No, not the color green, environmentally green. I've been looking around for a good EDC LED flashlight and, after much research and advice, boiled things down to two choices. Either an HDS EDC U60GT or a Surefire L1. I went looking for possible battery sources online and found several disclaimers that rechargeables weren't intended to be used in Surefire LED lights. I am not experienced in electronics and was puzzled by this disclaimer. I then called Surefire tech support and was told, like it was a point of pride, that NO Surefire LED model will support rechargeable batteries. It was like my question was ridiculous. Is there something wrong with my wanting to cut my operating costs and be friendlier to the environment by wanting an LED flashlight that can use rechargeables? I don't want to be ordering batteries on a frequent basis (I have no understanding why 123A batteries are so popular in LEDs, they aren't easy to find where I live, as a matter of fact coin batteries are much easier to locate/purchase locally), so one of my main qualifications when looking at an LED flashlight is that it takes rechargeables. I use rechargeables in every other battery powered device I own, including incandescent flashlights and lanterns. Why is this a seemingly odd request for an LED light? Just curious.
What's Wrong with Wanting a 'Green' Light?
- Thread starter Fargus
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FlashKat
Flashlight Enthusiast
Most LED flashlights will take rechargeable batteries...My example of what I use.
1- Surefire U2...Li-ion rechargeable 17670, 18650 batteries
2- Streamlight TL-3 LED...RCR123 batteries
3- Streamlight 2L 3W Led... RCR123, 17670 batteries
Note that the 17670 and 18650 batteries run at lower 3.7v voltage..., but runtime last longer than RCR123 rechargeable batteries. They work very well with 2 cell cr123 compatible LED flashlights. Check inner diameter of your flashlight to verify using 17670 or 18650 batteries.
1- Surefire U2...Li-ion rechargeable 17670, 18650 batteries
2- Streamlight TL-3 LED...RCR123 batteries
3- Streamlight 2L 3W Led... RCR123, 17670 batteries
Note that the 17670 and 18650 batteries run at lower 3.7v voltage..., but runtime last longer than RCR123 rechargeable batteries. They work very well with 2 cell cr123 compatible LED flashlights. Check inner diameter of your flashlight to verify using 17670 or 18650 batteries.
LED_Thrift
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hi Fargus,
I'm no expert, but here are a few points:
Regular 123A cells are 3.0 volts while most rechargable 123A batteries are 3.7 volts. It probably isn't that Surefire is against rechargables as much as it is they don't support over-volting their lights. Some lights will work ok at the higher voltages, others will die rather quickly. I would guess that many would have their long-term lives shortened, although for a LED that is rated at 50,000 hours, you may not notice - or care - if the life is reduced. 3.0 volt rechargables are available though.
Rechargables do not last as long before needing recharging as a regular ["primary"] 123A cell would.
If you want to buy 123A cells, get them online. Cheaper. Since they have a LONG shelf life, you can have them around for when you need them.
Thanks for thinking green - I wish more people would
I'm no expert, but here are a few points:
Regular 123A cells are 3.0 volts while most rechargable 123A batteries are 3.7 volts. It probably isn't that Surefire is against rechargables as much as it is they don't support over-volting their lights. Some lights will work ok at the higher voltages, others will die rather quickly. I would guess that many would have their long-term lives shortened, although for a LED that is rated at 50,000 hours, you may not notice - or care - if the life is reduced. 3.0 volt rechargables are available though.
Rechargables do not last as long before needing recharging as a regular ["primary"] 123A cell would.
If you want to buy 123A cells, get them online. Cheaper. Since they have a LONG shelf life, you can have them around for when you need them.
Thanks for thinking green - I wish more people would
The SureFire L4 work quite nicely with a single, long Li-Ion cell (size 17670, use protected cells). The single cell comes off the charger at 4.2 V, runs most of the time around 3.7 V. Check the Dealer's Corner forum here on CPF for AW's battery sales threads. I don't believe the practice is officially supported by the manufacturer.
You can get a third party tailcap that provides two brightness levels, the lower at a brightness of your choosing. Check the McGizmo forum for that. Of course, Don's (McGizmo's) lights run beautifully on rechargeables too. Check his McLuxIII-PD for a small EDCable light, or the Alephs for a custom light.
The HDS EDC series takes a rechargeable too, a single 123 size.
