Fenix CL25R Camping Lantern – What battery should be included?

KeepingItLight · Aug 3, 2015

I have been surprised by the number of buyers who posted in the CL25R thread saying they are satisfied with the 2300 mAh battery they paid for as part of their CL25R purchase.

Perhaps Fenix got this just right, but it did not have to do things the way it did. In this poll I give specific product examples to highlight several alternatives.

Which do you think would be best for you?

This question is not about what battery you think might be best for a hypothetical buyer. It is not about Joe 6-pack. It is about you. If you were to buy a CL25R, what battery would you like to see included?

[Note: There no "R" at the end of the model number of the Nitecore MH20. In the poll, I accidentally added one.]

chuckhov · Aug 3, 2015

I voted No Battery, because you said that this was for me.

For someone new to 18650 this may hurt sales. - Newbies need an Approved intro, and XXXFire would Not be a good one.

I think that Fenix did it right for the masses.

Thank you,
-Chuck

GeoBruin · Aug 3, 2015

I also think Fenix made the right decision. This lantern is going to be for a more mainstream audience than many of the really expensive lights that require rechargeable cells and the fact that it has a charger built in means it only makes sense to offer it as a turn-key package. The fact that they put an affordable (to them) battery inside instead of a bleeding edge high capacity rechargeable also makes sense. It provides the most utility for the most people with the lowest cost.

Edit - just reread the prompt. For me I would prefer no battery and a lower cost since I want to choose which cells I run.

StorminMatt · Aug 3, 2015

I chose no battery. But not just because I want to choose the battery I wish to use. I also don't want to pay for whatever second rate battery they choose to use when I already have good batteries/

scintillator · Aug 3, 2015

I voted no opinion because I think fenix just wanted for a buyer not to have to worry about getting an 18650 and figuring all that battery stuff out,so they picked
a safe beginner battery so the general public can charge the light just like they charge their phone.

1DaveN · Aug 3, 2015

Funny, I just spotted this thread as I was sitting down to order a 3400 mAh for my CL25R. I'm more than happy with the 2300, though - I've gotten great battery life so far (used mostly on the lowest two settings). At less than half the price of a Fenix 3400, it might even make sense to buy two more of the 2300s than one 3400.

StorminMatt · Aug 3, 2015

1DaveN said:
Funny, I just spotted this thread as I was sitting down to order a 3400 mAh for my CL25R. I'm more than happy with the 2300, though - I've gotten great battery life so far (used mostly on the lowest two settings). At less than half the price of a Fenix 3400, it might even make sense to buy two more of the 2300s than one 3400.

Cells from flashlight manufacturers are ALWAYS overpriced. You can get 18650s much more cheaply from independent vendors, especially if you are okay with unprotected cells.

chuckhov · Aug 4, 2015

Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA Protected 3500mAh are only 10 buck ea from MTN Electronics!

-Chuck

NorthernStar · Aug 4, 2015

My vote goes for both the option to be able to buy the CL25R without a battery, and then to be able to buy it including either a 2300 mAh 18650 beginner battery or including a 3400 mAh battery. I personally would prefer to be able to buy it without a battery so that i could use any of my own 18650 batteries.

Parrot Quack · Aug 4, 2015

Personally, I like the biggest and baddest battery I can readily order. In my case expensive (overpriced) Orbtronic batteries that have, in my opinion, the best collection of reviews. I like collections of good reviews.

Over the weeks and months, as I'm able, I like to add to my battery collection so I always have charged batteries at the ready. Orbtronic or ****Fire, I have a ample supply of all........well six Orbtronic and adding. Why? Because you're not suppose to mix and match batteries.

KeepingItLight · Aug 4, 2015

This is more like what I expected.

So far, only 1/3 of respondents (5 votes) have selected the 2300 mAh battery. Already, one of them has retracted his vote. I think a couple of others will too, because they have answered the wrong question. If you were one of those voting for the 2300 mAh option, please reread the first post in this thread.

This is not about Joe Idiot or John Q. Public. It is about you. Do you want a 2300 mAh battery, or would you prefer a lower price with no battery or a higher price with a higher capacity battery? Some have said that the general (non-flashaholic) public needs to have a battery included, so giving them a 2300 mAh battery better than nothing. I agree. That, however, is not the question in this poll.

