A little assistance...

[tiggere]

Well I started looking a volt meters (holy crap they are expensive) and think I have decided to ditch the 18650 route…the overall cost (and safety factor for me) is too much for the flashlight gained…I do have a question though…I was looking at two lights by Klarus…are RCR123A’s just as tricky to recharge as the 18650’s…meaning do they have to be watched as close to keep them from venting or overcharging then metered when they come off the charger to verify?…it looks to be about the same on battery cost for AA or CR123A so I would think if nothing else get the XT2C version and enjoy the extra output no matter if RCR or just CR…it also allows the upgrade to 18650 if I decide to go that route later on…thoughts?

Mainly the light will be used for camping and hunting so not an EDC or any hard use in its future...I do want something in the 400+ lumen area but if I have to I can step down to the XT2A to make use of the AA batteries...that pretty much cuts the lumens in half (down to like 245)...I also like the size of the XT2C better than the XT2A...it will be a much better belt light being almost 1 1/2" shorter...it does not need to throw a long beam...something between a flood and beam will be just fine...

Thanks

 

[Gunner12]

Re: little assitance...

RCR123 batteries are still Li-ion batteries, so the same precautions apply. Li-ion batteries are safe as long as they are treated correctly, and many batteries are available with a protection circuit that prevents most sources of problems with the battery (over charge, over discharge, shorts). They can't stop someone from driving a nail through the battery, but generally they will prevent most problems. Also, with a single battery, there is less to go wrong.

A multimeter is available for ~$20 and would probably be more then accurate enough to check you batteries. Also, do you own a Laptop, Cellphone, MP3 player, or any battery powered electronics? If so, then they likely run on Li-ion batteries as well. How often do you hear someone experiencing a venting or flaming laptop? Now, how many people do you think are using laptops around the world? Overall, the batteries are safe, but there is always the chance of something going awry. Alkaline batteries can also fail spectacularly, but it's also rare.

If you are really afraid of Li-ion batteries, there are some powerful AA powered lights, but as you know, they are longer then the 2 CR123/18650 lights. The step down from 400 to 200 lumen might not be as great as you'd imagine, so you might still be ok. 4seven's Quark lights are pretty bright. They are usually underrated, so you'll get more output then they are rated for. The QP2A-X is said to hit 400 lumen for the first few minutes or something.

:welcome:

 

[Ezeriel]

Re: little assitance...

Mainly the light will be used for camping and hunting so not an EDC or any hard use in its future... are you in grizzly country? Fenix LD41?


I'm a nervous sort, and I only deal with AA lights. In the past, an 18650 or CR123 were much brighter than their AA counterparts, but today, not so much.
245 for the 2AA Klarus, 470 for the 2 cr123 version.. that's a very noticeable amount of light, but it looks like both lights have the same head.. a 2 mm difference.
I'm gonna guess that they have the same beampattern, focused to shine 100-150 feet.

I'm also going to guess that 245 lumens is more than enough to light up that area, so really, ...what's the big deal?


If you really think you need more light, get the LD41, otherwise 245 ansi, is honkin' bright.

....and If you are really on a budget, grab a Shiningbeam Spark, or Caveman

 

[jorn]

Re: little assitance...

470 dont look twice as bright as 245 lumens, not even close. It is on paper, but our eyes dont see it that way You need about 4 times the lumens for our eyes to see it as "twice as bright"..

Li-ion's can be unsafe, but driving a car or eating a sloppy mc-donald meal is unsafe too. I dont consider a single li-ion to be unsafe. I generally don't monitor anything with single cell lights. As long as i know the batt isn't close to drained, i put it in the charger and go to sleep.. If you use more than one cell, then you better be checking volage, matching cells ect. Simple rule:Unmatched cells are bad, charging a over drained cell is bad.. m'kay.

 

[duro]

Re: little assitance...

You can get a decent meter via walmart, 30 bucks...if that. digital even...

 

[tiggere]

sorry...its the 3 post moderation thats killing me here..

no not grizzly country...more like waste deep in a swamp in the pitch dark setting up for duck hunting...and by in the swamp I mean chest wader deep way off into the swamp...our big thing is gators, cottonmouths, and the occasional rattlesnake around the edge or in the path...a nice spot with pretty good spill is about mandatory...I had a nice headlamp that threw a wicked beam...it broke and I took it apart trying to fix it...now I can't find it so I'm thinking the wifey thought it was trash and canned it...I would just buy another one of those...it took 2 AA and was perfect...so I was hoping to replace it with something the size of the XT2C...that size is perfect for what I want...the others are almost 1 1/2" longer and don't fit in a jacket pocket quite as nice...

