What are your plans to keep mods based on the AW 26500 alive?

Bimmerboy

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 30, 2004
Messages
2,070
Location
Long Island, NY
My two highly sophisticated, expensive incan mods based on this battery still run well after many years, a testament to the quality of AW's unique IMR 26500's. But, alas, they can't live forever and there has been no sign of a replacement.

Being 3D and 4D Mags, using 4 and 5 26500's respectively (the latter drawing 10 Amps), it seems the most likely solution is to get a couple donor Mag shells and have someone cut extensions so I can use 26700's. That sucks though as I'd prefer not to make the lights longer. They're perfect length as is.

Another possibility, one I haven't looked deeply into yet, is to see if I can get Li-Po packs of the same voltages that will fit inside. Even if that is possible (which it probably damn well won't be), there will be trade offs. More complex wiring, capacity sacrifices, have to buy a pack charger, etc. But, I'll do it to keep these lights going. I'm proud of the builds/parts choices I made, and proud of the modders here that made those parts. These lights aren't going anywhere.... especially if I can't sell them due to lack of batteries... lol.

Just kidding, I wouldn't sell 'em anyway.

Anyone else thinking about the future of their AW 26500 mods?
 

parametrek

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Messages
578
You can still get 26500 batteries. Mountain Electronics has them 3Ah Efest cells for like $11. From what I can tell the AW cells were only 2.3Ah when new so these are a 30% capacity upgrade. No mention of how many amps they can do. (Other Efest 26500 cells have supported between 5 amps and 20 amps discharge fwiw.)

But li-ion tech has also come a long ways in the past decade. "Regular" cells have probably caught up with the legends of old.
 
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