Quote History Quoted:Iirc, it's some of my streamlights that say warranty void if you use rechargeable 123's.
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RCR123 = 3.7V Nominal, 4.2v hot off the charger
LiFePO4 123A = 3v nominal, 3.2v off the charger
Most devices made for CR123 primaries (non-rechargeable batteries) will work with LiFePO4 123A batteries (same 3v, some may be 3.2v), but especially the ones that use 2 batteries (like Streamlight's lights and light+laser devices), the difference between 6v and the 8.2v hot off the charger with 2x RCR123, can fry shit (fried the laser diode on my Streamlight
).
The biggest downside to rechargeable CR123 is the lower energy density/capacity (and consequently, significantly reduced runtimes).
A Lithium Primary CR123A is ~1500 mAh.
The LiIon (LCO/LMO, ICR/IMR) chemistries are about 750mAh.
The LiFePO4 123A are about 450mAh.
That's also why 1x18650 lights have better runtimes than 2x CR123 lights (3500mAh for the best 18650s).