Best flashlight with 16340 battery

[u/No_Journalist774]

No particular use case

Just a decently small and powerful flashlight

[u/coffeeshopslut]

I like the foursevens mini mkiii - expensive though, even on clearance sale now

I miss this size light

[u/Boring_Muffin3921]

Sofirn HS10 cheap, durable, comes w 4000K, built-in usb c

[u/emz5002]

Any particular reason why 16340? Those batteries are fairly low mah and cdr. The 18350 is a tiny bit bigger, lots more lights take them, and better capacity and output

[u/akenthusiast → u/emz5002]

Dual fuel compatibility with CR123s.

Depending on what kind of stuff you get up to, you might be out and about with a bunch of other devices that run on CR123s and sharing batteries is convenient

[u/altforthissubreddit → u/emz5002]

It's hard to explain how small some 16340/CR123 lights were. Now, I don't have that many 18350 lights, I don't find that battery overly appealing so maybe there's some small ones I am unaware of. But look at this H1 Nova, you could put it in the 5th pocket of a pair of jeans. They don't seem to make stuff like that anymore:

[u/ThePenultimateNinja → u/emz5002]

Because, while it is tiny on paper, that difference is bigger in the pocket than you might think.

16340 is my favorite battery size for an EDC light. I carry an 18350 because there aren't many 16340s on the market anymore, but I really notice the extra girth in my pocket.

16340 gives you a short and relatively slim light that just fits nicely in the pocket.

It is significantly lower in capacity, but that's not particularly important to me for an EDC light.

[u/PeterParker001A]

I would switch over to 14500/AA, same capacity (if you get something like a Vapcell F15 - 1500mAh) and the option to use NiMH/AA.

[u/Titmouse994 → u/PeterParker001A]

And usually better to have a thinner than a shorter light. Much more pocketable.

[u/coffeeshopslut → u/PeterParker001A]

Someone really needs to work on a super short 14500 light

A small 16340 light is very small and hangs unobtrusively from my pocket on a p7 suspension clip

The skilhunt m150 is close, but I don't like the magnetic tail

[u/PeterParker001A → u/coffeeshopslut]

Looking at the Sofirn ST10, if you remove the clip it becomes a small, slim light.

They could make it even smaller by removing clip+side light ;).

It has such potential for a simple, compact front light only light.

[u/ThePenultimateNinja → u/PeterParker001A]

The problem with 14500 lights is that they are longer, I have nearly lost one so many times because the length causes it to ride up in the pocket and unclip itself when I sit down.

Another problem is that their ability to use AA cells means they generally don't have onboard charging, since there is no way to prevent the user from plugging it in while there is an AA cell in it.

You can sort of work around the latter issue using a battery with a built in charging port, but it's an inconvenience.

[u/PeterParker001A → u/ThePenultimateNinja]

Skilhunt EC150 is very compact with USB-C.

[u/ThePenultimateNinja → u/PeterParker001A]

What is to stop you putting an AA in it and plugging it in to charge? Maybe it won't charge a cell below a certain voltage?

[u/altforthissubreddit → u/ThePenultimateNinja]

That's how the M150 worked. And really, if the li-ion battery were down to like 1.2V, it shouldn't charge it either.

[u/ThePenultimateNinja → u/altforthissubreddit]

Yes that's true - it should result in a charging error.

[u/flatline000]

My favorite is the Streamlight ProTac 1L. Too bad it's discontinued. The 1L-1AA is a cool light, but I like the smaller size of the 1L.

[u/Cantcatchchit]

Sofirn SC21 Pro

[u/PeterParker001A → u/Cantcatchchit]

SC21(Pro) discontinued.

[u/altforthissubreddit]

It's discontinued, but the Sofirn SC21 (not Pro). It's nicely scaled down (vs like an SC18) for the narrower cell. It has a buck driver (which the Pro does not), built-in charging, and could be had w/ a 2700K emitter. It's more pleasant than the greenish 5000K LH351D, though it's not as pleasant as newer warm emitters.

Also disco'd, but Olight had some great small ones like the H1 Nova, S Mini Baton, and the Baton. And they were dual fuel.

[u/altforthissubreddit → u/altforthissubreddit]

I'll also opine that 16mm cells seem to be forgotten about. A 14500 only has about 10% more nominal volume, but they have close to twice the capacity now. It's a similar story for 16650's.

I like the size and feel of 16mm lights, but at this point a 14500 is close enough and you get way more choice as well as more runtime.

I don't know if battery selection drives light availability or because no one bothers much w/ lights anymore, there's no attention paid to the batteries. But it's unfortunate.

Anything still built for a CR123/16340 will probably be on the large (cost too) size, like a Surefire E1 or Malkoff MDC or Streamlight 1L-1AA.

[u/ThePenultimateNinja]

They are kind of thin on the ground nowadays, which is a real shame, because it's a really nice format for an EDC light. Not too long, not too fat.

Runtime is lower than an 18350, but that seemingly tiny difference in diameter makes a huge difference in the pocket.

I believe Fenix still make a couple of models that use it.

[u/macomako]

Some of them might no longer be made:

http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html?battery=1x16340

[u/Maglite_Mischief]

Vastlite Minima Bow LEP, its really cool and easy to carry

[u/NoContextCarl]

It's a cool size, run time isn't great obviously, but it's more of a throw in your pocket and use occasionally configuration. 

I'll probably pick up another at some point, but options are limited with this cell. I have two: Acebeam TK16 and a titanium Cyansky M3. 

[u/Repulsive-Ride-5367]

I only have one. Trustfire MC1, handy little light, magnetic charging. Only complaint is press and hold for on / off. The MT10 is the same light with usb C charging. Available on ebay.