well the title says it all.

who's got the best deal on 123 batteries these days?

Botach Tactical usually sells Toshiba brand @ 1 per $1.

I think surefire sells there own branded 123s for $15 for 12 or some similar price.  Supposedly these are the best batteries for the purpose.

Last time I ordered 123s from BOTACH (I asked for Surefire branded batteries and they gave be Toshibas) they sent me 12 instead of 24, and never returned my emails.

I chucked it off as a loss for playing the BOTACH lotto...

www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/pgrfnbr/273/sesent/00

I've ordered directly from Surefire a few times - quick & easy...

Arc Flashlight sells Yuntong branded CR123's for a buck a piece in five-packs.  FedEx ground shipping is $5 for 3-day express.

store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arcls.html

Replacement Batteries for the Arc-LS flashlight5-pack of the 3 volt, "CR123" lithium batteries for use in the Arc-LS series of flashlights. 10-year shelf life. 5, CR123 batteries per package. New "Yuntong" brand has a longer run time than the previous DP or Lisun brand. The Yuntong brand has been tested numerous times in the Arc-LS with good results. See the CPF link on the front page for more information on these tests.
R123x5$5.00

I get the giant economy pack of Surefire's at gunshows for less than a dollar each. May have to get 60 or so but if ya use them up rather quickly, the 10 year shelf life won't be an issue.

another vote for direct from surefire...comes out to about 1.25 a batt for the surefire brand ones which in my opinion seem to be the best.

I get mine from Arc & Botach. Never pay more than $1.25 per battery.

Damn, all those are great prices! I bought a pair at the grocery store,Duracell- $12 for two!!

www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/flashlights%20main/surefire_lithium_123_batteries.htm

$19.95 for 12  

Just googled it so I can't say whether they're a good outfit etc.

Another option is to buy 223 batteries.  223 batteries are nothing more than two 123 cells connected in series.   All you need to do is cut open the plastic housing and voila, two 123's.   Last time I looked, www.cheapbatteries.com had duracell 223's at $1/ea for 100+.   100 223's= 200 123's, so that's less than $0.50/ea.

Now, the downside is that is it a bit more work.  How much depends on the style of 223 you get.  I've seen two - one style has a casing that has open slots on the side.  These are easiest to break open, and the cells are already insulated.   The other style is completely enclosed.  These are a bit more work to get open and the cells are uninsulated.  You'll need to wrap them in electrical tape or use some heat shrink wrap.  If you shrink wrap them, you can just shrink wrap 2 or three cells together if you are using a 6v or 9v light.

Rocko