I'm also looking at a headlamp...the Princeton Apex or Apex Pro...the Pro version is why I was looking at CR123A batteries in the first place...and with the XT2C they can share..that was my thought anyhow...was just curious about the charging of RCR's...I won't be doing that...so might need to rethink the flashlight/headlamp...I wish I could go somewhere and actually hold one of the 245 lumen lights but there isn't anything local...

 

[Gunner12]

Yeah, most of the lights here are only available online. Fenix has some AA powered headlamps that could work.

For flashlights, Shiningbeam has some nice lower price lights if you want to stay under $50.

 

[asval]

sorry...its the 3 post moderation thats killing me here..

no not grizzly country...more like waste deep in a swamp in the pitch dark setting up for duck hunting...and by in the swamp I mean chest wader deep way off into the swamp...our big thing is gators, cottonmouths, and the occasional rattlesnake around the edge or in the path...a nice spot with pretty good spill is about mandatory...I had a nice headlamp that threw a wicked beam...it broke and I took it apart trying to fix it...now I can't find it so I'm thinking the wifey thought it was trash and canned it...I would just buy another one of those...it took 2 AA and was perfect...so I was hoping to replace it with something the size of the XT2C...that size is perfect for what I want...the others are almost 1 1/2" longer and don't fit in a jacket pocket quite as nice...

I'm also looking at a headlamp...the Princeton Apex or Apex Pro...the Pro version is why I was looking at CR123A batteries in the first place...and with the XT2C they can share..that was my thought anyhow...was just curious about the charging of RCR's...I won't be doing that...so might need to rethink the flashlight/headlamp...I wish I could go somewhere and actually hold one of the 245 lumen lights but there isn't anything local...

Short of being lucky enough to have a going gear shop near you, you wont find any decent lights to hold in a shop. In any case you can get an idea of what you'll be getting if you see enough reviews and it's even better if you got plenty of beamshots.

(scroll down to see them)
http://www.taschenlampen-forum.de/beamshot-vergleiche/14631-beamshotschiessen-arzt-kommt.html
http://fonarik.com/test/indexen.php?model=151&scene=1&mode=0

CR123A batteries are just as dangerous as the 18650 cells and even more so since most flashlights require that you use 2 of them to get the same output that one 18650 cell can give. That's pretty much the biggest danger in dealing with Lithium/Lion cells, having more than one cell in the lantern, the rest if just making sure you don't overcharge or over discharge the cell.

Alternatively you can just get multiple AA lights or rechargeable D cell lights like the fenix tk70 or some other.

 

[tiggere]

Wow those links help alot...thanks...looks like I would be pretty disappointed with anything less than 750 lumens...the Zebralight sc600 is the kinda output that I want...nice white light and plenty of it...so I guess that means 18650 single cell with XML pill of some sort...think I'll go see the volt meters at Wally World...would you guys trust a Harbor Freight meter or are those too crappy...

Also...I noticed the Zebralight has a safety built in to cut it out when its low voltage...is that the only one that has that type of extra safety built in?

 

[Gunner12]

Some lights have a safety cut off built in. I think HDS also has it, it's usually advertised. Like I've said before, if you buy a protected battery, the battery will also have an internal circuit that shuts the battery off at low and high voltages regardless of the light you use it in.

You'll be fine without a volt meter in single cell Li-ion lights, and if you want one, even a cheapo one should be fine. I think you might be over-thinking the dangers of Li-ion batteries. But it's always nice to be cautious.

 

[reppans]

..Also, do you own a Laptop, Cellphone, MP3 player, or any battery powered electronics? If so, then they likely run on Li-ion batteries as well. How often do you hear someone experiencing a venting or flaming laptop? Now, how many people do you think are using laptops around the world?...

While I do agree that protected Li-ions, used in single cell configs, are safer than many make them out to be, you cannot really compare them to the Li-ions used in everyday consumer electronics. All those other devices have dedicated circuitry and chargers to ensure that they are neither over charged or discharged and use fixed paired battery packs.

With flashlight batteries, the onus is much more on us to monitor this, despite the batts protection circuits and true CC/CV chargers. Also the watertight nature of flashlights makes them kinda like a pipe bomb if something does go wrong. When you have a much greater human element involved... well, you get subforums like our "smoke and fire" one ;-)