Paul_in_Maryland
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm using AW's protected 17500 cells in my Streamlight TL-3 and LEDWave Z-3. I've read that the TL-3 draws about 1.2A, suggesting that it's draining the cells at about 1.1C. Well, the cells are lasting just 25 to 28 minutes continuous before the light shuts off. With a capacity of about 1100 mAh at 0.2C, shouldn't I be getting more runtime?
I thought that the cells were shutting down because of heat; the TL-3 body, in particular, gets hot. But the Z-3 body remains fairly comfortable to hold, yet it's yielding the same runtime. And even after I let the lights cool down, there's no more juice.
By contrast, my Wolf Eyes 9MX yields 60 minutes from its AW 18500 protected cells (rated 1500 mAh). That's 10 minutes longer than Wolf Eyes claims for its 1300 mAh 150A cells. The Wolf Eyes body stays cooler than either of the other two lights.
What kind of runtimes are others achieving from protected 17500 cells in a TL-3? Is runtime degraded by heat? Or are the TL-3 and Z-3 drawing more current than I realized--on the order of 1.8A?
I thought that the cells were shutting down because of heat; the TL-3 body, in particular, gets hot. But the Z-3 body remains fairly comfortable to hold, yet it's yielding the same runtime. And even after I let the lights cool down, there's no more juice.
By contrast, my Wolf Eyes 9MX yields 60 minutes from its AW 18500 protected cells (rated 1500 mAh). That's 10 minutes longer than Wolf Eyes claims for its 1300 mAh 150A cells. The Wolf Eyes body stays cooler than either of the other two lights.
What kind of runtimes are others achieving from protected 17500 cells in a TL-3? Is runtime degraded by heat? Or are the TL-3 and Z-3 drawing more current than I realized--on the order of 1.8A?