New to Rechargeable Batteries.

[zbrewer]

So after reading for hours and hours, and trying to get a handle on rechargeable basics. I always seem to get into the deep depths of a certain topic and get lost. I have an EDC, Brite Strike EPLI that I want to get off of alkalies and into rechargeable.

From what I have gathered for AAA replacements, NiMH is the way to go so I'm looking at the eneloops. Is this the best direction for that purpose?
Also, when are Li-ion the best choice?
Are there good rechargeable replacements for cr123s? I read the rcr123 are not always a direct replacement, is this a case by case basis?
Starting out what would be a good all around charger?

Sorry for all the questions, I've already learned alot reading through here, and continue to do so. I'm just trying to figure out the super basic info.

 

[JPL418]

I learned the hard way- I put Tenergy Rcr123s into my Surefire P3x fury and burned it out! Fortunately customer service at Surefire is great and I sent it back and they repaired it no charge. On the other hand my Fenix UE35 works fine with these as well as a Fenix 18650 rechargeable.

 

[TinderBox (UK)]

When buying Eneloop battery`s try to get the made in japan version as the made in china version has lower performance.

John.

 

[zbrewer]

I learned the hard way- I put Tenergy Rcr123s into my Surefire P3x fury and burned it out! Fortunately customer service at Surefire is great and I sent it back and they repaired it no charge. On the other hand my Fenix UE35 works fine with these as well as a Fenix 18650 rechargeable.

That is kind of what I've been reading, that every flashlight is different when it comes to using rechargeable 123's. But there is the xx650 rechargeables that can replace two cr123 in series I believe, but are all these Li-ion?

When buying Eneloop battery`s try to get the made in japan version as the made in china version has lower performance.

John.

Thanks, this is a very good note to be aware of.

 

[Kudzu]

From what I have gathered for AA replacements, NiMH is the way to go so I'm looking at the eneloops. Is this the best direction for that purpose?
Also, when are Li-ion the best choice?
Are there good rechargeable replacements for cr123s? I read the rcr123 are not always a direct replacement, is this a case by case basis?
Starting out what would be a good all around charger?

Sorry for all the questions, I've already learned alot reading through here, and continue to do so. I'm just trying to figure out the super basic info.

Hi, and welcome. :welcome:

You MUST know your voltages. Know your light's max voltage rating, and know your battery's peak AND nominal voltages. And remember that voltage is additive in series - two 4.2V cells in series means 8.4V.

This will help you more than remembering all the terminology - though that's important too - because the terminology is not completely consistent especially with RCR123. Depending on battery chemistry, some are closer to being replacements for CR123, and some are not. Strictly speaking, there's no direct CR123A replacement.

Remember that "lithium" and "lithium ion" are not at all the same thing. The first is not rechargeable, the second is.

JPL418, I would not put two rechargeable cells into a 1x18650 light unless you're sure their peak voltage is within the light's spec.

For NIMH, yes, Eneloops are great, but there are other options, like Amazon Basics or Duracell. HKJ does great comparative reviews on cells and chargers.

I'd suggest reading at batteryuniversity.com, and more in this section of the site. These questions come up a lot, and there are lots of charger recommendations. I like the Xtar VC4 - but it won't charge LiFePO4 cells.

 

[mcnair55]

And you will need a nice warm jacket when outside with your new lights,preferably with plenty of pockets.

 

[IamMatt]

For NIMH, yes, Eneloops are great, but there are other options, like Amazon Basics or Duracell. HKJ does great comparative reviews on cells and chargers.

Which can be found here:http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/indexBatteriesAndChargers UK.html in case you are unfamiliar.

 

[Kurt_Woloch]

I also think NiMh is the way to go for AA replacements since they have the same size and roughly the same voltage as Alkalines, whereas Li-Ions have different voltages, typically around 3.6 V per cell, so actually one Li-Ion cell would equal about 3 NiMh or Alkaline cells. Problem is the cells come in different sizes as well. With the EPLI you have I see it's powered by two AAA batteries, so a Li-Ion cell wouldn't properly match the voltage needed. If you really want to use Li-Ion cells, you'd probably need another flashlight or a fair amount of craftmanship, whereas NiMh AAA's will just drop in there.

