I'm really getting into 1 celled (CR123) lights.

The first one I got was an Arc LSH-S. It was love at 1st flash. The next was an E1L, soon followed by a E1e. The breakthrough light for me was a HDS B42XRGT. The versatility of the light made it an instant favorite when hitting the trail. The big surprise was the Fenix P1-CE. This is now my work light. The small size and big output make it my current favorite. I've also pre-ordered a Novatac 85P. As my multi-celled lights deplete there cells I've been boxing them up and putting them in storage.

It's really a good time for single celled lights.

I love single cell flashlights too. Especially ones that can take rechargeables. I love to play with them so the ability to run them cheap is nice. First the Nuwai Q3, then the HDS EDC U60.

I upgraded my HDS EDC U60 to use a seoul led. It's very bright now.

I've also been saving my depleted CR123 cells. I want to keep it to a small collection. Only my Inova and headlamp use nonrechargeables. I don't mind since they are important backups.

size of a small 18650 light is not very much bigger,
but runtime extremely better.

I'm totally into 18650 now.

Single cell 123's are a hoot!! I am leaning that direction myself. :twothumbs

I use only single cell light due to the size. I like my lights pocketable and small in the hand. Looking forward to the Novatac 120P I preorderd.

My favs are the L1 and the E1E, but there are much more exotic single cell 123 lights out there. I really like the form factor.

aceo07 said:

I've also been saving my depleted CR123 cells. I want to keep it to a small collection.

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So you started a collection of used batteries?

With the efficiency we're now seeing, using more than one cell at a time seems almost wasteful. Look at a standard 6P, 2x123A, 60 lumens for 1 hour. Just for example a P2D Medium 40 lumens for 4.5hrs, for each battery, 9 hours... Im headed all single cell or multi-cell rechargable for some big boys.

WIth 123 lights now having 2 brightness levels or like ours infinite amounts of brightness levels, allowing one the freedom to chose between max brightness and 40min of runtime, or low level and days of runtime eliminates the need for 2x123 lights. Combine this with the high efficiencies of LEDs. Also brightness scales logarithmically so take a 123 light and just turn down the brightness a little bit, resulting in a huge jump in runtime. So I agree 1x123 is the way to go. However its still a somewhat odd battery for the general public, that's the only drawback.

mobile1 said:

WIth 123 lights now having 2 brightness levels or like ours infinite amounts of brightness levels, allowing one the freedom to chose between max brightness and 40min of runtime, or low level and days of runtime eliminates the need for 2x123 lights. Combine this with the high efficiencies of LEDs. Also brightness scales logarithmically so take a 123 light and just turn down the brightness a little bit, resulting in a huge jump in runtime. So I agree 1x123 is the way to go. However its still a somewhat odd battery for the general public, that's the only drawback.

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My thoughts exactly. The only time a 2x123 light is useful is when you will be in the woods for long periods of time (ex. Camping,Hiking). Also if you are planning on using the light for long periods of time then a larger light is a bit more comfortable.

adirondackdestroyer said:

The only time a 2x123 light is useful is when you will be in the woods for long periods of time (ex. Camping,Hiking). Also if you are planning on using the light for long periods of time then a larger light is a bit more comfortable.

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Good point. My combination for hiking is a HDS B42 running on an RCR123 in the 1xCR123 tube, with a 2xXR123 tube loaded with two primaries as a backup. When I use a flashlight over longer periods of time I actually prefer slightly larger bodies.

I'd therefore really love to see more lights that allow the use of 1 and 2 cells, so that I can choose what to use depending on the circumstances. In an ideal world the manufacturer would also supply a cap for the additional tubes, just like HDS did, because then it's really easy to use the 2 cell body as a battery container. Unfortunately Surefire has taken a step backwards with the new Cree heads for the E1L/E2L.

Hans

knot said:

So you started a collection of used batteries?

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Yup. They're all in a small pelican case. Not that many. About 8-12 in total. I got a multimeter a couple of days ago and recently discovered a few of the batteries still have a good amount of juice in them. Over 2.8v. I can still use those for a while.

adirondackdestroyer said:

.. Also if you are planning on using the light for long periods of time then a larger light is a bit more comfortable.

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Longer lights are also easier to grip and hold in the cold weather when wearing gloves.

parnass said:

Longer lights are also easier to grip and hold in the cold weather when wearing gloves.

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I use a SF E2 with a SSC P4 modded KL1 head just for that reason. I can run the light on 1 or 2 cells. I just drop in a dummy cell when running 1 battery. The length also helps when I use it with the nite eze headband in a headlamp fashion.

I suppose this isnt just a trend...after buying a single celled fenix and carried it around for awhile just about everything else feels heavy:duh2:

parnass said:

Longer lights are also easier to grip and hold in the cold weather when wearing gloves.

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I'm impressed with Fenix's P2D with the extra L1D A and L2D AA body tubes. If you need more performance, you can switch from the CR123A body to the 2xAA body. Just a little longer than a MiniMag. Performance is not as good as a P3D, but in the same ballpark. Q2 and Q5 available too.

tinkerer said:

I use a SF E2 with a SSC P4 modded KL1 head just for that reason. I can run the light on 1 or 2 cells. I just drop in a dummy cell when running 1 battery. The length also helps when I use it with the nite eze headband in a headlamp fashion.

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that's a sweet set up. I carry mine everyday now ever since I got it.

For a 1-Led-light, there is IMO no need for a multicell Lithium-primary or LIR usage.
1xRCR123 or the larger LIR's, best the LIR18650 is the way to go for more capacity/runtimes.
Nimh's are another story.

Best regards

____
Tom

These little lights are my passion now as well. I started with the Fenix P1D-CE...great little powerhouse light. I have a Novatac 85T coming in the mail--cannot wait to get it.

Tell me about the E1E...looks cool, but how is the output?