Are CR2 flashlights a dying breed?

[LanthanumK]

CR2, N, AAAA, and other lights with nonstandard battery sizing will never compete with AA, AAA, or even CR123A for the vast majority of customers. With AAA lights putting out 200+ lumens with 10440, having long shelf life with L92, and being cheap to run with Eneloop, CR2 have lost their niche. They may be more ergonomic than the AAA form factor but do not have versatility, taking only expensive primary lithium batteries in an odd form factor.

 

[ZMZ67]

I agree that there are advantages to AAA but I have quite a few good AAA lights that are gathering dust because of my Mini CR2. It really takes a 10440 to put AAA in the same output category and those aren't for everybody either. As far as battery cost CR2 is much like CR123, you have to buy them online to be cost effective and honestly lithium AAAs really aren't any cheaper when you do that. You always have to go with what works for you but after getting CR123 and CR2 lights I have little interest in the more conventional AA or AAA format. You are right that the general public will always look for AA/AAA but they are missing out AFAIAC.

 

[EZO]

My experience has been the same. My entire collection of AAA lights lives in a Pelican style box in the closet while the CR2 Mini lives on my keyring. I love having such a small light with that much punch on my keyring and the power comes in handy quite often living in a rural area with no street lights. As for batteries, I alway buy online and this makes them affordable but in actual practice I find I rarely go through too many. Occasionally, I'll be in a situation where I use the light for extended periods of time so I'll pop a fresh battery in so that I'll have full power and good runtime going forward but most of the time I find this to be a light I use periodically for relatively short bursts and the batteries last me for months.

 

[BillSWPA]

My understanding is that 10440 is not available in protected format. When I look at the specs of AAA lights as compared to CR2 lights, the CR2 has definite advantages in output and run time. I first started buying CR2 cells for a camera long before I acquired my first CR2 light.

When I buy for non-flashaholics, I definitely lean towards AA and AAA cell formats, since they are much less likely to want to get into less common cell types. I would also seriously consider this for myself if I traveled out of the US frequently.

 

[ZMZ67]

My experience has been the same. My entire collection of AAA lights lives in a Pelican style box in the closet while the CR2 Mini lives on my keyring. I love having such a small light with that much punch on my keyring and the power comes in handy quite often living in a rural area with no street lights. As for batteries, I alway buy online and this makes them affordable but in actual practice I find I rarely go through too many. Occasionally, I'll be in a situation where I use the light for extended periods of time so I'll pop a fresh battery in so that I'll have full power and good runtime going forward but most of the time I find this to be a light I use periodically for relatively short bursts and the batteries last me for months.

I usually get quite a bit of life from my batteries as well and I believe that my usage is similar to yours. It is doubtful the masses will ever be interested in CR2 or even CR123 for that matter but I hope more flashoholics will give CR2 a try. Initially I wasn't very enthused with CR2 thinking it didn't offer much over CR123s anyway but once you have one the size advantage is clear and CR2 is much more pocket-able IMO than AAA,not to mention the power advantage.

 

[lightplay22]

So wish that the 47s mini was available in neutral tint..... It virtually disappears in my pocket and batteries last for months as it is only used in short bursts. I carry it in left front pocket and an Aeon in the right front with an aaa maratac in a shirt pocket. Love the CR2 format for its size!

 

[EZO]

So wish that the 47s mini was available in neutral tint.....

I know what you mean. I scored a neutral tint mini ML-X from the last batch FourSevens made available and I love it.

 

[yoyoman]

I just went on a business trip and used my Mini MLR2 as my night table light. Attached a trit marker to the split ring so I could find the light. Low was a little bright but not blinding. The beam was nice and I could find the bathroom in the middle of the night. The tint is cool white. Neutral would be nice but not a requirement for middle of the night bathroom trips.

 

[appliancejunk]

Ordered my first FourSevens CR2 just about a year ago. My son quickly claimed it.
My sons CR2 has been though hell in the last year. Got lost after a car accident and it spent a few months outside in the snow and rain.
Found it some months ago and to this day it's still working like a champ.

So earlier this week I decided it's been long enough and I need to order myself one again along with a good supply of batteries.

We now have three of the FourSevens CR2 flashlights in our family on keychain rings and they are simply awesome!

Thinking about ordering another one or two just to have on hand.

 

[abras]

CR2 battery flashlights are the best format for a keychain!
For the last 4.5 years I've bought dozens of 47 Mini CR2 as presents and for myself.
This light is always with me on a keychain.

