Brand New PD35 - Is it faulty or are my batteries out of puff?

Hi guys!

Been lurking around here a while and found it an invaluable resource for researching a new torch purchase.

I have recently purchased a PD35 from an ebay seller (hard to find stuff here in Aus), and I'm running the AW RCR123A's in it from my old PD30 R4. They would be a few years old now but worked fine in the PD30 until the tail cap split in half. I wouldn't say I'm great at looking after them (throw them in my UF WF-138 charger when they cut out in the torch), but as I said they worked fine in the old torch.

My problem is this - Everything on the PD35 works fine except that I cannot run it in turbo for more than a minute or so. It will run for a short period of time and then the light begins to flicker quickly for a few seconds before cutting down to a REALLY low level. Much lower than Eco. The LED is basically just barely illuminated. I have 6 of these cells and tried 2 different sets in it with the same result. I noticed tonight the light is now doing the same thing in high mode now too after a slightly longer period of time, leading me to believe the batteries might be the issue. I'm currently testing the 3rd set in it at the moment so I will report back if it performs differently.

Could it be that the PD35 is pulling a much higher current out of them and as such they are giving up where they worked fine before? Or do you think it's just plain faulty?

My main dilemma is do I go out and grab a new set of 18650's + charger and hope its the batt's or return the torch and try my luck with a new one (assuming the seller on ebay isn't a shonk and is happy to return the item)?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Chris

This could not sound more like a battery problem. You will enjoy a single 18650 source more, and it is safer, i.e. you don't have to keep two lithium cells in series balanced. This light is optimum when run from these cells. If your RCR123's were healthy, it should do fine too, but it sounds like they may have been pounded into a state where they can't support the higher current draw the new light is asking for.

It is generally not a good idea to run RCR's until the protection kicks in. If that was your signal every time to charge, you got good life from these AW's, and they may still be fine for low draw usage for a while more, but the high modes of the PD35 will need better cells to work.

Does the PD35 have a tailcap ring like the PD32UE does? If so then maybe that needs to be tightened with pliers (it is reverse-threaded if I recall correctly). It's worth a shot, since that can cause weird problems like this to occur. Good luck!

I think the next step would be to get a few quality 18650 as recommended above.
I have a highly modified pd35vn xpl triple and I can use any 18650 I have with great results.

Using 1 cell is just so much more convenient. And you can get up to 3400mah. That's a win win.

Best of luck.

I'd try it on store bought CR123 primaries first.

Might cost him more than ordering 18650's, down under. Much more utility available from the 18650's, and he has a charger for the RCR123 AW's already.

Number the cells with a marker pen, charge them, measure the voltage hot off the charger. Leave them to sit for 24 hours, re-measure voltage. If you have time, measure again in 2-3 days. Report back. A significant drop in voltage while resting can indicate knackered cells.