switch over to cr123 type lights?

i've always been a aa and more recently a 14500 flashlight kind of guy. i like the form factor and availability and all that. however i noticed a fenix on high with cr123, although much shorter than a aa outran it by a good margin. is that just because of the aa going through a boost convertor and loosing efficency. would this not be the case with cr123 running against a 14500 since they're both 3.6 volts.

the other factor is i really do rechargeable batteries for all my lights and i think maybe the rcr123's capacity is what turned me away from that form factor. how are you 123 fans justifing your decision on the form factor. i wouldn't mind losing a half inch on my next few flashlight purchases.

I made the switch and love it over here on the bright side. Remember that the fenix lights are primary only (as far as i know) or 3v rechargeable(crappy capacity). I carry a Novatac120P and a RaTwisty 120 every day. I keep a primary in the twisty and a rcr in the Novatac. I've never had any issue with running out of power. I probably use the novatac 10-15 min a day and recharge maybe once a week.

I had a couple AA lights and was reasonably satisfied, but it seems there are better built lights in the cr123 camp.

I have a couple Surefire 6P's with DX Q5 and R2 dropins. As much as I liked them, I hated buying the expensive batteries. Recently, I bought a couple 17670 batteries which are twice the length of a CR123. I get a little bit more total capacity than 2 rechargeable CR123's by going this route. Although I do take a hit when it comes to runtime, I don't really care since I don't have to keep replacing disposable batteries.

So you may want to also consider some 2xCR123 lights that can be powered by a single 17670 battery. Just make sure that the driver can run the LED properly on the equivalent voltage of a single battery.

so whats the "good" rechargeable version of this battery and how does it compare to the 14500 in capacity.

Best RCR123 out there is AW RCR123 available at lighthound.com (this is just my opinion) If you need 17670 then AW 17670 available also at lighthound.

the 17670, how does that compare in runtime to 18650.
is the 17 the length and the 670 the breadth or diameter.
or do i have it backwards.
are 17670 lights popular?

They range from shortest to longest:

18500
17670
18650

jasonsmaglites said:

are 17670 lights popular?

Click to expand...

The 17670 cell is mainly useful as a drop-in substitute for 2x123A. It won't work in every light, however. In many lights the 17670 will be too wide to fit. And if the driver circuit was not designed to use a Li-ion cell, then flashlight might put out significantly less light, or be unable to fully discharge the cell.

The older designs of some Surefire lights (before 2007 or so) could accommodate a 17670 cell in place of 2x123A. I have an L4 and L5 that can run this way at full brightness. The early units of the U2 could even use an 18650 cell. But now Surefire has been using a narrower battery chamber, so you're stuck with primary cells.

wait hows that possible. that doesnt fit with either of my two theories about what the numbers mean. what do the numbers mean if it's not about size?

The first 2 digits are the diameter in mm.
The next 2 digits are the length in mm.

18650 = 18mm diameter, 65mm length 0 is the shape of the cell i.e. 'O' round

etc said:

They range from shortest to longest:

18500
17670
18650

Click to expand...

Actually a 67mm long cell (17670) is longer than a 65mm cell (18650).

Obviously, the only advantage of RCR123 over 14500 is shorter body. If you want a short body you have to get a twisty. If you want multi-modes, twisty's are annoying, so stick with clickies.

To summarize, if you don't already have RCR123s and you don't want a multi-mode twisty, then stick with the AA form factor: it's totally flexible since you can run alkaline, NiMh, lithium, Li-Ion.

Let me give you an example using AAA. The Fenix LD01 is a multi-mode twisty - it goes Medium, Low, High. So you have to twist it on-off 3 times to get to high (80 lumens). What a pain. It's not worth it. But... it has a redeeming quality - it runs on 10440. With a 10440 Medium is brighter than High using NiMh. When you turn it on using 10440 you get over 80 lumens. That's enough for me, and effectively makes it an on-off light. High will be over 150 lumens and low will be around 35 lumens. This is a true EDC because it fits nicely on your key chain.

how does the runtime/capacity of rcr123 compare to 14500. i'm assuming 14500 has more capacity, so i guess i'm sticking with my format for a while.

fenix ld01 isn't rated for 10440, but i guess you're referring to the fact that we all can use them anyway.

I also don't know of any flashlight that is specifically made to run on only a 14500 battery. All of the ones I know of are designed to run on alkaline and NiMH first and are then made capable of running on 14500.

If someone made one specifically to run on 14500, I think we'd see some higher performing AA flashlights

I like the cr123as, i think it is worth it to buy the slightly more expensive primaries with the slightly higher capacities. i use the rayovac 1550mAh batteries instead of the tenergy 1300mAh batteries. they aren't that much more expensive if you buy them in bulk. And i love the form of a cr123a and the brightness over aa.

LightScene said:

Obviously, the only advantage of RCR123 over 14500 is shorter body. If you want a short body you have to get a twisty. If you want multi-modes, twisty's are annoying, so stick with clickies.

To summarize, if you don't already have RCR123s and you don't want a multi-mode twisty, then stick with the AA form factor: it's totally flexible since you can run alkaline, NiMh, lithium, Li-Ion.

Click to expand...

You lost me there. Are you saying that RCR123 necessitates a twisty and that it is not possible to get a clicky into the shorter body of a RCR123 light? That is completely not true as is easily seen by the abundance of multi-mode clicky RCR123 and CR123 lights (Novatac, RA Clicky, Fenix P2D, etc.).

how are you 123 fans justifing your decision on the form factor

Click to expand...

More output

brucec said:

You lost me there. Are you saying that RCR123 necessitates a twisty and that it is not possible to get a clicky into the shorter body of a RCR123 light? That is completely not true as is easily seen by the abundance of multi-mode clicky RCR123 and CR123 lights (Novatac, RA Clicky, Fenix P2D, etc.).

Click to expand...

My guess is that they were referring to needing a twisty for the shortest possible light. The absence of the tail clicky can make them noticeably shorter.

how does the runtime of the 14500 compare to the rechargeable 123 type batteries, and aren't there two diff voltages available?