The L2i is perfect for the 3xAAA holder it comes with. The tail closes smoothly and I hardly need to put any pressure on it.
But with an 18650 it seems too tight - I need to push hard just to put the tail into the body threads, and then tighten it until the flashlight is closed.
As the flashlight uses the drop-in's spring on one side, I'm afraid the excessive pressure will damage the PCB the spring is attached to, or the battery itself.
The distance from spring to spring when they are fully rested is 53mm. (63mm from the [Manafont XML] dropin's spring edge to the body edge, minus 10mm of the tail spring height).
This works perfectly with the 59mm of the 3xAAA holder.
But an 18650 is, well, 65mm long, and this seems too long. Well, at least it will hold the 18650 in place even if the flashlight is dropped on the floor... so tight.
Is it the same with your L2i?
Do I need to worry about damage to the drop-in / battery?
(edit: Just checked the flashlight length and compared it to the Solarforce site's data: mine is 125mm, Solarforce says it should be 132mm. The other measurements (32mm x 29mm) are the same in mine. hmm)
Yeah..I have to squeeze my Hi-Max 18650 in as well. So I have to unscrew the head abit just in case. Some say cutting the spring abit, not sure if that would work.
Probably could cut the spring to fit 18650, but it may be a one way trip (no more AAA use). I just noticed that the spring in the cap is a lot more ridgid than some of my other lights. I wish I could see through the cap with an 18650 in there close to see how compressed it is
I dont own a solarforce, or any drop in type light, but would it be possible to include a spacer between the tailcap and the body, such as the tactical grip ring, or lanyard ring for example.?
There's a lip around the top of the battery tube that an 18650 can get caught on pretty easily. But if you center the battery in that ring, it isn't quite as tight a fit. It helps to load the battery from the head end (have to take the drop-in out). But I agree that the L2i is best used with 3xAAA and if you want to use a 18650, get a L2 or L2p. Definitely avoid overtightening because it can cause all kinds of problems.
I have this tightness issue as well. I fear for the switch and the drop in everytime I screw the tailcap on. I think I will trim the tailcap spring back a little bit when I get the chance.
Wow, I just got my first 18650 batteries yesterday and was just trying them in my L2i last night. I was just fixing to start searching threads on this subject and poof, here is everyone talking about. Yep, I screwed the cap down all the way once and it is way to tight. I even have plastic spacers in the tube to center the battery and that doesnt help. I found a piece of black plastic tube I had that I am going to make a spacer to go between the head and tube and try that. Even with it unscrewed quite a bit it is still pretty tight on a flame protected batt. I dont want to change anything permanently because right now I can run a single AA and the springs hold it okay. May just have to buy an 18650 tube for it, but they dont sell it with a switch so may just have to get a whole L2 body, oh well.
I cut down the plastic spacer I had to .190" width and that works good installed between the head and tube. The end of my battery is just about flush with the tube when resting on the dropin's spring. Screwing down the end cap feels right now. It is even the exact same color and looks factory with it.
