> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Tip of the Day: Rechargeables for Surefire flashlights

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5/18/11

Tip of the Day: Rechargeables for Surefire flashlights

Did you know? Many Surefire flashlights are not compatible with rechargeable CR123A batteries (RCR123As). Surefire's lights are designed to work with regular CR123A batteries and many lights can have issues operating on the higher voltage output by rechargeables. Some of Surefire's lights won't even fit rechargeable cells and need to be bored out in order for them to work.

For many, having the ability to use rechargeable batteries is a big deal. There are workarounds, modifications and after market upgrades to resolve some of the issues, and some of Surefires lights have fewer problems with the rechargeables than others. If you're looking at picking up a Surefire light and want to be able to use rechargeables with it, I'd recommend doing some research beforehand. Candlepowerforums.com will have the answers that you seek.

If you want lights that don't have compatibility issues to resolve or work around, a number of the imported lights are designed to work with the higher voltage output by the RCR123As. Thrunite, 4Sevens, Jetbeam and Fenix all make lights that fit this description. And, like I mentioned, some of the Surefire lights have fewer issues than others, so you may not run into problems - but, if recharging is a big deal to you, make sure you do your research before jumping in.