17670 Li-Ion Lamp Assembly Recommendations

Greetings from a new CPF member,

I am new to both the world of high quality flashlights and CPF. This is my first post after many evenings attempting to enlighten myself by perusing the discussion threads.

I recently purchased a SureFire 6P from LightHound (excellent dealer, thanks John!) with the G&P G90/RCR123a/DSD Charger Kit. Guilt-free lumens! I also picked up a few sets of rechargeable Li-Ion batteries to try and I've been generally happy with the results. Using an A19 extender, I can successfully run the G90 with two 17500 batteries (both protected and unprotected). The lamp lights immediately and runs much brighter than the stock SureFire P60 lamp assembly with two primary CR123's. I'm not having as much success driving my lamps with the protected 17670 batteries. Although a single protected 17670 will light either lamp (no double-clicking required!) the light output is greatly reduced (naturally).

So, can anybody recommend a reasonably bright lamp assembly (incandescent or LED) that will fit in a SureFire 6P head and run at full or near-full brightness when driven by a single 3.7V protected 17670 battery? I plan to use this flashlight/battery combination during a weekend camping trip I have planned for late March. I will be bringing a supply of CR123 primaries (and a back-up Brinkman Maxfire) just in case.

Thanks everyone. I've enjoyed reading your comments along my journey of enlightenment!

See this thread, has some info that may help
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=101072

There are three incandescents to consider:

• G&P G5R, rated 70 lumens, 1.8A, available only from Emillion, about $9 (to those who register on his site)
• Wolf Eyes original 3.7V D26 (also sold as a Pila under a different model name), 80 lumens, about 2 amps
• Wolf Eyes new 3.7V D26, 100 lumens, about 2 amps

I have all three, as well as the new Wolf Eyes 3.7V D36 (miniturbo), and will be reporting on them in March, with beam shots.

The G&P and the new D26 have relatively narrow, white beams.

The old D26's beam is wider, though somewhat less white and less bright.

The new D36 concentrates the beam for throw. Bright and white, it's probably the best-throwing single-cell incandescent in existence, rivaling my G90 mounted in a tactical reflector (not the miniturbo G90).

For general use, I recommend the old D26.

Now the bad news: None of these lights will work with an AW or similar low-cost protected 17670. You'll need a Wolf Eyes 168B, a Microfire 168S, a Pila 168S, or a Pila 300S.

Thanks for the recommendations guys.

nuggett, that was a helpful thread link. I didn't pick it up when I searched the CPF threads. The G&P 3W LED Drop-in unit looks like a good EDC lamp candidate for a 17670-equipped SureFire 6P.

Paul, great information! I'm anxious to learn what you've discovered in your upcoming reviews. I was hoping to avoid purchasing additional rechargeable Li-Ions for a while. My total financial commitment to my recently acquired interest in flashlights has greatly exceeded my anticipated budget!

To think, this whole thing got started when I bought a Brinkman Maxfire at Target to carry in my Jeep. I now have two Maxfires (one rides in my wife's car), one SF 6P w/ P60 lamp & A19 extender, one G&P G90 lamp, DSD Charger, six unprotected Li-Ion batteries (four RCR123a's and two 17500's), an assortment of protected Li-Ion batteries (two 17670's and two 17500's) AND a G&P 3W LED on the way! Am I doomed? ;-)

Again, thanks for taking the time to enlighten another newbie. I guess I'm now officially addicted to this flashlight thing!

CoffeeAchiever said:

Am I doomed? ;-)

Click to expand...

Yes. Yes I'm afraid you are. Sorry.

Hello and Welcome CoffeeAchiever and a Brewed Awakening to You!

Once again, thanks for the input! I just read the thread started by AlexGT titled "Wolf eyes 3.7V 100 Lumen bulb vs. Surefire P60 BEAMSHOTS!" It looks like the Wolf-Eyes 3.7V 100 Lumen lamp assembly is just the ticket in a double CR123a size flashlight body (like the SF 6P) even if double clicking the switch is required. I think I'll order a Wolf-Eyes lamp myself and give it a try.

Thanks CHC for the warm welcome. I plan to stick around here for while and soak up more good info.

In response to the_beast, I'm afraid you're right. I am doomed! ;-)

I managed to light the new D26 100lumen 3.7Volt Lamp assembly with an AW protected 17670 by doing the double tap on it.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=108911

HTH
AlexGT

CoffeeAchiever said:

It looks like the Wolf-Eyes 3.7V 100 Lumen lamp assembly is just the ticket in a double CR123a size flashlight body (like the SF 6P) even if double clicking the switch is required.

Click to expand...

I recommend getting the real deal: A 6A-II or 6M. That way, you can use a 168A cell, the cell size for which this 2-amp lamp was intended. You could probably single-click the 3.7V D26 with a $7 protected 18650 cell from e-lectronics.net.