Just got my first rechargable's

Hello all, I just got my first 2 sets of rechargable batts from LH today, after a minor snafu that John helped me with they work great now. First set was 18650's in a Leef body, with KT1 TH and a MN16, bright and much whiter light than with 123's. Next up will be 17660's for my M3T, should be done charging shortly. Guilt free lumens are great! :rock:

Re: HELP!! Batt problems

The batteries are not connecting to each other. The positive end is flat and can't make contact with the negative side. Many suggest using a magnet between the batteries. Lighthound sells them and Radio Shack.

trouble said:

I just got my first 2 sets of rechargable batts and just finished charging the first set, I then excitedly put them into my light and tried switching the light on and zip

I tried the batts in another light and the 1 cell I tried worked, can anyone help me? What am I doing wrong? They are 18650's in my Leef body M4, I've got a set of 17660's charging for my M3T as I type this as well, I'm using a Ultra fire rapid charger and unprotected cells both of which were recommended to me, any ideas??

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Thanks Flashkat! I emailed John from LH and he diagnosed the problem for me, thankfully! That's when I changed my posting from one of to a happier version.

congratulations...

I assume you meant 17500s for your M3T? eheh.

So what is your take on the MN16 + Rechargables VS MN61 + Primaries?

I have not yet tried a MN61. I really like the MN16 + 18650 setup. Do you think the output difference is worth the battery cost?

I do have an SC2 with a MN60 as my backup for my M4-gery.

I've got a cell extender on my M3T to run the 17660's, I toyed with the idea 17500's but thought the 17660's might give me a little better run time. The MN61 with 123's is awesome! The MN16 with the 18650's in my "M4" is very bright also but not as bright as the MN61. That being said the MN16 is much whiter is color now with the 18650's and appears to have picked up a few lumens to boot. The MN15 with the 17660's in my M3T appears close to 125 lumens just like the 123's but like the MN16 is much whiter now. I love not having to dip into my 123 stash as often now with rechargeables in my power hungry lights. So if it's pure throw you're after IMO run the MN61 with 123's, but if less than sunlight bright is ok run the rechargeables. I'll be taking my dog out shortly and will have a better idea of how well I like them when I get back in, until then...

Glad you got your problem solved. What was wrong with it?

17670, not that the 1mm would make much difference though. lol...


glad to hear more are switching to Li-Ion!

Alin10123 said:

Glad you got your problem solved. What was wrong with it?

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The batts weren't making contact in the middle, a small piece of aluminum foil is a quick fix until i can get a permanent fix.

OK my observations: MN16/18650 combo is like alot of folks here have said, outstanding combo. Very good throw and a much whiter colored beam, A+ IMO. The M3T with 17670's and MN15 is disappointing, so I tried the MN16 in it and it's a good combo, though I wonder about run time. Now I need another MN16 LA, aaaargh it's neverending!

trouble said:

OK my observations: MN16/18650 combo is like alot of folks here have said, outstanding combo. Very good throw and a much whiter colored beam, A+ IMO. The M3T with 17670's and MN15 is disappointing, so I tried the MN16 in it and it's a good combo, though I wonder about run time. Now I need another MN16 LA, aaaargh it's neverending!

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I get about ~30min of runtime on the MN16 with 2x17670's.

how do you like the M3 with an extender on it?
i've been tempted, but i dont really like the idea of having combatgrip light with an extender. The grip would be awkward.
please, share you experiences.

defusion said:

how do you like the M3 with an extender on it?
i've been tempted, but i dont really like the idea of having combatgrip light with an extender. The grip would be awkward.
please, share you experiences.

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I just put it on yesterday when I got the batts, for what i'm using it for it's ok but if I was planning on carrying it for use with a sidearm I'd probably run 123's in the stock body. That way I could use it the way that SF intended without the additional length. The extra size is worth it for the savings in 123 batts down the road IMO. Thanks Strauss for the run time figure!

trouble said:

I just put it on yesterday when I got the batts, for what i'm using it for it's ok but if I was planning on carrying it for use with a sidearm I'd probably run 123's in the stock body. That way I could use it the way that SF intended without the additional length. The extra size is worth it for the savings in 123 batts down the road IMO. Thanks Strauss for the run time figure!

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Yeah, i'm putting in 17500's. (with standard M3, non-turbohead)
It's a bit over their intended discharge rate, but only about 10%, so i should be okay. at most i would need to double click it, but i'd rather have that then an extender. And ofcourse i might get less discharge cycles, but (as far as i know) anything is cheaper then running 123's.