Is CR123 better than 16340 on the Ski Slopes?

[jon_slider]

For an HDS carried in a Skiing backpack, do you think CR123 is necessarily better than 16340? Lets assume the light will be in the pack for 4 months, and would see no actual use. Overnight temperatures do not go below 10F here.

Which battery would you pick, and why?

fwiw, I did a test, and it did not help answer that question:
I put an HDS, a CR123, and a 16340 in my freezer for 2 hours, and then tested the output of each battery in the cold light, on my Lumen Tube.

I measured no significant output difference (using mode B set to 10 lumens and mode C at 40 lumens), to when the batteries were at house temperature.. Im not sure CR123 has any advantage over 16340, in snowy weather.

Please share your experience if you have noticed a difference when using CR123 vs 16340 in snow country.

 

[tech25]

I don't have experience on a ski slope but when I'm using an HDS as backup, I use a CR123 for the longer runtime.
For daily use, I preferred the ability to walk out of the house with a fully recharged battery.
(Now I use the 18500 body, so it's not a issue for me)

 

[vicv]

Primary cells definitely deal with the cold much better. Especially for a light that won't see much use

 

[jon_slider]

when I'm using an HDS as backup, I use a CR123 for the longer runtime.

thanks, that sounds like a good reason to choose CR123

I went ahead and ordered a 4 pack of Surefire CR123... for $10.75 for pickup from Lowes.. (the Amazon delivery price is $7 higher)

 

[vicv]

Ya I got lucky and found a place selling Panasonic cells for $1.50 a piece including taxes. I just buy 2 dozen at a time

 

[sween1911]

Absolutely CR123's. My car light is my trusty Olight M31 Triton loaded with 3 CR123's even though I do have 18500's that fit it. It took a hard drop on asphalt once that made one of my 18500's fail. I find CR123's more robust for impacts and temperature extremes.

 

[jon_slider]

car light

I decided I also want a headlamp, so I just ordered a Skilhunt H150 w 4500K 519a, to be powered by AA Ultimate Lithium.

 

[vicv]

Absolutely CR123's. My car light is my trusty Olight M31 Triton loaded with 3 CR123's even though I do have 18500's that fit it. It took a hard drop on asphalt once that made one of my 18500's fail. I find CR123's more robust for impacts and temperature extremes.

Your 18 500 got ruined? I presume it was a protected cell mark it must be 10 years since I've even used protected cells so I don't know. I know lithium ions tend to be pretty robust. That being said, I still prefer primaries for lights that are not used a lot or ones that need to work. Or that will be used in extreme conditions.
Also, in incandescent lights that the voltages don't match with lithium ion

 

[gimmealight]

Agree on the CR123A primaries. They last forever. I find lights once in a while laying around that I haven't seen in 5, ten years. They're bright as new. If your light has to work you can pretty much rely on these to work when you need them.

 

[vicv]

And this might be a bit controversial, but another thing I really like about lights that takes primaries, is that usually the light is not overpowered. Because primaries can only take so much. Surefire seems to be skirting that pretty close lately though. So you usually have a practical output light with a good reflector/optic and good runtime/no overheating stepdown

 

[desert.snake]

The prices at the batterystation are also good and they are quite high quality

In cold weather, CR123 last longer, but I think a lot depends on the 16340 themselves (type of chemistry, age, wear). The best I've used so far - INR from Vapcell 800 mAh 7A white color, but I don't remember the exact runtime on HDS in cold, I need to do a test and refresh my memory

 

[Mr. LED]

If it's an emergency light, I'll always use CR123 or primary lithium AA/AAA if the light supports it.

 

[jon_slider]

If it's an emergency light, I'll always use CR123 or primary lithium AA/AAA if the light supports it.

Thank you. I put a CR123 into a Novatac, turned on the locator flash, set mode D to SOS, put the light in a Ziplock, and put it in my skiing backpack. The middle light w 4500K 519a:

I then decided I wanted a headlamp, so I bought a Skilhunt H150 w 4500K 519a and a pack of AA Ultimate Lithium. I set the strobe to SOS, enabled the locator flasher, and put this kit into the backpack also: