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Posted: 2/26/2021 10:38:54 PM EDT
[#1]
The 18650/18350's can give you more lumens and will cost a lot less longterm.
My go to handheld and WML are the Modliites PLHv2 18650/18350 |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 10:44:48 PM EDT
[#2]
If you don’t mind the size of the light then 18650 is the way to go. Too big for me for pocket carry but 18650s are easy to find and recharge and some lights can use cr123’s in place of 18650’s
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Posted: 2/26/2021 10:46:24 PM EDT
[#3]
I'm no flashlight nerd, but it seems like if the battery is rechargeable then that would negate the concern over new batteries not being easily available at normal stores.
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Posted: 2/26/2021 11:05:53 PM EDT
[#4]
After the event that happened a few weeks ago I bought two headlamps that use dual 18650 batteries.
Has high,low, sos with adjustable focus. I use them at work and pretty pleased. I haven’t had an 18650 battery pop on me yet like a bunch of AA batteries (I leave the flashlight in the truck in Texas heat). Being rechargeable is nice, except they do take awhile to charge so I have spares that I rotate through. I have multiple handhelds that take the 18650 and the biggest complaint is not trusting the mah rating of all the batteries they have out there (they all seem generic). Fun trying to fill a generator at 2am by flashlight. Luckily I had a clip on AAA ball cap light which was mighty helpful. Edit to add. Oh yeah some of my 18650 flashlights came with an adapter that I can use 3 AAA batteries in place of 1 18650 battery. |
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Posted: 2/26/2021 11:23:11 PM EDT
[#5]
18650 is not new or exotic. Break open a power tool battery and it is all 18650 cells. Tesla battery packs too. Many are switching to 21700s, which are a bit bigger and more powerful, but not as widely available yet. Expect there to be a war on recharcheable replaceable batteries. Mail bans, etc. Companies want to build in obsollescence. I like to have a separate charger and not rely on built in usb charging ports as these tend to be a weak point on devices because they can short. Prefer flashlights that do not have usb charging. The olight usb magnetic charging is pretty solid though and convenient imo.
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Posted: 2/27/2021 12:18:52 AM EDT
[#6]
18650s are the same length as dual CR123s and just a touch wider, most of the "better" WMLs can take both, including the new Modlight DF. The Modlights use premium batteries, which last hundreds of charges and cost like $10 a pop plus a few bucks for a charger. They also make kinda ok ones which can be charged using a USB micro. I have some of these, but prefer the former. Personally a HL-X with a 18650 is probably the best rifle light until you're willing to spend modlight or CD money.
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Posted: 2/27/2021 3:23:00 AM EDT
[#7]
In another time and a waste of time hobby I dealt with out of ignorance fuck 18650s, rechargeable or not over time you have to buy them all over again.
With the advent of battery powered security cameras 123s are very much almost everywhere and 18650s are not everywhere. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 4:57:45 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted: I have a standing rule for anything that takes a battery: no weird exotic batteries. 123’s are as weird as it gets. I’ve got my eye on a flashlight tho that takes 18650’s. This definitely qualifies as “weird and exotic” in my book since I’m not buying those on the regular at Walmart. Walk me through the pros and cons of the 18650 rechargable Lithium Ion. Like I’m interested in need-level wall of text down to technical nitty gritty as to why this battery is or isn’t sexy enough to justify violating a standing rule of mine to obtain. -Many 18650 flashlights can still use CR123s, so you lose nothing by buying a 18650 flashlight if you already run CR123's. -18650's are reliable, affordable, and [good ones] are made in Japan, making them a dependable battery -18650's are rechargeable, so you can use a light more often without worrying about 'wasting batteries.' It also allows you to use the light without cutting into your stash of CR123's. It also mens you can recharge the batteries in the field from your car, or from a power bank, or from solar. -18650's have much longer runtimes / can provide more power then CR123's: Test with the exact same Malkoff MD2 M61 light, at ~400lm CR123s = 1.4hrs to drop to 100lm  18650 = 4hrs to drop to 100lm  |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 5:35:53 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In another time and a waste of time hobby I dealt with out of ignorance fuck 18650s, rechargeable or not over time you have to buy them all over again. With the advent of battery powered security cameras 123s are very much almost everywhere and 18650s are not everywhere. But how many times can you recharge an 18650 before it’s trash? Hundreds of times. Buy online or if you need one in a pinch, places like Batteries Plus carry 18650. