Latest-greatest 16340? Nitecore 16340 RCR123A?

Has the Nitecore 16340 RCR123A 3.7V been superceded? Keepower maybe?
These two seem to sell very well.

I don't care for IMR or high drain. It's for Quark Mini ML.

I have been out of the 16340 game for years.

Fenix 16340's are still one of the best according HKJ review. KP is ok but a bit longer (as all of their protected cells).

:thumbsdow

etc said:

I don't care for IMR or high drain.

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yeah, I know what you mean... all those extra amps and far less chance of

Where's the fun in that? :thinking:

Let me guess... you believe a protection circuit is for your protection (rather than the cell's)?

I can not think of an application where protected LiCo is superior to LiMn. I prefer to be without the burden of a false sense of security, and to practice keeping an idea of the SoC. But to each his own.

night.hoodie said:

[...] Let me guess... you believe a protection circuit is for your protection (rather than the cell's)? [...]

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It's for both, why would you think otherwise?

Gauss163 said:

It's for both, why would you think otherwise?

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The aforementioned false sense of security, which in fact, if you actually believe it protects the user, makes it less safe. It is about the release of responsibility, and though experienced flashaholics will not be deluded into getting lazy, the uninitiated will immediately slip into the false comfort the circuit provides them by their misinterpretation of what the descriptor "protection" is actually applying to: "I won't need to worry about SoC!" Further, if you are actually responsible concerning SoC and extreme temperatures, then the circuit is superfluous. And claiming a "second line of defense" is only another path to shirking safe Li-ion use. It is far safer for the user to be mindful without a protection circuit than to be mindless with one.

Why on earth do YOU think the protection circuit protects a user, as opposed to only the cell? Claiming that one implies the other is only true, at best, incidentally, and not intentionally.

Further, it is probably true that LiMn chem is safer and more resilient to overdischarge than LiCo with a circuit. LiFePO4 certainly is, and it only occurred to me just now, this is the chem the OP may have in mind as opposed to LiMn. I'd like to see LiCo completely deprecated in all forms and abandoned. There are a lot of aging LiCo cells of all shapes in the wild, and seems like its just disaster in the wings just laughing.

Hold on night.hoodie, you have taken this thread off track. Good subject, but does not belong here. No more OT please all.

Bill

Bullzeyebill said:

Hold on night.hoodie, you have taken this thread off track. Good subject, but does not belong here. No more OT please all.

Bill

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Thanks Bill, but check the OP:

etc said:

I don't care for IMR or high drain.

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That makes the discussion germane. But I am just glad to not be on your ignore list, so I'll defer to your gravitas, and fade away.

night.hoodie said:

Thanks Bill, but check the OP:

That makes the discussion germane. But I am just glad to not be on your ignore list, so I'll defer to your gravitas, and fade away.

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Ummm ... Bill is a mod :thinking:

I don't think he has to put people on ignore ... :banned:

The device I am using draws between 200 - 500 mAh at most, not even an Amp, not even close. And a lot of times drawing 50mAh on the low mode.

I want the largest capacity with the highest number of recharge cycles. I think I will go with Fenix. A device above an Amp is just not in the future here.

I think Fenix as mentioned comes out about top with around 700mah. Most others vary around 550/600mah. Unfortunately not much development has been put into the little 16340 cells like 18650 . In fact, its only 18350 thats had a significant bump in development from china, as these cells were around the 600/700mah(now of course 1100mah with the aspire(or re-wraps). I digress..............

AWT ,KeepPower, efest seem to make up the majority of my 16340 cells, no issue with any of the mentioned brands. My KP is actually a protected, this i use in my HDS rotary(although i dont need the PCB), more just to use the cell or have it sat there!

Don't know if you can find them, but these look interesting if you like protected cells.....
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-review-of-Shockli-16340-700mAh-(Yellow)-2018
P

I am just shocked how tiny that cell is, the runtime is abysmal. I run Quark or FourSevens Mini 123 and on high mode I get 20 minutes. And the high isn't really all that high, circa 200 lumens.

that cell fees like it has 1/6 or less the capacity of a 18mm cell like 18650.

etc said:

I am just shocked how tiny that cell is, the runtime is abysmal. I run Quark or FourSevens Mini 123 and on high mode I get 20 minutes. And the high isn't really all that high, circa 200 lumens.

that cell fees like it has 1/6 or less the capacity of a 18mm cell like 18650.

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Well, it's a smaller cell and not an 18650, so it stands to reason that one won't get the same runtime at the same output, with a 16340, as one would with an 18650.

I like smaller lights in my pocket and mostly carry 16340 based lipstick lights. I rarely need more than 20 minutes on high/turbo before getting back and charging it up. If I suspect I'll be needing more runtime, I'll carry the appropriate light, or simply carry a spare 16340 in my pocket.

