Really sad to hear that… there is a rapidly-growing flashlight enthusiast user base here in our country. Hope they’ll be able to find some way. I’ve really been itching to try the 26800 battery form factor every since they appeared on the Nightwatch NSX4 (which I had not tried ordering from Neal, and Neal doesn’t seem to have stock of it nowadays).
As I haven’t personally tested the 26800 battery form factor yet, I’m currently unable to convince fellow local flashlight enthusiasts about this battery type since I could not have it shipped here…
I meant a real charger, not a wire with a USB port on the end. Seriously, I am all for experimenting but we are several years away from this ever amounting to anything. Even Simon said he would pass on this until it was more universally accepted.
I’ll agree with you there, no traditional chargers. However buyers are not left in the cold as it has a built in charger. Plus this is a modification we knowingly do, not a buyer duped into it. I want the extra runtime with a great load capacity so I trade commonality in chargers for it. Zoulas, I believe you’re here because flashlights are a little more than a hobby. Battery and tubes should be relatively cheap so risk factor is low. Wait for some reviews if you like it then, buy one then. It’s a little bit of customization others don’t have. As far as batteries go it’s a rare bird now. I’ve got 18 of them and by the time they wear out without replacements to be found I’ve probably already moved on. I’m hoping this cell format isn’t several years away. I’m hoping that this would push a few others including Simon to make a longer tube accessory viable and profitable for manufacturers. So please show some hope for this little project and maybe we can get something nice out of it. If I sound preachy then sorry, I’m really just being enthusiastic.
I'd say it's amounting to something right now. I'm not going to gauge new innovation based on what Simon is deciding/selling - he generally doesn't do new tech, but sticks to tried and true, which is fine.
This turned out a bit shorter list than I thought it would be. In terms of performance from Mooch’s test and HKJ’s compared the 26800 should be brighter than the Samsung T40 but night quite T30 level. In the 26650 list it beats almost all batteries while having a higher capacity. So almost as bright as the 21700 T30 but more than twice the capacity. On the Nightwatch NSX4 XPH50.2 T30 gave 13000 lumens 26800 gave 11000.