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 9:34:27 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The 18650/18350's can give you more lumens and will cost a lot less longterm. My go to handheld and WML are the Modliites PLHv2 18650/18350 What are we looking at in terms of charging? Can I use it and drain the battery to say 80 or 90% and then top it up without creating battery memory? |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 9:36:09 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I'm no flashlight nerd, but it seems like if the battery is rechargeable then that would negate the concern over new batteries not being easily available at normal stores. Yes and no. The reason I want normal batteries is that work often takes me to places where that’s what I have access to. Rechargable is cool bc I don’t have to replace it, but then I need a charging solution, and past rechargable a have not been all that with high draw stuff (why I like the Lithium idea) |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 9:42:16 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 18650 is not new or exotic. Break open a power tool battery and it is all 18650 cells. Holy crap. Thanks! This actually swayed the argument. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 9:46:49 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Holy crap. Thanks! This actually swayed the argument. Most laptop battery packs are the same as well. I have maybe 25-30 cells. Some several years old, been in constant rotation and only now starting to have failures. By that I mean fresh off the charger maybe at 50-60% capacity. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 12:18:35 PM EDT
[#14]
You can find portable power banks that have built in Solar Panels, and/or grab something like an Anker Solar Panel - that will recharge in the field. Don't rule out 21700 either - the good mfgs are fitting them into 1" body lights, as well. There is no "memory" with Li-Ion, super-long term storage should be at 50%, from what I've read. Nitecore Chargers can charge every battery out there (I'm sure other models are good as well).
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Posted: 2/27/2021 12:22:43 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You can find portable power banks that have built in Solar Panels, and/or grab something like an Anker Solar Panel - that will recharge in the field. Don't rule out 21700 either - the good mfgs are fitting them into 1" body lights, as well. There is no "memory" with Li-Ion, super-long term storage should be at 50%, from what I've read. Nitecore Chargers can charge every battery out there (I'm sure other models are good as well). I have a goal zero, which I usually bring, but a goal zero is also much bigger than some extra AAs. Easy fix tho is to just carry an extra 18650 |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 3:49:41 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 18650s are the same length as dual CR123s and just a touch wider..... Did not know this. Thank You! Just double stacked a CR123 and flightlight was even brighter. 3AAA adapter, 2 CR123 or single 18650 battery... BAM! |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 3:58:27 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Did not know this. Thank You! Just double stacked a CR123 and flightlight was even brighter. 3AAA adapter, 2 CR123 or single 18650 battery... BAM! |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 4:03:36 PM EDT
[#18]
I work nights and use a Surefire Peacekeeper every night. I usually swap the Keeppower 18650 battery every couple shifts. I’ve been using two Keeppower batteries for going on 4 years now with no issues. When I put them on the charger after two shifts they are usually between 3.7 and 3.9 volts; depleted is 3.6v. I keep a few CR123 batteries handy.
For most users who are not using the light several hours a week the CR123 batteries are probably enough. Two barriers and a charger are going to cost almost as much as 50 CR123 batteries. Battery Junction sells Panasonic CR123 batteries cheap. A box of 50 lasts me 4-5 years just for weapon lights and the like. They store for 10 years however I’ve used some that were 12-15 years old and they still worked. I believe Panasonic is OEM for Surefire. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 4:05:37 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What are we looking at in terms of charging? Can I use it and drain the battery to say 80 or 90% and then top it up without creating battery memory? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The 18650/18350's can give you more lumens and will cost a lot less longterm. My go to handheld and WML are the Modliites PLHv2 18650/18350 What are we looking at in terms of charging? Can I use it and drain the battery to say 80 or 90% and then top it up without creating battery memory? Lithium doesn't have memory issues. The batteries wear out through use and depth of discharge. https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries The main issue you need to be aware of wrt 18650 flashlights or weaponlights are: 1. Length of the battery - many weaponlights/flashlights are designed to work with a specific range of lengths, 18650 is nominally 65mm long but can vary greatly. For example, the Streamlight HL-X weaponlight requires a 18650 battery that is at least 68mm long. The two best batteries are: Epoch 18650 3500mah protected Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mah unprotected Otherwise, yes you can run your lights through 80-90% of capacity. In my runtime tests I've found that regulated lights can keep their full brightness for around that level of battery capacity. I like the Vapcell chargers since you can put the charger in storage model to have the cells at 3.75v as well as normal charging functions. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 5:18:03 PM EDT
[#20]
KeepPower cells are also highly reliable and well-regarded for Li-Ions-- Malkoff recommends them as well. I use Li-ions in my more commonly-used lights, but keep primaries in my less-often used lights (ie the spare Surefire Fury in my truck). If you let Li-ions discharge all the way down, that could be the death of the cell.
