If you have the money, buy the Pila charger. It works much better for li-ion batteries than the other ones listed.

I have 5837 (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5837) and it overcharges if you leave it after the green turns on. The cheaper chargers might work fine if you baby the charge and remove the batteries the instant the light turns green, but since li-ions can be dangerous if overcharged, I wouldn't risk it. You really shouldn't rely on the protection circuit to work, since those are cheapie batteries and the protection is a last resort.

The Pila definitely will charge 18650 batteries correctly. The Pila 600 is NOT 6V. The charger designed for it only charges to 4.2V. I think the pic at flashlightz.com was simply comparing the compatibility of their pila battery with most lights (since a 600 will fit in a light that accepts two cr123 bats).

Overview of the charger:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=188653
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=201323

None of the protected 18650 batteries are actually "18650" batteries. They are both wider and longer than unprotected batteries but generally fit in the newer flashlights that accept protected cells.

I bought and use this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4151

Light is red until battery is charged, whereupon it turns green.

ah, that's much more informative than the other website, thanks.

Thanks. It was definitely from those candlepower threads that I learned about the pila charger. So I think that's what I'll get.

OK. Another question. This whole new light, battery, and charger universe is a foreign land to me. And it sounds like you have to be pretty careful charging these batteries. Can I charge them overnight like I do with my blackberry and ipod? I don't really have the time or desire to monitor a charge.

I broke my MTE P7. Dropped it from waist height. No physical signs on damage apart from a small scratch, but it won't turn on now. I tried disassembling it and fiddling around. Nothing.

I'm commuting with my Q5 thrower now. The trail is much scarier with just a helmet mounted spotlight.

Maybe I should get one of those new MCE lights?

maybe you broke a soldering joint?

^ Sounds like a good idea. I still can't justify buying one when the P7 works so well, but if it broke, I'd certainly drop the cash.

I've dropped mine a few times from waist height, but it's still going. The most recent drop was onto a concrete stairwell.

Well if you get an MC-E, I wouldn't recommend the TrustFire one or the unbranded (=TrustFire) one. It didn't work when it arrived, it had a horrible lens, the beam pattern is yucky IMHO, and it was glitchy until I did some open-tailcap surgery. On the bright side (haha) it has about a 1:25 runtime, so it can actually be used for the homebound leg of my commute if I keep my pace up.

For perspective on the beam pattern, animated GIF.

The only MC-E lights I'd recommend are the two 8-modes by MTE. Ditto with the P7s.

Heh, after breaking the MTE P7 light so easily, I'm not sure whether I want to pay them again for pretty much the exact same flashlight. I'm probably going to wait for a nicer MCE based light to come out.

I'm also waiting for some 1000-lumen lights. Until then, I'll stick with my one light.

My 8 mode came in the mail today, that was pretty quick. Just been using it around the house, I am impressed.

doh..i bought a trustfire MCE. seems okay with me so far. the hotspot is bigger than my P7 with way dimmer flood. will try biking with both this weekend.

wow.. a guy I work with has a P7 he let me check out.... good god! Now I HAVE to get one for my bike! So I just ordered 2 of them up and batteries ( I already have an $140 charger that can do LiIon as well as LiPo, NiMh and more). So its one P7 for the Bike and the other for the car/house duty.

Does anyone know how long a charged 18650 holds its charge?

are you talking about self discharge?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_of_charge

Questions:
1 Is there such an animal as a USB powered Li battery charger? (rather than plugging into outlet)
2 Is one MFR better than the other for build quality (both use a Seoul LED emitter)
The Aurora uses an HA III finish and the MTE mfr uses a Type II anodization (lesser quality apparently)
3 Is that a big difference?

BTW from the comments of this 13pg post, I am probably also going to get that small $20 lipstick-sized flashlight for its potential as a helmet light - SKU 18650
TrustFire TR-801 Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode Memory 230-Lumen LED Flashlight

How long does it take for yours to charge?
Mine takes a long time. I'm guessing 12 to 18 hours.

A 18650 takes about 3-5 hours for me.

sku.4151 charger is terrible for 18650, but fine for smaller sizes. it takes 10~16hrs to charge up an 18650 since the Amp output is so low at 0.5A for two 18650.

if you're only charging 18650, then the sku.6105 charges much faster at around 4hrs.

It takes a couple of hours for me. I don't let the battery run down to cutoff before replacing it.

dumb question about my p7. it makes noise, my specifly the battery is making noise when its on high

i bought this p7 and this battery:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12060
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790

i bought the 14500 batteries for my Q5 light, thinking it would last longer than the standard AA rechargable. but now the 14500 turstfire battery makes noise, its not super noticeable, but i was conserned, and i swear it makes the q5 light seem purple. i'm so paranoid that it will burn the circet or fry the bulb.

what sort of noise? humming on mid-low is expected since the PWM is working. on high there's no noise coming from mine.
the light goes in this order btw: mid-low-high-strobe-strobe

I wish I had known that before. Come on uke, you're supposed to be the all-knowing P7 guy! He recommended the 4151. At least shipping is free so it doesn't hurt so bad.

Yes, I meant how long will it stay charged while not being used.

Self-discharge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Self-discharge is a phenomenon in batteries in which internal chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without any connection between the electrodes. Self-discharge decreases the shelf-life of batteries and causes them to have less charge than expected when actually put to use.
How fast self-discharge in a battery occurs is dependent on the type of battery. Typically, lithium batteries suffer the least amount of self-discharge (around 2-3% discharge per month), while nickel-based batteries are more seriously affected by the phenomenon (nickel cadmium, 15-20% per month; nickel metal hydride, 30% per month).
Self-discharge is a chemical reaction, just as closed-circuit discharge is, and tends to occur more quickly at higher temperatures. Storing batteries at lower temperatures thus reduces the rate of self-discharge and preserves the initial energy stored in the battery. Self-discharge is also thought to be reduced over time as a passivity film develops on the electrodes.
The detailed chemical causes of self-discharge depend on the particular battery and are not well understood.




There has also been a discussion on this forum about storing batteries in the refrigerator to slow self discharge. There have been some difference of opinion with each side linking articles to support their position.

IMHO the self discharge rate of lithium batteries is so low it is hardly a concern. If you don't use them in six months, just put them in the charger and top them off. NMh and NiCad on the other hand have a much higher discharge rate and should be recharged every two to three months. (if i were using for my bike, i would make sure they were fully charged before heading out)

I just ordered one of the 8 mode lights, plus batteries and charger. Gotta try something like that out for myself! I presume it'll work with the Lockblocks I already have?

The beefier CylopBlock would be preferable for a flashlight that size and weight. Lighthound carries them, if you want to get one.

Hmm. I have 25 sets of Lockblocks here, so I'll try those first before I start shipping things in from the States, but thanks for the heads up! It doesn't look that much bigger than my Cree flashlight, but perhas looks are deceiving!

I'm using this like many here...

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274