Single Cell Battery Sucker

I thought that title might lure a few of you in! Looking for a little help. I typically swap out the cr123a batteries from my twin cell lights when they get down to about 20% - 40% to ensure that I have decent batteries in there for long duration events. Thus I have a small but growing collection of partially to mostly discharged cells, at least as far as my regulated lights are concerned. I am looking for advice and opinions on a single cell LED light that can make use of the power left in those cells. It obviously does not have to be a powerhouse, and I would prefer either a flood type beam or at least one that provides decent spill. Was thinking about an Inova 24/7 to use on red as a night light, but I am not sure it will do what I need. I seem to recall seeing some threads on this topic before, but have not had good luck locating them with the search engine.

Is there a light out there that will make decent use of these cells and still be cost effective as opposed to just pitching the cells in the first place? I just hate to discard them when I can still get use out of them during events like power failures etc... Maybe this is a better way to explain what I am looking for. I currently use a X1 to use up batteries that my pager says are low and it is just perfect for night navigation around the house. I can still get a lot of use out of the AA battery before I finally do discard it. That is essentially what I am looking for in a 123a format. Your thoughts?

I know it is not an inexpensive light, but I use my HDS 42 for exactly that. I place a "low" cell in it after we are in for the night. It will make usefull light for me for about 3 to 4 weeks. You know for night patrol, bathroom visits and making coffee early in the morning. Voltage is well under 1.7 volts when it is finally not worth messing with. If I use it that way I make sure and keep another light with a fresh battery at bedside in case a "higher" output is needed.
Toons

The Dorcy Super 1W does a good job job of sucking batts dry, and it's only about $20 at Target.

Fenris said:

The Dorcy Super 1W does a good job job of sucking batts dry, and it's only about $20 at Target.

Click to expand...

Ditto! metoo.

I have a SF E1L with F04 beam shaper that I like very much and I've been waiting for almost a year for the CR123a Glo-Toob to use for a night light/battery drainer. I've heard that the HDS lights are very good but I don't have one. Another light that I considered for that purpose is the Tektite Splashlite.
CR123a Glo-Toob:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102722
Tektite Splashlite:
http://www.batterystation.com/splashlite.htm
Similar thread to yours-See post #26 for Splashlite info:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/103280&highlight=tektite+splashlite

Scot

GreySave, for the price of another light to get the last bits of power, you could get either 3.0 volt or 3.6 volt protected rechargables. It is not that much hassle to keep them charged. They do have shorter runtimes than primaries, of course, but depending on your needs, they may make sense.

Check with milkyspit. He has just such a device.

Designed to extract every last bit of energy from a battery.
Yaesumofo

I'm using an L2P w/ CR123 body for this purpose. Its my EDC, along with a brand new CR123 as a spare. Partially depleted primaries are becoming rare around my place, since i have taken to using li-ions in my incans.

<<for the price of another light to get the last bits of power, you could get either 3.0 volt or 3.6 volt protected rechargables>>


Thanx. So noted. I do use rechargeables in a Wolf Eyes 9D that I use on a regular basis around the house. That light has become a workhorse and the rechargeables make sense. I like to use primaries in the lights that I carry for emergency response purposes. I just feel better knowing that they are always ready to go without worrying about the state of charge since I can go for extended periods without needing them and then suddenly be in a "grab and go" situation. That's also why I change them out at about 40% remaining power. I really do not go through a lot of batteries since the WE came along for home duty, but I would sure like to make use of what I have in the "used" bin.

There are a lot of good ideas here. Thanx to all and feel free to keep them coming! <g>

I think the Inova 24/7 might be good for this purpose as well.

i've often heard the inova x5 mentioned for such use. i use my hds as well.

My huntman FT-02x is powerful...and sucks a single 123a empty!

My Streamlight Tasklight 2L3W has a regulation circuit that makes good use of low 123's.The flashlight may be more expensive than what you are looking for,but I use it for the same purpose as what you are looking for. Hope this helps.

Grab yourself an Inova X5. Very useful light and it will suck the remaining juice out of the CR123 batteries.

The classic CR123 soul-sucker is an X5 in red (uses 1 cell, other colors all use 2).

1 cell 3W - $24.95

http://www.batteryjunction.com/iota.html

You need a Buckalite! That's what I made to finish off my CR123's.

Fenix L2T with CR123a body. Works great! Once the cell voltage drops the high/low function is gone and it runs on low until it dies.

The Huntlight FT-02 I have will suck out all the juice out of a battery.

yaesumofo said:

Check with milkyspit. He has just such a device.

Designed to extract every last bit of energy from a battery.
Yaesumofo

Click to expand...

I've still got some left from the current build... take a look over here. Let me know if I can help!