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Posted: 2/27/2021 5:30:10 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What are we looking at in terms of charging? Can I use it and drain the battery to say 80 or 90% and then top it up without creating battery memory? They last a very long time and take many charge cycles. Flashlights are relatively light duty for quality 18650 cells. Most lights only suck a couple amps of power at max output. When you start looking at how the vaping community uses 18650 cells, it really puts things in perspective. Lots of vaping devices draw 20-30 amps and in some cases, much more than that. I have some cells that have been used for vaping for years, getting recharged a few times a week and are still holding up. Just stick with a quality battery. Don't buy them off of Amazon as there are a lot of fakes out there. Buy from a reputable place like battery Junction, or Ilumn. com I personally like the Sony and Panasonic cells. Samsung sells are good too. |
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Posted: 2/27/2021 11:41:57 PM EDT
[#22]
My problem with them is that unlike Duracell or Energizer CR123 batteries they are NOT made in the USA. You would therefore have a USA flashlight running on Japanese, South Korean, or Chinese batteries. The battery is as important as the light when it comes to reliability in my book. I might be inclined to depend upon Japanese manufacturers but I would never ever depend on anything made in Communist China no matter what reviews praised it. Be very careful not to run Chinese batteries.
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Posted: 2/28/2021 12:23:39 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My problem with them is that unlike Duracell or Energizer CR123 batteries they are NOT made in the USA. You would therefore have a USA flashlight running on Japanese, South Korean, or Chinese batteries. The battery is as important as the light when it comes to reliability in my book. I might be inclined to depend upon Japanese manufacturers but I would never ever depend on anything made in Communist China no matter what reviews praised it. Be very careful not to run Chinese batteries. I'd rate almost anything made in Japan as equal / superior to made in USA. Electronics, optical lenses, vehicles, watches, robotics...and batteries. Keepower and Orbtronic 3500's run Japanese cells and protectors. |
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Posted: 2/28/2021 3:14:23 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I'd rate almost anything made in Japan as equal / superior to made in USA. Electronics, optical lenses, vehicles, watches, robotics...and batteries. Keepower and Orbtronic 3500's run Japanese cells and protectors. +1 for Orbtronic. They take the unprotected 18650 Japanese Panasonic Cells and make them "protected". I just had eight more arrive at the house yesterday from them for $95 shipped. Forget about "deals" on Chinese cells with cooked reviews. I paid basically $11 per battery and they will last me for years. As far as I know the Japanese Panasonic 18650s are the industry standard. Tesla has been using 18650 cells manufactured by Panasonic in the Models S and X cars since 2013. I have been using them for many years with zero reliability issues. Charge em low and slow at .5a or 1a and they will last even longer. |
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Posted: 2/28/2021 3:32:15 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My problem with them is that unlike Duracell or Energizer CR123 batteries they are NOT made in the USA. You would therefore have a USA flashlight running on Japanese, South Korean, or Chinese batteries. The battery is as important as the light when it comes to reliability in my book. I might be inclined to depend upon Japanese manufacturers but I would never ever depend on anything made in Communist China no matter what reviews praised it. Be very careful not to run Chinese batteries. Aside from the principle of giving PRC money (which is pretty much unavoidable), this is a complete nonissue for me. |
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Posted: 2/28/2021 9:47:30 AM EDT
[#26]
Just get a dual fuel light. You will be covered.
also in SHTF there are millions of 18650 batteries out there between laptops and power tools. |
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Posted: 2/28/2021 11:21:48 AM EDT
[#27]
Just wanna say thanks all!
