Differences in CR123 Batteries?

Accumulator · 06-17-07, 10:49

Regulars here know that Accumulatorette and I go through a *LOT* of CR123 lithium batteries, primarily in our SureFire flashlights. A while back (after asking here about who had 'em cheap) I stocked up on house-brand ones from The Battery Station...fast forward to today....I opened a new pack of 'em, filled a light, and [expletive!] they're dead

OK, as an instructor once told me "if you only have one flashlight, you don't have *any* flashlight". I'm a firm believer in redundant systems for things that matter and I can use another light for a day or so. But people trust their lives to their flashlights/batteries and I'm astounded that these were no good. And yeah, you bet I'm gonna contact them about it. I gotta *know* that my flashlights are gonna work when I need them to, period and I no longer have any confidence in that brand.

So...anybody know of any confirmed differences between the different brands of batteries in this size/type, and if so, which ones are good/not? And maybe where to get 'em cheap?

Logging off now so I can go around checking if all our CR123-powered flashlights are *really* ready to go

paul34 · 06-17-07, 12:35

Hmm, I have a feeling maybe those batteries gave up the ghost due to being on the shelf for a while... although they shouldn't have just flat out DIED like that!

I guess you could just clear out a little room in your fridge for the future to store batteries in

(just keep it in a freezer ziploc... not the regular zipper bags, has to be the freezer kind)

Hmm, I can't say I shop too much for batteries anymore, but when I did, I used to buy a lot of batteries from Notebook Batteries | Laptop Batteries | Camcorder Batteries | Digital Camera Batteries . I bought a big pack of AA's from them for something like $8 a while ago. They're great batteries (which actually surprised me). They're packaged very nicely (very clean labeling), and they don't just die like the cheap Rayovacs or whatnot that you find at the store.

And yea, I hear you about those "emergency" type supplies... you can stock up all you want, but things degrade. It's funny (or maybe not), since you try to prepare for the worst... but since you hardly ever have to use it (I surely hope, anyway), it's not always there for you when you actually need it.

.. sort of like insurance, I suppose

ZoranC · 06-17-07, 01:58

I do not know anything about shelf lifetime of batteries and differences between brands but I do know that when it comes to things I critically depend on I do not bet on house brands and do not look for lowest price. Surefire sells 12-pack and 72-pack boxes cheap enough ($1.75 per battery).

P.S. I hope my words above will not end up read as criticism but just as my feelings on the subject.

RCBuddha · 06-17-07, 04:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

So...anybody know of any confirmed differences between the different brands of batteries in this size/type, and if so, which ones are good/not? And maybe where to get 'em cheap?

I get my Surefire batteries from Radio Shack, $12.99 for two IIRC.

Edit: I think Zoran mentions a MUCH better deal! I buy so infrequently, that the price isn't much of a concern for me.

Accumulator · 06-17-07, 05:31

Yeah, I'm leaning towards SureFire brand, and they *are* cheap enough if you buy them direct and in quantity. At one time some retailers had them cheaper than the direct-buy cost, but I dunno if I want to mess around looking just to save a nominal amount. I need to contact them about a dead rechargeable of theirs I have anyhow. Now I just gotta resist the temptation to buy one of their new LED lights!

Paul34- I bought those batteries last year, but yeah, who knows how old they were when shipped.

The lithium batteries are supposed to have a good 10-year shelf life, and the SureFire brand ones in my "ultimate emergency" lights are still A-OK after about five. Those get checked now and then along with some other stuff in that category that *has* to function to spec, and I'm sure glad I didn't put cheap generic batteries in *those* lights. When I get my next batch of SureFire batteries I'm gonna swap those out for new ones just to be on the safe side, and I'll put the old ones in non-critical-application lights. And IIRC my wife's camera (or maybe one of her flash units

) uses them too, maybe she'd like 'em.

Yeah, I oughta refrigerate them...between the film and some QDs and now batteries the spare 'frig is gonna start filling up. But the ones that're in the lights are gonna get exposed to some varying temps and I need to be able to rely on those too.

I'll check out that website for some AAs though, there's a place for inexpensive stuff too.

ZoranC- I agree. Just as there are times to go cheap, there are also times when a little cost-cutting isn't worth even a miniscule chance of diminished performance. Some brand-name products can be counted on to *work*, and this is a good reminder of that for me.

