Can a Surefire D3FT Haley Strategic run on RCR123 3.7v ?

Hotherps1

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I have had my Haley Strategic D3FT for a couple of months now and have been using CR123 Primaries.
I just wondered if anyone knew what the voltage range is for this flashlight and if it is safe to use my Nitecore 650mAh 3.7v RCR123 batteries?

Cheers,
Paul
 

ChrisGarrett

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I have had my Haley Strategic D3FT for a couple of months now and have been using CR123 Primaries.
I just wondered if anyone knew what the voltage range is for this flashlight and if it is safe to use my Nitecore 650mAh 3.7v RCR123 batteries?

Cheers,
Paul

I just looked and I'm going to say that the driver is most probably a standard 3.0v version and not a 4.2v jobbie meant for 16340 li-ions.

16340s are nominally 3.6/3.7 volt cells that come hot off the charger at 4.20v, so there's the problem.

RCR123s are generally 3.2v nominally, but come hot off the charger at ~3.6v, so there's some wiggle room.

SF used to market the K2 Energy RCR123 cells and chargers, so look there, or on Ebay.

Chris
 

Hotherps1

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Ok, Thank you. I have dozens of CR123 Primaries here so its not an issue if this particular model will not take RCR123's
 

ChrisGarrett

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Ok, Thank you. I have dozens of CR123 Primaries here so its not an issue if this particular model will not take RCR123's

Don't confuse RCR123 3.2v li-ions with 16340 3.7v li-ions. They are totally different.

RCR123s more closely match the voltage of the CR123A. Since SureFire sold K2 Energy 3.2v RCR123As, presumably to be used in their lights, I'm going guess that they'll be fine in your light.

Remember, their capacity is a lot lower than a primary CR123A...about 1500mAh vs. 600mAh, so you're going to get less than half the runtime, all other things being equal.

Chris
 

Hotherps1

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Thanks once again.
I have some old blue 3V rechargeable 123's from the late 90's but they were never that good.
The new rechargeables are RCR123A Nitecore NL166 3.7V / 650mAh. I can use these in my Zebralights and Malkoff MD2 / 3 (depending on which drop-in is fitted of course). I also have rechargeable 18650's, 16650's, 18500's, 18350's and a bunch of Oveready sleeves / spacers.

I will see if I can track down some 3.2V 123's .... but I don't mind running this one particular torch on 123 Primaries.
Cheers,
Paul
 

Scotty321

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Surefire lists Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) rechargeables (charger option also listed) on their website. It doesn't have an "add to cart" button, so I don't know if they still make them. However, they can be found online. They should work, but I never tried them: https://www.surefire.com/products/parts-accessories/batteries/sflp123-batteries/?sku=SFLFP123-KIT

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Olumin

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If you want to use rechargeables use the Keeppower RCR123A 3V. Those are 860mAh and regulated at a constant 3V throughout their entire discharge. They will work just fine in your light. They are however slightly longer then standard CR123 primaries and might not fit in some lights, its unlikely to cause problems in single cell lights tho.
 

akula88

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Indeed KeepPower RCR123A 3V (860mAh) is about a couple of millimeters longer than primary CR123 because of the circuit. You can also charged it directly with a micro-USB plug, since it is equipped with an onboard charger. I'm currently using the RCR123A on my E1D-L and had been going fine for the past month since I got the battery. I usually loosen the tailcap to relax the spring tension of the head when replacing the battery.

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