LFP123A batteries

[MT7]

Hey everyone,
I want to buy for my my first Surefire flashlight,but the price of CR123A is very expensive for me.
I thought to buy for my two LFP123A (LiFePO4) rechargeable batteries,because someone told me it isn't affect the otuput of the flashlight,it only affects the runtimes.
anyway,surefire LFP123a batteries are very expensive,I want to buy cheaper batteries,can you please recommend me a cheaper LFP123A batteries quality brands? my budget is max 5$ for each battery... (not XXXfire batteries)
and another question,can the XTAR WPII 2 charger (li on charger-charge 18650,14500,16340) charge safely LFP123A batteries?
If it can't, can you please recommend me a good and safe LFP123A charger? (my budget is max 22$ for the charger without shipping)

 

[Shadowww]

K2 Energy's LFP123A's are $6/piece in their store (and they are same cells that SureFire sells, actually!), and for charger, you can't use WP2 II - it charges to 4.2V while LiFePO4 needs just 3.6V, so it'd overcharge these batteries. I'd recommend Ultrafire WF-188 (it's $15 on some sites), just make sure to set it to 300mA current - the other setting, 650mA, is too high for 600mAh batteries.

 

[MT7]

K2 Energy's LFP123A's are $6/piece in their store (and they are same cells that SureFire sells, actually!), and for charger, you can't use WP2 II - it charges to 4.2V while LiFePO4 needs just 3.6V, so it'd overcharge these batteries. I'd recommend Ultrafire WF-188 (it's $15 on some sites), just make sure to set it to 300mA current - the other setting, 650mA, is too high for 600mAh batteries.

OK,thanks.
are there anymore quality brands of LFP123A batteries? because I can't find a seller which ship this battery to my country in ebay.
and can you recommend me more quality charger for using with the LFP123A ? becuase I have bad experience witth XXXfire items...
is there better charger?
thanks advance...

 

[Shadowww]

Where do you live? K2 Energy ships to USA, Europe and some Asian countries from their own store.

Also, for LiFePO4 chemistry the WF-188 is perfectly fine. I'm using 4 of them for couple of years now (with A123Systems APR18650M1 cells)

 

[45/70]

It's very rare for me to recommend an UltraFire product, but the WF-138 works OK, for charging LiFe cells. Make sure it's the one for 16340 size cells, there is an "A" model and a "B" model, I forget which is which. The one that charges 16340 size, is switchable between 3 and 3.6 Volt cells (actual charging voltage is 3.6, or 4.2 Volts). The other model only charges 14500 cells at 4.2 Volts (no switch).

I wouldn't recommend either charger for LiCo/LiMn cells though. They don't really use a proper charging algorithm. LiFePO4​ cells are more forgiving in this respect however. The only drawback I really see with the WF-138 and charging LiFe cells, is that it terminates a bit early. This is actually probably a good thing though. I do believe it trickle charges after the main charge, so remove the cells when the LED quits blinking and turns solid green, or you will cause unnecessary wear to your cells. This is a bit more serious problem when charging LiCo/LiMn cells, and is another reason not to use the WF-138 for these cells.

Dave

 

[MT7]

It's very rare for me to recommend an UltraFire product, but the WF-138 works OK, for charging LiFe cells. Make sure it's the one for 16340 size cells, there is an "A" model and a "B" model, I forget which is which. The one that charges 16340 size, is switchable between 3 and 3.6 Volt cells (actual charging voltage is 3.6, or 4.2 Volts). The other model only charges 14500 cells at 4.2 Volts (no switch).

I wouldn't recommend either charger for LiCo/LiMn cells though. They don't really use a proper charging algorithm. LiFePO4​ cells are more forgiving in this respect however. The only drawback I really see with the WF-138 and charging LiFe cells, is that it terminates a bit early. This is actually probably a good thing though. I do believe it trickle charges after the main charge, so remove the cells when the LED quits blinking and turns solid green, or you will cause unnecessary wear to your cells. This is a bit more serious problem when charging LiCo/LiMn cells, and is another reason not to use the WF-138 for these cells.

Dave

OK,thanks,
But I didn't fully understand you,
Which charger do you recommend me to use with LFP123A batteries?
can you recommend me a good and safe charger to use with LFP123A batteries?
thanks advance...

 

[snakyjake]

How much cheaper are the cheap battery/charger going to be? I'd spend the extra $10 and buy quality, with the backing of Surefire.

 

[Robert_M]

Battery Junction sells a pair of Tenergy LiFePO4 RCR123A batteries plus a charger for $16.75.

 

[MT7]

Battery Junction sells a pair of Tenergy LiFePO4 RCR123A batteries plus a charger for $16.75.

are they offer international shipping?
because I'm live in israel...
thanks advance and have a nice day

 

[Robert_M]

are they offer international shipping?
because I'm live in israel...
thanks advance and have a nice day

Yes they do.

 

[45/70]

I'll go along with Snaky in that if you buy a charger and cells from SureFire, you have some additional piece of mind that if anything goes wrong with them, you'll likely get it resolved quickly. I just brought up the WF-138 because I have used one, it works OK, is the correct size for 16340 cells, and is available from many dealers.

I charge all of my Li-Ion cells with a hobby charger, anymore. In earlier days when I didn't know any better I bought a lot of chargers that really "ain't quite right". Anyway, as I said the WF-138 works OK for LiFe cells, I just wouldn't use it for any others, now.

Just for information, IFR, LiFe, LiFePO4​, lithium iron phosphate, and now I see LFP cropping up here and there, are all basically the same type of cell. There are variations around, such as the A123 Systems cells, which have different qualities, but are still basically LiFePO4​ cells. The differences for the most part are the performance of the cells and the maximum charging rate. Most smaller LiFePO4​ cells for example, are limited to a maximum 1C charge rate, but not necessarily all.

Dave