Will RCR123 hold their charge as well as CR123?

Short answer: nothing but nothing beats primary lithium for lowest self-discharge.

Longer answer: I've seen a lot of different self-discharge numbers quoted for Li-Ion and I'm not sure exactly what to believe. I heard somewhere (can't recall the source so take it for what it's worth) that in broad general terms Li-Ion self-discharge is superior to NiCd or NiMH but worse than alkaline.
 
Rechargeable Li-ions hold their charge longer than NIMH batteries thats why I switched to lights that can use Li-ions. I had a portable DVD player that broke. After about 1 year I took the battery pack apart and found it contained 3 18650 Li-ion batteries and they measured about 3.75 volts each. Put them in my Ultrafire charger and charged them up!
 
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