Hi all,
I'm new to the forum although I've lurked for a little while. I hope this is in the correct section as I do have some battery related questions.
I just got my first LED light which is a Olight M20 Warrior Premium R2. In the past I've only had a few regular lights (cheapie flashlights, mag lights, etc) on the cheap side (less than ~$30 or so) and no LEDs. I don't have a clear cut need or purpose for the light. I just got the bug to suddenly get a nice LED light. Up untill recently, I didn't even know LED technology had come anywhere near this far in terms of providing this level of brightness. After doing quite a bit of reading and watching of videos on the net, I found my way to the Olight M20. I was looking at the Fenix PD30 originally but read that running it on high for anything but short amounts of time could damage the unit due to heat issues. If something had a 'high' or 'Turbo' mode I wanted to be able to run it on that mode until the batteries no longer supported it. From what I've read, the M20 seems to deal with heat issues in a much better fashion.
Currently, I'm running the M20 on some Titanium Innovation CR123 batteries. I ordered the light, the optional clear reflector, and a bunch of batteries from BatteyJunction and received my order in just a few days. The order was well packed and everything was complete. I haven't had a chance to play with it a whole lot but so far I'm very happy with the purchase. The over all size of the light is a bit smaller than I expected which is fine and the quality/finish seems excellent from what I can tell. I really like the fact that they are now including a metal trim ring to cover the threads if you choose to remove the metal 'cigar hold' ring. It's very simple but it's a nice detail. I will probably move to RCR batteries in the future but figured I would try out some primary CR123's first. From the reviews I've read, I'm guessing overal run times from the manufacturers are inflated quite a bit. Is this true of most manufacturers simply for marketing purposes? I'm trying to read up on dangers of rechareables before going that route. Have I just missed it or is there not a reliable smart charger out there that can safely charge RCR123A or 18650 batteries and shut off without worry? I find it hard to believe in this day and age of technology that something as simple as charging a battery, measuring voltage along the way and shutting off current when certain conditions are met isn't out there. Maybe I'm making things out to be more simple than they are but it seems like it shouldn't be that difficult. Another question, the batteries that I am using now are Titanium Innoviation CR123A 3.0V photo Batteries 1400mah made in ROC and say PTC protected on them. Are these decent/safe batteries to use for now? Also is there a favorite brand/type of charger for RCR and 18650 batteries (the M20 will take both along with regular CR123s) from the choices out there? . Should I be worried about checking voltages of new batteries (like these new Titaniums I just got) before using them to prevent a potential reverse/back charging situation or is that really only an issue with rechargeable batteries? A small multimeter is cheap enough but should I even worry about it as long as I toss out the old ones and don't mix them? Well, I think that's everything for now. I'm sorry this is so long. I just wanted to say hi and ask a few questions. I'm still foggy on some of the concepts like regulation and why sometimes CR123's are better in a given situation and sometimes a single 18650 is better, etc but I'm doing as much reading as I can. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
I'm new to the forum although I've lurked for a little while. I hope this is in the correct section as I do have some battery related questions.
I just got my first LED light which is a Olight M20 Warrior Premium R2. In the past I've only had a few regular lights (cheapie flashlights, mag lights, etc) on the cheap side (less than ~$30 or so) and no LEDs. I don't have a clear cut need or purpose for the light. I just got the bug to suddenly get a nice LED light. Up untill recently, I didn't even know LED technology had come anywhere near this far in terms of providing this level of brightness. After doing quite a bit of reading and watching of videos on the net, I found my way to the Olight M20. I was looking at the Fenix PD30 originally but read that running it on high for anything but short amounts of time could damage the unit due to heat issues. If something had a 'high' or 'Turbo' mode I wanted to be able to run it on that mode until the batteries no longer supported it. From what I've read, the M20 seems to deal with heat issues in a much better fashion.
Currently, I'm running the M20 on some Titanium Innovation CR123 batteries. I ordered the light, the optional clear reflector, and a bunch of batteries from BatteyJunction and received my order in just a few days. The order was well packed and everything was complete. I haven't had a chance to play with it a whole lot but so far I'm very happy with the purchase. The over all size of the light is a bit smaller than I expected which is fine and the quality/finish seems excellent from what I can tell. I really like the fact that they are now including a metal trim ring to cover the threads if you choose to remove the metal 'cigar hold' ring. It's very simple but it's a nice detail. I will probably move to RCR batteries in the future but figured I would try out some primary CR123's first. From the reviews I've read, I'm guessing overal run times from the manufacturers are inflated quite a bit. Is this true of most manufacturers simply for marketing purposes? I'm trying to read up on dangers of rechareables before going that route. Have I just missed it or is there not a reliable smart charger out there that can safely charge RCR123A or 18650 batteries and shut off without worry? I find it hard to believe in this day and age of technology that something as simple as charging a battery, measuring voltage along the way and shutting off current when certain conditions are met isn't out there. Maybe I'm making things out to be more simple than they are but it seems like it shouldn't be that difficult. Another question, the batteries that I am using now are Titanium Innoviation CR123A 3.0V photo Batteries 1400mah made in ROC and say PTC protected on them. Are these decent/safe batteries to use for now? Also is there a favorite brand/type of charger for RCR and 18650 batteries (the M20 will take both along with regular CR123s) from the choices out there? . Should I be worried about checking voltages of new batteries (like these new Titaniums I just got) before using them to prevent a potential reverse/back charging situation or is that really only an issue with rechargeable batteries? A small multimeter is cheap enough but should I even worry about it as long as I toss out the old ones and don't mix them? Well, I think that's everything for now. I'm sorry this is so long. I just wanted to say hi and ask a few questions. I'm still foggy on some of the concepts like regulation and why sometimes CR123's are better in a given situation and sometimes a single 18650 is better, etc but I'm doing as much reading as I can. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