It has all power of CR123 in a smaller package.
CR2 primaries has much more juice than all other smaller rechargeable lithium batteries.
Just wish AW would release good 3V RCR2.
But I'm happy with primaries. It took 8 months to completely drain my previuos battery.

The biggest problem are new laws prohibiting shipping of lithium by air post.
It takes months to get ordered batteries and also raised the price twice as much.

 

[Monocrom]

I like CR2 lights. But they're a bit too thick for my keychain. Plus, with AAA cells, you get easily found replacement cells if your light dies on you.

 

[Nicrod]

I like CR2 lights. But they're a bit too thick for my keychain. Plus, with AAA cells, you get easily found replacement cells if your light dies on you.

+1

too chunky for my key ring too!

I prefer AAA or 10180 on my keys. I just put the spy brass fairy on
my key ring and it's the perfect light IMO!

Small as they come, and bright as heck!

I got my first CR2 light last month! A Jil J2 in Natural Ti, I like it a lot. But I quickly learned these cells are a lot more pricey and scarce to find, if I try to purchase locally.

My first attempt to buy spares, I ended up going to 3 different places before finding them,
and when I did(Lowes) I paid $10.57 for a two pack! Nutz!


Im gonna buy them only from battery junction for now.

 

[magellan]

My experience has been the same. I have a dozen quality AAA lights and a dozen AA lights from various manufacturers that are great lights, and occasionally I do EDC them, but none have deposed my CR2 lights from their privileged go to/EDC status. I also have a Muyschondt Aeon Mark I and Mark II, and a K.I. LE CR2 but I just can't bring myself to EDC them so they are shelf queens. Recently I purchased a Nitecore Sens Mini and am extremely satisfied with it. I'm okay with the accelerometer based UI and I bought an Xtar MP2s charger which is switchable between 3.2 and 3.7 volts for the RCR2s. Although not officially rated to use RCR2s my Sens Mini is tolerating them no problem so far. This setup works quite well for me.

I usually get quite a bit of life from my batteries as well and I believe that my usage is similar to yours. It is doubtful the masses will ever be interested in CR2 or even CR123 for that matter but I hope more flashoholics will give CR2 a try. Initially I wasn't very enthused with CR2 thinking it didn't offer much over CR123s anyway but once you have one the size advantage is clear and CR2 is much more pocket-able IMO than AAA,not to mention the power advantage.

 

[magellan]

Thanks for the info that people are using RCR2s without a problem in the Quark mini. I am doing the same thing with my Nitecore Sens Mini and have not had a problem although the light isn't officially rated for the RCR2s like the Quark. Time to buy a Quark too!

I'd like to chime in and give praise to the 4sevens MINI MLR2, (with XP-G2) which I've been EDC'ing for six months now. I had seen a CR2 format light at the fall 2012 Seattle gathering and really liked the size. I wanted one that could take rechargeables without going but had read that 4Sevens doesn't seem to recommend rechargeable batteries in its CR2 or CR123 lights because of the comparatively high output at 4.2 volts. Reading into it, users of 4sevens MINI lights seemed to say that rechargeables work in them without issue and offer superior brightness to primaries, and so I got on the pre-order list for a MLR2 with the XP-G2 emitter. I am powering the light with AW 350mAh 15266's, which are LiCo chemistry. The batteries seem to handle the load without issue and the capacity is agreeable. It feels like I have only charged the batteries a few times in these six months. The XP-G2 tint is pretty neutral and is non offensive. It is white with a slightly blueish hue. The output on high mode is "wow light" territory thanks to its size. 4Sevens claims 215 lumens OTF or so but I think it is brighter than that with the RCR2's. I happen to have dropped this light onto concrete several times, including once from about 7 feet. Barely scratched it. One time I felt a burning sensation in my pocket and I thought oh crap! I pulled the light out and it had been on high for a while and was too hot to touch. After dismantling the light and letting everything sit, I put it back together and everything was A ok. Now adays I make sure the light is unscrewed enough so that it cannot turn on in my pocket from compression.

Some pics:

Control shot of backyard:

MLR2 on High: (click picture for fullsize photo)



The distance to the fence is about 80 feet. [24.5 meters] It has no problem lighting up the back yard which is pretty great for a light that is smaller than my thumb. Medium mode is practical and the light does not heat up. Low mode is a bit bright for completely night adjusted eyes, but otherwise is pretty low.

 

[magellan]

I just ordered two Fireworms since I sort of collect CR2 lights and I like titanium. I doubt it'll replace my Sens Mini for EDC because of the size and weight but I had to add it to my collection.

