surefire rechargeable 123s

[skyfire]

surefire sent me 3 or 4 emails about their new rechargeables cells.
ive tried LifePo4 cells before, which i think are similar, and get about 25% capacity compared to primaries. so ill have to wait and see some runtime tests first.
definitely good to see surefire backing these though.

what im surprised about is the price. 2 cells for $12 is very competitive.

[Glock 22]

Mine was shipped on the 17th and there still not here. I tracked them with the number Surefire gave me and all I get is Electronic Shipping Info Received. They should have been here by now. I've been looking forward to trying them out.

[Robin24k]

Sounds like USPS Parcel Post...there's usually no tracking updates until it's delivered (it's really just "Delivery Confirmation"), and delivery is guaranteed in 7-10 days, not 3-5 days like FCM.

[Glock 22]

As much as shipping costed it should have been shipped Priority Mail. Because a Priority Small Flat Rate Box is cheaper than what Surefire shipped it for, Surefire may need to look into better shipping methods, it's just two small batteries.

EDIT: The other set I ordered that I had shipped UPS just arrived. I'm charging them up right now.

[Kestrel]

Merging three threads ...

[Robin24k]

As much as shipping costed it should have been shipped Priority Mail. Because a Priority Small Flat Rate Box is cheaper than what Surefire shipped it for, Surefire may need to look into better shipping methods, it's just two small batteries.

EDIT: The other set I ordered that I had shipped UPS just arrived. I'm charging them up right now.

I think it has to do with regulations with lithium batteries in the cargo hold. Priority Mail would most likely travel in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft, and that's not allowed for loose lithium batteries of any kind.

[Glock 22]

Your right dummy me I was'nt thinking clearly at the time. PM sent.

I think it has to do with regulations with lithium batteries in the cargo hold. Priority Mail would most likely travel in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft, and that's not allowed for loose lithium batteries of any kind.

EDIT: When I got mine today and plugged them up to charge. The indicator light turned a reddish color then later on when they was to suppost to have been charged the light turned green. I put them in my Fury and they ran less than a minute. So I put them back in the charger and the light has stayed green. Has anyone else had any kind of trouble like this, or does everybody elses turn red then green when charged?

[Proflash]

EDIT: When I got mine today and plugged them up to charge. The indicator light turned a reddish color then later on when they was to suppost to have been charged the light turned green. I put them in my Fury and they ran less than a minute. So I put them back in the charger and the light has stayed green. Has anyone else had any kind of trouble like this, or does everybody elses turn red then green when charged?

My batteries arrived today. When I first put mine in the charger, the light was red. As they charged, the light gradually turned orange and then green. It took quite a while for them to charge.

I get about ~50 minutes on high from my E1B before the brightness drops significantly.

[901-Memphis]

50 minutes for the rechargeable.... How does that compare to primary cells or other rechargeable if you got them?

[Proflash]

50 minutes for the rechargeable.... How does that compare to primary cells or other rechargeable if you got them?

Unfortunately, I do not have any other brands of 3.0v rechargeables to test with, so I cannot comment on those. I also have not tested runtimes on a primary; however, a quick search of the forums pulls up this thread which shows approximately ~80 minutes on high with a primary.

[Glock 22]

Thanks. Mine turned the reddish once and after running them all the way down in my Fury, the light stayed green. And I knowed for sure the batteries were dead. My charger is probably bad, looks like I going to have to send it back to Surefire. But thanks again.

Nice burntime on your E1B.

My batteries arrived today. When I first put mine in the charger, the light was red. As they charged, the light gradually turned orange and then green. It took quite a while for them to charge.

I get about ~50 minutes on high from my E1B before the brightness drops significantly.

EDIT: ~25 minutes burntime on the Fury full output.

[WarriorOfLight]

Does anyone have a source of the LFP123 cells & charger for international buyers?

[germanium]

My batteries arrived today. When I first put mine in the charger, the light was red. As they charged, the light gradually turned orange and then green. It took quite a while for them to charge.

I get about ~50 minutes on high from my E1B before the brightness drops significantly.

