Tenergy Li Fe 123A Batteries and charger.

Guys, I don't get as much chance to hang out here as I once did and so if this is a beaten horse type topic, I apologise in advance- but I can't find a thread about it. I'm looking at a very affordable Tenergy battery charger and 4 batteries for the Li 123 format and wondering if it can be any good, frankly esp when considering the modest price. The batteries seem fine when installed new and they apparently do charge up using the multimode charger (AC and 12v). What I want to know is the long term useability, esp what kind of long term performance I can expect when installing them in a Surefire. Any info/experience/opinions with these products, please share!

99.9% of the time, I use only AW protected cells in my Pila IBC charger. I do have the Tenergy 3v "blue-label" RCR123a cells and the dedicated Tenergy charger to go with them. I obviously can't charge them in my Pila 3.7 charger, even though it is very good quality, because of the voltage difference. I got the Tenergy cells mainly to use in my Surefire A2 aviator, which was stock at the time, and even though the bulb assembly is voltage-protected, there was some discussion here about whether using 2x 3.7 volts would overdrive the leds and end up damaging them. Fitting the Tenergy cells in the Aviator is a close fit, and I had to carefully remove the outer wrap (which identifies what it is!), leaving only a thin clear inner wrap keeping the wire running down the side from making contact with the inside of the battery tube, and shorting out. I am now rethinking this strategy, since I have custom aftermarket led "rings" for my Aviators that are voltage-protected. I am considering buying some AW brand "protected" 16340 cells to use in my Aviator, which I can then charge in my high-quality Pila charger. My main concern is whether or not the AW cells will fit in the Aviator battery tube, especially because I don't think AW protected cells have an additional inner wrap. I have heard of people gently reaming out the inner diameter of their Aviators, but I don't know if I'm up to doing a good job of it. I will probably buy 2 AW 16340 cells, and see if they fit. If they do, I will probably just chuck my Tenergy cells and charger, so nobody going through my stuff after my eventual demise has the chance to get batteries and chargers mixed up. The Tenergy cells have always worked for me, but I am a little leery of the quality, although it's just a "feeling".

Has anyone here on CPF been able to comfortably fit AW protected 16340 cells in their A2 Aviator?

Edit: I have been reading some old threads and just answered my own question. AW 16340 cells might fit in an A2 (especially a late-model one), but the chances of them fitting are statistically small. It looks like IMR 16340 cells are the way to go in an A2.

I have the kit with two cells and a charger. But I'm sure you're getting the same cells and charger with the four cell kit. Anyway, I haven't had this for a very long time. So I can't tell you how well it will hold up over the long haul. But so far, so good. I know that, when it comes to LiFePO4, there are cells and chargers available with a better reputation (like K2 energy and AW). But the nice thing about this kit is that it's easily available at Fry's rather then something you have to order. Also with the low price and easy availability, why not give it a try? If you get only six month's use out of the thing, you still got your money's worth. And I think at least the cells will last longer than that. After all, LiFePO4 is pretty bulletproof as far as batteries go.

I have the tenergy lifepo4 kit as well ( green batteries ).
I have used the batteries almost every day at work for over a year , for my surefire LX2.
The batteries are still going strong. I can highly recommend them.

Thanks Guys. Mine is still going strong all of one month later and, since I've been using the batteries in a carefree manner, has already paid for itself. Got it on Amazon.com.