Nitecore D10 AA vs. CR123

Hi, newbie with his first post.

Sorry if this has been covered before but I am curious to what some of your thoughts are.

I want to get the Nitecore D10 and personally prefer the AA form factor, I already have a good charger and extra Nimh rechargeables for digital cameras so there is an existing battery infrastructure at my house.

What is the benefit, if any, of the CR123 battery? is this available as a rechargeable? does it last longer? is it less expensive?

Yesterday, on a whim, I purchased the combo deal P1D and E01 so it looks like I will need to get a few CR123 anyway but still want some other opinions.

Thanks.

I prefer AA lights myself. You have such a wide choice of cells you can use in the D10, and any other AA light pretty much. You can also get them anywhere cheap!! :thumbsup: I know to get above 220 or so lumens you need to have a light running on CR123's or other lithium cells, but for what I use my lights for, 220 lumens and below is all I need. Plus, if I want to do lithium, such as in my D10 and new D20, I can always put Energizer lithium AA's in them. Of course, you also have rechargeable NiMH which give very good runtimes in most AA lights. I also use the new oxyrides, but I am not sure how much better they are than alkalines. CR123's are available in a rechargeable format, but they do not last as long, and they are 3.7v as opposed to 3.0v on the primaries. Make sure your light can handle the extra voltage if you get them. I personally do not care for them. Hope this helps!

Mike

Things to throw into the mix:

1. Be aware that the D10 is noticeably NOT as bright as it's first cousin, the EX10 that runs on CR123. I don't care that they are advertised as being the same output. My EX10 using a CR123 is noticeably brighter than my D10 using a AA primary cell.

2. Rechargeable CR123's (referred to as "RCR123's") really suck as far as capacity goes. I've never found them to be a good alternative.

3. If you like the D10 in it's AA format and also want to use rechargeables, go with the 14500. The D10 will run a little brighter on them and have a much longer runtime (like 30% longer).

4. IF it was necessary for me to chose* between the D10 and EX10, I would choose the D10 if I wanted to use it with mostly rechargebles (14500 or NimH), but I would choose the EX10 if I wanted to use primaries for the most part.

* Do what I did and get them both. Then you don't have to "choose".

CR123 is shorter, and with higher voltage, you're drawing less amps for the same regulated output. For the same kind of performance, you generally need two or three 1.5V-compatible cells. It gives you the most output potential for the size, balanced with cell availability.

Thanks, great info. are there a lot of options with this flashlight thing or what :twothumbs.

It does seem like the CD123 are little powerhouses but looks like I am going to stay with the AA's for now.

Now that nitecore NDI is also sweet, hmmm..........

For a direct comparison:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202436

As you can see, the D10 gives you a much wider range of power source options. Using the same chemistry (Li-Ion), you can see you get a noticeable performance increase in both brightness and runtime using the D10 on 14500 vs the EX10 on RCR123's, while still retaining the ability to also use e2 lithium primaries, NiMH rechargeables, or even alkaline cells in a pinch.

I use the AW's RCR123 protected 750mah cells in my Twisty & they give excellent performance. I get over a week of use on medium each night for 50mins. That's pretty good for a $7 cell that only takes 1.5 hours to recharge and can be cycled around 1000 times.

jr/

Meow meow meow!!

I think it is safe to say that the choice between D10 and EX10 is purely your personal preference. Except size, any difference is minor and depend on your personal battery management choices.
I decided for the D10 because of the AA battery form. When ever possible I try to stick to AA - just to make things simple in my household of lights.

I ended up buying both. The D10 for AA use and the EX10 for it's size.:welcome:

ruger357 said:

I ended up buying both. The D10 for AA use and the EX10 for it's size.:welcome:

Click to expand...

Me too! The EX10 in my pocket and the D10 and extra batteries for both in the outer pocket of my always carry backpack.:twothumbs

okay, I switched the order from the P1D to L2D and ordered the D10. The power of the CR123 is appealing but for now the AA's will work better for me.

Thanks for all the input.

AA's are cheap and can be found anywhere. And just about any cell you can fit in a Nitecore D10 or Nitecore Defender Infinity will make it run just fine. AA primary, AA rechargeable, AA lithium, AA sized Li-ion, CR2 with a spacer, RCR2 with a spacer, AAA with a spacer, AAAA with a spacer, maybe even button cells. I should try button cells actually.

I personally prefer the user interface of the NDI, so that's the one I got, and I love it. The main difference between the NDI and the D10 are the user interface and the switching system. The NDI has a very simple UI, the D10 switch will never fail. The NDI switch will need to be replaced after a lot of use, just like every other clicky switch (I'm talking a LOT of use, think years, not months, the first batch used very weak switches, but the ones they use now are much stronger), but they come with a spare switch so this is no problem.

EX10 is smaller, a bit more powerfull, has longer runtime, and has a stainless bezel.

Online, CR123 are affordable. And you can get a recharger and a couple or AW protected batts for a very reasonable amount.

No question for me which is best.