That's a great story appliancejunk!

I received a new CR2 light yesterday too! A Fireworm F01.

It's a bit of a funny flashaholical story as I sort of bought it by accident! It wasn't like I was in the market for a Fireworm, it was more like, hmmm, this could be a good deal on an interesting new light! I stumbled on an eBay auction last week for a new in the box Fireworm and noticed that it was listed for an opening bid of 35 dollars and that nobody had yet bid on it with only one day left in the auction. I decided to watch it thinking I might put in a bid towards the end of the auction if the bids were still pretty low but then the auction suddenly was withdrawn. Since 35 dollars is about half what this Fireworm otherwise sells for on eBay I figured the seller had wisely decided to avoid having it go out the door at that price. Then to my surprise the seller re-listed the item for $29.99! I watched it again, this time for a whole week. Finally, by the end of the auction there were only two bids and it was now only up to $30.99, so I put in a last minute low ball bid thinking that surely the previous bidders had used maximum proxy bids and that the final price would certainly be much closer to what all the other Fireworm F01s are going for on eBay right now. To my utter shock, I won the auction for $31.99! (plus 5 bucks shipping) and it came with a rechargeable li-ion CR2 and the seller is going to send me a couple of Panasonic CR2s as well!

So, about the Fireworm. It's pretty cool and I really like it! It weighs a ton though, literally twice the weight of a Foursevens MLR2......32 grams vs 16 grams, (without battery) even though it's only about six millimeters longer but otherwise the same diameter. Of course, this isn't too surprising as it's made from titanium and is built on a very heavy brass pill. In fact, most of the weight of this light is in the head and the heft gives it a nice feel in the hand but I think it may be better suited for a lanyard or worn around one's neck rather than on a key chain since it's so heavy.

The real feature of this light is the tint. I can confirm what others have said, it looks like sunlight! It's really just gorgeous. It's an R2 but I don't know exactly what flavor it is. Does anyone know more about what's used in this light? Considering all the brouhaha going on over in the Zebralight SC52w threads (including from me) about the greenish tinted neutral XM-L2 emitters, the tint on the Fireworm is especially pleasing! So, I'm glad to add another nice light to my CR2 collection considering the theme of this thread.

 

[magellan]

I agree completely. I love my 123A lights (my most recent 123A purchase is a Nitecore EC1 which I find to be a very impressive light in all respects) but they can't take the place of my CR2 lights. I find the form factor just about the perfect trade-off for size vs. capacity. I'm very fond of AAA lights also and have a bunch of those that I EDC sometimes, but I always come back to my CR2s. The only other light that fits the bill is my Lummi Raw Damascus which takes a 14250 300 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the CR2 15266, 350 mAh hour batteries that I have. Basically it's a 1/2 length AA battery size wise. But as that isn't exactly a cheap light it is pretty much a shelf queen.

In fact I would be interested in acquiring more 14250 lights. Which ones do you like?

This argument has come up a few times in this thread but it misses the point, I believe. CR123 and RCR123 lights are great. I own quite a few and I love 'em, but they just don't cut it on a key chain; they're too big. (for my taste) CR2 lights on the other hand give the best performance for size of any key chain worthy light and so capacity becomes irrelevant for this usage. And with close to a full hour of max output from a single CR2 cell in a Quark MLR2 and many more hours of light at lower power it becomes a moot point when one considers how key chain lights are generally intended to be used.

 

[Monocrom]

Must admit, my curiosity got the better of me.... How many of you guys actually keychain-carry one off your sweet CR2 lights on a daily basis?

 

[Bullzeyebill]

How many of you guys actually keychain-carry one off your sweet CR2 lights on a daily basis?

Me. Aeon Mark II 24/7, except showers. That little guy gets used sometimes dozens of times a day. I'm not one to turn on light switches except when necessary, of course. I'm always peeking into closets, cabinets. Used it recently at a studio showing recently. Renders colors very well. Batteries last quite awhile, and I use one of our reputable CPFMP sources for the CR2 cells.

Bill

 

[Monocrom]

Nice! Thanks for the reply, Bill.

 

[BillSWPA]

Must admit, my curiosity got the better of me.... How many of you guys actually keychain-carry one off your sweet CR2 lights on a daily basis?

I go back and forth between a FourSevens MLR2 and Atom A0 on my keychain. The MLR2 is about the biggest light I would want on a keychain, but is no problem to carry. It more than makes up for its small bulk with its usefulness. My wife has an MLR2 on her keychain, and it is often the only light she carries.