Blown bulb from rechargables on LT-ZL168

I just bought the LT-ZL168 Defender series flashlight. According to the instructions, the CR123a batteries only last an hour, so I wanted to buy rechargeables. I bought RCR123a 3.0V rechargeables, but the first time I put them in, they blew the bulb! I measured both original batteries with a volt meter and got a total of 6.2V for the original batteries, and 6.7V for the rechargeables. I find it surprising that the extra .5V would blow the bulb.

So, anyone know why this happened? Can I not run rechargeable batteries in this thing?

Do I need to replace the bulb with an LED? I'm reluctant to replace the bulb with the same thing until I know why the old one blew.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I don't know of any reason you should not be able to run rechargeables on that light. As you said, it shouldn't make that much difference. I would contact the manufacturer and discuss the issue with them as they are very receptive to feedback about their products.

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