It's really not voodoo science.

Different strokes...

Chris

Exactly, need high output and for a decent duration, 16340 is not a good choice. Personally for EDC type uses, 16340 offer a nice form factor, happy medium of output/run time. Short blasts of a few hundred lumens are no issue, prolonged uses where say 40/50lm type outputs are enough, again the 16340 cell works fine for me. Unfortunately, even 200lm will eat through in 20-30mins .

Spare cell(even better if stored in a spare light! Haha) would make sense. That way if you do need your 200lm output, you can at least get 40+ mins of it.

I tend to use around 140-200lm as a work light output for example, it's floody(if focused I could get away with probably 50lm). But it's not easy for me to work with, I need flood bias mostly for my type of work application. Now using 140(ish) lumens , I would not even consider a 16340 fed light or headlamp. I would be swapping the cells out every 1/2hr or so. So it has to be 18650 for those application types.

I bought an Olight M1T and took it out, using it on high with an Eagletac 16340. It died after probably 20 minutes, which is likely no surprise to those experienced with such things, but I was expecting a bit more considering Olight's spec page puts this light at 65 minutes run time after it bumps down to 300 lumens. This doesn't change my opinion that this is an excellent light, but I'll be more inclined to run it on CR123.

Like my friend above says, there's nothing with better capacity, so carry a spare cell or light.
P

matt4350 said:

I bought an Olight M1T and took it out, using it on high with an Eagletac 16340. It died after probably 20 minutes, which is likely no surprise to those experienced with such things, but I was expecting a bit more considering Olight's spec page puts this light at 65 minutes run time after it bumps down to 300 lumens. This doesn't change my opinion that this is an excellent light, but I'll be more inclined to run it on CR123.

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I ordered a M1T one minute after it became available to order. I've used it every night since. It gets run on high 3-7 minutes at a time several times a night. With the Olight rcr123 650mah cell I get 40-45 minutes of full lumens high mode depending on if it's run longer or shorter. It'll run 10-15 minutes at lower lumens.

a primary cell gives 20 minutes of full high lumens and steps down and can only pull 300 max, the step down lumens from high for about another 20 minutes. After thatnit steps down to what looks like 40-60 lumens for a good bit, 20-30 minutes. Then fades hard after that and will run at 5 lumens a long time.

I hate fade. I will take them full lumens at twice the full lumens run time over the primaries half the RCR123 full lumens. The primary does run longer but at greatly diminished performance.

It all all depends on how you use it what cell is best, but the rcr123 (Olight cell, haven't used others in it yet) run 3-7 minutes at a time, the primary only has half the full brightness time in them with a huge reserve at diminished lumens. A spare rcr123 is brought along if I know there will be more use than normal, I always have a primary spare on me. It might run less at full brightness but in an emergency I can deal with less lumens.

Thanks for that, mate. I didn't realise this was so closely connected with how long the light is run on high from when you first turn it on. I made the mistake of thinking I'd get at least 40 minutes or so at constant on, under the impression I'd get 300 lumens for most of that time. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when the light level started to drop. This means I'll have to choose another light for a night jog, which is a pity because I love the beam pattern on the M1T. I'll continue to use 16340s in the light for more normal usage, based on what you've taught me, but I think I feel a tad misled by the published specs.

matt4350 said:

Thanks for that, mate. I didn't realise this was so closely connected with how long the light is run on high from when you first turn it on. I made the mistake of thinking I'd get at least 40 minutes or so at constant on, under the impression I'd get 300 lumens for most of that time. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when the light level started to drop. This means I'll have to choose another light for a night jog, which is a pity because I love the beam pattern on the M1T. I'll continue to use 16340s in the light for more normal usage, based on what you've taught me, but I think I feel a tad misled by the published specs.

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I do too, but the light is so good it's worth it to me. I have a spare cell of one or the other on hand with it so I'm not too worried about it. I loved my surefire backup but it died suddenly early in 2017. I wasn't going to shell them $ again on a light that only lasts 5~ years. The M1T is the closest in UI I've seen but in a smaller package with better lumens and a way better beam and with a similar run time. But I can use the rcr123 or a primary in the M1T. It's primary purpose is my carry light companion for a pistol. It's perfect for that roll with regular short burst uses. First choice being the rcr cell, I hate fade and I get more full lumens time from the rcr.

Nitecore MT10A is a good light similar in size but has way more throw and almost double the lumens, and honestly, it's under rated in the top lumens rating. Still like the M1T better.

I get the lumens, the drain in Ampers versus 700 or 900mAh capacity, it's one thing to read about it but another to have the light suddenly cut out on me in the middle of something. That's why I EDC a real light like M61T.

I now use the medium mode exclusively and get decent runtime. Especially out of primary 123. I found a perfect emergency light that works best on primaries, which I have a boatload of.