Can any CR123 batteries be rechargeable?

[MTHall]

I'm confused about this.
Thanks for shedding light on this.

 

[fivemega]

CR123 is primary cell and can't be recharge but its possible to use different rechargeable batteries in similar size, shape and voltage like this.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Give some info on the lights that you are using. We may be able to recommend 3.7v 16340 li-ions as an alternative

There aren’t many 3v CR123 rechargeable options. As Fivemega said, the keeppowers are an option, but they may end up being longer and have fitting issues because of the usb port (but not certain). Surefire makes a set of rechargeable CR123s as well Here but they are only 450mah. Work great but runtimes suck

 

[MTHall]

Give some info on the lights that you are using. We may be able to recommend 3.7v 16340 li-ions as an alternative

There aren’t many 3v CR123 rechargeable options. As Fivemega said, the keeppowers are an option, but they may end up being longer and have fitting issues because of the usb port (but not certain). Surefire makes a set of rechargeable CR123s as well Here but they are only 450mah. Work great but runtimes suck

I have been debating getting a 2 cell.SF but,the.G2 I had was awful for runtime.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Those will accept one 16650 3.7v battery

One 16650 is the same size as two cr123s

 

[JimIslander]

Surefire 123a rechargeables (SFLFP123) are probably high quality.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Surefire 123a rechargeables (SFLFP123) are probably high quality.

I never had an issue. They work great but you just don’t get long runtimes

 

[N8N]

I miss being able to buy AW 16340s. I am probably dating myself.

 

[aznsx]

I never had an issue. They work great but you just don’t get long runtimes

LFP123s meet my needs very well, but it's probably due to my perspective. My own experience in engineering has taught me that it practically always requires 'prioritized tradeoffs' to achieve the best results, and I've never found a way to 'have it all'. If anyone finds it, please 'PM' me! I get significant (to me) advantages from LFPs in a number of my flashlights (and other things designed around a 3V power supply), and I'm happy with what I get relative to the capacity I trade off for those (in some applications). Do I use them in all my applications? Of course not. That would be another absolutist view which would not serve me well. I think it's a perspective thing. Many things are relative, not absolute. Some may not have any applications where LFPs pay off, but many like me do. If I was in that first group, I would not use them.

 

[hamhanded]

I prefer LFP cells. They are more tolerant of temperature swings than the other rechargeable lithium chemistries, have an acceptable self discharge rate, work as a direct replacement for 3v primaries in most cases, have a super flat discharge curve (almost rendering regulation pointless), and— most importantly— are unlikely to burst into flames no matter how much you abuse them.

I think their only downsides are lower capacity and lack of market acceptance. I wish I could find a dedicated LFP charger, or 16650 LFP cells. They just don’t seem to exist, anywhere.

 

[bykfixer]

CR = can't recharge
RCR = really can recharge

 

[alpg88]

You could try to charge cr123, if you are lucky you'll see spectacular fireworks

 

[N8N]

I prefer LFP cells. They are more tolerant of temperature swings than the other rechargeable lithium chemistries, have an acceptable self discharge rate, work as a direct replacement for 3v primaries in most cases, have a super flat discharge curve (almost rendering regulation pointless), and— most importantly— are unlikely to burst into flames no matter how much you abuse them.

I think their only downsides are lower capacity and lack of market acceptance. I wish I could find a dedicated LFP charger, or 16650 LFP cells. They just don’t seem to exist, anywhere.

Surefire sells a two cell charger along with their own branded LFPs. I bought a pair for my UV light years ago, but it's rarely used anymore. Light is a Streamlight Night Com UV BTW. Reason for using LFPs is my home testing showed that the UV portion wasn't regulated - I wasn't the original reviewer but see this old thread https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/streamlight-night-com-uv-review.338893/

I want to say that the SkyRC MC3000 can handle LFPs but by the time it came out I already had chargers for all the cells I had. Would be kind of cool to replace four chargers with two (I still would need the Maha "9v" NiMH charger) but the only thing that's broken is the backlight on my Li-Ion charger and I can still see the display well enough to use it years later.

 

[fivemega]

There is no "Exact Rechargeable Replacement" for 2xCR123 flashlights.
There are many options for different uses but one may not work for another.
Assuming 2x16340 will work for you but run time is too short, and If you can use Z41 type of tail cap for your flashlight, another option is 35mm Extender with pair of 17500 cells which will work longer.
In this case 18mm bored out body can be used with pair of 18500 cells for much longer run per charge.

 

[ampdude]

Alkaline batteries can be recharged. But with the quality of them these days (Alkaleaks) and the cheapness of new ones, nobody does it anymore. I used to have an alkaline charger back in the 90's. It was called either the "wave" or I think "pulse charger". I know how it worked and I recharged many alkaline batteries over 20 times at least.

 

[alpg88]

When i was a kid in the days when cassette walkmans ruled, i recharged alkalines by inserting them between a door and a jamb on the hinge size, and squishing them a little all around, it would "recharge" them for 1 or 2 more songs. taping them with something heavy all around did the same.