Which stores sell Rechargeable Lithium cells?

[4EN[sic]]

I would like to take my lights to a physical store to test fit different batteries. Are there any stores you guys know of that caries these rechargeables? I live in Oregon.

 

[Oddjob]

I have not read of any brick and mortar stores that carry Li-on rechargeables. Most if not all CPF'ers buy them online. The Source by Circuit City did carry some 3.0 v rechargeables last year but they were not labeled protected or unprotected and I have not seen them in a while so I do not think they carry them anymore. Maybe some stores in the States carry rechargeables but I do not think so. Hopefully others can verify.

What you can do is tell us what lights you have and people here can tell you if they have any experience with which Li-on rechargeable batteries fit and which do not.

 

[Marduke]

It may be easier to just ask here what lights you have, and what batteries you are thinking of using. Chances are someone (or many people) here will know the exact answer.

Only B&M stores I can think of are Radio Shack (expensive store brand cells only), or a battery store like Batteries Plus

 

[4EN[sic]]

I did quite a bit of searching and apparently people ask this all the time. I was mainly looking at Battery Junction UltraFires, but heard that AW cells are favorites on here. I have mainly Surefire lights. I would like to get a couple of the big (2 123 cells in one) rechargeable cells for my L4 (100 lumen model), E2L outdoorsman and E2dL Defender. Also I have a L1. The L1 is a fairly recent cree and the E2L is not the newest one, but the cree single stage. Because of the L1, I would also like a few of the single 123 cells as well (16340 ?) Thanks for the help!

 

[Tomcat!]

I've recently got into Li-ion cells and my first batch are all Pila. The only problem I had was with the fit of the 17670 (Pila No.600S) in an E2e body with an older KL4 head, which is effectively an L4. When you insert that size cell it wedges itself about 8-10mm shy of the bottom of the battery tube so you cannot get the head on and the tailcap spring won't reach the cell. This is due to the inside of the tube tapering at the end. Although I've only tried this with Pila as that's all I have, other people have reported the same problem with the E2e body and also the L4 with various brands of 17670 cells. However, this does not mean that the E2e/L4 are totally incompatible. Because there seems to be more tolerance variation in the E series parts, plenty of people also report that they don't have this problem. If you do have this issue, it is possible to shave off a small enough amount of metal from inside the last 10mm of the battery tube to allow a 17670 to fit. I did it only this weekend with a Dremmel through the tail cap end and it works. Others have used a dowel with progressively finer grit sand/emery paper wrapped around and inserted into the battery end of the tube. Either method will work but takes time and patience. The trick is to take off only a little metal at a time and to periodically test fit the cell. You want to enlarge the tube just enough to take the cell but not so much that it rattles because if you then put in primaries there will be too much play. I would also advise that you aim to make the tube surface as smooth as you can (hence the ever finer grit) so the tube doesn't scrape and gouge the cell. Make sure you work evenly all round the internal circumference otherwise you'll end up with it lopsided, and don't forget to clean out all the grit and metal particles before use. As far as the finished mod goes, the 17670 should then work perfectly, but I did notice that the KL4 head does heat up a lot quicker than on primaries and I was a bit concerned about how the Li-ion cell would react to the body getting so hot.

Another method I've read about is stripping the thick wrapper from the cell and giving it a thinner tape wrapper. Apparently it works. Personally I wouldn't do it because although it's quick, I don't like to monkey with the cell itself and it means you may have to do it with every Li-ion you put in there, whereas modding the tube means you only do it once.

 

[shakeylegs]

I would like to take my lights to a physical store to test fit different batteries. Are there any stores you guys know of that caries these rechargeables? I live in Oregon.

Check out AW's sales threads in the Marketplace/Dealers forum.

 

[4EN[sic]]

Good info! I'm curious as to why no one has made rechargeable cells that are the same size as the SureFire cells, as a direct replacement.

 

[Marduke]

Good info! I'm curious as to why no one has made rechargeable cells that are the same size as the SureFire cells, as a direct replacement.

Same size and voltage is no problem, but to have both you take a major runtime hit because of the chemistry needed. AW's cells are the same size as standard CR123 cells, but they are 3.7v, which many SF lights do not like at all (especially incan ). You can go with LiFePO4 cells, which are the right size and voltage, but then you have runtime on the order of 1/3 of a CR123 primary.

 

[mdocod]

there are 2 links at the top of my sig line, give em a run through. between the 2 links, most surefire models are covered as far as their rechargeable compatibility. still working on adding a few, but regardless, your current attitude seems to be "I want to go find one that fits" without any regard for whether or not the electronics in the flashlight are designed to work with the different voltage. This is why there ARE NOT li-ion cells being sold in brick and mortar stores, because there's more to it than grabbing a pack of AAs in the checkout isle of walmart on a last whim of a thought. The right cell has to be selected for the right application, in some cases, the choices of rechargeable alternative are quite disappointing in the runtime department when compared with CR123 primaries.

 

[4EN[sic]]

The LW cells sound good. But, I am uncertain if they will kill my lights. Also, is the runtime on these longer than the surefire primaries? I have:
L1
L4
E2L
E2D LED Defender

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

you are better of buying from CPF member AW on the link below

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=180449

 

[4EN[sic]]

Good point mdocod! I assumed they would work, as long as they would fit. Didn't consider the fact that they may not work electronically. I always see on here, extra brightness and killer run times with these rechargeables. Plus I'm getting tired of coughing up 4-5 bucks per 2 pack of surefires at the local spot. Nice, your guide is awesome! All my digging so far and I did not see this yet. Reading it enthusiastically right now!

 

[Mr Happy]

Last time I was in Fry's they had a pack by UltraLast of 2x 3 V RCR123 plus charger. It's all sealed up though, so you wouldn't be able to try the batteries for fit.

 

[jabe1]

Thought I saw a thread recently going over RCR123 sizes along with runtime graphs, no time to search now...work.

 

[Marduke]

RCR123's will always have shorter runtime than CR123 primaries. You must be thinking of NiMH vs alkaline, where going to rechargable gives you greatly improved runtimes.

That is one reason why so many CPF'ers like the 18650 format. It's just a tad wider than two CR123 primaries, but gives you a tad more runtime, plus being rechargable. Two RCR123's in nearly the same volume will give you much less runtime than the CR123 primaries.

 

[swampgator]

Last time I was in HobbyTown USA they carried a few Li Ons. Don't remember what sizes, but I'm pretty sure they had an 18650 sized cell. Of course everything's under glass. Unfortunately they didn't seem too interested in my business so I bought elsewhere.

 

[curtispdx]

Check Northwest Battery Supply in Portland. Also, Joe's has pretty good prices on SF primaries.

 

[4EN[sic]]

Thanks for the helpful advice everyone. I think I will stick with primaries for now. I really don't think I use my lights enough to justify the expense for chargers, batteries and the chance of blowing up my leds. I'm fresh to the scene, didn't realize the primaries had more runtime. I might just stock up on 20 or so and call it good for a few years.