You knocked it out of the park on this thread! I’ll put up some pics when I get back from my next trip |
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Posted: 3/1/2021 1:22:14 AM EDT
[#28]
What about cold weather performance?
How do 18650s and 18630s perform in below zero weather? Which drains faster the CR123s or those in the cold? |
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Posted: 3/1/2021 10:22:33 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What about cold weather performance? How do 18650s and 18630s perform in below zero weather? Which drains faster the CR123s or those in the cold? Depends on the battery, the light, and the current being used. Generally you're going to get less runtime and less brightness, with 18350 being more affected. Some lights when run at the higher levels get so hot they can keep the cells warm enough to avoid the cold weather induced voltage sag. We don't get very cold weather here but I've done some runtime testing on turbo modes with a few lights at 21°f and 25°f, you can see the temperature control of the driver allows the lights to run at higher outputs for longer - so essentially runtime is decreased but brightness is increased. https://asatisfyingwasteoftime.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/cold-weather-runtime-testing-convoy-s2-and-zebralight-h600w-mkiv/ These two were done at 25°f.   AFAIK at higher current draw rechargeable lithium 18650/18350 are the better choice as they have less sag, at lower current draw lithium primary CR123A are better. Battery University has a great graph to get a nominal idea of what cold weather effect will be: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/discharging_at_high_and_low_temperatures If it's cold enough and the situation is dire enough you can wrap a small handwarmer around the body of the light with a rubber band to keep the battery and driver warm and increase the runtime. I've done this on very long bicycle rides. And of course keep spares close to your body so they absorb residual heat. |
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Posted: 3/1/2021 10:38:12 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yes and no. The reason I want normal batteries is that work often takes me to places where that's what I have access to. Rechargable is cool bc I don't have to replace it, but then I need a charging solution, and past rechargable a have not been all that with high draw stuff (why I like the Lithium idea) Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I'm no flashlight nerd, but it seems like if the battery is rechargeable then that would negate the concern over new batteries not being easily available at normal stores. Yes and no. The reason I want normal batteries is that work often takes me to places where that's what I have access to. Rechargable is cool bc I don't have to replace it, but then I need a charging solution, and past rechargable a have not been all that with high draw stuff (why I like the Lithium idea) |
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Posted: 3/1/2021 12:08:26 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Depends on the battery, the light, and the current being used. Generally you're going to get less runtime and less brightness, with 18350 being more affected. Some lights when run at the higher levels get so hot they can keep the cells warm enough to avoid the cold weather induced voltage sag. We don't get very cold weather here but I've done some runtime testing on turbo modes with a few lights at 21°f and 25°f, you can see the temperature control of the driver allows the lights to run at higher outputs for longer - so essentially runtime is decreased but brightness is increased. https://asatisfyingwasteoftime.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/cold-weather-runtime-testing-convoy-s2-and-zebralight-h600w-mkiv/ These two were done at 25°f. https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/13.-sst40-cold-18650.png https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/11.-sst40-cold-weather-1.png AFAIK at higher current draw rechargeable lithium 18650/18350 are the better choice as they have less sag, at lower current draw lithium primary CR123A are better. Battery University has a great graph to get a nominal idea of what cold weather effect will be: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/discharging_at_high_and_low_temperatures If it's cold enough and the situation is dire enough you can wrap a small handwarmer around the body of the light with a rubber band to keep the battery and driver warm and increase the runtime. I've done this on very long bicycle rides. And of course keep spares close to your body so they absorb residual heat. Wow, it's amazing the impact the cold has on batteries. As I've integrated night vision into my kit I've had to become more dependent on electronics and the impact of the cold weather on batteries is something I'm going to have to consider. Especially now that I'm transitioning to the use of an RMR on my pistol, guess I better stay practiced at using the back up sights for it. |
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Posted: 3/1/2021 1:53:44 PM EDT
[#32]
My Fenix E35 V3.0 Flashlight uses a 21700 battery. For $65, it is a great light.
