Rechargeable 2032 coin cell battery

[R]

I’ve never used coin cell devices because, to my knowledge, none of them have been rechargeable.  Now the 2032 is. I was about to buy a few w/ a charger and a Petzl eLite so I decided to do some digging.  The non-rechargeable CR2032 list 240mAh @3V; the rechargeable LIR2032 list a measly 40mAh @3.6V.

 

Is the capacity really that low?  You’d need 5 times as many!

Does anybody have any experience w/ these?

[Mark Fowler]

I have not previously come across them but a google throws up some rated as 100mAh – still need 2.5 for each non-rechargeable.  The other issue is you need a charger which will weigh far more than the battery. Even my USB charger for camera and phone batteries weighs 11 grams vs 7 grams for a 2032 battery.  While I try very hard not to use disposable batteries I think this unfortunately is one of those times.

[JCH]

Unfortunately, this looks like another of those “just because you can build something, doesn’t mean you should” moments.  Given the performance of the rechargables, I really can’t see what is being accomplished.  If it’s simply that we eliminate (delay actually) disposal, there are quite a few ways available to responsibly recycle batteries.  What’s the point of changing something so that it performs worse than what you are trying to replace?

[Richie S]

Wouldn’t the charger be heavier than a couple of fresh batteries?

[R]

Well, there aren’t any wall outlets where I hike, so…  ;)

[David Thomas]

Setting aside the whole save-the-planet thing for a moment,  if your concern is the cost of disposables, there’s an easy solution for coin batteries.  Instead of paying $6.95 each at the watch display in your local store, order them off of eBay.  $0.79 for five CR2032’s with free shipping.  Even cheaper in large quantities.  I keep AAA, AA, 2032, N, 357 and that small 12-volt for the car remote in stock at all times.  I also search on “40 piece assorted coil cell batteries”, ($4-$5, free shipping) for 4 each of 10 kinds of coin cells.  That covers most things.  Then, when I find out a watch has yet some other kind, I pay to get it locally and order a card of 5 of them for the future, or don’t get it locally and wait till the packet arrives from Shanghai.

[JCH]

What David said.  $0.38 each

Edit – corrected link to reference the seller from whom I have purchased

[Jim C]

If you don’t want to wait, you can get CR2032 on Amazon Prime. 100 batteries for 24¢ each, 50 for 30¢, etc.

[R]

Good to know, but my concern is the waste.  I currently use a Mammut that’s a little over an ounce and takes a single AA – has hi, low, red.  Too bad they stopped making it.

[JCH]

If you don’t want to wait, you can get CR2032 on Amazon Prime. 100 batteries for 24¢ each, 50 for 30¢, etc.

True, and I suspect you could find other Chinese cells even more cheaply than those, however…The link I posted was for genuine Sony high-quality cells whose expiration date is provided.  I have purchased from the seller to whom I linked, have used these cells, and can attest to their quality.

[Geoff Caplan]

Just a heads-up to keep track of how long you’ve used the eLite battery..

They die very suddenly, and changing them in the dark without a backup light would be fiddly.

[Roger Caffin]

They die very suddenly, and changing them in the dark without a backup light would be fiddly.
Which is what made the Sunree headlamp I reviewed here:
https://backpackinglight.com/sunrei-headlamp-caffin/
rather interesting.
It has a tiny rechargeable battery inside it which makes a tiny LED glow inside the battery compartment when you are changing the main batteries in the pitch dark. I doubt that the tiny battery would last more than 5 – 10 minutes, but it works.

Cheers

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I use 4 of these 2032 Lithium batteries in my tiny Princenton Tech Scout headlamp, (Sadly now out of production.) It’s the perfect UL headlamp.

These batteries last me all year for backpacking, getting in late from a hike, around the house Honey-Do jobs, etc. Amazing. So I’ll stick to the non-rechargeable batteries for now.

Also I use 2032 batteries in three of my red dot rifle and shotgun sights. Again, many hundreds of hours of life with them. Of course a tiny red LED on a rheostat takes very little juice.

[R]

Mark / @kramrewlof,

Can you post a link to the 100mAh LIR2032?  The only source I’ve found is a $330 lot of 500 on DHGate.com.  Don’t want ’em *that* bad.

Given the higher voltage of the LIR over the CR, the LIR actually has slightly over 50% the capacity. 2:1 ain’t terrible when they only weigh 3g.  Particularly given that I’m replacing a AA cell that weighs 31g.

[Mark Fowler]

Edit – Sorry, I think I have led you down the garden path – I accidentally searched 3032 not 2032. 2032 rechargeables are available but i would expect closer to 50mAh rather than 100mAh.  One source without tabs

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-x-New-3-6V-Rechargeable-LIR2032-Battery-Coin-Cell-Button-Li-ion-Replace-CR2032-/252551696403?hash=item3acd411013:g:WLAAAOSwTA9X4368

@autox Here is a uk retailer which I believe is in your neck of the woods – they have sites based in several locations such as Australia.  I didn’t previously notice the tabs but usually they can be pulled off.  The business is a big multinational of industrial and electronic supplies that I have purchased stuff from in the past.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/coin-button-rechargeable-batteries/0407906/

 

[R]

Ah – I was wondering if there might have been confusion over the model number.  I found results w/ several cells listed and one had 100mAh, but it wasn’t a 2032.  Your first link doesn’t seem to list capacity, and the second is for a 3032.

The fact that I saw lot size offers for LIR2032 w/ 110mAh is encouraging.  It says the tech has already improved over the more common 40mAh, and that eventually we should see higher capacity cells available in smaller volumes.

[JCH]

ML2032 batteries’ primary use appear to be as computer CMOS backup.  That seems like a very different type of current demand than that provided by CR2032s (and required by headlamps).

[Bob Moulder]

I’ve used the e+Lite a fair amount and would not want to take it on the trail with batteries that have a measly 40-65mah capacity, even if the amp draw were compatible.

 

[JCH]

While I love the Princeton Tec Vizz for nighttime hiking and route finding and will continue to pack it for such uses, my transition to an e+Lite for “normal” (i.e. camp) lighting and UL trips has gone well and I’m very happy with it.  I also think it completely serviceable for night hiking short distances on easy terrain.  As Bob mentions, given the relatively meager run time of the e+Lite on high power, I’d hate to reduce that even further by using a battery of somewhere between 1/6th to 1/3rd the capacity of a CR2032.

I always carry a small Photon Freedom as an emergency backup, so think I’d be comfortable changing the e+Lite’s batteries in the wee darkest hours.  Of course I say this having never done it, so…there’s that.

[Author]

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