RCBuddha- Yikes, at $12.99 a pair I'd go broke in a month! Heh heh, that's sorta an eye-opener about the mark-ups some places tack on, huh

Our usage rates are probably at opposite ends of the spectrum, so I gotta buy in quantity anyhow.

ZoranC · 06-17-07, 07:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

ZoranC- I agree. Just as there are times to go cheap, there are also times when a little cost-cutting isn't worth even a miniscule chance of diminished performance.

Depending on what is at stake I don't go even for huge cost cutting. Am I buying something my life will depend on? My life does not have the price, gimme best I can get.

toml · 06-17-07, 10:09

Accumulator,

I'm a member over at candlepowerforums.com ... courtesy to some postings here that piqued my interest and drew me in over there.

I remember reading about some issue with the Battery Station CR 123s. Not sure now if it was inconsistent charge levels or something else, so I stayed away from them, even though they are cheap.

If you can access this thread over at candlepowerforums, it's some good reading. Here's another thread directly asking about Battery Station 123s.

Botach Tactical has Energizer, Sanyo, and Ray-O-Vac CR123s, 20 for $19.95 plus shipping. I have never dealt with them as their customer service and associated shenanigans have given them a basement rating for satisfaction. However, many people have gotten batteries from them without any problem. All I say is "buyer beware" and you may want to call them first to check that they have them in stock before you place an order.

An all-around good performer that I ended up going with were Streamlight CR123s. I ended up ordering them from here, 12 for $16 plus shipping. I got 24, which worked out to be around $1.70/battery including shipping. They came taped together in a small cardboard box with some packing material around them. No fancy packaging ... probably a large box of batteries broken down into quantities of 12. Other than that, I had no problems with the vendor. I just checked their site, and it looks like the price went up to $17 for 12. If you need a larger quantity, they say you could call or email for a better price.

toml · 06-17-07, 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Now I just gotta resist the temptation to buy one of their new LED lights!

I have an L2 and 2 A2s. I'm interested in the new L1 that's coming out ... 1 CR 123, 10 lumens on low and 65 lumens on high, and smaller than the current L1. If the reviews are favorable, I'll sell my L2 and pick it up. I'd read that SF said that these new lights would be out in August, but that could easily turn into November.

Accumulator · 06-18-07, 11:20

toml- Thanks for the info! Flashlights are something I have to consciously *avoid* getting too interested in

so I avoid the Candlepower forum for the most part, but I do want to check out those threads.

Yeah, the newer LED offerings from SureFire are intriguing....things have come a long way since my 1st-gen 6Ps were state-of-the-art!

Streamlight brand batteries oughta be OK, plenty of people like Streamlights as much as I like SureFires (hey, whatever you trained with is what you oughta have IMO) and I know their stuff is trust-your-life quality. I *do* think a few of my applications are gonna get SureFire brand batteries though, just for my peace of mind.

OK, the guy at dlsenterprises is pricing out 100 of the Streamlight/Panasonic ones for me..that'll keep the non-critical app lights going for a while. Thanks again for the link.

toml · 06-18-07, 04:41

You're welcome. You've given me tons of good advice and insights through both direct posts in response to my questions as well as your posts in other threads. It's nice to be able to give a little back.

Hope it all works out for you!

Accumulator · 06-19-07, 09:19

toml- I ended up going with the same Streamlight/Panasonic ones that you got, and I got them from the same place. Shipping can really mess with the perceived cost, but I ended up getting 100 of 'em for $150 shipped. Between the quality of that brand and the hassle-free ordering (called on the phone, nice folks), it was a bottom line I could live with. Yeah, I could've got another brand cheaper, but I'm happy with the deal, so thanks again for the recommendation.

Heh heh, I'm *still* gonna put SureFire batteries in those few special lights though

toml · 06-19-07, 07:39

Glad to hear you got a good deal. You may find that the Streamlight batteries perform slightly better than the SF ones at certain current draws, but I'm not sure whether the difference is all that noticeable. That first thread I linked at candlepower forums also talks about why some SFs undergo a "sudden death" (flashlight used, turn off, try to turn on the next day and light won't turn on) due to thermal shutdown. It's all pretty far above my head, but it does make for some good reading.