Have I got this right?

Hello all.

I am relatively new to this world of flashlights and I have been reading a ton recently, trying to absorb the information on these forums and figure out what will work best for me. There is an overwhelming amount of information in these forums and I wonder if I am the correct audience for some of the more technical reviews. My usual MO with this sort of thing is to get something that is good and will work for a long time, but I won't necessarily be looking at maintaining the latest and greatest. I want something which will basically be a system I can maintain for several years and upgrade only when the need arises.

My collection consists of the following:

Mini Maglite AA with NiteIze 1W LED and IQ Switch
Fenix LD01
Fenix LD12
EagleTac D25C Clicky Ti LW-U2 NW LE 2013
EagleTac D25A Clicky Ti Nichia 219 CRI92 LE 2014 (pre-ordered)

I currently use disposable lithium Energizers in all of these, but I am looking at picking up some rechargeable batteries and chargers, at least for the lights I will use regularly (the Fenix LD12 and the two EagleTacs).
My usage is mostly in the lower modes and, being a bit of a nightowl, I often use the moonlight mode while heading into the bedroom so as not to wake the bosslady (I find this very useful). I have found the brightness at the high settings of these different lights to be more than enough for my needs, so I'm not looking to push them. With that in mind, I've looked around and I think I have a bit of a plan in place, but I'd love to hear some feedback from those who are more knowledgeable.

For the LD12 and the D25A, my plan is to go for AA Eneloops with a charger. These have been given many positive reviews and I think they will probably get the job done for me. Many places sell a package with four cells and a charging unit which would probably get me well on my way. Are these chargers any good?

For the D25C, I am a bit less certain. The AW RCR123a seems to be the most recommended battery in this format, but from what I understand, at 3.7v it will put my light into direct drive, causing me to lose the low light moonlight mode I use quite frequently. If that is the case, should I look for a 3.0v (3.2v) battery that will allow me to maintain those lower light levels?

As for a charger, I can get two separate ones if need be. The Xtar VP1 seems to get rave reviews, but I'm not sure if that's something best left to the "power users". Is there a charger and battery combination that will meet the needs described above?

You can go the 'jack of all trades, master of none' route and get a Nitecore i2/i4 v.2 charger that will charge up multiple chemistries and do it fairly well, or you can go dedicated like I did and spend a bit more, but get purpose built chargers.

My Xtar WP2 II Li-Ion charger costs about $20 shipped, if you look on Ebay and you can get a basic Sanyo 4 channel 'smart' charger for your NiMH Enloops for $24 shipped, or spend a little more on one of the more specific chargers, like the AccuPower AQ-328, LaCrosse BC-700/1000, or the El Jeffe Maha C-9000 jobbies.

There's no 'right way' for everybody.

As for your D25C clicky, some lights do weird things on Li-Ion 16340s, but I use AW IMR and ICR cells in a few of my lights and they've held up well, for almost 18 months, whereas my Soshines have not. You might want to look at SureFire's K2 3.0v RCR123 offerings.

Chris

ChrisGarrett said:

You can go the 'jack of all trades, master of none' route and get a Nitecore i2/i4 v.2 charger that will charge up multiple chemistries and do it fairly well, or you can go dedicated like I did and spend a bit more, but get purpose built chargers.

My Xtar WP2 II Li-Ion charger costs about $20 shipped, if you look on Ebay and you can get a basic Sanyo 4 channel 'smart' charger for your NiMH Enloops for $24 shipped, or spend a little more on one of the more specific chargers, like the AccuPower AQ-328, LaCrosse BC-700/1000, or the El Jeffe Maha C-9000 jobbies.

There's no 'right way' for everybody.

As for your D25C clicky, some lights do weird things on Li-Ion 16340s, but I use AW IMR and ICR cells in a few of my lights and they've held up well, for almost 18 months, whereas my Soshines have not. You might want to look at SureFire's K2 3.0v RCR123 offerings.

Chris

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, that is interesting information. In my continued reading and searching, I've learned about LiFePo4 cells, which could be an interesting option. The charger for those would be, once again, a different one, right? There is a lot to take in.

Alright, so I bought the Xtar MP2 and two Tenergy LiFePO4 3.0v RCR123a 750 MaH (the "green ones") and an Eneloop kit with charger and a bunch of AA and a couple of AAA. That should do for my flashlights and other stuff around the house, as well. Thanks for the input. I'm sure these won't be my last battery and charger purchases...