I received a Pelican 2330 M6 LED for my Birthday, and I must say that thus far I am very happy with it, especially as someone who is just getting into this type of flashlight.

I realize I've only had it a few days, but wow... I am enthusiastic about it.

It's one thing to read a review and see a picture of the spread and intensity online, but when I first tested it I couldn't believe how much it illuminated with its 1W LED. I could have gone for the Pelican 2390 that has a 3W LED, but truthfully I was more interested in battery life in case of extended emergencies and while camping/hiking than the extra power and hard anodizing.

In an ?accidental? submerging in water it held true to the water resistant claim.

In an ?accidental? drop down a flight of stairs it held up to the impact resistant claim.

Included in the packaging were the Pelican M6, two Duracell Lithium CR 123A Batteries and a Snap-shut Cordura holster with a Velcro shut compartment for spare CR 123A batteries.

Not only did it include these items, but the Battery Station also added 10 extra Lithium Batteries for free when my mother ordered it.

I am only disappointed by a few minor issues at this point.

Firstly the M6 fits so tightly into the holster that when I give the tail cap a few twists to disengage the switch, ensuring it won't accidentally turn on when holstered, it was a little tough to get the fold over flap to snap shut. Finding a close but conservative point at which the switch lost contact was the key to solving this problem.

Secondly, and this is a personal issue, I would like it if there were a lanyard hole somewhere on the flashlight. One time while spear fishing at night, I slipped and flung my MagLite downstream. Luckily, glowing as brightly as it was, I found it easily. Thank goodness for water resistance. I had to go under to get it though... LOL

Other things I was happy with:
The Pelican sticker had already come off in the packaging insuring that this thing was sexy. LOL

The Pelican Warranty

If it continues to work this well, I will be very happy.

On a side note, the spare compartment for batteries is made so that they must be stored one on top of the other. I read somewhere that they would drain if stored positive to negative and that it?s a good idea to put something in between them...

So, What is the best way to stack these batteries?

I tried to search the forums for an answer, but apparently I?m missing the ?perfect? search terms.

Thanks for any help.

I was also given a CR 123A battery charger, and extra rechargeable batteries... Bonus... LOL <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

beware, rechargable´s cr123´s are usually 3,7 Volt norminal, with a starting voltage of 4,2 Volt when it´s fresh of the charger. 2x 4,2 Volts in a 6 Volt light can have very dark results. There are also 3,0 Volt rechargable´s, but there are 3,7 Volt and instandly drops to 3 volts when under load, but normal cr123 are 3 volt with no load and less when it is underload. So a 3,0 volt rechargable cr123 will also overdrive most lights.

Wow... Thanks for the info.

I am brand spanking new at this, and appreciate the help.

I sent off a question to Pelican. Hopefully they will reply.

Try searching www.candlepowerforums.com. There is a wealth of information about flashlights and batteries.

here is some more usefull information about a rechargeable cr123: http://www.cones-stuff.co.uk/RCR123%20Charger%20and%20Cells.htm

That recharger appears to be the one I have, but I need to do some closer reading to make sure. The lack of any information whatsoever with the recharger is starting to become a little bit of an annoyance. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'm confused though, why make the same size battery with different power ratings? Is this common?

I have to admit, I've never really checked before. Most of my equipment has used standard cell types unless it was a battery made specifically for the product.

Please excuse my ignorance of the subject.

I apprecaite the info Malpaso. I joined the Candlepower forums earlier and will try to locate the info.

Thanks!

diffrent voltages on batteries are quite common, but usually aren't much of a problem. Alkaline's puts out 1.5 volts, rechargeable's like NiMh and NiCa put out 1.2 Volt. So no over loading issues there. But there simply isn't a rechargable type of battery that matches the voltage of an lithium battery. Lithium Ion's are the next best thing, but they are higher power.

The charger on that website are made in diffrent version, for diffrent versions of batteries. I have seen both 3.0 and 3.7 charger versions with the same exterior.

I really appreciate all the help you've given on this. Thank you very much!

The rechargeable batteries are not marked at all, and had it not been called to my attention, I know that I would not even have thought that they could overpower the flashlight.

I tracked down the charger on the Battery Station's site, and from all indications it appears that it is the 3.7V version and the batteries 3.6V.

Thanks! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />