Page 1 of 2
Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat May 04, 2013 6:11 pm
by dave_in_delaware
My Streamlight Scorpion uses two (2) CR123A batteries and they usually last me a month of normal off/on "household" use. I had gotten the flashlight from a dear friend (who has since passed away) along with a pack of batteries. I'm on my last pair of batteries now and now I am wondering:
Does anyone have/use rechargeable CR123A type batteries for their EDC flashlight? Or do they not keep a charge as long or perform as long as non-rechargeable ones? Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat May 04, 2013 6:21 pm
by Oktane
I have a variety of lights that I run on CR123A's and only use rechargeable's. Since they are available in larger capacity than standard CR's I find the opposite. All depends on what you have. You do need to be somewhat careful with the larger capacity. My Fenix PD1 for example, can get a bit hot when I pop in a battery right off the charger and run it on turbo for a while, but I am aware of it and watch it accordingly. If you are looking for solid info on this topic I would recommend candlepowerforums and flashlightreviews by Selfbuilt. They are very knowledgeable on the subject.
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat May 04, 2013 8:14 pm
by bmel17
I have a set of rechargeable 123's, but I usually use 18650's for my EDC. I use the 18650's since you can get reg 123's pretty cheap around a $1 a piece off ebay and at gunshows. I keep a stock of the reg 123's for SHTF reasons. The better rechargeable batteries IMO are panasonics. As Oktane mentioned, check out CPF forum for reviews on batteries. It rocks!
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat May 04, 2013 10:37 pm
by jslacker
+1 on CPF
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Thu May 09, 2013 9:08 am
by Jonnybow
I use the 18650's in lieu of the CR123A batts when I am running low. I got a recharger and 3 sets of the 18650's so I'm able to swap them around and keep 2 spare sets ready.
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Thu May 09, 2013 11:19 am
by bmel17
You could borrow a set from me if you'd like to see them in action.
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:05 pm
by bmel17
Did you ever pick any batteries up Dave?
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:05 pm
by chrisleduc1
bmel17 wrote:Did you ever pick any batteries up Dave?
Hey man nice meeting you the other evening. Wish I had more time to chat..
What do you know about these charges that are supposed to charge non-rechargeables? This particular one was recommended on another forum and most of the reviews are good. I bought one just to give it a try. I'll let you check it out if you want...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00846 ... UTF8&psc=1
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sun Aug 25, 2013 12:19 am
by bmel17
chrisleduc1 wrote:
Hey man nice meeting you the other evening. Wish I had more time to chat..
What do you know about these charges that are supposed to charge non-rechargeables? This particular one was recommended on another forum and most of the reviews are good. I bought one just to give it a try. I'll let you check it out if you want...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00846 ... UTF8&psc=1
Def, we'll have to do it again sometime.
Honestly, not much. I have heard you can, but I'm just wary of alkaline being recharged due to the leak factor. I'd hate to ruin something with leaked acid. Plus I have always heard it will explode and it is just a bad idea in general. Doing some research now.
I just looked on CPF and found this thread which basically says it's not really worth it. Well at least in the opinion of some.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... -batteries
I would like to get some C and D rechargeable batteries to keep around. I saw some sets at Wally World the other day... I'm gonna have to look into these for my maglights and other devices.
I would absolutely like to check the FC999 out and see what you think about it.
Re: Rechargeable CR123A Batteries?
PostPosted:Sun Aug 25, 2013 12:24 am
by bmel17
Also on a related note:
The charger I just bought is this one:
http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=18 Recharges lithium rechargeables. Ni-cd & Ni-mh too.
I prefer the eneloops for my regular AAA, AA uses. Can even put them in an adapter for C uses too.
http://www.eneloop.info/home.html They won't leak and will hold a charge for quite a long time compared to alkaline.
You can find 18650's for that olight pretty cheap on ebay. I'd recommend getting ones that have 3100 mah for a longer lasting battery. If you really want great batteries get Nitecore or Panasonic brand ones that are protected. I have a few but they are pricey, used in my night stand torch exclusively. For the rest I use ultrafires I get off ebay. You can check out
http://www.batteryjunction.com for faster shipping.
I also just ordered a 14500 (AA lithium rechargeable) for my olight S15. Supposedly gets more juice and lumens from it. I'm excited to try it out when it comes in.