Best/safest batt for weapon light

[Alfonso]

Using a TK22 with a mount for home security weapon. Light takes rechargeable lithiums (18650 or LiFePO4 x1) or CR123's (x2).

Considering that this weapon will be secured within a home, untouched (! hope) most of the time, with periodic use in both summer and frigid cold of winter (not unrealistic in my world to have -40C and lower during winter months), what is the best and safest battery to use? As well, with long term storage, what would last longest without requiring replacement/recharge?

Haven't been into lithium batts too much at all as pretty much all my flashlights are AA by preference. . . . . . No, I lied . . . I have a G2 flashlight in my quonset that uses 2 x primary lithium AA's.

Thanks for any and all.

 

[RTR882]

i use CR123s in anything that gets ignored most of the time. A rechargeable battery (any of them) will lose its charge over a year and maybe when you finally need it you get dim or worse.

 

[HKJ]

A rechargeable battery (any of them) will lose its charge over a year and maybe when you finally need it you get dim or worse.

Neither good LiIon or Eneloop NiMH looses much charge in a year.

 

[cland72]

IMO I'd stick with primaries (CR123's). They are great for long term storage without any maintenance. And this is coming from a guy who uses li-ions and eneloops.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

IMO I'd stick with primaries (CR123's). They are great for long term storage without any maintenance. And this is coming from a guy who uses li-ions and eneloops.

Unless the OP is already set up for Li-Ion charging, I'd just stick with the primary 123As made by Panasonic USA.

I went the Li-Ion route a while back, so it was worth it to me, but it's maybe not for everybody?

That being said, you can get an Xtar WP2 II for $22 shipped and a couple of protected Pannie 3400s for $20 shipped and well...that's not a lot of scratch, especially if you're buying your 123As from the super market, or drug store!

Chris

 

[torukmakto4]

Isn't there a concern with recoil in weapon-mounted lights? I have read that Li-ion cells are unsuitable or not rcommended for such application.

Crushing of protection circuits has been mentioned. I'm not sure if it actually has anything to do with Li-ion cell construction as compared to Li/MnO2 primaries (Aren't they quite similar once you get past the actual electrode materials?), or if the concern is simply that many Li-ion cells are protected and there would be a risk of damage if a cell with a PCB got used in such a light and was exposed to recoil, whereas all primaries are bare cells with 100% certainty.

I do know from experience that if you have a light with a Li-ion cylindrical in it which is exposed to violent shocks, you had better have a system in place to restrain the cell's forward travel and stop the usually thin positive terminal from being squashed.

 

[Overclocker]

I do know from experience that if you have a light with a Li-ion cylindrical in it which is exposed to violent shocks, you had better have a system in place to restrain the cell's forward travel and stop the usually thin positive terminal from being squashed.

exactly. on the TK22 during recoil the battery will slam hard into that + contact point. spring is useless because it WILL BOTTOM OUT. then on the other side of the PCB are components and solder points that would eventually crack after some rounds

now here's the foursevens solution. the forward force of the battery is absorbed by the plastic ring around the + terminal which "presses" onto the shoulder of the battery, thereby avoiding crushing the + nipple of the battery. and the battery is not directly hammering on the driver PCB


photo credits:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?306990-Maelstrom-G5-2-8A-XM-L-Mod-756-OTF-lumens!!!
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?352542-Fenix-TK22-Review-(1x-18650-or-2x-CR123)

 

[StorminMatt]

How about running unprotected cells? They need not be LiCo. If safety is a concern, you could always run LiMn or LiFePO4. LiFePO4 might be a good choice here, since this chemistry is as tough as nails. The only concern would be whether the light could take the slightly lower voltage of a LiFePO4 18650. But if the light can take the slightly higher voltage of LiFePO4 RCR123s, then this might be a good choice as well.