AW'flat top 18650 compatibility

AW 2600 flat top 18650 compatibility

I'm a flashlight novice and have found CPF to be a great resource, but one thing I haven't found is a good way to tell which flashlights are compatible with AW's flat top 18650 cells. I've searched and found a few posts here and there saying that the cells work in this flashlight but not in that one... but what I'd really like is a comprehensive list of 18650 lights that can use them. Here's what I've dug up so far:

Work with AW's flat top 18650s:

• Dereelight CL1H V4
• Dereelight DBS-V3
• EagleTac M2 series
• Elektro Lumens EDC-MCE
• Fenix TA21
• Fenix TK11
• Fenix TK12
• Jetbeam Jet-III Pro ST (light-reviews.com review seems to say so, but confirmation of this would be great)
• Jetbeam Jet-III Pro Ti
• Jetbeam Jet-III M Ti
• Jetbeam RRT-2 (just got it; my first "real" flashlight )
• Jetbeam TC-R3
• Lumapower D-Mini VX (D-65V tube)
• Lumapower D-Mini VX ULTRA (D-65V tube)
• Lumapower M1R/M1T
• MG L-Mini II
• MG PLI
• Olight M20 and M20 Ti
• Olight M21
• Olight M30
• Peak First Responder
• Quark 18650 body
• Rapidfire Spear
• Thrunite Catapult
• Zebralight H60 and H60w

Don't work with AW's flat top 18650s:

• EagleTac P & T series
• Jetbeam Jet-III Pro
• Jetbeam Jet-III M
• Jetbeam M1X
• Lumapower MVP 3x XR-E ("flaky")
• Nitecore SR3
• Romisen RC-M4 (turns on, but can't get the battery out)

I'd like to expand my flashlight collection, but not my battery collection: my goal is "one battery to run them all." So what other 18650 lights are out there that can run on AW's flat top? And by extension, which ones can't? I'm especially interested in lights in the $50 - $150 range, but knowing whether or not DX cheapos run them might be helpful too.

The 18650 Quark body works, as does my MG PLI.

EagleTac T100C2 M2 - NOT OK (not surprising)
Zebralight H60 - OK (mine's apparently the new longer version)
MG PLI - OK

My Jet III-M and Jet III PRO IBS both work just fine with flat top cells. I don't have any AW flat top cells (all three of mine have button tops), but I have some Tenergy flat tops and other flat tops that I have harvested from laptop battery packs and they all work just fine.

My Jet III-M has a hardened dimple that is a good 1/16" higher than the rest of the head leaving plenty of room for contact. My III PRO IBS has a spring on the contact board solving that problem.

Hope that helps some... :shrug:

Most, if not all, lights that utilize P60/D26 drop-ins should work, since they use springs at both ends of the light to make contact with the battery.

Just got a Romisen RC-M4 in the mail; its battery tube is too tight--can barely get a AW 2600 in there, and getting it out requires some banging. :thumbsdow

Bluecrow, that's interesting-- I really like Jetbeam's lights but read that those models couldn't handle the AW 2600. I'll have to dig through the posts again and see if I misread something.

All the Malkoff bodies will work with the flat top cells.

bdancer said:

Don't work with AW's flat top 18650s:

• EagleTac lights

Click to expand...

But they do work in Eagletac M2-series, because cells are loaded in battery carrier.

bdancer said:

Bluecrow, that's interesting-- I really like Jetbeam's lights but read that those models couldn't handle the AW 2600. I'll have to dig through the posts again and see if I misread something.

Click to expand...

mine can't.
tolerances?

csshih said:

mine can't.
tolerances?

Click to expand...

Does the battery not fit in the tube or does it not make contact at the head?

I just traded my III-M so I can't take pictures of it to post, but it looked the same as the picture in selfbuit's III-M review. It's the sixth picture from the top.

Fenix TA21

Work in :

Fenix TK11
Olight M20 Titanium
Zebralight H60w (ugly sound when the spring scratches on the 3 little dots though...)
Jetbeam TC-R3
Jetbeam Jet-III M Ti
Jetbeam Jet-III Pro Ti

C-Beam said:

Fenix TA21

Click to expand...

I assume that's a "it works."

Thanks guys for the updates; I've added them to the initial post. Any more?

bluecrow76 said:

Does the battery not fit in the tube or does in not make contact at the head?

Click to expand...

From here (posts 27 & 28) and here (post 12) it sounds like it's a contact issue, not a fit issue. Maybe tolerances are the best explanation, or perhaps the flat tops you're using have tops that are less recessed than AW's.

What about Leef Bodies? Are they compatible with them?

Good idea.

Yes:

Raidfire Spear
O-Light M21
Jetbeam TC-R3 (which is a RRT-2 Ti Ed)
Thrunite Catapult
Zebralight H60w

Flaky:

Lumapower MVP (3x XR-E)

No:

Nitecore SR3
Jetbeam Jet-III-Mil

AW 18650s work very well in the Olight M30 Triton.
Billy

The only two lights I have that aren't on your list are the Peak First Responder and Lumapower M1R or M1T (same model, different emitters). They all work perfectly fine with AW flat tops.

My JetBeam Jet-III Military (not Ti) also works fine with AW flat tops.

It works in my MG L-Mini II.

NutSAK said:

My JetBeam Jet-III Military (not Ti) also works fine with AW flat tops.

Click to expand...

The 2600s, or 2200s?