Advice for CR123 batteries, RX100 batteries, and Portable Charging

[Sean Passanisi]

Hello.  I’m looking for advice on the best brand (and place to buy) CR123 batteries for my Steripen Opti Adventurer.  I have exclusively used rechargeable batteries in my Steripen but I’m strongly considering using disposable batteries for the increased efficiency.  I’m planning a 17 day trip and estimate that I will need to treat over 100 liters of water (17 days x 6L/day = ~ 100L).  This is likely more than I need but I want to err on the side of having extra batteries.
<div>Steripen provides these estimates:</div>
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<div>50 1L treatments (disposable) vs. 30 1L treatments (rechargeable).</div>
<div>Based on this, I would probably purchase 3 pairs of disposable batteries (150L capacity) vs. 4 pairs of rechargeable (120L capacity).</div>
<div></div>
<div>I’m also looking for new batteries for my Sony RX100.  I’d appreciate recommendations on brands and places to buy.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Separately, I’d like to purchase a power source as backup for my Delorme Inreach and iPhone.  I’ve read good things about the Anker packs here on BPL and would appreciate any other insights.  I’ll only power on the Delorme to send one daily message and check GPS when needed, but want to make sure I have backup power available.</div>
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https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/new-lightest-battery-anker-powercore-10000/
<div>Thanks for the help.</div>

[Ian]

Hi Sean,

For your RX100, I’d check out Wasabi brand batteries.  I’ve used them in an old Canon and in my current Sony A6000 and can’t say anything but good things about them.  They are normally cheaper than Sony branded batteries, even when bundled with a wall charger, and perform the same.  The laziest of searches shows two Wasabi Batteries with charger selling for $17.99 and a single Sony battery selling without charger for $32.95.  With a little gum shoeing, you may find better deals.  It may or may not work for you, but it’s worth considering just topping off your current batteries with the Anker battery bank instead of just carrying extra batteries.

I own the Steripen Opti but have never done any performance testing with it.  At last count, I am using 13 CR123 batteries at work at any given time, not including spares (five shield, two rifle, two pistol, and two each in two flashlights).  I’ve only used Surefire CR123 batteries and have never been disappointed in them.

I’ve only used cheapie battery banks which have worked well enough, but have yet to buy the Anker 10000 mAh battery bank so I can’t speak to it from personal experience.  It will be the next one I purchase though.

[Ken Larson]

August 2007 SteriPen did some testing of batteries and the their results are below:

[Lester Moore]

Sean, if you’re only turning on your inReach once or twice each day, one charge should last you at least two or three weeks (best to test for yourself, though). In some resents tests my battery was at only 95% after a 4 day trip and 97% after a 3 day trip. That was only sending 2 or 3 preset messages each day, plus maybe one custom text message every few days and checking GPS location once at most.

[Jerry Adams]

I tried rechargeable RS123 batteries on a Steripen Opti and it only treated a few pints of water before being discharged.  So I got the disposable batteries and they worked better.

Maybe get a USB rechargeable Steripen and recharge it from Anker

[Roger Caffin]

Rechargable CR123 batteries are called CR123R. Do not try recharging the disposable CR123 batteries.

You will note that the Steripen tests are for the disposable CR123 batteries. The better the brand, the better the performance. In my experience, there are very few rechargable CR123R batteries on the market which can reliably deliver the 1000 mA needed. They seem to discharge far too quickly. So I switched to the CR123 disposables and have much greater success.

Cheers

[Alex Wallace]

Disposable Energizer CR123 batteries for the past two years in my Adventurer Opti have worked flawlessly. I found a 10-pack on Amazon for a great price, but quality was suspect. The best prices I’ve seen locally are at Rite Aid & Target ($14 for 6).

[Michael Sirofchuck]

Regardless of brand, I have found that I need to remove the batteries from my SteriPen to keep them from being drained.  I’ve been told that even with the power off, it is drawing power.  Cumbersome, but I’ve found that it works – store batts with pen, insert for purification, remove batts.

[Roger Caffin]

Correct: the days of mechnical switches are largely gone. It’s all microprocessor control, cheapness and ‘convenience’ these days. The downside is a large bill for batteries (and a few very INconvenient failures).