Li-Ion generally have the advantage that they pack a higher energy density, so you could theoretically run a light with the same output for a much longer time on the charge of a Li-Ion than on a NiMh cell. The drawback is that they are more fragile and generally need more care when charging and discharging, especially so that they aren't overcharged or overdischarged, both of which could cause failure or even explosion, whereas NiMh's are more tolerant to this and normally not likely to explode. ;-)

When the use of Li-Ions would make sense is a difficult question since most of the time the device manufacturer will have made the choice for you, so your job would be to choose a light (or other device) that suits your needs.

So after reading for hours and hours, and trying to get a handle on rechargeable basics. I always seem to get into the deep depths of a certain topic and get lost. I have an EDC, Brite Strike EPLI that I want to get off of alkalies and into rechargeable.

From what I have gathered for AA replacements, NiMH is the way to go so I'm looking at the eneloops. Is this the best direction for that purpose?
Also, when are Li-ion the best choice?

 

[CelticCross74]

best charger that does both NiMHs and Li-ions I have used is the Xtar VC4 thus far its been the most accurate multi chem charger I have used. Hard to find Japanese Eneloops. Eneloop Pros are Japanese made only so going that route albeit more expensive gets you Japanese Eneloops. If you can find a source for the current gen standard Eneloops that are made in Japan jump on it!

CR123 cells are good for low output lights, they handle temperature extremes fine and if left sitting on a shelf hold their charge literally for years. But...in high output lights CR123's the voltage sags heavily under high output resulting in very short run times on high output settings before the cells start to buckle. RCR123's are higher voltage than CR123's but are low capacity.

Best rechargeable AA replacement I still think are Eneloop Pros. No they cannot be recharged nearly as many times as the standard cells but can still be recharged a few hundred times which works out to years of service. The Pros have much higher capacity than the standards. You may also want to try L91 AA's the L91 AA is also known as the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA cell. These are not rechargeable but they have the highest capacity at 3000mah per cell and crank flat out 1.5volts right up until they die. Incredible cells the L91 is your highest capacity thus longest run times at full power right up until they die. Unless you buy them in bulk online they are as expensive as Eneloops though

 

[zbrewer]

Thanks for all the info everybody, I'm having a good time learning all this stuff.

The next thing I need to look into is the LiFePO4 chemistry batteries I guess to help decide on a charger.
So far I'm liking the mentioned Xtar VC4 but also the Nitecore D4 and Opus BT-3100.

 

[CelticCross74]

not many lights use LiFePO4 cells. Xtar VC4 charges them all. d4 is okay and cheap. Opus is capable of giving you capacity ratings and other things but is not consistently accurate. There must be half a dozen very good reviews on the Opus in this section of the forum check them out. There is the Xtar VP2 its the best lithium ion 18650 charger but it only charges those cells specifically. So far Ive had 2 d4's and 3 i4's including the V2 i4 and now I have the VC4. VC4 is thus far the most accurate charger out of them all. The display screen on the VC4 is very well done and also gives you a MaH charged count. VC4 charges just about any chemistry cell of nearly any size save for D NiMH's and 32650's. It charges my Eneloop Pros perfectly. You do need a wal wart USB plug in for it though. Xtar sells the correct wal wart for the VC4 separately. The charger functions as designed with this wall wart.

BUT-with all 4 bays loaded with depleted 18650's the VC4 charges slowly at less than half an amp. Its actually supposed to do this. Being impatient I plugged the VC4 into the iPhone 6 upgrade wal wart now no matter what I put into it all 4 bays stay pegged at half an amp for the entire charge cycle. Using only the outer 1amp bays the Apple wall wart pegs no matter what I put into these bays at a full amp the entire time. I know Im likely shortening my cell life this way but its much quicker.

 

[HKJ]

Xtar VC4 charges them all.

