Are there any true 10440 compatible lights?

[Gryffin]

Upfront, I've got a number of 10440-capable lights.

But, I'm also realistic: output is impressive, but runtimes are ridiculously short.

Also, current draws are really scary; if you seriously wanna run 10440, invest in IMR cells, not the crap-*** ChinaFire junk. (Besides the safety factor, IMR cells are much more tolerant of over discharge, which is almost inevitable with these lights' runtimes.)

That said...

Here's my list of AAA lights and their 10440 compatibility, either by manufacturer blessing, or both mine and others' reports in the field.

Factory Blessed:

• Lumapower EDC LM21 (runs like a champ on Efest IMR, and the ONLY forward-clicky I know of)
• Thrunite Ti3 (Aluminum! excellent performer on Efest IMR)
• UltraTac K18 (recommend aluminum, not stainless, for heat dissipation reasons)
• DQG Tiny III "clicky" (more like mushy, but impressive output for it's size)
• BLF/SingFire SF-348 (single mode, but stylish and slim)

Generally Considered Compatible:

• Streamlight Microstream • tested by everybody and their canine (single mode, but great thrower)
• Maratac AAA rev 2 • tested by everybody and their canine (ancient but STILL hard to beat)
• 4Sevens Preon 1 v1 • tested by everybody and their canine
• Lumintop Tool, v1 and v2 • tested on CPF with Efest IMR (one of my favorites!)
• Spotlight Shifter 1 • can't find corroborating reports, but I've done it for two years now

Questionable:

• Klarus MiX6 SS • not recommended, but some reports on CPF that it works; I use LiFePO4, no problem
• Thrunite Ti3 HI Titanium • reports of >poof< on 3.7V; Soshine 3.2 LiFePO4 works great for me
• ThorFire PF03 • reports of >poof< on 3.7V; Soshine 3.2 LiFePO4 works great for me

Oh HAIL No!!!

• DQG Tiny II (original, no tail magnet, GITD dot on tail)

 

[easilyled]

A couple of high-end 10440 lights are:-

1) The discontinued Liteflux LF2XTs which still occasionally crop up on B/S/T but are distinctly un-budget in price.

2) MBI's HF-R which with an extension that comes with it will support 10440s. This will set you back in the region of $120 IIRC but its probably worth it as its a beautiful little light with 5 levels from very dim to scorchingly bright and has an ingenious rotary tail.

 

[aris1234]

Which specific 10440 batteries are recommended?

 

[aris1234]

• Thrunite Ti3 (Aluminum! excellent performer on Efest IMR)

The Thrunite website doesn't mention 10440 - but it does say it supports up to v3.0 input. 10440 is 3.7 is it not?

http://www.thrunite.com/thrunite-ti3-cool-white/

 

[easilyled]

You can also consider lifep04 AAA cells which have safer chemisty than li-ion 10440s but still pack a punch.
When fully charged they max out at about 3.4V and they need a dedicated charger.

Just google "lifepo4 AAA" and you'll find plenty of examples.

I have some Coolook lifep04 AAAs and a lifepo4 charger called Powerlion (appears to be Chinese). These work just fine and I feel a bit safer with them as they are not known to "vent with flames" as li-ions occasionally are prone to do.

 

[jon_slider]

OK, Im on my safety soap box, and not comfortable with unprotected lights. Some Protected cells tend to come from companies with bad reputations, and some protected cells dont fit. For those who spend more time managing the risks.. carry on. For newbies like me that want to understand what Protection is about.. read on

the whole "Compatible" thing is very generalized. It mostly seems to mean the light wont be damaged by the high voltage. It most definitely does not mean the light will turn off before the battery is discharged below safe levels, that remains the responsibility of the operator.

Upfront, I've got a number of 10440-capable lights.

impressive list of lights that dont fry on LiIon
but, which ones have built in OverDischarge Protection.. none of them?

LF2XTs … MBI's HF-R

do they have built in OverDischarge Protection, Thermal Protection, Battery meter?

lifep04 AAAs… are not known to "vent with flames" as li-ions occasionally are prone to do.

from my reading, fire during charging is the result of charging after OverDischarge, is that correct?
I also hear people use fireproof locations for their chargers, and do not leave charging unattended, such as overnight. Is that correct also?

Why would I want a battery that gives me 12 minutes of runtime before it dies, and at that point is a risk of fire?

I wish when people post a light that is LiIon compatible, that they would include whether it has built in protection, and whether it uses PWM.

I note that the Tool, when it had PWM, seems to work better with LiIon, than the new NoPWM Tool, though neither have built in protection.

of the lights mentioned that are LiIon Tolerant, which ones use PWM?
Until recently the Maratacs used PWM, as do the 47s still. The Thrunite is a NoPWM light, but it also has ridiculously low modes, and still no Protection.. I could go on, and I probably will later.. LOL

 

[archimedes]

The LF2XT has voltage monitoring, voltage reporting, and overdischarge protection.

I am not aware of specific thermal monitoring by the driver itself .... although you may note it heating up as you hold it.

