When will the CR123 die (or when can we kill it)?

[rob_s]

My go to lights for house and car have been the Streamlight PolyTac line for quite some time. I have many iterations, over many generations, but generally my two lights of choice from their current offerings are the POLYTAC® FLASHLIGHT and the Streamlight PolyTac HP, however all of the ones I have appear to pre-date the "all the lumens" hysteria and also the "ten-tap" silliness. Mine are all two-stage at best, and nowhere near 600 lumens max. I think this is the version of the HP that I have the most of, and it's equivalent smaller-headed version. This HP topped out at 275 lumens. I really like the HP versions at the house because the beams shine so goddamn far.

All of that to say, I'm tired of dealing with the expense of the CR123 batteries.

I'm considering just sticking kind of with what I know and switching out to the Streamlight PolyTac X Series 600 Lumen "Dual Fuel" Tactical Flashlight, but it still seems like overkill to me, and it seems to require removing the battery to charge it, which isn't really ideal IMO. side note, can these batteries just drop in to any 2-cell CR123 LED light? Might be an option to just buy the batteries...

other options, staying with Streamlight, would be something like the Dualie Rechargeable at ~$75/ea with charger that maxes out at 245 lumens but seems more complicated than I'd like with the two modes. I also love the Polystinger, but at ~$150/ea with charger and ~$100/ea without charger I don't know that I want them disapearing into the yard with the kids as things like to do these days.

I guess, rambling aside (TLDR?), I'm looking for a rechargeable, ~250-300 lumen, preferably two-mode, LED light that's got two basic modes. Yellow or other hi-viz and polymer body preferred.

[olstyn]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why not just buy some rechargeable CR123s and a charger and call it a day? I got 5+ years of use out of rotating a pair of Tenergy rechargeable CR123s through my Quark QTL. I'm just now having to replace the batteries because they won't hold a charge anymore. I mean, if you really want to replace the lights themselves, go for it I guess, but that sounds like kind of a waste to me.

[peterb]

I’m sure the flashlight folks will know, but I think a 16650 rechargeable replaces 2xCR123.

[Tod-13]

No CR123s in our house. We have Streamlight AA and AAA lights.

ProTac and ProPolymer both have AA/AAA options.
I use the Microstream for EDC.

Bonus for us, no bloody strobe mode. My wife gets disabling migraines from flashing lights, so it is great they have options without that mode.

I think the ProPolymer all have one mode.
The ProTac have programmable mode options.

We use rechargeable AA/AAA.
But, as noted by another poster, unless you want AA/AAA, you can get the equivalent of a double CR123 rechargeable 16650 or singles with the 18650 (offered on Streamlight's website).

[lwt16]

I’m sure the flashlight folks will know, but I think a 16650 rechargeable replaces 2xCR123.

Mine has an Orbtronic protected 18650 3.7v 3400 mAh cell that has been rock solid for years now. I run it in a Fenix PD35 Tac as a duty light.

Rock solid.

As far as weapon lights, I get the cr123s at Lowes for like 2.50 a cell. Surefire brand. Not cheap but not killing me either.

[GearFondler]

I’m sure the flashlight folks will know, but I think a 16650 rechargeable replaces 2xCR123.

That is correct, with one issue... voltage. 2xCR123 = 6V while one 16650 = 4.2V fully charged. Conversely, you can also buy 16340's which are the same size as the CR123. But again, voltage is a possible issue... 1x16340 is 4.2V while 2x16340 is 8.4V. Most modern LED lights will run at the lower or higher voltage but not all of them. I would suggest researching your particular light before committing.

[Chuck Whitlock]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=streamlig...b_sb_ss_i_2_15

Except for the polymer body desire, the microstream seems to fit the bill without breaking the bank. They are smaller than 2-cell 123 lights, so the munchkins might lose them easier. IIRC, someone on here stated that the tan one operates in Hi-Lo, and the others go Lo-Hi....I don't think Streamlight has literature about that.

[M2CattleCo]

I just buy a few boxes of CR123 on Amazon every couple of years.

The only thing that uses 'em is my Surefire handheld and mounted lights so they don't get commandeered for remote controls and kid's toys.

I like 'em.

[rob_s]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=streamlig...b_sb_ss_i_2_15

Except for the polymer body desire, the microstream seems to fit the bill without breaking the bank. They are smaller than 2-cell 123 lights, so the munchkins might lose them easier. IIRC, someone on here stated that the tan one operates in Hi-Lo, and the others go Lo-Hi....I don't think Streamlight has literature about that.

I have several of these and love them. I can confirm that the tan goes hi-lo and the black goes lo-hi, although I always forget that about the black one.

I do find them a little small for house lights, and they also lack the throw that I like to have in our large-ish yard and down the road.

I just buy a few boxes of CR123 on Amazon every couple of years.

The only thing that uses 'em is my Surefire handheld and mounted lights so they don't get commandeered for remote controls and kid's toys.

I like 'em.

And the what for around The house and for the family/kids?

[rob_s]

No CR123s in our house. We have Streamlight AA and AAA lights.

ProTac and ProPolymer both have AA/AAA options.
I use the Microstream for EDC.

Bonus for us, no bloody strobe mode. My wife gets disabling migraines from flashing lights, so it is great they have options without that mode.

I think the ProPolymer all have one mode.
The ProTac have programmable mode options.

We use rechargeable AA/AAA.
But, as noted by another poster, unless you want AA/AAA, you can get the equivalent of a double CR123 rechargeable 16650 or singles with the 18650 (offered on Streamlight's website).

I tried going with these and the 2-AA version but the throw and brightness are lacking for us

Streamlight 68201 4AA ProPolymer LED Flashlight with White LEDs, Yellow - 67 Lumens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00069PJLA..._nO2cEbV8W5KVF

I’m intrigued by this guy though. Claims 50 low, 300 high... if it switches lo-hi the kids will never get to high mode and kill the battery on me, takes rechargeable aa which I have a ton of...

Streamlight 68820 4AA Propolymax Flashlight, Yellow - 300 Lumens
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DIIHCKW..._RQ2cEbB4G3R1Z