I use a D20A Gemini with two AA Energizer Lithiums in the center console, a Surefire G2 Nitrolon P60L with 2xCR123 and spare bulb in the trunk, and a Surefire G3 with M31LL and 2x Energizer Lithiums in the glovebox. I think I’ll be trading out the latter for an M61LL/LLL C3.
I know this is BLF, but ultimately plan on finding a Malkoff MDC CR123 and headstrap, and having that be my glovebox light. Alas, I only have one CR123 MDC and I like it too much with it’s 219b to not use it
Consider the benefits:
Fits in a 18650 light
Double the total runtime.
Draws half the current compared to 1x CR123A (the light has to have a buck driver though)
Will not trigger low voltage protection.
But this is mostly relevant for 18650 lights and the light i would suggest:
The Skilhunt H03
Why that particular light?
Because it is an angle light (90°) which has a magnetic tailcap, so you can stick it to your car when you have to change a tire, or (today) inflate it with the ambiguous 12 Volts pump you now get in stead of a spare tire.
It has a buck driver that can handle the 6 Volts.
It has a 30° pebbled TIR optic which is better for close range lighting than a reflector light.
It also comes with a head band so you can use it as a head lamp, which is even better for checking things on a car (like under the hood, where you’re confronted with a huge slab of black plastic… …or in the trunk or under the vehicle).
Granted, it doesn’t have much throw, but is that really a problem?
It’s not. Lights being made to accommodate 2x CR123’s have been around forever. I guess some people get freaked about safety issues. Military and LEO’s have been using lights like that for a very long time. If they don’t prove that 2xCR123’s are perfectly safe in extreme conditions nothing will.
My two cents for the original post. I had Zanflare F2’s in the vehicles for quite some time. They worked perfectly with NiMh’s. Hot and cold temps had no affect on them at all.
I got some of these in a Walmart clearance. They work great for the $4.96 price they had on them. 3x AA. Good magnet on the end too.
you are unfamiliar with the mismatch concern?:
discussed here
and here:
military and LEO get free batteries, from the same box, with the same date and charge level
not a problem
otoh, I dont know that the OP has the presence of mind to observe the voltage matching requirement…
even many experienced flashoholics, including Jerommel and toddcshoe, dont seem to be aware of the safety issue of mismatched batteries installed in series in a light
the military loads new cells every mission
they toss cells that are half empty all the time… just to load fresh pairs
that is not normal civilian use
anyway, do whatever makes you happy, Im just making a newbie aware of a safety issue
i wouldn;t expect CR123A to have enough peak or total energy to cause a fire or heat problem,
though they might well ‘damage’ a dead battery by heating it some, if it was put in with a good one, and used with some low-resistance high-current load.
of course that would not have much output anyway, hopefully leading to removing the dead battery if not both
Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you, people in the military don’t give a second thought to safety when it comes to CR123a batteries. In fact, we often just ended up scrounging batteries wherever we could find them.
Wellp, fwiw, I did have a pair of ’123s go China Syndrome in my MH20.
Was burning down some half-spent ’123s to just not let them go to waste. Probably got turned on accidentally in my bag, and either the heat from the light melted the shrinkwrap, or one cell got reverse-charged and that heated up enough to melt the shrinkwrap, but in either case, things got melty enough that the cells shorted out against the case to depletion.
No fireworks, and nothing went supernova as yet, but it was a bit annoying to say the least.
toddcshoe is very aware of safety issues when dealing with lithium batteries. As wle pointed out, there is not enough energy there to do any catastrophic harm. The odds of anything terrible happening are fairly slim. There are many other things that we do on a daily basis that are much more dangerous than using a 2x CR123 flashlight. Being aware of dangers that could arise is beneficial to know. Living in fear of 2x cr123 flashlights is unnecessary. Planting that fear into other people without a full explanation is just irresponsible.
Not aware?
Everyone who ever put or changed batteries in a series configuration knows, or should know, because manufacturers ALWAYS WARN the user for this, that you mustn’t mix different cells, either different in brand, type, age or state of charge.
This is supposed to be common knowledge, even for non-fanatics.
And don’t forget that even those hateful little alkaleaks, you could have them from the same batch and everything, and no matter what, the runt of the litter is going to go empty first and start reverse-charging.
Only difference is that it doesn’t go supernova, but just quietly leaks toxic sludge inside your light/remote/whatever and ruins it.
I think it comes with the car, which can be European, Japanese, Korean etcetera.
Not many US made cars in Europe.
But maybe fix-a-flat is better, because it seals leaks.
Li-ion batteries are just as dangerous if not more so. You just have to use a little common sense when using them, particularly in series configurations. A decent load tester is a good investment.
…or in the trunk or under the vehicle).