Sounds about right as these batteries do have some kick to them , much more than I expected at first given my previous experience with LiFePO4 batteries which were the original Ulralast 700mah lithium ion cells, newer ones from Ultralast are regulated LiCo . Much better than thier first lithium ion from Ultralast batteries but definately not in the same league as the K2 Energy batteries here. The Ultralast regulated LiCo batteries outlasted the other regulated LiCo batteries I tried but the K2 Energy batteries still outlasted them by 50%.

[wrueckert]

Will be interesting to see if these will cause the same flicker on low when fresh off the charger as other LiFePO4 do in lights such as the E1L or E1B. Anyone have any experience with this yet?

[Glock 22]

I have to agree with you. I am also completely unimpressed by this setup. After the first charge cycle the charger tore up and, had to send the whole set up back to Surefire, and now I'm going to have to wait weeks for a replacement. Surefire should make there own charger and batteries and sell them. I know there able to do it because there stuff is totally reliable.

Am I the only one who is completely unimpressed by this setup? I mean yes, it's being endorsed by Surefire so it must be good kit, but the capacity and resulting run times are pretty bad IMHO.

[Robin24k]

Capacity and runtime are typical for LiFePO4 16340 batteries, it's a limitation of the chemistry so there's nothing SureFire can do. It's the price you pay, reduced runtime for increased safety.

This kit was actually the reason I got into CR123 lights...quality cells backed by a reputable manufacturer (and now also a reputable distributor). There's a reason why K2 LFP123A's are 2-3 times the price of generic "1200mAh" cells or Tenergy "750mah" cells, but I'm not impressed with the build quality of the charger either. It is what it is, and it works, so I'm probably going to get a couple more LFP123A's when I need them for the MAG-TAC and ProTac HL.

BTW, the charger makes less buzzing noise on 12V DC. Maybe it also works better...

[bstrickler]

I wonder how these would do in a Fenix E15.

I'm running regular Tenergy RCR123's in my E15. It runs fine, but gets HOT in high, so I wouldn't run it in high for more than 1 to 3 minutes.

[Proflash]

Will be interesting to see if these will cause the same flicker on low when fresh off the charger as other LiFePO4 do in lights such as the E1L or E1B. Anyone have any experience with this yet?

These batteries do cause flickering when fresh off the charger. I had to run my light and let it flicker for a few seconds before it stopped (I hope it didn't damage anything...). If you let the batteries sit for a while before using them, they will not cause any flickering.

For what its worth, I have not had any issues with my batteries (4 of them) or my charger. Even though the capacity of the rechargeables is less than primaries, I have not received any less than what Surefire advertised (50% runtime). I personally would rather sacrifice some runtime for the ability to use rechargeable batteries in my SF light without voiding the warranty.

[germanium]

BTW, the charger makes less buzzing noise on 12V DC. Maybe it also works better...

The charger runs somewhat hot when used with the 12 volt adapter but runs cool on the A.C. cord. This may seem counter-intuative but I belive the electronices for the A.C. operation are switch mode regulated but the 12 volt line is linear regulated.. Seems to be 2 completely seperate circuits unlike most chargers that just use a wallwart to lower the voltage down to 12 volts then further regulate the voltage & current down inside the charger.

My chargers have had no issues though I must say that unlike most chargers out there these days it does not test for the presence of a minimum voltage before charging, it is basically a dumb charger. If you stick a completely dead batter in it it will still try to charge it which is in some ways good & some ways not. Some chargers will force you to throw away batteries if thier voltage fall to low but not this charger, if it's chargable it will in fact charge it even if the battery was completely discharged assuming it was only recently completely discharged & not showing signs of physical damage as a result & they will show physical signs of damage if not immediately charged after complete discharge. It is bad though in the sense that I don't believe it tests chemestry & will try to charge any battery even LiCo batteries that have been damaged & could vent with flame if recharged so reasonable care is advised. Use only with LiFePO4 batteries.

I have one that my girl friend put in the charger backwards when we moved to a new place & I didn't catch it in time & it suffered physical damage. Out of curiosity I tried to recharge it & it did accept a charge but not a full charge as when new. It also did not seem to retain the charge as well. All other testing I did with the other batteries passed with flying colors, even those that I overdischarged once but not completele dischaged to 0 volts with no load. Was .9 volts with no load & still took a full charge

[TranceAddict]

i don't quite trust these poor quality chargers except pila ibc, hobby grade charger is always the most reliable choice

[coloradogps]

Will these cells charge with my Pila charger?