My own vote was for several different battery options. Olight did this with its S30R (original edition). That way, buyers can select an up-to-date battery if they wish. Flashlight novices, who fall for the lower price of an older battery, will have that option. Flashlight makers, competing side-by-side on the shelf with flashlights that include only the 2300 mAh battery, will not be at a disadvantage if they offer that along with a high-capacity battery option.

In another thread, I argued that makers of rechargeable flashlights need to include a high-quality battery. I stand by that. Otherwise, it is easy to predict that many buyers will opt for the cheapest xxxx-fire trash they can find. If one of those vents inside a flashlight, it could blow the head and tail cap off, something which has the potential to be more dangerous than a venting event in a stand-alone charger.

The best option for me is a high-quality, high-capacity battery, or the option to choose such a battery amid other options.

The worst option is for me to be forced to pay for a low-capacity battery that I don't want or need. At this date, I would never buy a 2300 mAh battery unless I were forced to.

Kudos to Olight. Thank you to Nitecore for at least offering the no-battery option. In my opinion, both of you are doing better—battery-wise—than Fenix did with the CL25R.

What's your opinion? Poll is still open.

Kalpn · Aug 4, 2015

i choose no battery as their batteries are always overpriced. I can probably buy many more 2600mah sanyo for a price of 1 2300mah fenix batteries.

sledhead · Aug 4, 2015

GeoBruin said:
I also think Fenix made the right decision. This lantern is going to be for a more mainstream audience than many of the really expensive lights that require rechargeable cells and the fact that it has a charger built in means it only makes sense to offer it as a turn-key package. The fact that they put an affordable (to them) battery inside instead of a bleeding edge high capacity rechargeable also makes sense. It provides the most utility for the most people with the lowest cost.

I think this is spot on. Very happy with a "use right out of the box" system. Great for all folks including folks with their first rechargeable experience . Also, the lower power rating makes it easier to charge to full from solar or another external battery pack.

Hopefully a bigger lantern will be developed and we will be able to supply our own batteries for that. :devil:
We need more power Captain!

KeepingItLight · Aug 4, 2015

GeoBruin said:
I also think Fenix made the right decision. This lantern is going to be for a more mainstream audience than many of the really expensive lights that require rechargeable cells and the fact that it has a charger built in means it only makes sense to offer it as a turn-key package. The fact that they put an affordable (to them) battery inside instead of a bleeding edge high capacity rechargeable also makes sense. It provides the most utility for the most people with the lowest cost.

Edit - just reread the prompt. For me I would prefer no battery and a lower cost since I want to choose which cells I run.

sledhead said:
I think this is spot on. Very happy with a "use right out of the box" system. Great for all folks including folks with their first rechargeable experience . Also, the lower power rating makes it easier to charge to full from solar or another external battery pack.

Hopefully a bigger lantern will be developed and we will be able to supply our own batteries for that. :devil:
We need more power Captain!

Are you answering for yourself or for some hypothetical buyer you are imagining? It seems like the latter.

Above is a complete quotation of the post you cited. While GeoBruin thinks the choice Fenix made is right for a "mainstream audience," he later edited his post to say that, for him, it was the wrong choice.

This poll asks only what battery you would like receive. It does not ask what might be best for a "typical" or "novice" buyer.

The CP30R is the new camp lantern from Fenix that can output 650 lumens on max. It can use up to 3x 18650. If you would like Fenix to ship it with 2300 mAh batteries, this is your chance to say so. If you would prefer a choice to have 3400, 3500, or 3600 mAh batteries, this is also your chance to say so.

If sophisticated buyers such as ourselves express satisfaction with 2300 mAh batteries, Fenix will keep shipping them!

1DaveN · Aug 5, 2015

I'm one of those who is happy with the 2300 - it's sufficient for a lot of what I need it for, more powerful cells are available, and I can't imagine one that retails for under $10 with a storage case and shipping is adding much to the cost of the light. But for some reason, I feel completely differently about a 3x18650 lantern. In that case, my opinion is that you'll have users happy with 3x2300 for $30, and others who want 3x3600 for $60+. I'm OK paying for one very inexpensive battery in the cost of a CL25R, but less so three batteries in a more powerful light - I want the choice.

