Need Advice: Power Source for My 2 Mode CREE and Tiablo

I have a Kai 2 mode CREE and a Tiablo A9 both of which will accept 18650 batteries. I tried using a new charger I just received from Supertactical to charge 2 18650 Ultrafire protected rechargeables. The problem is that the charger never stopped charging and the batteries ended up with about 5.2V when I pulled them out after many hours of charging.

When I tried the batteries in either the Tiablo or the CREE, the output is noticeably less than when I run either light on RCR 123's. The multimeter shows plenty of voltage - over 5 each, yet they seem useless in that the output of each light is so dramatically reduced.

Now as for the charger, that seems to be defective. It shouldn't keep on charging past the 5V level. Any recommendations for a decent charger that will work?

I need a good charger that won't overcharge either my RCR 123's or my 18650's. I had one charger from DX that was a cheapie, but I sold that one to a buddy who needed a charger. It worked fine on the 123's but I didn't have any 18650's to try at that time.

The bottom line for the 18650's though is that they seem, so far, to be a waste of money and time given the lousy output with these flashlights.

I need the voices of experience here at CPF to share some info please.

FYI, this would do better in the "Flashlight Electronics - Batteries Included" thread.

My $.02 - I would stick with AW batteries and chargers (available in the Dealer's forum).

Although a lot of people seem to use the new Ultrafire WF-139, I like to stick with the classic DSD charger widely available at a lot of vendors. It has a nice slow charge rate, and always stops by 4.25V max on all battery types. Of course, it will take the better part of a day to charge a completely depleted 18650.

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like I need to invest in better quality batteries and charger. But what I'm confused about is why is the brightness of both of these lights severely diminished with 18650 batteries?

I'm thinking that I may be better off with the RCR 123's rather than the 18650's.

The A9 is optimized to run on either RCR123 or CR123. The A8 is the one to get for an 18650. You should not charge an 18650 past 4.25v, those batteries have probably been damaged. I use the Ultafire WF-139 charger without incident. It can handle 18650,17670,17500,14500, and RCR123's with a spacer.

Steve L said:

The A9 is optimized to run on either RCR123 or CR123. The A8 is the one to get for an 18650. You should not charge an 18650 past 4.25v, those batteries have probably been damaged. I use the Ultafire WF-139 charger without incident. It can handle 18650,17670,17500,14500, and RCR123's with a spacer.

Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. I am aware that the A9 is optimized to run on primary or rechargeable 123's which is why I bought it. I have more of those than anything else, so that's why I opted for the A9. However, I was still shocked that the lumen output is so much lower when using an 18650 with both the A9 and the CREE lights.

My understanding is that the runtime is what was affected in the optimization of the A8 Q5 vs the A9 when using the 18650 NOT the lumen output. I could be wrong about this.

The 18650's I have are Ultrafire and they are protected but time will tell if they are ruined. I will take a look at the WF-139 Charger. Does that come with spacers or are they extra?

Model WF-139 Ultrafire Intelligent Charger w/spacers = $18.50

If your output is really low I think your batteries voltage are sagging under load. Does it start bright then immediately dim down. If yes the batteries are probably shot. The charger comes with the spacers at some places, without at others(usually a little less expensive).

On my A9 there is not a big difference between Hi on a fully charged 18650 and 2 RCR123's. What I do notice is there is a bigger difference between low and high when using a fully charged 18650. I think you are definitely having a prblem with your 18650's. This might sound like a dumb question, but you are clicking twice to get to high?

Steve L said:

On my A9 there is not a big difference between Hi on a fully charged 18650 and 2 RCR123's. What I do notice is there is a bigger difference between low and high when using a fully charged 18650. I think you are definitely having a prblem with your 18650's. This might sound like a dumb question, but you are clicking twice to get to high?

Click to expand...

I understand your having to ask the clicky question, completely. That's part of good troubleshooting. Not a dumb question at all. Yes, I click twice to get to high. Even so, the output is noticeably less with the 18650's. Funny thing is that my friend has the same issue with his A9 and 18650's. The high seems to step down quite a bit. It's not a big deal. I thought I would try a couple of 18650's for the heck of it since I have 2 lights that accept that size.

I just wasn't expecting less lumen output.

My bigger concern is getting a good charger to charge my RCR 123's. Thanks for the help.