battery possibilities and runtime for Caribbean

Since 5 days i own a Caribbean and i must admit i simply love it! Perfect size for jeans pockets, great output, amazing regulation, tough finish... i don't know how i could live with my ugly, bulky Q3 until now.

Just to make sure: As far as i understood, there should be no problem with 3.7V LiIon rechargeables in this light, correct? Can i use unprotected cells without risk of damaging them?

Since i like the light so much, i now consider buying a 2AA body. Therefore i'm interested in runtime with AA alkalines and rechargeables.

Runtime with AA alkalines should be considerably longer than the 1:30 - 1:50 with CR123, shouldn't it?

Another thing i'd like to know is the overall output with NiMH rechargeables. Is 2.4 V enough for the regulation? Is it much dimmer than 3V?

Thanks!

-Walter (still a flashlight-newbie)

Walter,
I use the Mediterranean (a larger head version of the Caribbean) and use the 2AA pack. On Sanyo 2300 NiMH AA cells I get 2.5 hours of runtime so the ratio makes sense. Two 2300mAH AA cells have 41% more energy than a CR123A and my experience indicates at least a 40% increase in runtime. 2500mAH has 54% more capacity so 2 hours and 45 minutes is achievable.
Alkalines do not like high current loads placed upon them. A guy at work had a Streamlight Luxeon Jr. (broke the switch) he got around 1:20 to 1:30 hours out of alkalines and I would assume the Caribbean would act about the same. Always good to have spare alkalines to feed your Peak but it runs better on NiMH.
An added bonus of the 2AA body is better cooling for the head due to its larger radiating area and more mass.

I only have the 2xAA body, so can only answer a few of your questions...

All of Peak's 1x123 lights can handle an R123 with no problem. I plan on using a li-ion in mine once i pick up a body, but to each his own. There's a definite warning when the output is about to crash, but i don't know at what voltage this is or if it's different depending on the chemistry.

Total run-time with alkaline is likely close to a 123A if used in small doses, but the current draw is too much for them to last nearly that long in one go. After about 45 minutes straight internal resistence rears its head big time.

My beat-up 1800mAh NiMH give a solid hour before output drops, so new 2500s should last at least 80min, which is the magic number i never seem to go over unless i try. The Caribbean cuts out at 2v, so you don't have to worry about over-discharging them. Output *is* less than using a 123A (based on Flashlightreview's graph), but not by much.

There are a couple of threads on this topic in Peak's AficionadoZone forum, but i guess i just summarized them. (There's a link to it from Peak's site.)

Thanks a lot for the information. I have tons of NiMHs lying around, so i think i'll give it a try.

I wasn't aware of an official Peak forum. Maybe i yust didn't search long enough.

Regards,

-Walter

here ya go...
http://aficionadozone.com/viewforum.php?f=46&sid=fbb1ff5cfc6b9c7566096cf21027f82c