18650 · Aug 5, 2015

KeepingItLight said:
Are you answering for yourself or for some hypothetical buyer you are imagining? It seems like the latter. Above is a complete quotation of the post you cited. While GeoBruin thinks the choice Fenix made is right for a "mainstream audience," he later edited his post to say that, for him, it was the wrong choice. This poll asks only what battery you would like receive. It does not ask what might be best for a "typical" or "novice" buyer. The CP30R is the new camp lantern from Fenix that can output 650 lumens on max. It can use up to 3x 18650. If you would like Fenix to ship it with 2300 mAh batteries, this is your chance to say so. If you would prefer a choice to have 3400, 3500, or 3600 mAh batteries, this is also your chance to say so. If sophisticated buyers such as ourselves express satisfaction with 2300 mAh batteries, Fenix will keep shipping them!

What's a higher price? Would everyone here groan about paying $10 more for a high capacity cell? I don't recall hearing so much complaining about the UC series of lights and most of those come with 2600mah cells, a couple with 3200mah cells and 1 with 3400mah cells. No battery I don't think is realistic for a lithium ion based product meant for mass consumption so I think that is a non starter.

KeepingItLight · Aug 5, 2015

18650 said:
What's a higher price? Would everyone here groan about paying $10 more for a high capacity cell? I don't recall hearing so much complaining about the UC series of lights and most of those come with 2600mah cells, a couple with 3200mah cells and 1 with 3400mah cells. No battery I don't think is realistic for a lithium ion based product meant for mass consumption so I think that is a non starter.

You and I agree.

I voted for offering several different battery options, with prices to match. Cost-conscious buyers could purchase a low-capacity battery. Others, such as myself, could buy a high-capacity battery. If the difference were between, say, 3200 mAh and 3400 mAh, I would not care. The capacity of a 3400 mAh battery, however, is almost 50% higher than that of a 2300 mAh battery. It's a significant amount.

I am just starting out with Li-ion. As yet, the lowest capacity 18650 I own is 3400 mAh. I don't have any 2300s right now, and I would never buy one unless it were bundled with something like the CL25R.

Edit: To answer your question about price, I mean only that it be "fair." Plug in whatever numbers you think are fair.

stoli67 · Aug 5, 2015

Anyone have a link to the 3600 mAh cells ... the AW cells only go up to 3100?

KeepingItLight · Aug 5, 2015

1DaveN said:
I'm one of those who is happy with the 2300 - it's sufficient for a lot of what I need it for, more powerful cells are available, and I can't imagine one that retails for under $10 with a storage case and shipping is adding much to the cost of the light. But for some reason, I feel completely differently about a 3x18650 lantern. In that case, my opinion is that you'll have users happy with 3x2300 for $30, and others who want 3x3600 for $60+. I'm OK paying for one very inexpensive battery in the cost of a CL25R, but less so three batteries in a more powerful light - I want the choice.

$10 is what I pay for 3400s! I'm too cheap to pay the you $60 cited (for 3), when I can get KeepPowers for much less.

My most recent 18650 purchase was a pair of protected KeepPower 3400 mAh batteries that I bought, with case, from Illumn for $20. I would expect to buy something similar for the CP30R. For three batteries, the price would be only $30.

thedoc007 recently posted about a new 3500 mAh battery, the Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA, that he says may be one to keep your eye on. It's has a good combination of moderate price and high capacity. It is rated for a 10A draw. Illumn has the protected KeepPower version on its web site today for $14 USD each. Mountain Electronics has them for $10.15.

1DaveN · Aug 5, 2015

KeepingItLight said:
$10 is what I pay for 3400s! I'm too cheap to pay the you $60 cited (for 3), when I can get KeepPowers for much less.

My most recent 18650 purchase was a pair of protected KeepPower 3400 mAh batteries that I bought, with case, from Illumn for $20. I would expect to buy something similar for the CP30R. For three batteries, the price would be only $30.

thedoc007 recently posted about a new 3500 mAh battery, the Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA, that he says may be one to keep your eye on. It's has a good combination of moderate price and high capacity. It is rated for a 10A draw. Illumn has the protected KeepPower version on its web site today for $14 USD each. Mountain Electronics has them for $10.15.

The $60 was for 3600s, which is the one size I haven't seen any particularly good deals on (compared to the normal price of about $22). I've got to look around for some reviews on those 3500s, which seem to be barely more than 3400s.

Fenix CL25R Camping Lantern – What battery should be included?

What battery should have been included with the Fenix CL25R Camping Lantern

No battery and a lower price. This is how Nitecore packages its rechargeable MH20R.

The same 2300 mAh battery and price Fenix now offers.

3400-3600 mAh, at a higher price. This is what Olight does with its rechargeable S30R II.

Several different packages with different battery options and prices, ala the original S30R.

Other (please explain)

No opinion

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