Got an email today that surefire now offers a rechargeable cell that is acceptable for use in all their CR123 based products. Based on the #s they are supposed to be a 3.2V 600mAh Lithium Phosphate cell. Doesn't look like they are anything special other than the fact they are .2V higher than primary 123s and for years SF has said nothing over 3V. Guess now we now the real cutoff was somewhere between 3.2 and the 3.7V of a RCR123a.
Hmm. I wonder if they mean all of their LED Based CR123 products? I had the OEM 200 Lumen Incan lamp in my SF 9P in 2009, and I tried 3 rechargeable 3.0 Volt (not 3.7) cells in it. Poof, fried the lamp instantly... At any rate, it's good to see rechargeables being offered by a big/major company.
Ah Ha; from SF's website: Rechargeable LFP 123A batteries are only to be used to power LED illumination products (built to use 123A lithium batteries) and NOT those featuring incandescent lamps. The initial elevated voltage of these rechargeable batteries, immediately after charging, may cause the filament contained within an incandescent lamp to break or “burn out".