You are stating CR123A is superior to AA as if that were a fact. If you are comparing LITHIUM CR123A to ALKALINE AA, then yes, CR123A is superior.

However, when comparing apples to apples - lithium to lithium, or Li-Ion to Li-Ion - the CR123A is not really superior. You might get a slight bit more of capacity. In some ways CR123A's are inferior. One: The form factor - CR123A's are fat compared to AA's. Of course, AA's are longer. But in terms of carrying a flashlight in your pocket, a single AA light is much nicer than a single CR123A light. A single AAA light is even more comfortable, but those are just too low capacity for anything except dim lighting needs (which is a valid need). Two: Compatibility - Things that run on Lithium AA's can also run on alkaline AA's. Things that run on CR123A's can also run on ... CR123A's. No such thing as an "alkaline CR123A". So we have two strikes against CR123A's right there. Form factor and compatibility. Add to that their lesser availability and significantly higher price, and you have strike three - you're out. Back in the days when the best you could get in an AA was an alkaline, the CR123A was superior. But those days are gone now.

I realize I am using the terms "AA" and "CR123A" loosely above. I am referring to the form factor of these cells. A 14500 is not really an AA (except in form factor). Nor is a RCR123 or 16340 really a CR123A (except in form factor). But for purposes of the points I am trying to make, form factor is what I need to refer too.

I see what you're saying, but the big box, outsourcing-production-to-cheap-overseas-factories phenomenon has shown us that lower price (at least lower percieved price) tends to win out over higher performance across a wide swath of products. You can lower the price/performance ratio by either building a kick ass product (making the denominator larger) or you can sell something cheaper and shrink the numerator. For the most part, Americans have voted with their wallets and gone with lower prices.

For a more CR123-specific example, look at digital cameras. CR123's used to power a lot more digital cameras. But then rechargeable lithium ion battery packs came along. Now people didn't need to keep buying "expensive" CR123's and could just recharge the battery packs at home to save money and now there are few CR123 powered cameras. What was once a pretty ubiquitous market of CR123-powered cameras shrank because consumer preference chose something else.


This train of thought is missing that middle piece--between "20 times better" and "becoming a standard," people have to want it and be willing to pay for it. IPhones were never cheap but people wanted it and were willing to pay for it. Overseas, where mobile phone companies don't subsidize the price, people are still willing to pay full price for iPhones even though they much lower incomes because they want it so badly. And now iPhones are ubiquitous around the world. CR123's will not become ubiquitous unless there is a widespread demand for them first. Demand drives expansion of manufacturing capacity, which increases supply, which at some point should lead to lower unit prices. If you're selling $1,000 batteries five years after introducing them to the market, don't blame limited distribution. People just didn't want them badly enough.

Another recent example just popped into my head. Look at the netbook market. Just a few years ago, they were sold at every cell phone store and every electronics retailer on the block and everyone had to have one, but then the iPad came along and ate the netbook's lunch (and dinner and dessert, to boot) even though the iPad was more expensive than the netbooks and not necessarily any more capable. You couldn't even watch YouTube videos on the iPad! Hmmm, two Apple examples in one post. Just goes to show what a genius Jobs & Co. were in coming up with wildly popular and even gamechanging products.

There is also the concept of "good enough". More money might buy better performance technically speaking, but do you need it? Is it worth the increased cost?

What do I have in my pack as my "knife for the wilderness"? Try guessing. Is it some custom made high-end steel thing? Or is it a Mora? I can buy dozens of Moras for the cost of one of the high-end knives. Is the high-end one any better FOR MY NEEDS? Nope, not a bit.

So that I am being totally honest, I recently DID buy a knife that cost more than a Mora. It is a "better" knife (depending on your view). A SOG Field Pup. But I had to put out a whopping $19.95 (on sale!) to aquire that (arguably) better SOG. But my point still holds. I didn't spend multi-hundreds of dollars to get an "even better" knife than the SOG. No need to. The saying "You get what you pay for" only goes so far, before you start looking like a fool for paying so much.

This discussion has been informative.

Off topic, I had to look up the meaning of "netbook." Low and behold, it turns out that I use a netbook as my main computer. It's an Acer, 500GB, 4GB RAM, 11.5" display, for around $300. The screen is about as clear as it gets, without being a retina display. I forgot how many Hz, but I remember selecting this computer because the Hz are NOT that high (less battery drain).

This computer can do everything I need it to do, and just as fast or faster than my other computers that are considerably more expensive. In the past, I purchased only the highest end 17" laptops. Those days are over. They're too unwieldy for traveling for one thing. Also, we've reached a point in technology where higher performing hardware offers diminishing returns. For example, faster and bigger processors mean faster battery drain, while offering no benefit for regular software applications. Unfortunately, the prices for netbooks are creeping up.

I currently use 18650s in lights that use multiples of two of the 123 batteries but I use primaries in my everyday light/headlamp that use a single 123 cell. I couldn't be more pleased with how the 18650s have worked for me & I am thinking about buying some 16340s.

I wish I had experience specifically with the 16340s but I wouldn't expect it to be so different from the 18650s.

I prefer a 1xCR123A for a pocket light, myself.

Me, too, actually. Although if the goal is the tiniest light that's still bright enough to be useful the nod goes to the AAA for me. When my little Fauxton fell off my keychain and got ran over by a car (long story...) I replaced it with a Fenix 01. A bit bigger but very nice, and in truth it's the largest light I could live with in that application (keychain).

The light I generally have in the pocket of my jacket or fleece pullover when I'm out and about is a JETBeam BC10. It's extremely powerful yet simple to use and compact. I'm not sayin' it's the best or the only one to use, just the one I prefer.