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Posted: 3/4/2021 1:43:56 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Depends on the battery, the light, and the current being used. Generally you're going to get less runtime and less brightness, with 18350 being more affected. Some lights when run at the higher levels get so hot they can keep the cells warm enough to avoid the cold weather induced voltage sag. We don't get very cold weather here but I've done some runtime testing on turbo modes with a few lights at 21°f and 25°f, you can see the temperature control of the driver allows the lights to run at higher outputs for longer - so essentially runtime is decreased but brightness is increased. https://asatisfyingwasteoftime.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/cold-weather-runtime-testing-convoy-s2-and-zebralight-h600w-mkiv/ These two were done at 25°f. https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/13.-sst40-cold-18650.png https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/11.-sst40-cold-weather-1.png AFAIK at higher current draw rechargeable lithium 18650/18350 are the better choice as they have less sag, at lower current draw lithium primary CR123A are better. Battery University has a great graph to get a nominal idea of what cold weather effect will be: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/discharging_at_high_and_low_temperatures If it's cold enough and the situation is dire enough you can wrap a small handwarmer around the body of the light with a rubber band to keep the battery and driver warm and increase the runtime. I've done this on very long bicycle rides. And of course keep spares close to your body so they absorb residual heat. That’s crazy! Dude thanks a ton! This is the kind of stuff that used to make me like the technical forums but has fallen off a bit lately |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 1:53:29 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Streamlight Stringer LED seems to be the gold standard. BIL got 2 400 lums lights off the Matco truck with charger and all the attachments and a second battery. There is even a 12volt cord to use it in the truck. There is a 1100 lum model too. The one I’m looking at is a Matarac that puts out 350-1100 lumens. This is the overall package I went with and came in under $100  Attached File |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 1:58:16 AM EDT
[#35]
Get yourself on over to candlepowerforums. Like the arfcom of flashlights, lots of good technical information there as well.
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Posted: 3/4/2021 11:45:26 AM EDT
[#36]
My preferred EDC 18650 is a single cell Sofirn SC31 Pro. Slightly over 4" long, LED lit side button with belt clip and 3000mah battery inc. for about $25 from AliExpress in China, or $25-$30 from Amazon with discount codes. 2000 Lumens and a programmable UI called Anduril. I have bought 4 of them in the past month and will probably buy more as gifts. Very nice battery according to flashlight geeks on line, and sturdy, bright and versatile light with great spot and good flood also.
Here is a review/demo on YouTube by a respected flashlight guru that will give you an idea of what this is and can do. Sofirn SC31 Pro Review Being considered for flashlight of the year awards by Candlepowerforums I've heard. Edited to add: As if all this isn't enough to throw one of these in your glovebox, this light also has built in charging with a USB "C" connector and comes with about a 3' cable. You can also buy a magnetic tailcap on AliExpress for $1.99 inc. free shipping with light. I have one and it will hold at 90 degrees from vertical. |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 12:46:57 AM EDT
[#37]
Do it. 18650s save a lot of money over CR123, especially if you use the light a lot. Run time is good too.
Buy an extra set of 18650s and keep the spares charged and rotate them if that's important. Only cons are not being able to go buy fresh charged batteries and apparently storing them fully charged will slowly degrade capacity. Check out Malkoff Devices. You'd spend closer to $200 for something like what you are looking at, but Gene is a standup guy and honors the lifetime warranty no questions asked. He replaced the head of my 8 year old flashlight which was used and abused daily. |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 4:08:51 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Buy an extra set of 18650s and keep the spares charged and rotate them if that's important. Only cons are not being able to go buy fresh charged batteries and apparently storing them fully charged will slowly degrade capacity. Can you explain a little more about this? My concept is to have a battery in the light, and a spare ready to go, but there’s probably going to be 2-6 month stints where I’m not using them at all. I don’t want to be screwing up $11 batteries though |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 4:55:08 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can you explain a little more about this? My concept is to have a battery in the light, and a spare ready to go, but there’s probably going to be 2-6 month stints where I’m not using them at all. I don’t want to be screwing up $11 batteries though Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Buy an extra set of 18650s and keep the spares charged and rotate them if that's important. Only cons are not being able to go buy fresh charged batteries and apparently storing them fully charged will slowly degrade capacity. Can you explain a little more about this? My concept is to have a battery in the light, and a spare ready to go, but there’s probably going to be 2-6 month stints where I’m not using them at all. I don’t want to be screwing up $11 batteries though Li-ions don't like being stored at 100% state of charge, which is 4.20v using a voltage meter to check. It won't kill the cell being stored at 100%, but they'll be a slight capacity loss say...after a year. Maybe 1-2%? For more than 3 months of inactivity, I discharge my cells down to 3.6v-3.7v (50%ish) and put them in a small storage box and then into a ziplock baggie. When you're ready to use them, take them out, let them come up to room temp and then just charge them up. I'm still using Sony 18650s that are dated coded from 2002. Chris |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 5:52:11 PM EDT
[#40]
Isn't Modlight coming out with a dual fuel? If so, I'd consider going that route.
