Best Rechargeable for HDS Rotary

[AbovePlains]

Hey guys, very new to the enthusiast flashlight world, never knew there was anything more that Streamlight, Surefire, and Olight. Lol. Anyway, after reading around here for awhile I just ordered myself an HDS Rotary from Brightguy.com. Can anyone recommend the best rechargeable battery for it? Or maybe talk me down from rechargeables... haha. I just like the idea of routinely throwing my battery on a charger nightly but don't want to sacrifice performance. Thanks in advance!

 

[aznsx]

Hey guys, very new to the enthusiast flashlight world, never knew there was anything more that Streamlight, Surefire, and Olight. Lol. Anyway, after reading around here for awhile I just ordered myself an HDS Rotary from Brightguy.com. Can anyone recommend the best rechargeable battery for it? Or maybe talk me down from rechargeables... haha. I just like the idea of routinely throwing my battery on a charger nightly but don't want to sacrifice performance. Thanks in advance!

There are lots of HDS users / fans who hang around here and I'm sure they have recommendations, but since none have yet come forward, I can help a little.

I've not used any HDS lights and know very little about them, so normally I'd probably not offer any advice. It just so happens however that I just recently went to their web site specifically to research their 'low voltage' handling scheme and battery recommendations due to questions I had resulting from another thread / discussion, and ran across a great writeup in the form of an answer to a question in their FAQ. I found it very well-written, complete, comprehensive, informative, and as far as I'm concerned, accurate. I'd highly recommend reading it. The FAQ question is: What are rechargeable lithium ion batteries?

Since I've now researched the manufacturer's views and opinions on power supply options / issues, how they relate to their product designs, etc., I think I've actually become qualified to make a recommendation, so I'll give you one just to kick off the discussion.

Based on what I learned at their site, if I had your light here, based on the several types of 16340-size cells I use (in other lights) and have available here, I would start out using one of my Fenix ARB-L16-700UP cells. I've been using them for some years, had satisfactory results, and can recommend them. Barring any issues with their length (Fenix lists 35.5 mm), I think they'd be a good choice for your light. They feature on-board micro-USB charging, so that would be handy if you don't have a dedicated Li-ion charger, and if you do already have one, you could optionally charge them in that as well. I typically get mine from Fenix-Store or Battery Junction, but most Fenix distributors sell them, including Bright Guy where you ordered your light, and they go for ~$8 USD each.

I'm sure you'll get other recommendations, but for now I'll offer that one just to get you started in the mean time with something you can order today that I believe would be a good choice.

Cheers -

 

[AbovePlains]

There are lots of HDS users / fans who hang around here and I'm sure they have recommendations, but since none have yet come forward, I can help a little.

I've not used any HDS lights and know very little about them, so normally I'd probably not offer any advice. It just so happens however that I just recently went to their web site specifically to research their 'low voltage' handling scheme and battery recommendations due to questions I had resulting from another thread / discussion, and ran across a great writeup in the form of an answer to a question in their FAQ. I found it very well-written, complete, comprehensive, informative, and as far as I'm concerned, accurate. I'd highly recommend reading it. The FAQ question is: What are rechargeable lithium ion batteries?

Since I've now researched the manufacturer's views and opinions on power supply options / issues, how they relate to their product designs, etc., I think I've actually become qualified to make a recommendation, so I'll give you one just to kick off the discussion.

Based on what I learned at their site, if I had your light here, based on the several types of 16340-size cells I use (in other lights) and have available here, I would start out using one of my Fenix ARB-L16-700UP cells. I've been using them for some years, had satisfactory results, and can recommend them. Barring any issues with their length (Fenix lists 35.5 mm), I think they'd be a good choice for your light. They feature on-board micro-USB charging, so that would be handy if you don't have a dedicated Li-ion charger, and if you do already have one, you could optionally charge them in that as well. I typically get mine from Fenix-Store or Battery Junction, but most Fenix distributors sell them, including Bright Guy where you ordered your light, and they go for ~$8 USD each.

I'm sure you'll get other recommendations, but for now I'll offer that one just to get you started in the mean time with something you can order today that I believe would be a good choice.

Cheers -

Thank you! I will check that out. I did not mean to seem lazy in asking this. I've read around in the forum a bit and most of the similar posts I saw were a bit older and batteries come a long way in a short time. Again, much appreciated!

 

[aznsx]

Thank you! I will check that out. I did not mean to seem lazy in asking this. I've read around in the forum a bit and most of the similar posts I saw were a bit older and batteries come a long way in a short time. Again, much appreciated!

You're welcome, and no, I don't think you're being lazy. Just an afterthought here: HDS appears to lean towards unprotected IMR/INR cells, and they sell one directly, and there are other similar cells on the market. The Fenix cell I mentioned is a protected cell, which I prefer to use unless I have a good reason not to (where length is critical or output current requirements demand it). The Fenix cell is rated @2.5A continuous output. I doubt that your light requires more than that, but don't know for sure. If you determine that your light needs over 2.5A, higher output current is often available with the IMR/INR (often unprotected) varieties, which might lead you to go with those. I have some of the latter for specific applications, mostly from Efest and Vapcell, and if you decide you need higher output current, I'm sure others will be able to recommend other good IMR/INR cells (in addition to the one HDS sells). If your light doesn't need more than 2.5A, then I'd go with the cell I recommended. Users can probably speak to the current requirements better than I can.

 

[carrot]

I've had a handful of bad Fenix cells for some reason or another. Maybe it's just bad luck. Anyway, I steer clear now, although I still like the lights.

I recommend the lavender Vapcell 16340, which are rated for 3A and 850mAh. It's more than enough for the HDS and the highest capacity cells you can buy right now in this size.

 

[sld]

I'v had pretty good results using whatever RCR123's I had available.

A year ago I ordered the 18650 body and a couple of 18650 cells. I'm really please with this set up. The 18650 runs for a long time, several weeks in the warm weather (longer daylight hours) and a couple of weeks or more during the shorter daylight days.

 

[elzilcho]

The Efest 700mAh button tops have always worked well in the rotary. They aren't the highest capacity option around these days but I've never had any trouble with them and they're usually in stock so they're easy to find.

 

[:)>]

The Efest 700mAh button tops have always worked well in the rotary. They aren't the highest capacity option around these days but I've never had any trouble with them and they're usually in stock so they're easy to find.

I have had good luck with the Efest 700mAh flat-tops as well. They aren't protected but the HDS has protection that keeps them safe.

No protection circuit means one less thing to go wrong.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

The good news is is that the HDS lights don't bang on a cell too hard, so somewhat inferior brands should last a bit longer.

Chris