Charger and Battery Advice

[dilligas]

I hope this is the correct location to post this question.
I have no experience with recharging batteries and could use some advice.
I have a Fenix TK12 and PD35 and want to switch from CR 123 to 18650 batteries.
I want to buy a charger that will handle 123, 185650, AA and AAA batteries.
Any advice on a charging unit and 18650 batteries that work well in Fenix
THANKS

 

[ChrisGarrett]

If you want the 'jack of all trades' option, the Nitecore i2/i4 v.2 would be a popular choice, since it does Li-Ion cells and NiMH batteries.

This being said, I went with dedicated chargers, preferring to keep things separated, or maybe it just worked out that way, lol.

For Li-Ions: Xtar WP2s, or their VP1.

For NiMH: Maha C-9000, LaCrosse BC-1000, or AccuPower's AQ-328.

You'll spend a little bit more, for two separate chargers, but you'll get great tools with a lot of track record, that you'll probably have for a long time.

Buy right, buy once, cry once.

Chris

 

[dilligas]

These are newbie questions so bear with me.
1. Apparently there are two types of 18650 batteries, flat top and button top..which does Fenix use ?
2. Advantages, disadvantages and safety issues between Li-ion, NiMH and Lithium. I read about fire and explosion problems when charging ?
3. I read Eneloops mentioned here, is that a good choice ?

 

[N8N]

These are newbie questions so bear with me.
1. Apparently there are two types of 18650 batteries, flat top and button top..which does Fenix use ?
2. Advantages, disadvantages and safety issues between Li-ion, NiMH and Lithium. I read about fire and explosion problems when charging ?
3. I read Eneloops mentioned here, is that a good choice ?

1) Button top should work in everything. Flat top may/may not work in any given light. I don't know if flat tops will work in your lights, but if you search for reviews on them you'll probably get your answer, or just look inside the light, and see if there is a protrusion or spring for the positive contact.

2) Li-Ion which is what you're looking at does require more care and feeding than other chemistries. As the TK35 is a multiple cell light, I would recommend going with protected cells. AW is usually a safe choice. AW's protected cells are button tops so no worries there. EagleTac is another well regarded brand; I have no experience with them but they are consistently highly recommended. Stay far far away from ****fire Li-Ion cells; most of them are culls from old battery packs with new shrink wrap on the cells, laughably optimistic capacity ratings (there really are no good 18650s with more than 3400 mAh), and may or may not be safe to use.

3) Eneloops are low self discharge NiMH cells, not Li-Ion, and won't work in your lights. They are fantastic however for anything that uses an AA or AAA cell. I'm using them (or Maha Imedions, or Duraloops which are rebranded Eneloops) in all my AA or AAA devices; I'm done with crappy alkalines.

If you are really concerned about safety and do not want to use Li-Ion even protected, you could try IMR cells which will also work with typical Li-Ion chargers or alternately LiFePO4 which will require a different charger. Either will have lower capacity than a high quality Li-Ion 18650 however which is why we still use them despite the safety issues if mishandled.