Efest just rewraps cells usually lower b or c bin cells. And charges more to put a metallic purple wrap on it. It’s cheaper to buy the parent cell underneath. They buy the cheapest batteries possible and wrap them. Most cells you buy name brand are b grade cells. B1, b2 or b3. Your A grades go to oem for tool packs, vacuums, medical devices, laptops etc. If you remove cells from tool packs those are a grade cells.
Keep power and orbtronic usually tell you the parent cell underneath. Unless you need a button top just buy the name brand cell it’s cheaper. Also with efest you never know what your getting it’s whatever they get. There 2500 mah cell could be a 25r, he2,he4 etc even the same batch can be different cells. Imren does the same thing. Efest imren, keep power, orbtronic do not manufacturer cells they just put their wrapper on it and charge double the price. Which seems to work great for them. If I had the money I’d start my own cell company up. Lots of money to be made rewrapping lower grade cells
Sometimes companies like Basen will show you the b grade rating of the cell they use it’s on the pallets they receive them on. Rewrappers care about profit. Oem care about quality and warranty. Rewrappers couldn’t afford to pay for a1, a2 grade cells and keep their profit margin. Oems purchase millions of cells not just 10 20 thousand like rewrappers
Well real oem cells are inside tool packs and such. I dig in recycle bins sometimes you find brand new display tool packs or returns where a board went bad Or one cell died. Etc but if your in the states imrbatteries, lionwholesale, 18650battery store, if your overseas I’d try nkon.nl
I wouldn’t pay for the price of tool packs just to harvest the cells. If they are free that’s one thing. But cost to much for the cells. For flashlights and vapes b grade cells are more then enough. The only way to get oem cells is to take them out of oem products. A example in a spec sheet a cell might say 18 mohm resistance. Well this batch came out at 25 mohm etc so it goes as grade b for our use will see no difference. But stay away from rewrappers. They buy the cheapest ones they can get low b and c grade cells and then charge a premium. They don’t care if one cell is a 25r and the next one in your pair is a he2 they see it as your still getting a 20 amp 2500 cell.
You can see this in mooches test when the hg2 first came out it was a 20 amp battery. His latest test a few months back has it as a 19amp battery now. The quality has gone down it fluctuates. B1 to b3. The a grade cells go to corporations.