It suffices to put a small disk of heavy plastic over one of the terminals of the batteries. This means the batteries are completely isolated. When you want to use the device (Steripen, torch, whatever), move the bit of plastic to down the side of the battery for safe keeping. Put it back later – and check that the device no longer works.

Cheers

 

[Nick Gatel]

For your RX100, I’d check out Wasabi brand batteries. I’ve used them in an old Canon and in my current Sony A6000 and can’t say anything but good things about them. They are normally cheaper than Sony branded batteries, even when bundled with a wall charger, and perform the same.

Agree!

My RX100M1 did not come with a charger and the Wasabi charger is great. Got everything from Amazon pretty cheap.

[James holden]

for the best and most comprehensive review of CR123 bats for flashlights go to the link below …

the short story is that there isnt a huge difference between different brands for that application …. however USA (or non china) made cells might be “safer”

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?362052-Selfbuilt-s-CR123A-Battery-Comparison-2013

for an explanation of why rechargeable “CR123” bats often do poorly go here ….

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?366975-CR123A-and-rechargeable-substitutes

… its probably a good idea regardless to not have loose cells jiggle loosely when carrying (no shorts) …

is the steripen using 2 CR123s in series or parallel … if its in series that presents additional issues as you should be using matched pairs of bats with the same voltage (explosion risk if you dont with series lithium bats)

as to portable recharging … theres really 2 options

• use a dedicated power pack (anker) … the advantage is price and simplicity …. the disadvantage is that yr limited by the mAh built in … just make sure it uses good cells (panasonic, LG, samsung, etc …)
• use a separate 18650 bat and charger/powerpack …. advantage is that you can simply carry more 18650 bats, and if you use a 18650 headlamp its the same bats … the disadvantage is that theres more faff and you need to be more careful with loose 18650s

;)

 

[Yak Attack]

 

Battery junction has pretty good deals on CR123A disposable batteries.  Most have a 10-year shelf life.  we bought a box of 50 of the energizers a few years ago, and so far they’ve all been good.  We also have a lot of flashlights that use these.

if you join their mailing list you’ll get coupons, likely an introductory %off code.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/batteries-size-cr123a.html

no relationship to them other than as a satisfied customer.

 

[Jim C]

 

If you do go the 18650 route, check out the Nitecore F1 (30g without battery, $10) or Fenix ARE-X2 (96g, $18). The Nitecore takes a single lithium ion cell, and the Fenix takes two lithium ion or NiMH cells. Both work with various sizes of cells (26650, 18650, 16340/RCR123A, 14500, etc), and both are compatible with unprotected and protected cells (unlike the Miller charger, which only takes unprotected 18650 cells; Eric Chan has warned about the dangers of unprotected cells before).

What makes them fairly unique is that not only can you charge them via micro USB, which is useful if you hike with a solar cell, but they also work as a power bank, so you can charge other devices by USB.

I recently purchased the Nitecore F1, and it’s what I would recommend unless you need to charge NiMH batteries. You can take a couple of extra 18650 cells in a small plastic case, and then you’ve essentially got a power bank of whatever capacity you think you’ll need, so you can adjust according to the trip.

[James holden]

In addition to the nitecore jim mentioned ….

the littokala 100 weights ~45g … But it can recharged almost any single cell LiOn, AA/AAA Nimh as well

it also costs 4 dollahz on the slow boat from china

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20LiitoKala%20Lii-100%20UK.html

;)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I’ve used ENERGIZER Ultimate Lithium batteries ever since they first came out and found they last longer than ANY other battery, though I have not tried WASABI batteries.

 

 

[Sean Passanisi]

Thanks for the feedback.  Are all batteries susceptible to cold?  Do I need to bring them in my sleeping bag each night?

[Roger Caffin]

Energizer Lithiums are not all that susceptible to cold, but ordinary alkalines and NiCd and NiMH definitely are. The reason is that any chemistry which uses water in the electrolyte will die when the water freezes. Lithium batteries do not contain water.
That said – keeping all batteries warm never ever hurts.

Secondary issue: liquid crystal displays also contain water. They die when near freezing as well. So watches and phones and cameras also need some care in the cold. At least that way you may be able to read your watch at 6 am! (Guess how I know.)

And yet another issue: contact lenses … ever tried putting a frozen contact lens into your eye? :-)

Cheers

[Author]

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