Need advice on Re-chargeables...

[Ogg Vorbis]

Firstly Hi, this is my first post on CPF!

Well I'm new to the world of flashlight fanatics and have already learnt much from reading threads. I recently bought a Nuwai Q3 and am looking to buy a Fenix P2D-CE in the near future.

My problem, as with many, lies with the CR123 batteries. Yes I know they can be bought real cheap, but I'd like something with a little more life to it, so I've been looking at re-chargeable's but I'm not quite up to speed with it all.

After looking around I've found my way to AW's LiIon Battery Sales and was wondering if the following would be suitable for use in the above flashlights...

Protected R123A ( 750 mAH ) ----- $ 6.00 each
(Plus the Nano charger)

I would have happily bought them until I read this thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=1252430#post1252430

So if anyone could please aid me in my choice, it will be much appreciated.

Cheers, Danny

 

[VidPro]

its over spec, its out of spec, and its not recommended by the people who made the light. and by the users , as you saw in the thread.

it would run it harder, be nice and bright, fail sooner.

what is it they say, the light that burns 10% brighter lasts about 1/2 as long

hey cant you get a 3Volt rechargable? i saw them around here somewhere.

 

[Ogg Vorbis]

That's why I hesitated. I've seen many other charger sets on e-bay but I'm just not sure what to look for...

What do most people do for batteries? Would it just be easier if I buy a mass of disposables?

 

[VidPro]

What do most people do for batteries? Would it just be easier if I buy a mass of disposables?

but how much fun would that be just toss your money and go. waste the environment , initiate your own global polution of the entire planet , and get all of 1 hour out of a weasily little battery.
that would only cost me 30-60$ a month extra, that is all i need another Monthly fee, if i was using that light for the whole night, mabey i could get a new CAR instead . or an AA light each month.

^ gee arent i cynical today

lets try this
http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1158
(mostly as an EXAMPLE)
now it is important to note that a 3V rechargable like this, is usually a li-ion that is trimmed back, so it works similar to 3v cell, using magic curcuits.
the charger must be selected appropriatly, because there were issues with mixing up these batteries and thier chargers, with batteries or was it chargers?, that are NOT the same.
so you would want to use some sort of recommended charger.

also because it has the added curcuit junk , it can extend the total length of the battery ~3-4mm, and the width by ~1mm


there is also a lithium iron phosphate cell, what is it li-po4 or li-fe-po4 or something, that is a lower voltage battery chemistry, that does not have as much capacity for size/weight.

 

[VidPro]

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2583
here is an example of the li-fe-po cell.
this type of cell has lower voltage chemisty by default (charges to 3.6V), alegged to be safer, but still has a charging specification that is again different from ya li-ion. (just to make things easy for all of us)

if my reading is all correct, this cell will be Higher than a (properly) toned down 3V cell using a curcuit. and it also has lower total capacity.

 

[VidPro]

then just for completion of the discussion.
http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2190
(again as an example)
this is your usual li-ion protected cell (called 3.6v or 3.7v), charges to ~4.2v and would be MUCH much higher voltage than a li-fe-po or a 3V curcuit changed li-ion, or a primary.

the one that for your light you probably want to avoid most, even though it is great for other purposes.

 

[Ogg Vorbis]

I've had a look around the LightHound site considering your points. The LiFePO4 batteries don't seem so great. Short run time and you've got to be real careful about the discharge level by the sounds of it.

The 3V protected appear to be a good choice, and i also came across these UltraFire cells:

http://www.ultrafire-shop.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=48

I guess the question now is... What would you recommend? And when you say the 3.6V cells are great for other purposes, are these non-flashlight applications? I've got so much to learn...

 

[VidPro]

that is all i know, sombody else shoulda chimed in by now, i dont use as many of the photo size batterys.

you can use 3.6V li-ions in lights that have curcuits that go to 6V (like used 2x3V cells). or you can modify almost anything to use it, with some parts and pieces, and a hammer.
some things are designed for rechargables, even came WITH them, in the package. more things are becomming capable of, or have models that will.

 

[Ogg Vorbis]

I'll sit tight... hopefully someone will be able to shed some more light on the topic over night.

Since the guys at Nuwai have said that it's not recommended that we use rechargeables in their products... what do they say over at Fenix? Might be a good excuse to get the P2D a bit sooner!

Thanks for your input VidPro!

 

[VidPro]

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1553
( again i have no idea of the quality) this one claims RCR123 use.
but between you and me, some other things did , and they still went into direct drive, because they fell out of regulation over about ~3.8V.
at least if they sell it that way, and tell it that way, they can eat it that way when it fails.