their job is to catch ghosts and send them back to hell. Link warning. Scary pictures.

We hoped to make a spirit themed walk to Bukit Puaka area, a place considered by Ubin islanders as being haunted. Residents tell stories of being lost even in broad daylight in places they were familiar since childhood.

Despite being skeptics, we are hoping to be caught up in the same paranormal phenomenon. But this time with high tech tools to help us. My GPS is logging the location of every step we made. Its recording will show if we have been walking in circles or taken to Mars by alien probes.

We are also armed with the latest flashlights. This time with RA clicky high CRI LED lights fitted with longer lasting 17670 batteries. The lights also enable us to take better colored photographs. I also brought a Thrunite 300 lumen P60 style XP-G R5 3 mode drop-in. This drop in allows me to use Surefire 6P heads with forward clicky, fitted on Solarforce 18650 tube. They would be our high tech amulets against ghosts.

The walk was leisurely while taking nature photographs along the way.

Located 100 meters away from Malay Kampong, this bamboo clump was inhabited with interesting creatures including including a scorpion, slugs and insects that crowd and move together.

Spooky stories about banana trees have been passed from kids to another for generations. When I was little, I was told that the the banana flower is where the banana ghost hides during the day. If you tie it with string the ghost will grant you any wishes to free herself.

The village provision shop was still open late into the night. We soon found ourselves engaging in swapping ghosts stories. The one told about Noordin famous white ghost with a baby on her arms is most frightening. Another is sightings of a blue colored giant mountain spirit walking the hills of Bukit Puaka. And that was way before the movie Avatar came out.

ben-stiller-navi-oscar-2010

Time passed, we decided to postpone our ghost trail after allowing ourselves to be spooked, discretion being the better part of valor.

We went to Ubin jetty. Fish were biting and this angler landed a snapper.

On the way back we heard mewling high up the trees. It turns out to be a rarely seen spotted wood-owl. It’s a juvenile bird calling for its parent. Adult wood owls emits a loud and eerie frightening sound which is commonly heard at Malay kampong area.

Pictures above are all taken illuminated with RA high CRI clicky flashlights by photographer Andy Ho using a high iso Nikon D3s camera.

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Batteries –

Batteries lose their power within 1 to 2 hrs so make sure you bring along spares if you are spending the night trekking or hunting durians in Ubin. Disposable batteries are expensive and rechargeables are the way to go.

NIMH Rechargeables

For rechargeable AA/AAA cells, my favorite is Sanyo Eneloop brand. These batteries do not drain down while unused compared other common NIMH rechargeable batteries. Mustafa Centre prices are very competitive compared to most retail shops.

New improved Sanyo eneloop batteries
Although users may not notice the difference, the improved Sanyo eneloop promises better all round performance. Click on Sanyo product page to find out how to distinguish new ones from the old.

You need a charger too. I prefer to use cheaper slow 8 hrs charger. They prolong battery life as they are cooler and safe even if you leave the batteries charged for weeks or even months.

Not so with quick 1 hour chargers. The batteries get hot while it is being charged and get really hot when its near full. The charger’s circuitry detects this and switch to 200mA trickle charge. That depends on QC which is questionable for most cheap China made knock-offs. Have a bucket of sand ready if it catches fire.

Lithium Batteries
The next step up are disposable CR123A Lithium batteries which Surefire flashlights use. These batteries carry up to 3 volts with its multiplier effect of 6 or 9 volts in series. They can last unused for up to 10 years and do not leak battery acids compared to alkalines, the common cause for flashlight failures. They are expensive but you can buy them in bulk at Sheares Technologies. Some camera shops will sell you in box of 10 for $2.80 each. Try Max Photo at Pagoda Street. Its not advisable to mail order them as it may be held at customs due to higher risks of fires if packed poorly. CR123A batteries cannot be recharged.

Rechargeable li-ion
Many new flashlights allow the option of using rechargeable li-ion batteries. Unlike ordinary NIMH rechargeable batteries, they self drain slowly when stored unused. These batteries run at higher voltage at 3.7volts with higher current draw. The benefits are higher power in a smaller package or both power and longer runtime with larger batteries. Read your flashlight manual to see if such batteries can be used as the wrong match will result in burn out bulb or reduced LED life. The positive end (+) of the battery has to be inserted correctly also.

They are less safe if used in series and knowledgeable handling is needed to prevent small explosions or fires. Please visit candlepowerforums and take your time to read its faq.

You will need to know important details like different cells sizes, their capacity differences, protected or unprotected, current drain.

Cells size are given in 5 digit number schemes. The first 2 number prefix indicate battery width and last 3 number suffix indicates battery length. A 18650 battery is therefore 18mm wide and 650mm long, about twice the length of R123 or 16340 cell.

Larger capacity means longer runtimes. But cell capacity are mostly over optimistic so don’t fall for manufacturer claims.

Protected cells have built-in circuits to prevent dangerous over discharge or excessive current drain. The term tend to be loosely used so buy from reputable manufacturers (hard to do since most batteries are made in China). Look for cells with vent holes which help release pressure if the temperature rises and gas expands.

Discard any cells that shows signs of leaking or cracks if dropped as they can be fire hazards. Promptly recharge any drained cells to at least 3.7volts to avoid permanent damage. Keeping the battery unused for prolong period at full charge of above 4.1 volts reduces its normal life span.

Finally, the cell positive end may be button or flat top, an important distinction as some flashlights contacts only work with button top cells,

You may order online through a HK online dealer or through dealextreme. Again, read reader reviews and users recommendations before you purchase such batteries and chargers dedicated for them.

