Any decent solution yet in replacing CR123A cells with secondaries?

Newest threads and posts I could find are years old. LiCo and IMR replacements, as before, still too much voltage. Closest voltage replacement suggestion can no longer be found (AW 16340 LifePO4), and the Tenergy 16340 LiFePO4 alternative reportedly can't handle the current draw, warned against it (especially for incan).

What is today's best match for secondary replacement of CR123A primaries in voltage and current?

I need a rechargeable solution for CR123A that won't be dangerous to use with incan or cause early lamp death, nor fry LED drivers that are designed for 3V.

Still no great solutions to this riddle?

Any rechargeable will likely be dangerous to incandescent bulbs. Even a fully charge LiFePO4 will be 3.6 volts at full charge and will likely blow a single CR123a bulb.

You best choices are to get either a LumensFactory bulb that can handle a RCR123 cell or one of Tad's bi-pins and some bulbs to go with it. I think you would be pleased with either solution.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:

Any rechargeable will likely be dangerous to incandescent bulbs. Even a fully charge LiFePO4 will be 3.6 volts at full charge and will likely blow a single CR123a bulb.

You best choices are to get either a LumensFactory bulb that can handle a RCR123 cell or one of Tad's bi-pins and some bulbs to go with it. I think you would be pleased with either solution.

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I think you realized pretty quickly I'm searching for a solution to nightly heavy use of an E1e.

I think LumensFactory lamps are too expensive for me for a permanent solution, though I am aware of the praise they get; I'll likely get at least one to try, and hang on to it. My concern is that it is far brighter than I want. 15lm is plenty, 50lm is too bright. Perhaps I could underdrive a lamp intended for E2E, to get lower lumens and more runtime. This could be the final rational solution if it is as pretty as the MN01.

I have a Tad Customs on order, but just using the stock MN01 lamp for the first time tonight, I really love it. If Tad Customs A2 bipin lamps are any indication of what to expect from the E socket bipins, the hot spot is not round and tight, but hourglass shaped. Not the end of the world if so, but I would not mind so much scouring for MN01 lamps and stocking up on them, but I definitely cannot afford to run Surefire primary lithium cells for very long, considering I want to run the light 6-8 hours a night, or more.

Thus the reason for inquiring if there is yet any decent rechargeable replacement yet for CR123A.

Thanks for letting me down easy. If anyone else has any secrets regarding running an MN01 lamp all night, stop holding out...give us the answer, please!

Hmmmmm..... I had to actually go back and check to see what you mean about the hourglass shape in the A2. If you look real hard you can see a bit of an hourglass shape in the corona. This looks exactly the same in the E-series bi-pin as well (I have both). But, I feel that Tad's bi-pin is better focused in that it gives you a tighter stronger hot spot and a bit of a corona to the beam - this is something I don't get as much when I look at a stock bulb. To me, the stock bulb give a slightly bigger hot spot and then goes almost right to flood. Tad's gives you a little bit more throw right in the center and then some corona fade to flood.

I only see the hourglass now that you mentioned it to me and I was white wall hunting with the beam. I guess it's down to personal preference, but I think Tad did a really amazing job getting the focus as tight as possible and I am very pleased with the results. Especially considering that you can get a near lifetime of bulbs for $20-30.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:

Hmmmmm..... I had to actually go back and check to see what you mean about the hourglass shape ...I only see the hourglass now that you mentioned it to me and I was white wall hunting with the beam.

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I am so sorry for mentioning it. Hope you're not going to notice it every time from now on. It has no effect on its utility. I guess I do more than my fair share of wall hunting. Still on my first A2 bipin, this particular lamp's hourglass is very pronounced. Not the wall hunt that matters to me much, but rather the ceiling bounce. Until I grow to appreciate the hourglass for its nonlinearity, the round hotspot seems more aesthetically pleasing to me, less random. But you're giving me an indication that the next bipin's hourglass will probably be less noticeable.

If you trade the cost of the Lumens Factory bulb against the savings of not using CR123 cells, I think you will see that it doesn't take long to come up with a positive cash flow in that transaction. Your only real other choice is to go to LED, which it sounds like you don't want to do.
Given that a CR123 cell quickly sags under load to about 2.7-2.8v, you might look for a 2AA to CR123 adapter. If you used Lithium primary AA cells the voltage would be about the same.

I'm curious how is he going to fit 2xAA in an e1e? Also energizer lithium AA are just as expensive as cr123 cells. 2x NIMH would be better. I'm waiting for tad to get his a3012 bulbs in. Should do nicely in a minimag

vicv said:

I'm curious how is he going to fit 2xAA in an e1e? Also energizer lithium AA are just as expensive as cr123 cells. 2x NIMH would be better. I'm waiting for tad to get his a3012 bulbs in. Should do nicely in a minimag

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Well, if I could afford the body of an E2L AA Outdoorsman for my E1e head, that might do it. I would love one, but it's not in the plans due to my eternal and virtuous poverty.

I ordered some Soshine 16340 LifePO4 cells to try in my Olight S10 as it does not have low voltage protection and protected RCR123 just cut out when they hit 2.5-2.8v leaving you in the dark.

John.