Which is better in a Surefire 6P with an SSC Drop-In: rechargable 123A's or a 18650?

[michaelmcgo]

I have two TrustFire 2500mAh 18650 Batteries on order and am wondering how they compare to two rechargeable CR123A (trustfire brand) batteries in a Surefire 6P with an SSC Drop-in module? I am interested mostly in runtime, but brightness will all be a factor.

The machining is no problem, I have a lathe and 18mm reamer at work.

 

[baterija]

Re: Which is better in a Surefire 6P with a Q5 Drop-In: rechargable 123A's or a 18650

Which dropin were you looking at? It all depends on the driver used in the dropin.

 

[michaelmcgo]

Re: Which is better in a Surefire 6P with a Q5 Drop-In: rechargable 123A's or a 18650

Sorry, it's actually not a Q5 at all, it's an SSC 42180.

 

[2000xlt]

I thought 18650's would not fit unless it was bored out, the 6p that is

 

[Gunner12]

The 6P won't fit the 18650 unless it is bored out or you have a different body for it.

As for the drop-in, that will depend on the circuit. My guess is that it will regulate better on 2 CR123 batteries. 2 fully charged RCR123s can be around 4.2v(depends on chemistry and the circuit) so that will be around 0.4v over the supposed max of the drop-in. It might work and it might not.

As for how the batteries compare, the 18650 has almost 2x the capacity of 2 RCR123s.

 

[michaelmcgo]

I do plan on boring out the body of the 6P. They come stock at 17.4mm, so I'm not worried about boring out the body, I can easily do that at work. I just don't like the runtime of the 123A's (somewhere under an hour), and if I could get 2 hours out of a 18650, that would be awesome and I'd even give up some brightness and/or regulation.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Good thing your boring to take 18650 as the protected 17670 Ultrafire at DX are not that great in quality (especially at negative end) compared to the TrustFire 18650's you ordered. 2xCr123 may likely be brighter and in regulation but as said the 2xRCR123 may be too much voltage when DX says 3.7V ~ 8.0V.

Any particular reason why you went with the SSC dropin and not a good bright Q5/R2 ?.

If you are planning to use a single cell only say a 17670 or 18650 (will not be able to use 2xCR123/2xRCR123) then sku.11074 may be the best option at brightness and regulation as shown in this review.

 

[phantom23]

I don't know 'michaelmcgo' but for me SSC drop-in has one huuuge advantage - incredibly smooth beam unachieveable for any Cree drop-in. And he'd like to have at least 2 hr runtime and "I'd even give up some brightness and/or regulation." SSC is equally bright but it has less throw and more spill.

 

[michaelmcgo]

I don't know 'michaelmcgo' but for me SSC drop-in has one huuuge advantage - incredibly smooth beam unachieveable for any Cree drop-in.

This is exactly the reason I use the SSC drop-in. There is not really any spot, definitely no rings, just bright in the middle, and fading out to the edges. It's great for use at under 20', which is where I use my flashlight at work. I have an R2 and a Q5 drop-in, but they are both very ringy.

 

[phantom23]

There is not really any spot...

There is spot and it throws well. There is no sharp edge between spot and spill which is great:twothumbs.

 

[2000xlt]

how much material needs to be bored out

 

[michaelmcgo]

Only about .024" total (.012" per side). The inside mics at .685" right now, and 18mm = .709"

 

[ampdude]

As stated the 6P will not fit an 18650 unless bored out. 17670 would be the largest battery size. I would not use either of these though anyways, as two RCR's will typically provide better brightness through the runtime. It all depends on the driver of course, but this is generally the case.

 

[LukeA]

Only about .024" total (.012" per side). The inside mics at .685" right now, and 18mm = .709"

Yes, 18mm is .709 in., but 18650s run big. My Trustfire 18650s need about 18.5mm (.730) for clearance.

EDIT: If you were experiencing a reduction in brightness with that board on a single 18650 compared to two RCR123s, you could swap the dropin's driver for a 1050mA AMC7135 driver that will run excellently from a single li-ion cell.

 

[kramer5150]

I have a 6P with 10 RCR123s, that I cycle in/out of service so I'm kind of an outsider looking in.

As long as you can mod the 6P body, go with the 18650. Theres nothing to be gained from 2xRCR123. 18650 buys you extra run time, equal brightness provided you pick the right module with a good boost circuit, cell-matching is a non-issue, fewer cells to charge and maintain, fewer cells to carry as backup.

The only reason I use RCR123s is I have smaller single cell lights, so I get by powering everything with only one cell type.

 

[candlepowerforever]

I have sku 11074 from dealextreme and it is pretty good if you want a multi mode.

 

[michaelmcgo]

I really only want a single mode (unless somebody finally comes out with a decent 2-mode). I don't really mind a sacrifice in brightness, as long as I'm not reduced to mini-mag levels. I really want the two hour runtime for hiking, hunting, and general outdoor bumping around. I've used a flashlight a few times to get back to camp, and would have been stranded if it were not for the very long runtime of the Fenix L2T.