Surefire 8AX Commander - best rechargeable battery

[Policetacteam]

What is the best rechargeable battery for the 8AX commander. I have used two custom sticks from Silverfox which have worked very well for quite a while but the light does not seem as bright as it once was. Suggestions on any new sticks!?!

 

[Robocop]

I carried the newer version B-90 batteries direct from Surefire for years with excellent results. The first runs had some issues however the replacement batteries seemed to do just fine.

If I remember correct there was a member here long ago that made some good cells for this light however I can not find the thread. I also believe there was a drop in lamp assembly both in Luxeon and Incandescent however I may be wrong about that.....I have sold mine long ago and kind of forgot most of the older threads about this light.

Good Luck

 

[glockboy]

How about new bulb?

What is the best rechargeable battery for the 8AX commander. I have used two custom sticks from Silverfox which have worked very well for quite a while but the light does not seem as bright as it once was. Suggestions on any new sticks!?!

 

[Policetacteam]

I was wondering about the bulb as well. The replacement bulb, which I believe is the P90, is fairly expensive as well. The custom sticks I have in it were made by Silverfox and I think that is who Robocop was thinking of. Great batteries I was just wondering if the technology in the past year or so has seen any significant upgrades or improvements for batteries or for any Cree drop-ins for this light. Its a great light it just needs some new life breathed into it!

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Policetacteam,

Sorry, the search for a better cell to use in that battery pack is still underway. I was hoping that GP would do another run of their 3700-SP cells, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I have been playing with some Saft cells that look promising, but they are not quite as good as the GP cells were. I guess I am spoiled by the performance from the GP cells.

If you have the capability, you may want to do a discharge, down to 0.9 volts per cell, or 2.7 volts for the whole pack, then do a 16 hour charge at 350 mA. This should revive and balance the cells in the pack if you haven't done this in a while.

Someone was working on modifying the lamp assembly to LED, but I lost track of that project. A search in the modified part of CPF may bring up something.

The lamps do age and get a little darker near the end of their life. I don't know if there is a significant drop off in illumination, but there is some.

Tom

 

[Policetacteam]

Silverfox,

Your batteries were, and still are, awesome! It probably is the bulb starting to fizzle out. I believe I purchased those batteries 1 or 1 1/2 years ago. Considering that I charge them daily or every other day what would you guess the life expectancy is for these guys. I usually give them the charge once until you get the solid green light, then pull it out and put it back in until I get the blinking green light (per the instructions).

In regards to the LED upgrade I would love some info on that! I love this light because it is just the right size, fits my hands perfect, fits my duty belt great, and its rechareable! I would love some type of LED or Cree set-up if one exists!?! If anyone knows of a semi cheap solution let me know! Paul

 

[yellow]

honestly I have not used my 8X, 9N for some time now.
For my taste the considerably smaller 18650 Li-Ion led lights are much better --> sturdier, running longer, offering different light levels and (at least) seeming brighter.

If You want to try: at the moment the Jetbeam Jet III Pro ST is my favorite.

The 8X is modded to a Seoul P4 atm, but that mod is surpassed by the very good 18650 production lights like the Jet III and thus will be changed to a MC-E soon.

 

[Robocop]

I may be wrong on this as it has been a long time since I sold my Commander however it seems like maybe Lumens Factory lamps can be modded to fit this light. Again I can not remember however I think I played with a few of the Lumens Factory lamps and my old Commander 8AX.....seems like I did manage to get a few of them to work.

Please know that I may be wrong on this but I do think there are a few of their lamps that have the SF type base and with a little tinkering they may be made to fit. I have found that most of their lamps are very white tinted for an incandescent and put out much more light than most I have tried.

May be worth a try just to breath some life back into that classic you have there.

 

[Policetacteam]

If you have the capability, you may want to do a discharge, down to 0.9 volts per cell, or 2.7 volts for the whole pack, then do a 16 hour charge at 350 mA. This should revive and balance the cells in the pack if you haven't done this in a while.

SilverFox,

I am a police officer and have the utmost respect for your level of electronic genius but could you explain how to do that in layman's terms. I am not battery savvy like you. Do I need to pick up something, tool or device, from Radioshack to "discharge" the battery and how do I measure where the battery is at in terms of volts. Please bare with me! I can work on, fix, and otherwise armorer almost any weapon but you are talking a whole new language.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Policetacteam,

The B90 battery pack makes testing a little difficult. With both the + and - connections at the + end of the battery pack, the possibility of shorting out the pack is high. Care is needed when working with this pack.

I use a CBA II for discharging, and my Schulze charger for charging. Radio Shack doesn't carry either of these, so let's see what we can come up with that doesn't cost as much as these excellent tools do...

Discharging is easy. Run the light until it dims down. Shut if off and let it rest for a minute or two, then turn it on again until it dims again. Repeat this 2 - 3 times and the battery pack will be discharged.

Charging is where things get difficult. Unless you have an interest in purchasing a hobby charger that allows you to set the charge rate and supports 0.1C charging (not all hobby chargers allow you to continue to charge. Many are designed to quickly charge and then terminate the charge on -dV or have a time limit for charging), you will have to simply use your SureFire charger.

If you end up with a hobby charger, charge at 350 mA for 16 hours. Using the SureFire charger you would charge the battery until the light turns green, remove the battery and put it back in and charge it until it goes through green to flashing green. Now, leave it on flashing green for 24 hours. This should allow the cells in the pack to balance.

Another thought is to go to Radio Shack and pick up a 4.5 volt 350 mA wall wart. Mr Happy and/or Mr Al would be able to give you a better idea on this. You would then have to come up with a way to attach wires to the B90 battery without shorting things out.

You would have to set a timer for this, and remember to terminate the charge after 16 hours.

Tom

 

[cnjl3]

Is this the thread you were referring to?
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/189387
It seems like it fizzled out. I did send him a PM to see
if there were any available for sale.

Someone was working on modifying the lamp assembly to LED, but I lost track of that project. A search in the modified part of CPF may bring up something.
Tom

 

[Justin Case]

I was wondering about the bulb as well. The replacement bulb, which I believe is the P90, is fairly expensive as well.

The correct incandescent lamp for the 8AX is the X80. If it were the P90, then you could simply replace it with the appropriate SureFire 6P LED drop-in module from any number of sources.

 

[Policetacteam]

That's cool! I wonder if he's still selling those!?! I might be interested.