Pelican M6(p60 drop in) and a Surefire A2 aviator questions

[Globerambler]

I'm new to upgrading flashlights. The two lights I'm working with is a stated in the heading.

I've dug through the forums and found some very old posts. I know that batteries have evolved a lot in over a decade.

So my question is what rechargeable options do I have for a Pelican M6 with p60 led dropin and a Surefire A2 Aviator with stock red/white Incan bulb

I'm preferably looking for a single battery I can run in both. I saw some said that rcr123 worked fine in the Aviator but could strain the red bulbs some and suggested removing them. I also read that a 16650 wouldn't fit in the aviator without being boared out. Help!

16340? rcr123?

 

[Olumin]

I have many 16650s, none of them fit in the A2. Some of them could be "forced in", but good luck getting them back out (please don't try that). Depending on the LED drop-in for your M6, you can use a standard 16650. Many LED drop-ins are designed to run off 3,7V. If your Drop-in runs off 6V, while 3,2V rcr123s exist, they are very low capacity and I think it would be easier to just get a 3,7V drop-in.

For the A2 in stock configuration, again, 3,2V rcr123s exist, but I personally wouldn't bother with them. The A2 can technically be run on 2x standard 3,7V 16640s since the light is regulated, this would give you reasonable runtime (still not great), but do that at your own risk.

 

[Daniel_sk]

Voltage with one rechargeable is too low for A2 main beam - it will not work. You can look into Vapcell RCR 16340. These are the highest capacity currently available. They have around 750 mAh real capacity - independent test: https://budgetlightforum.com/node/67557
The stock LED ring is direct drive and it will be driven a bit over spec but no issues have been reported after years of usage with rechargeables. You can replace the LED ring with Koala rings (search CPF) but production is on halt due to Covid. These are designed to run fine on rechargeables and you can swap LEDs.
Aftermarket bulbs are available from Lumens Factory. You can also try to find a bi-pin adapter and use super cheap Strion bulbs. These are a bit brighter, whiter beam color, but reduce bulb life and runtime.
I am not sure about runtime of stock MA02 bulb with the Vapcells. I think the original draws someting around 1.2-1.5 A so you will probably see around 30 minutes of runtime, compared to almost hour on primarary batteries. But you can carry spares...