Thinking about Rechargeables

Bobby_C · Sep 19, 2011

I've had a 6P for a few years now and didn't mind the occasional battery swap but it's expensive. It made me more conscious about using the light and how long I keep it on rather than just use it as a tool. I've since started buying AA and AAA lights so they're cheaper to use. Now I have a bunch of AA lights and rechargeables to go with them, not to mention I just bought a BC1000 and a bunch of Eneloop AA and AAA batteries.

So you'd think I'm all set.

This weekend, I went to a friend's house who is also an Olight dealer. I ended up buying a M20-X and now I have 2 lights that use CR123A's. I'd really like to use this light but don't look forward to the expense of replacing these batteries. The M20-X can use 18650 and has a sleeve for CR123A (in there currently). The 6P isn't bored so it can only use CR123A.

So what am I trying to get at? Well, I've been doing a ton of research on rechargeables and keep getting conflicting info on some of these batteries and chargers. I think I would like to go with RCR123A since I could use them in both lights but I'm thinking I'd like to be able to use/recharge 10440, 14500, 17670 and18650 in the future so I'd like a charger that can handle those sizes. I saw that JetBeam is coming out with a nice charger but it's still vaporware from what I understand.

I use these lights mostly when I walk my dog at night but also around my building. The M20-X was specifically for camping but it would be nice to be able to use it daily w/o the expense.

Any recommendations for my situation would be greatly appreciated. Links to specific products would also be great!

Bobby_C · Sep 20, 2011

Bad form to reply to one's own thread but thought I'd also ask about LiFePo4 batteries. What's the consensus on these? I saw some on Amazon.com.

If you guys could also comment on the rough estimates of runtime I'd get compared to regular CR123A. I know a lot of these have mAh ratings but they seem to be all over the place. I had a few 2300-2900mAh AA batteries but everyone's so favorable to the low self discharge Eneloop 2000mAh batteries so I just got some of them to try out.

HotWire · Sep 20, 2011

I run a G2 (similar to 6P) on one 17670. I use it with guilt-free lumens all the time. It's incandescent and not quite as bright, but for small jobs around the house it's fine. Don't run 2 RCR123s in there unless you find a 7.4 Chinese bulb or convert to an appropriate P60 LED. You can do either of those things. I can't respond to the M20-X. I don't have one.

Bobby_C · Sep 20, 2011

Thanks for the reply.

I should've mentioned that I have a 320 lm drop-in (not sure what LED is in there R5?)

Wrend · Sep 20, 2011

Eneloops do have some advantages over other AA cells other than their low self discharger performance (which really only becomes useful if you don't use your cells very frequently, or want your cells to be ready to use without waiting for them to charge) such as having a high cycle life expectancy, and relatively low internal resistance.

LiFePO4 cells can be pretty good, but there are a wide range of different quality ones out there. Probably the best well known performers would be the A123 System's cells.

Bobby_C · Sep 26, 2011

So I decided on a Tenergy RCR123A LiFePO4 750mAh batteries and charger.

I thought I wanted the JetBeam (SysMax) Intellicharger i4. I placed an order but they're backordered so I cancelled after reading a bit more. Now I'm leaning toward a Xtar WP2 with some EagleTac 2400mAh batteries (for now).

Any thoughts?