It would call it a bad idea to charge LiFePO4 on VC4.

 

[zbrewer]

It would call it a bad idea to charge LiFePO4 on VC4.

I had read this a couple of places which is why I need to first decide if I'm going to be using any of this chemistry in the near future.
I currently don't have any lights that require LiFePO4 batteries but am unsure if they are replacements for other batteries or required for certain lights?

 

[HKJ]

I had read this a couple of places which is why I need to first decide if I'm going to be using any of this chemistry in the near future.
I currently don't have any lights that require LiFePO4 batteries but am unsure if they are replacements for other batteries or required for certain lights?

The chemistry is not that much in use, because the energy density is fairly low compare to other LiIon chemistries.
Due to the lower voltage most equipment for normal LiIon batteries will look like they are running on a nearly empty cell.

 

[recDNA]

Li Ions are great in a Tesla. Eneloops are fine in flashlights.

 

[1DaveN]

I use Eneloops in my AA lights, including one that gives me the option of 14500 li-ions. I carry these lights when I fly, and lately I've noticed airlines getting more aware of li-ions in checked bags. I recently took a flight where they disallowed carry-ons due to a time constraint - "we're checking all bags. Remove your medication and lithium batteries." I don't see much risk from a single 18650, or even a pair of 14500s, but I'd hate to lose a light to some over zealous airline employee.

I've never had any RCRs, but some CR123A lights will use a 16340. My favorite light of all time is the Fenix PD25, which works great on either.

I use an Xtar VP2 charger. I chose it partly because it'll charge to 4.35 volts. I may never have any cells that use that setting, but I've been very happy with the charger for my 14500s, 16340s, and 18650s.

 

[mcnair55]

I use Eneloops in my AA lights, including one that gives me the option of 14500 li-ions. I carry these lights when I fly, and lately I've noticed airlines getting more aware of li-ions in checked bags. I recently took a flight where they disallowed carry-ons due to a time constraint - "we're checking all bags. Remove your medication and lithium batteries." I don't see much risk from a single 18650, or even a pair of 14500s, but I'd hate to lose a light to some over zealous airline employee.

I've never had any RCRs, but some CR123A lights will use a 16340. My favorite light of all time is the Fenix PD25, which works great on either.

I use an Xtar VP2 charger. I chose it partly because it'll charge to 4.35 volts. I may never have any cells that use that setting, but I've been very happy with the charger for my 14500s, 16340s, and 18650s.

I was catching a flight from Berlin to the UK and they took a really nice tiny lighter off me that included a small pen knife,it cost no more than a couple of Euros yet they wanted 8 Euro 50 cents to post it on,I told them to bin it but I still miss the thing even though I have given up smoking,will need to watch out about batteries on my next flight then.

 

[Lateck]

Thank you zbrewer for posting this question.
I have some knowledge but I am learning a lot more now.

Lateck,

 

[1DaveN]

I was catching a flight from Berlin to the UK and they took a really nice tiny lighter off me that included a small pen knife,it cost no more than a couple of Euros yet they wanted 8 Euro 50 cents to post it on,I told them to bin it but I still miss the thing even though I have given up smoking,will need to watch out about batteries on my next flight then.

It's funny how attached we get to things that are always around us. I've got a little Gerber pocket knife that might have been $10, but I've had it for 20+ years and I'd hate to be without it.

 

[zbrewer]

HKJ- Thanks for the info!

1DaveN- I'm currently actually researching 16340's for my Surefire U2's. I'm currently looking at the https://www.imrbatteries.com/imren-imr-16340-700mah-10a-3-7v-rechargeable-button-top-battery/

I travel for work and have to make sure that on those days I leave all my EDC gear at home, I do have a AAA pocket light that I have thought about carrying on the plane but haven't yet because I don't want to loose it to TSA. But they are getting more strict about batteries being packed.

Lateck- You're welcome :twothumbs I have been loving all the little gems of info people have been kind enough to share!

I'm thinking I'm leaning toward the XTar VC4 due to the reviews I've been reading.