I don't like those "Strange" batteries

[Gaffle]

I was just reading a post and someone called the lithium cr123's "strange". Well that got me thinking. Have we gotten to a point the the 123s are not superior anymore?

When I was really looking into a flashlight last Christmas I could barely find anything that used AA. I ended up with the ProPoly Lux because it was one of the few that used the good ole AA cell.

1. Good throw
2. LED
3. AA batteries

Everything else was cr123. Inova T3, that K2 palmblaze, the Fenix P1D (to name a few of the lights I was interested in), all were cr123.

Now here we are with a multitude of flashlights that have broken away from lithuim. Elektrolumens is a large supporter of NiMh, Fenix has gone NiMh, the more I look the more high output AA lights I see. That makes me really happy. Especially after I found out (like 10 minutes ago) about the LSD NiMh batteries. WooHoo!!

I don't like throwing away battery corpse's. I want to reuse them as much as possible. I seems like a lot of the cr123 lights will not accept the Rcr123s. Buuuuuuummer. I use my flashlights for many stupid reasons. I can't think of anyone really conserving battery juice. I am still a WWH. I don't shoot the wall to measure my beam, I just like looking at a bright hotspot. It is kind of like a moth to a flame. I cannot resist shooting the wall and enjoying a big bright beam of light. How can a guy like myself expect to conserve juice? I don't feel like finding cheap lithiums online because I deplete them with the most absurd of tasks.

I guess this is a "happy camper" rant. I am happy to see the AA and AAA batts get their second wind. I have a Inova X5 sitting in a drawer because I don't feel like buying 123s....Yay for AA!!!!

 

[LED_Thrift]

I agree with you! Two quick notes: Another light that is great with AAs is the Fenix L2d-CE; and BatteryJunction [and probably AW] sells good 3.0v lithium rechargeables that work in almost all cr123 lights - the only exception I've found so far is the Inova X5, its tube is a bit too narrow. I'm going to bore mine out a hair so the rechargables will fit.

 

[scottaw]

Why not 123's they're smaller, so usually the light can be smaller, and they're cheaper than some "high end" aa's, D's, etc. (Assuming you buy online, never in a store.)

 

[matrixshaman]

The 17335's I got from DX are 3.0 volt and are just a bit smaller in diameter than the more common 340's. I really jumped on the CR123/RCR123 big when first getting into lights here and didn't care at all for AA but I have since gotten into both. I still prefer the CR123 size so the light can be shorter.

 

[oldvultureface]

Yay for AA!!!!

Ditto.

 

[cave dave]

Anybody worried their wifes or kids will need a light and load up whatever Cr123 size batteries they see?

My general impression is 99% of the population is sloppy this way. I go caving and most people use AA's but I've seem them mix and match different brand alks, mix alks with Heavy duty, and wouldn't be one bit surprised that they would mix alks with Nimh or Li if they came across some. This is not an infrequent occurrence. I'd say 50% of the time somebody changes batteries in front of me either the ones that come out of the light or the ones that go in don't match.

I would never gift somebody a 2xCR123 light, too much opportunity for misuse.

 

[StefanFS]

Anybody worried their wifes or kids will need a light and load up whatever Cr123 size batteries they see?

My general impression is 99% of the population is sloppy this way. I go caving and most people use AA's but I've seem them mix and match different brand alks, mix alks with Heavy duty, and wouldn't be one bit surprised that they would mix alks with Nimh or Li if they came across some. This is not an infrequent occurrence. I'd say 50% of the time somebody changes batteries in front of me either the ones that come out of the light or the ones that go in don't match.

I would never gift somebody a 2xCR123 light, too much opportunity for misuse.

Sad but true. Most people live on the battery chemistry edge. I only give people I care about AA lights for gifts. However, the people on the red list get triple CR123 lights with a bag of mixed and partly used cells..... Just kidding.
Stefan

 

[cbxer55]

I have a brand new box of 72 Surefire 123 bateries waiting to be used.
And I edc a Surefire U2 and Fenix P1D-CE. Also have 4 spare batteries
on me and 6 in the truck.
I have one old Maglite 2AA fitted with LED head, that never gets used anymore.
I am all 123s now.:thumbsup:

 

[carrot]

Well, thanks to Fenix, small pocketable and powerful alkaline and NiMH powered lights have become a possibility and gained popularity. I still like my lithium-powered lights and have no reason to abandon them, however.

 

[eebowler]

Gaffle: I've been here for years and do not own a single CR123 light though I would not discount their uses to others.

CR123 cells are supposed to:
1) have a shelf life of 10 years. (Not all cells are created equal.)
2) be able to perform in cold environments better than alkaline or NiMH/NiCAD cells.
3) and have a higher charge density therefore creating a 'smaller, brighter' light.

For some people, one or more of these points are significant enough to invest in these lights.

 

[NA8]

I read a couple of nasty threads the other day about 123A failures. There was a lot of talk about lithium fires, self generating oxygen supply, strange fire extinguishers, buckets of sand, toxic metals/fumes, poisoning, etc.

This was above and beyond the standard don't mix old and new mantra I read about early on. I don't mind a little kaboom, I used to reload my 45ACP. The idea of a primer tube stack going off didn't bother me much, I could always patch the ceiling. I'm sure quality, sorted, 123a batteries are safe for the most part. But when the odd one does go bad, things get ugly.

I'm thinking about a butt-ugly, long, L2D CE, and going 2xAA instead of continuing with 123A's. If you compare the performance of the L2D to a P3D, it's not too much of a drop off. The P3D has better run times, but the L2D's are adequate.

My flashlight needs are pretty minimal though. The 123A's are nice for small, light, flashlights. I've got a couple of Brinkmann Maxfires and I love them.

 

[Fallingwater]

I have the feeling that converters using 1.2/1.5v cells have a much harder time than those using 3/3.6v ones, and are therefore less efficient.
Personally, I consider 123 cells much more suitable to pocket lights than AAs.