Surefire LED's that will work with rechargeables

Just curious if anybody can tell me which Surefire LED lights will work ok with rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (RCR123's etc).

Thanks,

Dano

E2L.

Hello Dano,

I am running Li-Ion cells in my G2L, L4, U2, and A2.

Tom

I'm using an AW rechargeable 17670 in my L4 (last version) without problems.

Since P60L will run on 3x123 I see no reason why two 3.7V RCR123 wouldn't work.

It will run on a 17500 but I don't THINK it's as bright. It may be however.

@ SilverFox: which rechargeables(17670?) are you running in the G2L? Comparative to the output and runtime achieved with primaries, how do you rate the rechargeables in output and runtime? more? less? the same?

Thx very much,
Flash

Ive looked around and its hard to find conclusive posts on which lights are ok with rechargeables.

It all depends.

I'll add my stuff into the bin of confusion as well.

A 6P/2Z/G2 with 2xRCR123's, or 2x16340 works fine.

A 9P/3Z/9Z/G3 won't work with 3xRCR123 or 3x16340's.

A E1L or E2L with the KL1 head works fine with rechargeables.

A E1L with a KX1 head won't work with rechargeables well (it blinks until the voltage hits 3.0v exactly).

I haven't tried any with my L1 yet.

-Steve

Hello Flash,

I am using a Pila 600S, which is a 17670.

Run time is more than I use it in a couple of days... I recharge often.

I have not checked brightness, but I believe someone has. You would have to do a search for those results.

Nice light. Mine has the Nitrolon head, so it may step down in brightness sooner than the ones with the Aluminum heads do. I usually am using it momentarily, so it is not an issue for me. I think it is a great light.

It is not as bright as my L7, but it is also not as big.

I have sent it through the washer twice now, forgot to take it out of a side pants pocket, and it still works great. It is also nice and clean.

Tom

Hey Dano,

6P LED.

I have it and I use rechargeable 3.7 volt AW RCR123A all the time.

How's the logging industry in Hinton?

i have the following
U2 running on AW 18650 (old style u2 with plastic sleeve)
L4 running AW 17670
old style KL3 on 6p body running AW 17670
3rd Gen Kl1 on E1e body running AW R123
L4 and Kl1 head can be swapped and run normally

L1 Cree with AW 3.7V protected works really good.

I'm running a G3L on 2x17500 protected cells, and all seems fine. I ran a Pelican M3 for months that way, and it was a great combination.

Paladin

dano101 said:

Just curious if anybody can tell me which Surefire LED lights will work ok with rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (RCR123's etc).

Thanks,

Dano

Click to expand...

My L2 works well with a 17670s (with a magnet tip plus a bit of duck tape wrapping).
You need to solder / conductive epoxy the magnet because I found that it slipped otherwise and I was worried about a short.

I've got a lot of unprotected 18650 cells, so I like to run those wherever I can. I've got a couple custom bodies that I use for E series heads. I'm not sure if they count as Surefire lights, since only the head is Surefire.

I've had good success using li-ion in my U2. The body is one of the older styles which accept an 18650 cell. It didn't even have the plastic tube in the battery compartment. This light runs great on li-ion. I've never seen it overdischarge an unprotected cell.

The KL4 head works well too. I don't know if it will overdischarge the cell if left unattended. There is a fairly noticeable drop in output once the cell gets low. It's almost like it drops into moon mode.

I have mixed feelings about the KX2 head. It runs fine on li-ion, but doesn't seem to stay in regulation for as long as I would like. Once the cell voltage drops below 3.9 or so, the output starts to dim. The dimming is very gradual, and the KX2 continues to produce light for many hours. I do not think it would be possible for the KX2 to overdischarge the cell. I just wish it would run in full regulation for longer.

I've run KL1 heads on li-ion too. They run great, but they will suck a cell dry. I don't think you would even notice a drop in output before it was too late. I ended up selling off all my KL1 heads. Of course, a better idea might be to use protected li-ion cells instead. Then you should be able to safely run the light until the protected circuit kicks in. You wouldn't have to worry about damaging the cell. Of course, you might end up with a light that just clicks off when the cell is nearly done. In some situations it's better to have a light with gradually diminishing output.

I've also run the ExE head with a Lumens Factory 3.7 volt halogen lamp... but you asked specifically about LED lights.

My U2 doesn't work with rechargables YMMV

My older U2 works with 18650
My newer U2 works with 17670 - but only by inserting from front (you might want to try this, 65535).
I don't think a 17670 fits in my L4, but I will try it with the silver sticker off.

I'd been wondering about running a 3.7v in my L1 Cree (or Lux L1) - will it give higher output? And I guess it won't give undue stress to the light?

Once I started getting into SF's (recently, really) I was trying to find out this info too and couldn't find much. Maybe we should make a database, or a sticky somewhere?

mcmc said:

My newer U2 works with 17670 - but only by inserting from front (you might want to try this, 65535).

Click to expand...

65535's issue with his U2 isn't that the battery doesn't fit. It's that the light doesn't run on the voltage supplied by the li-ion cell. I'm left wondering if Surefire modified the electronics in the U2 to further encourage people to buy primary CR123A cells.

I'm still waiting to hear reports of other U2 owners with the same problem. So far, 65535 seems to be the only one in this predicament.

ah...i see. thanks for clarifying.

My SF L5 runs happily on 2x AW 3.7V RCR123a's

Someone should compile this as a list