L91 vs CR123/SF123A?

[HikingMano]

I know there are a few flashaholics here that might be able to help me out. I don't have an account yet with CPF and am not sure I want to get sucked into another forum at this time, so I figured I'd just ask a quick basic question here.

For an EDC light, do you prefer L91 or CR123 powered lights? I'd carry it in my backpack so it doesn't have to be limited to tiny one cell lights, I'm thinking 2-3 cell range would work nicely.

Since I live in an earthquake prone area and have experienced several long outages over the past couple of years, I'm looking to get a good solid flashlight for EDC carry to and from work in my daypack. I want something rugged. And impact resistance is a plus should I ever be forced to use it as a weapon. For these reasons I've been leaning towards a Surefire (E2DL maybe) rather than a Fenix (TK11 or something). But I'm wondering if I'd be better off if SHTF with something that ran off L91s because of the wide availability of AA batteries of various chemistry (I'm thinking Fenix LD20, since I love my L2D so much). I have an inkling though that CR123s would be just as available in an urban environment, so I'm still on the fence.

Are there any significant performance advantages to CR123s over L91s in an EDC/emergency light role? I do prefer carrying the more compact 123 powered lights, but I'd carry the longer AA lights if the availability is that big of an advantage.


Thanks for any help! :thumbup:

 

[ThinkOfTheChildren]

Personally, when I'm in work clothes I'm carrying a Nitecore D10. I feed it with a Li-Ion 14500 (which is AA size), but it can eat NiMHs, alkalines, lithium primaries, etc. When I'm in casual attire, I have a Nitecore Extreme as well as the D10. I feed RCR123 Li-Ion to the Extreme but can also put CR123 primaries in it.

Performance differences between lithium primaries in AA and lithium primary CR123? Although they are usually listed as having the same MaH, runtime charts produced on CPF usually show the AA lithiums having a higher overall energy density (all other things being equal). With that said, the difference is negligible.

As for availability, I'll repost what I wrote in another thread earlier today:

Will AA's (or AAA's) go off the shelf first? Of course, but they'll also be easily found in just about any structure in America (I can't speak for other countries). Play a mental game with yourself: walk around today and in every building you enter, think to yourself, "Where could I find AA's here if I needed them?"

I guarantee there are numerous devices you can scavenge them from: remotes, calculators, cameras, toys, clocks, wireless keyboards/mice, etc. Sitting here in my office building, I can look around in a 20 foot radius and spot at least a dozen sources from which to scavenge at least one AA cell, if not more.

It wouldn't surprise me to find out that the only CR123 cells in this whole building are the ones sitting right here in my desk though.

The right AA light (I.E. one with decent voltage tolerance) is great because it can be fed anything: primaries, rechargeables, alkalines, lithiums, etc.

A well regulated AA LED will also give outstanding runtimes these days. The Fenix L2DCE, for example, offers 55 hours of runtime on low (9 lumens). That is plenty of light to accomplish most tasks and will seem very bright to dark-adapted eyes. I don't know what cell-type yields that particular runtime (I think you can get longer with lithium primaries like the Energizer E91) but let's assume for a second that's the max. How many hours a day do you really plan to use a light? With that kind of runtime, how many spares do you really need? I could very easily get through a couple of months with an L2DCE and just a few pairs of E91's which weigh practically nothing.

Or what about one of my other favorite utility lights, the Zebralight H50? I run mine with an AA Eneloop (NiMH cell) as my bedtime reading light every night. I use it anywhere between 30-60 minutes per night on low, and with all honesty I cannot recall when I last charged the Eneloop inside of it. It must be months by now.

A field doc took a Zebra H30 on a two-week trip to South America and even though he used it hours every day, he never once changed the lithium that he started with.

Even if someone were foolish enough not to stock any extra cells in their BOB kit at all, a light like the L2DCE or the H30 would only require that you scavenge in one or two places before you could feed it for ridiculous amounts of time. And if you have lithiums in the light, you can leave them sitting for 10 years and not worry about picking up a dead or leaking light.

It's a no-brainer for me.

 

[HikingMano]

Good stuff TOTC :thumbup: My flashlight-fu is not strong yet, I'm slowly getting up to speed. I should look further into rechargeables, seems like the best route, especially if you can feed your lights primaries as well.

Good point about the scavenging in a true SHTF situation; you're more likely to fine AA in random devices lying around than 123s. I was thinking primarily about how AAs generally get bought up in emergencies before 123s. So it looks like it would be a better bet to stick with AA :thumbup: I need to do some research on Nitecore lights and the rest, just don't have the time and money now to get sucked completely into yet another expensive hobby

 

[Jason B.]

Stick with Cr123 based lights they provide more power and are less effected by extreme weather. I have never had a problem finding 123 batteries and dont understand all the fuss about it, from what I see they are just as available as alkalines. The E2DL is a GREAT light do not waste anymore time, buy one. Its very easy to carry, easy to use, has a good amount of runtime in high and low and its a surefire so you know your making a good investment. The output of the light is also much higher than the spec's say 120lm...... more like 200lm, my E2DL is brighter than my fenix T1.

These are the CR123 primaries I use.
http://www.all-battery.com/50pcsofcr123alithiumphotobatterieshighcapacity1300mah.aspx

They also have these but they are new and I have not given them a try yet.
http://www.all-battery.com/40tenergycr123alithiumphotobatteryhighcapacitypropel.aspx

 

[HikingMano]

Thanks for the input Knifenut :thumbup:

I've had my eye on the E2DL for a loooooong time now. I just couldn't justify dropping that much money on a light. But I have some banking reward points to use now that would definitely take the edge off....so I might just jump on it. I always carry spares anyway, and I could leave a box of 123s at work just in case, since I'll always either be at home, at work, on somewhere between the two. Thanks for the link to the primaries too.

Gonna sleep on it

 

[ThinkOfTheChildren]

Stick with Cr123 based lights they provide more power and are less effected by extreme weather.

Please compare apples to apples, not oranges.

CR123 vs Alkaline AA? Of course your assessment is then correct, but that's not a meaningful comparison.

A lithium AA (which the poster specified by saying L91) offers the same shelf life and resistance to extreme environments. As for power, I'm not sure if you mean voltage or brightness. In any regard, modern LED's are so powerful and well regulated that AA lights can offer the same performance as CR123 lights.

(And yes, I realize that my original post says E91 when I clearly meant L91, but the thread title specifies L91)

 

[Jason B.]

Please compare apples to apples, not oranges.

CR123 vs Alkaline AA? Of course your assessment is then correct, but that's not a meaningful comparison.

A lithium AA (which the poster specified by saying L91) offers the same shelf life and resistance to extreme environments. As for power, I'm not sure if you mean voltage or brightness. In any regard, modern LED's are so powerful and well regulated that AA lights can offer the same performance as CR123 lights.

(And yes, I realize that my original post says E91 when I clearly meant L91, but the thread title specifies L91)

The cost alone is enough to keep me from buying L91's. More power (voltage) gives you more brightness, I cant think of any 2xAA light that can compare in brightness to a 2xCR123 light.