Something I didn't consider, but Lucas of T.Rex Arms brought up in his airsoft videos that you need a powerful light if you're outdoors during the day and need to illuminate a darkened interior space. I'd always considered having to shine through the so called photonic barriers of street lights and other artificial light sources at night, but strangely enough had never thought about the daylight use. |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 11:33:47 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can you explain a little more about this? My concept is to have a battery in the light, and a spare ready to go, but there’s probably going to be 2-6 month stints where I’m not using them at all. I don’t want to be screwing up $11 batteries though Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Buy an extra set of 18650s and keep the spares charged and rotate them if that's important. Only cons are not being able to go buy fresh charged batteries and apparently storing them fully charged will slowly degrade capacity. Can you explain a little more about this? My concept is to have a battery in the light, and a spare ready to go, but there’s probably going to be 2-6 month stints where I’m not using them at all. I don’t want to be screwing up $11 batteries though There's a post for that too   https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries You can keep the cells fully charged, just keep them in the fridge. If you're storing in the car or at room temp you want to keep them at a lower voltage. With a regulated light generally this means shorter runtime for the same brightness but the capacity will not diminish near as much through storage. I keep the cell in my light at full capacity, the backups at 3.75v which ends up being about 30% capacity. It's no problem to charge them up if I have an event coming and if there's an emergency I just deal with the shorter runtime by having more cells available. Trade-offs, if I had infinite budget I'd just keep them fully charged and buy new every year or two but hey that's $50-60 down the drain IMO. Many chargers now come with a "store" setting that will discharge the cell to storage voltage of 3.75-3.8v, for periods when you aren't going to be using them. Alternatively if you know the runtime of the light you can just run the battery down. When I'm on the road with just USB charging I'll do that - run the light for an hour to put the cell at 60% or whatever before I travel and won't be using the light for 1-2 weeks. Here's a runtime I did to see the capacity for storage voltage.  About 1/3 from full, different cells will have different capacities based on how they were discharged and their state but I think 30%-50% is a good measure. Here's a link with data from BLF member HKJ, scroll down to the tables section for capacity breakdown: http://lygte-info.dk/info/BatteryChargePercent%20UK.html |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 11:37:44 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Isn't Modlight coming out with a dual fuel? If so, I'd consider going that route. Something I didn't consider, but Lucas of T.Rex Arms brought up in his airsoft videos that you need a powerful light if you're outdoors during the day and need to illuminate a darkened interior space. I'd always considered having to shine through the so called photonic barriers of street lights and other artificial light sources at night, but strangely enough had never thought about the daylight use. Definitely, for this you want a lot of throw, moreso than brightness. I have a light with a CSLNM1.TG that only has 600 lumens but throws 360+ meters, it's the best daylight light I've ever used, really helps looking into dark areas while standing in full sun. Conversely I have an SST40 light that puts out 1400 lumens but only throws 200 meters and isn't near as useful in the same scenario. Of course it can end up like AR set-ups where you make yourself crazy trying to micromanage every single possibility 
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Posted: 3/6/2021 4:50:58 AM EDT
[#43]
I run a Steamlight HL-5X and Protac HL-X at work. Both run 18650’s. Since making this transition, my CR123’s have become emergency spares...... which I’ve never had to use.
Make the jump, you’ll thank us later. |
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Posted: 3/6/2021 11:01:32 AM EDT
[#44]
When I go for a tactical light I choose the one with a body count.
It's either Olight, or No light. |
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Posted: 3/7/2021 3:57:34 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: When I go for a tactical light I choose the one with a body count. It's either Olight, or No light. Guess I’m not gonna be replacing my TLR-1 then. |
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