Need to drain CR123 batteries

My 1st experience with high performance lights is a G2 Nitrolon. The batteries just STOP when they reach a certain point. I was advised by another forum to use a single cell digital LED light to use up the remaining power in the partially spent batteries. Would this work? From perusing this forum it looks like a Fenix P2D CE is an attractive light. I want it for a nightstand light. I have several boxes of CR123 batteries that will no longer power my G2, but I can not bring myself to just throw them out. Is there usable power left in these batteries? And if so, what is the best way to utilize it? And if an LED light is a good choice is there a difference in digital and analog lights?

Inova X5, it's a CR123 battery vampire. And welcome to CPF.

Marduke said:

Inova X5, it's a CR123 battery vampire. And welcome to CPF.

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Might want to pick up a few X5s. Could take a while.

once it gets that low they really won't power up anything. the P2d ce is a great light thats really bright, I just got my brother one for his birthday and now I want one. Lithium batteries need a little more care and can even be dangerous so if i were you i would throw them away. A digital or regulated light means that the light will stay at full brightness for the life of the battery. Its also not good to completely run down lithium batteries, hope i have been of some help

You'll want a light that is not digital, but direct drive. Digital will only work if the voltage is high enough to power the circuit. A direct drive light like the X5 will run for weeks, although dimly. Primary (not rechargeable) lithium batteries are not particularly dangerous as long as you don't short them. Just make sure to pair batteries with the same remaining voltage and age, or use a single cell version of the X5 like the red X5 (the white takes 2 batteries).

Modder Milkyspit makes a light called a Milkycandle that does exactly what you want. Will drain every last electron out of those cells. Makes a good nightlight, thus the term candle.

I use an older generation Surefire KL1 head on a single-cell body for my "drainer".

I have used a Fenix P1 for this with good results. When batteries come out of the G2, E2E, et al, they usually have enough to provide some light in the P1, sometimes I'll get a few minutes, sometimes much, much longer (I assume in these cases the primaries weren't well matched in the light to begin with and one "died" while the other still had a fairly good charge.)

I like to keep a known-good battery in the P1, which I EDC, so I keep these worn primaries from other lights in a box and use those around the house, when I want a candle mode to read on the patio, power outages, etc. I put the "good" battery back in the light when I'm done with that task (I mark the old batteries with a black Sharpie on both sides of the label before I put them in the box so I don't confuse them with a "good" battery...I'd hate to pull out my EDC the next day and get 3-4 minutes of light before it flickers off).

Works like a charm, at least for me. YMMV. If I had a Milky Candle, I could probably get even more light from them when they get too low for the P1, but I feel I'm getting my money's worth as it is now.

Double-tap

I am liking the Inova X5 in red- but the picture and description list it as a 2 cell light. I want a light that uses just a single CR123 battery.

The red X5 uses only one cell. It's the white LED (and several other colors) that uses 2 cells.

BTW, you may also want to look at the Glo-Toob Lithium if you're into that sort of light.
http://www.glo-toob.com/

grayrock said:

I am liking the Inova X5 in red- but the picture and description list it as a 2 cell light. I want a light that uses just a single CR123 battery.

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It is single cell, that's a misprint.

Only ever use a SINGLE CELL flashlight for this purpose. When you are squeezing the last out of multiple lithium cells, it is possible for one to discharge faster than the other, thus becoming over-discharged, with the potential to fail catastrophically.

I also use the red X5 for this purpose. It does a great job of providing low level night vision friendly lighting on partially depleted cells and does an excellent job of using their remaining power. I find that I need to discard the cells with some power left as over time the light will continue to operate at levels so low that it is really not useable as anything more than a dim directional marker light.