The Night-Ops Gladius will function with a 17670 Li-Ion too, but its low battery indicator perpetually thinks it is running low (blinks twice every 15 seconds). I think rechargables are not officially supported for the Gladius.
There are lots of options.
Scott
You can get a third party tailcap that provides two brightness levels, the lower at a brightness of your choosing. Check the McGizmo forum for that. Of course, Don's (McGizmo's) lights run beautifully on rechargeables too. Check his McLuxIII-PD for a small EDCable light, or the Alephs for a custom light.
The HDS EDC series takes a rechargeable too, a single 123 size.
The Night-Ops Gladius will function with a 17670 Li-Ion too, but its low battery indicator perpetually thinks it is running low (blinks twice every 15 seconds). I think rechargables are not officially supported for the Gladius.
There are lots of options.
Scott
Illum
Flashaholic
http://www.angstrompower.com/products_a2.html
runs on hydrogen....maybe a little too green for you?:laughing:
runs on hydrogen....maybe a little too green for you?:laughing:
Illum_the_nation said:
Actually perfect, if I had a reliable source of compressed hydrogen. Maybe in a few years. It is definitely better than single use primary types of batteries and short sighted manufacturers who design solely for their usage.
OldGreyGuy
Enlightened
Shortened the quote.Fargus said:
CR123s are kind of hard to get and expensive where I live too, so I agree on the rechargeable type batteries. I have a Surefire L1 which I keep as a backup, after all it is a good light and those Lithiums hold a charge, but it will not work with my rechargeable R123 as they are just too large and I cannot get one into the L1. Using my old manual vernier caliper I get 16.64mm as the inner barrel width of the L1, a Surefire CR123 at 16.60mm and the R123 I have at 16.88mm.
So I use the R123s on the light I carry everyday and I keep a small stock of CR123 for the L1 and my wife's light.
Planterz
Flashlight Enthusiast
I''m not so sure about this. I mean, the L4 might work fine on a Pila or 17670, but they sure don't advertise it. And it'd be easy enough for them to make their L1 work with a 3.7V li-ion.LED_Thrift said:
It's my guess that SF's reason for not making lights that work on rechargables is that they don't just sell lights. They also sell batteries.
LedSled
Newly Enlightened
If I remember, Kermit the frog used to sing a song, "It's Not Easy Being Green."Fargus said:
He's right. Electrically, rechargeable 123's come in several different kinds, and none match exactly the CR123A. SureFire's, and perhaps others', battery compartments also tend to be very tight, making physical fit a concern.
Personally, I use nothing but rechargeables. It just takes some care to get yourself set up. You can get some background info in thread http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=126121. CPF members markcm and AW both sell rechargeables and can give you advice on many specific lights. Battery Station is another quality vendor. There are others.
BTW: The HDS was designed from the start to use rechargeables. It even has an auto shutdown circuit to protect them from over-discharge.
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FirstDsent
Enlightened
I was hoping someone would make that point. Also, realize that two CR123s make 6 volts. one 17670 or 18650 replaces both CR123s. Yes the Lithium Ion battery is 3.7V, but your flashlight will now have 3.7V instead of 6V if you use one of these big batteries. It won't be over-volted as someone else mentioned. It will be under volted. Since most LEDs operate at a voltage lower than 6V, most 2 X CR123 lights use some kind of voltage-lowering electronics such as a buck circuit to match the voltage to the LED's Vf (forward voltage). If you replace 6V with 3.7V, in a light with a buck circuit, it will not light at all.Planterz said:
Surefire does several quirky things. close fitting battery tubes are one of them. Rechargable Li-Ions are usually slightly wider than standard CR123s. Protected Li-Ions (which are preferable) are usually too wide to fit in standard tubes. I use unprotected cells in several flashlights, but I have to take additional safety measures.
Bernie
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Thank you all for the great information. Since I feel rather strongly about the use of rechargeables, I guess I'll 'vote' for forward thinking manufacturers with my wallet. I've decided to go with the HDS EDC U60GT. The reviews and comments both here and elsewhere seem to indicate that it is a very high quality light that should make me pretty durn happy.
Long John
Flashlight Enthusiast
Good decision Fargus:thumbsup:
Best regards
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Tom
Best regards
____
Tom
