CR123 and 18650 - Questions

[offroad]

Where are good places to get decent quality and good prices on CR123 and 18650 primary and rechargeable cells?
Are these any good? http://www.cr123batteries.com/

When should protected cells be used?

 

[Zatoichi]

lighthound.com has some good prices, and sells good quality (AW) rechargable li-ions. I use protected li-Ion cells so I don't have to worry so much about over charging or over discharging. I also use a multimetre rather than just rely on the protection circuit. There's lots of info in the battery forum about using them safely.

Protected cells won't fit in some lights (cheap ones anyway, AW's might) because the protection circuit adds a bit of length. That's the only reason I'd use unprotected ones.

I'd suggest reading a little on the dangers of lithium rechargables before using them, so you can use them safely.

 

[offroad]

lighthound.com has some good prices, and sells good quality (AW) rechargable li-ions.

Thanks, are good quality protected rechargeable 18650 sized batteries suitable for long term storage in temperature extremes like you would find in a car glove box?

 

[Battery Guy]

Thanks, are good quality protected rechargeable 18650 sized batteries suitable for long term storage in temperature extremes like you would find in a car glove box?

No lithium-ion cell is suitable for long term temperature extremes. Period. Doesn't matter what the chemistry is (LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiFePO4, etc...), all lithium-ion cells will experience permanent performance degradation if stored for any length of time at 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). External protection circuitry does not help because the degradation is a result of chemical reactions inside the cell.

Unfortunately, there are no good rechargeable options for long term storage in your car. Your only real option is to go with a lithium primary. I personally use the Energizer e2 Lithium AA and AAA (Ultimate or Advanced, depending on power requirements) for my automotive applications. But if you live in Europe, you have the option of the Philips or Duracell lithium AA and AAA cells.

Cheers,
BG

 

[offroad]

No lithium-ion cell is suitable for long term temperature extremes. Your only real option is to go with a lithium primary. I personally use the Energizer e2 Lithium AA and AAA

Was about ready to order a pair of Solarforce L2P's, a low voltage Drop-in's, charger and 18650 batteries for the car and truck. Sounds like I either need to get them powered by AA, AAA or CR123 lithium primary batteries. Guess I'll need a 4.2-8.4V Drop-in.

Where is a good place to get good AA, AAA and CR123 primary batteries at nice prices?

Thanks for the info.

 

[Battery Guy]

Was about ready to order a pair of Solarforce L2P's, a low voltage Drop-in's, charger and 18650 batteries for the car and truck. Sounds like I either need to get them powered by AA, AAA or CR123 lithium primary batteries. Guess I'll need a 4.2-8.4V Drop-in.

Where is a good place to get good AA, AAA and CR123 primary batteries at nice prices?

Thanks for the info.

For small numbers of batteries, I typically go to Target, Walmart, Sam's Club or Cosco. I know that BatteryJunction.com has some good deals on larger numbers of lithium AA or AAA cells. Unfortunately, I don't have any need for CR123 cells so I can't help you there.

Cheers,
BG