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I need to finally ditch my incan weapon light for something more modern. Looks like the entire weapon light industry still has a serious thing for cr123a. I just won’t buy in 123a. It’s a dying battery size. They’re expensive, they’re different, and they’re unnecessary in a world where we can get 100+ lumen flashlights on 1x AA.
Anyone know of a decent, reasonably priced weapon light with intuitive controls for a handgun that takes AA/18650?
For what weapon platform? Surefire’s XC1 runs on a single AAA, puts out 200 lumens, is very compact and I really like it. But it is very limited in the guns it fits on, including exactly none of mine. Correction: It doesn’t fit any gun of mine that doesn’t already have a weaponlight with more output on it.
Tru7h said: ↑
I need to finally ditch my incan weapon light for something more modern. Looks like the entire weapon light industry still has a serious thing for cr123a. I just won’t buy in 123a. It’s a dying battery size. They’re expensive, they’re different, and they’re unnecessary in a world where we can get 100+ lumen flashlights on 1x AA.Anyone know of a decent, reasonably priced weapon light with intuitive controls for a handgun that takes AA/18650?
Doing a little bit of reading on the subject after you message I saw thread on a popular weapon site saying almost the same thing – CR123s are becoming obsolete. That thread was started in 2007.I might be inclined to believe that as long as the U.S. military continues to use them as a primary platform, CR123s will be along for a long time. After all, the .30-06 is still a pretty popular caliber.
chaosmagnet , I didn’t even think to look for AAA options. Thats what I primarially cary, too. Definitely looking at that one, but Surefire is ususlly on the expensive side (not that you people care. Buncha enablers…grumble grumble).
It’s a Glock 19 primarily, but I perfer to keep things modular so we can use the same gear on different weapons, even weaver long onto arms.
tmedina
Streamlight m3 led. It’s only called LED because there’s an optional little 10ish lumen green light slung under the main beam. By today’s standards, the main beam has very poor lumens, eats batteries like nobody’s business, and is extremely fragile. So yeah, basically an incan light from the mid 00’s.mike3145, agree. However, it’s not a fair analogy as it never really took like the 30.06. Quite the opposite, though it’s managed to get prolific, it’s never quite enough to where you can just buy them. You’ve been able to buy AAs and (in many parts of the contry still) 30.06 ammo almost anywhere you go. That means higher quality teir ammo and platforms are also available. Same for AAs, but the 123a has never had that and never will. The 123a filled a gap when the lights weren’t powerful enough to deliver what we wanted from an AA, but that’s all but gone now.
shmook
18650 IS a AA dimensionally. I can charge them in the same charger and store them in the same holders. Also, something that says it’s 18650 compatible is something that primarially takes AAs and has circuitry/heat management capable of handling the higher voltage load.There are some that do make AA models – INSIGHT TECH-GEAR – WL1 AA WEAPON LIGHTS, for example. I can’t vouch to the reliability of the product, but I know it’s a weaponlight running on AA primaries.
Tru7h said: ↑
It’s a Glock 19 primarily, but I perfer to keep things modular so we can use the same gear on different weapons, even weaver long onto arms.
You’ve got some options then. The XC1 is the best one I know about.18650 IS a AA dimensionally. I can charge them in the same charger and store them in the same holders. Also, something that says it’s 18650 compatible is something that primarially takes AAs and has circuitry/heat management capable of handling the higher voltage load.
You’re thinking 14500 — that is a AA dimensionally, although very different in voltage and other characteristics (DO NOT run a 14500 in a flashlight that isn’t designed for them!). An 18650 is much larger than a AA, it’s almost identical in size to a pair of CR123As stacked one atop the other.With respect, I disagree with the thought that CR123As are becoming obsolete. The majority of high-end flashlights and weaponlights run on them. There are more and better options to buy them (along with RCR123As, their rechargeable counterpart) than ever before. For high drain devices they perform better than AAs.
If your choice is to stick with AAs and AAAs, I certainly won’t say that it isn’t right for you. If you allow CR123A to be an option, you’ll have more weaponlights to choose from and you’ll be able to obtain higher performance if that’s what you want.
To tell you the truth, I grok the idea of ditching CR123s for “field availability”. But at the same time, there just isn’t a huge market for AA platform weaponlights – that’s changing, albeit slowly.
But your options are going to pretty limited from the onset, and still pricey.
The reason for CR123/16340 & 18650 batteries is because of the 3.0 to 4.2 operating voltage. The circuits are just easier to design and more efficient for driving LED devices.
Quality primary CR123 cells only cost about $2. You can also switch to rechargeable 16340 cells that use the same charger as an 18650. I don’t believe that AA/14500 will take over any time soon. In fact, I would expect that the cell size availability will just get more crowded.
I’m a fan of the AA/14500 format. There’s a few options for tactical handheld lights, but as others have mentioned, it’s pretty thin if you want weapon mountable.
The only thing I can think of is the Armytek Partner A1, 1xAA/14500, advertised as weapon mountable (assume that means dual springs and potted head), protruding forward momentary clicky, loose/tight bezel UI and optional pressure switch, and they do build heavy duty lights, although I wouldn’t put it’s quality up with Malfkoff or Surefire.
I’m not a huge fan of their lights (I own a Prime A1), but this one seems to have a mechanical clicky… so who knows. What ever you do, don’t buy from their website… get it from a good US dealer like Goinggear.
(EDIT – btw, if running a Li-ion, I’d strongly suggest an unprotected IMR cell in a weapon mounted light. I’ve had a battery protection circuit fail from a dropped light, I imagine recoil having a similar effect.)
No recommendation on a light but if you will ever want to carry your G19 and light in a holster, to ensure choices and availability be sure to get a popular combination and not an obscure light.
I say that because when I was looking for something to run my SA LW Champion Operator with TRL3, it was a bear to find.
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