Li-ion batteries by AW are very popular among flashlights enthusiasts. They can also be ordered from Lumen factory with fast shipping from Hong Kong. Order the black colored ones. The orange ones needs carefully handling due to its high current draw.

Other than online orders placed with Hong Kong or China which ship via Hongkong Post, never ever place your battery orders with shipping via Singapore vPOST. vPOST is a useful service for magazine subscriptions, ebay shipments containing garments or ladies handbags from USA for retailers including Amazon who do not offer international shipping. The US Federal Aviation Administration issues guidelines that batteries must be properly packed for transportation. vPost go to the extreme by refusing acceptance of anything containing batteries including those of safe chemistry including alkalines and NIMH. They even go to the extent of refusing to accept if they believe there are batteries when there aren’t any. Your orders will be stuck in some US post office for rejected delivery waiting to be claimed. So spare yourselves the hassle and do not tell your ebay seller to ship to your Vpost USA address, be it flashlights, laptops or mobile as nearly every electronic equipment that are now battery powered.

Chargers
The nimh chargers I am using now include Lacrosse BC-900 which seems to be reliable so far. My experience with Maha chargers is mixed (read cheap parts).

As for li-ion cells, I like to know what is happening so I bought an expensive Triton hobby charger. You can find many expensive sets at RC (radio control toys) shops concentrated at Fook Hai Building. I am now testing the icharger 106B+ which allows PC monitoring. This unit was ordered online from Hobbyking. Their service is fast with affordable express shipping.

Update: 20 May 2010. The icharger 106B+ failed to work and I have to send it back. It took more than a month and plenty of hassle to get a replacement. Online orders are full of such pitfalls. Other than that it is a well featured charger and am very pleased with it.

There are plenty of China made chargers for li-ion cells which are cheap but reliability is a question mark. Runaway charging may even cause flaming and explosion. Make sure you buy a multi-meter, take out the cell from the charging cradle and measure its voltage. It should not be above 4.2 volts when charging is complete. A multi-meter is best for measuring remaining capacity of your li-on cells.

Capacity guide
4.2V = 100%
4.1V = about 90%
4.0V = about 80%
3.9V = about 60%
3.8V = about 40%
3.7V = about 20% (for long term storage)
3.6V = empty
<3.5V = over-discharged

DealExtreme multimeters are cheap and popular among on-line buyers sku #619 and sku 9636.

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Palm Civet Cat –

We were lucky to spot this civet cat (paradoxurus hermaphroditus) up close in our night walks. Caught out by our flashlights, it froze allowing us to take pictures.

Coffee seeds harvested from the feces of the Palm Civet Cat is most sought after and is the most expensive in the world. Pulau Ubin used to have coffee plantations before the war. Next time we might just go looking for their droppings in old coffee groves for some good “weasel coffee”.

Civet cat droppings with undigested forest seeds.

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Night walking –

Other than at the jetty and Npark toilets, there are no street lighting in Ubin. A good thing which encourages shy animals and birds to come out at night. Also, nightscapes looks just as bright even under moonlight as your eyesight is tuned to the darkness.

We also brought an arsenal of flashlights. They are needed to perform several functions, such as lights dimmed for camp lighting, flood lights for walking, long distance throw lights for animal spotting and light painting for night photography.

It was a rewarding night when we went over to Ubin on National day.

Picture below (Photograph taken by my buddy Alan Tay). Elusive civet cat. We heard its mewling and spotted in the trees with our flashlights. Accordingly to Mr. Lim who lives nearby, its probably a young civet cat calling for its mother.

Scorpion about 4cm in size under UV flashlight (taken by Andy Ho).

Light painting of coconut tree luxuriantly covered with Dragon Tail Vine (picture by Andy Ho).

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Ghosts and spirits –

Ubin islanders have ghost stories to tell. They tell stories how they got themselves lost at places they have been many times before. There is supposedly a ghost who cause people to walk in circles for hours.

Campers at Noordin Beach claimed to have seen a screaming banshee dressed in white. Sounds very much like white herons flapping about at night. But then again one spirit medium says it was an unavenged ghost.

I haven’t met any ghosts or spirits yet. Perhaps they have accepted me in their midst and decided not to frighten me. On the other hand the vibes are so strong that I don’t think I would dare ever camp or explore alone in the dark. Carrying several flashlights is reassuring. You know its time to run when all flashlights fail at the same time.

The closest encounter I experienced was at Bukit Puaka area when my friend did not respond to us when we are just metres away in broad daylight. A minute later we were puzzled when he asked us how we ‘came here’. The lost sensation he felt was so eerie that he swore he met a ghost and will never go back there again. The puzzling event is even more mysterious when it was collaborated by another Ubin villager who related the same experience.

Once during a durian hunt at Kekek quarry near Thai temple, a friend of mine found himself covered with fetid odors that he is convinced that the entrails holding Pontianak might be following him. He made prayers for protection, rang temple bell in the middle of the night and slept clutching a large knife.

The stories should not stop one from exploring Ubin. Like wildlife, the spirits hide themselves when there visitors around. Its at the magic hour from 8pm to 10pm when ley lines opens up when one felt or see spirits in certain mysterious parts of Ubin.

A lady felled off her bicycle and died nearby. Happened in Mar 2011.

This hut in Ubin used by the dreaded kempeitai police during the Japanese occupation. SPI mediums claimed they saw spirits cowering in fear. The islanders were sad to see it demolished by land office.

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