[Robin24k]

If it's designed to work with 3.2V LiFePO4, then yes. You will overcharge them in a regular 3.7V Li-Ion charger.

[Glock 22]

No it want my pila charges my AW Protected RCR's cells to a little over 4.2 volts give or take. The LiFePO4 should'nt be pushed past 3.7 volts due to cell damage. I wish they would work in a pila, but you'll have to buy the charger also if your going to use these LiFePO4 batteries.

Will these cells charge with my Pila charger?

EDIT: I wish the charger that came with these LiFePO4 batteries. Would be better made like how the pila is. I have no problem with the batteries it's the charger, I wish it was of a better quality, but it is what it is.

[jbharrold]

I still like the old school Aviator, the one w/a 50(?) lumen lamp & three LEDs. I use RCRs in several other Surefires, but I always understood these wouldn't work in an A2; 4.2V off the charger & 3.7V under load. They were just a little too hot for the A2's circuitry.
But if these new rechargeable run about 3.2V off the charger, shouldn't they run fine in an Aviator?
Think I recall something about it regulating current to the lamp on startup, therefore no voltage spike when first turned on, so wouldn't this protect the incandescent?
So as long as they'll fit the tube & I don't mind the reduced burn time over primaries, these should cause no harm to the A2, I hope.
Or have I missed something important here that one of the CPF experts could point out?
(Have no idea if it makes any difference, but all my A2s are round-bodies; no flat sided versions.)

[KROMATICS]

Capacity and runtime are typical for LiFePO4 16340 batteries, it's a limitation of the chemistry so there's nothing SureFire can do. It's the price you pay, reduced runtime for increased safety.

This kit was actually the reason I got into CR123 lights...quality cells backed by a reputable manufacturer (and now also a reputable distributor). There's a reason why K2 LFP123A's are 2-3 times the price of generic "1200mAh" cells or Tenergy "750mah" cells, but I'm not impressed with the build quality of the charger either. It is what it is, and it works, so I'm probably going to get a couple more LFP123A's when I need them for the MAG-TAC and ProTac HL.

BTW, the charger makes less buzzing noise on 12V DC. Maybe it also works better...

Are these batteries and charger even Surefire branded? I know they are made by K2 but every picture I've seen shows the stock K2 branding.

[Robin24k]

No. I've heard that they will package the kit with SureFire branding, but the charger and batteries retain OEM branding.

[Viking]

It's quite interesting though that SF didn't decide to brand them SF's.

Surefire has a policy that states their products are made in the USA.
These batteries , as well as the charger are made in China.

I don't think Surefire will have their name on a product that is made in China.
I'm not sure , but maybe that's the reason.

[AardvarkSagus]

I still like the old school Aviator, the one w/a 50(?) lumen lamp & three LEDs. I use RCRs in several other Surefires, but I always understood these wouldn't work in an A2; 4.2V off the charger & 3.7V under load. They were just a little too hot for the A2's circuitry.
But if these new rechargeable run about 3.2V off the charger, shouldn't they run fine in an Aviator?
Think I recall something about it regulating current to the lamp on startup, therefore no voltage spike when first turned on, so wouldn't this protect the incandescent?
So as long as they'll fit the tube & I don't mind the reduced burn time over primaries, these should cause no harm to the A2, I hope.
Or have I missed something important here that one of the CPF experts could point out?
(Have no idea if it makes any difference, but all my A2s are round-bodies; no flat sided versions.)

I've been using some Tenergy LiFePO4 cells with my Aviator for a couple of years now with no adverse affect. I'd assume these would work just excellently.

[snakyjake]

50 minutes for the rechargeable.... How does that compare to primary cells or other rechargeable if you got them?

Checkout Zebralights for CR123 and NiMH comparisons. Notice the batteries they use, runtime, and output; then consider LiFePO4 vs. Eneloop XX.

I'm still waiting more reports about what happens when the battery is near depleted. If the light cuts out quickly, that wouldn't be good.

[Robin24k]

You can see the LiFePO4 cutoff behavior here:

http://www.led-resource.com/2012/03/...x-fury-review/

It starts decreasing, which goes on for a couple minutes. After going out of regulation, the low output mode is still functional.