There is also an Auto-OFF feature that can be set.

 

[staticx57]

None of them are likely to have low voltage protection due to the need to run AAA and 10440 cells. Digging more into vinh' so design it is still possible to drain a cell even with that. It has what I like to call soft protection, that is,a warning more than protection, it will reduce brightness to signal the battery needs to be charged. This type of protection is common on convoy lights for example. It is different than something like a zebralight or something based off the BLF a6 driver which will shut the light off at 2.8 volts. Protected cells will shut the cell off.

 

[jon_slider]

The LF2XT has voltage monitoring, voltage reporting, and overdischarge protection….

There is also an Auto-OFF feature that can be set.

Awesome! thanks
and NoPWM?

None of them are likely to have low voltage protection due to the need to run AAA and 10440 cells. Digging more into vinh' so design it is still possible to drain a cell even with that. It has what I like to call soft protection, that is,a warning more than protection, it will reduce brightness to signal the battery needs to be charged. This type of protection is common on convoy lights for example. It is different than something like a zebralight or something based off the BLF a6 driver which will shut the light off at 2.8 volts. Protected cells will shut the cell off.

thanks for the education, very much appreciated
I have read that protected cells do not fit in the L11c, which also lacks built in protection:

Only tried it briefly since the battery was really crammed in there. I was worried about damaging the threads so I decided I wouldn't use 14500. Maybe an unprotected would fit nicely.

 

[staticx57]

thanks for the education, very much appreciated

It's only what I've picked up along the way, it may or may not be incomplete info. :candle:

 

[Gryffin]

The Thrunite website doesn't mention 10440 - but it does say it supports up to v3.0 input. 10440 is 3.7 is it not?

http://www.thrunite.com/thrunite-ti3-cool-white/

Interesting. I was going by their Amazon page, which is where I got mine; they were selling both the Ti3 And the Ti3T (titanium version), which seems to be gone now; the listing specifically said 3.7V for the Ti3, 3.0V for the Ti3T. At the time, I figured maybe they were concerned about heat build-up in the titanium model.

The official Thrunite page doesn't mention voltage at all.

Wouldn't be the first time a company changed specs... That said, I've been running mine for a couple months now on Efest IMR without a problem.

CORRECTION: Found the Ti3T listing, which shows specs for both the titanium and aluminum (Ti3) versions, and both now say 0.9V–3.0V. I don't know if they changed circuits and just changed the specs to err on the side of caution.

 

[aris1234]

I got the BLF 348 Nichia - very nice. Currently have a Lithium primary in there - waiting for some protected 10440's to come to try those. I like that this is a single mode light - it will fit in nicely in my bag. A bit too big for the pocket I think, and it has no lanyard hole which is a bit of a bummer

 

[aris1234]

I got my Atrolux A01 - fantastic little light. I'm not a great fan of Twist top - but seeing how it reduces the size, I can't complain. I've got it all paracorded up and living on my keychain. Great buy.

 

[jon_slider]

I got the BLF 348 Nichia
...
I got my Atrolux A01

congratulations and thanks for posting pics.
Be careful not to burn your hand using 10440 in the A01

Astrolux A01… Only the high mode works well with a 10440,
...
Prolonged use of 10440 battery is not recommended … the light gets … way too hot to comfortably hold with bare hands.

 

[aris1234]

10440 doesn't seem to be officially supported. I'm using an energiser lithium primary. High capacity, and very lightweight. I used it last night coming back from a friends birthday bash - they switch the street lights off after midnight, so came in very handy. The high mode with the lithium primary was more than enough.

I have some 10440's on order - will try them for the novelty value and maybe get an UltraTac K18 for using 10440's

 

[aris1234]

So my 10440's finally dropped though my post box. Sadly they do not fit in either of the lights i got

They are Trustfire "protected" cells.

Digital calipers say my Energizer lithium primary AAA is about 10.26mm in diameter and 44.35mm in length (including terminals).

The 10440 is actually a bit oblong between 10.25 and 10.52 depending on how I measure it. Length is 46.14.

In the BLF348 it is a very very tight fit - so tight that if I pushed it right the way into the light, i'm certain I would not be able to get it out.

In the Astrolux, it doesn't close down enough due to the overall 10440 battery length to switch the light on via the twisty. Girth is OK though.

Can't win!

I'm thinking that the 10440's should be perfectly spherical, though the thicker part appears to be where the plastic sheath wrapping on the battery overlaps. I tried 4 different 10440's (I got a set)- same thing. I suspect the length difference is due to the protection circuit.

So, do I need a different 10440? Which ones are known to work?

 

[staticx57]

I use the Efest 10440 IMR in my 348. I bought it at Illumination Supply but I am not sure of the shipping to the UK. It is an unprotected cell so you have to be aware of the voltage yourself instead of relying on the light or a protection circuit to tell you when to charge it. I will tell you the 348 will be noticeably dimmer as the voltage runs down.

 

[aris1234]

Sounds like I should have got some unprotected cells

I tested these cells and they only came up with a 350mAh capacity (600 claimed).