Lithium primaries in AAA light?

[Idunno445]

Hey all.

I recently ordered (and received) a Fenix E0. When I was reading about the E0 on the forums, I noticed that some of the runtime tests used Energizer lithiums in the light with much better runtimes than alkalines.

I checked the Fenix site, which did not mention that the E0 could be used with lithiums (though, it didn't say not to). Is there any risk in using lithiums with this light? If I do use them, will the light possibly be damaged in anyway? Will it catastrophically explode five years down the road, burning my jeans pocket and horribly scarring my leg (ok, a bit of an exaggeration)?

I have the same quetion regarding an L0P SE and an E1 that I'm giving as gifts this Christmas.

Lithium primaries... good or bad idea in these lights?

Thanks for all your help guys. This forum is great!
Merry Christmas! :santa:

Nick

 

[gadgetnerd]

I use 1.7V lithiums in my L0P and L0D, and they definitely run a little brighter, and presumably longer than an alkaline. I'm pretty sure the specs for the torches say that input voltage is 0.9 to 1.7V , or 0.9 to 3.7V in the case of the L0D. Neither of them have blown up yet!

 

[ginaz]

i've been using lithium exclusively in my L0P with no probs. i believe it's rated at an input voltage of up to 1.7 as was my L1.

 

[mchlwise]

It's generally accepted that Energizer e2 lithiums are safe for use in all lights.

Personally, I use them in my Fenix L0Pse, E1, L2p, and just about everything else.

Where you get into trouble is with 3volt lithiums. Many of the rechargeable lithium batteries are 3volt, but there are also 3volt primary lithiums in a AA size (commonly referred to as 14500 cells). These should not be used for lights that are not rated for 3volt batteries. I'm not aware of 3volt primary lithium in a AAA size, but they're probably out there.

Hope that helps.

 

[Idunno445]

So, L0P is fine for lithiums. I think Fenix rates the E1 up to 1.6v... does this mean that lithiums are a no-go?

Nick

 

[gadgetnerd]

So, L0P is fine for lithiums. I think Fenix rates the E1 up to 1.6v... does this mean that lithiums are a no-go?

Nick

They'll be fine. They rapidly drop to less than 1.7V under load.

 

[Roy]

The runtime to 50% max brightness = 10h 50m using an AAA alkaline battery.

The runtime to 50% max brightness = 12h using an SINICA AAA Lithium battery.

 

[David_Campen]

It's generally accepted that Energizer e2 lithiums are safe for use in all lights.

Not really, 2 lights I know of from experience that do not tolerate Lithium AA cells are the PrincetonTec Surge and the Minimag AA Incandescent. In the Surge the bulb will fail almost instantly. In the Minimag with a fresh set of Lithium AAs the bulb will likely fail if given a little mechanical shock. I believe there may be some issues with some Petzl unregulated LED Headlamps.

Lithium AA cells hold their voltage in high current applications much better than alkaline cells. Some flashlight designs depend on the large voltage drop of Alkaline AA cells.

That said, I use Lithium AAs in several types of lights that I own.

 

[Tesla]

I never encountered any problems whatsoever using lithium AA's in Mini-Mag incandescents, nor did several people I know. Your experience obviously was different, but lithium batteries don't cause problems in 99% of cases (Mini-Mag included). I believe that would qualify for general acceptance. The Surge bulb is already overstressed and you're talking about 8 batteries, so the slight difference in voltage & current is magnified in that singular case. I know of no issues with lithiums except already overdriven bulbs in multi-battery situations.