I’ve got about 4-5 lights that use the 18650 cells. They are all Convoy lights with an XinTD thrown in for good measure.
My problem is that the cells I got for it are near the end of their life. They won’t hold a charge for long and the output isn’t what it should be. I’m pretty sure the cells I have came out of a laptop battery. Now I need to get new, or good used, batteries for them. The problem is that I don’t know what to get. I go looking and there are all kinds of 18650 cells. All kinds of different output levels. Do I need 3100 mAmp or will 2100 work? I think I even saw a 3600. They also have flat tops, protected cells and so one, as you all well know.
These are lights that I just use around the house, nothing serious. So, can you all give me some advice as to what cells I need to get to bring my lights back to life? If you know of a good place to buy them, I would appreciate it if you’d tell me. I need a decent, low cost charger too.
It really depends on the light. I use Sanyo NCR18650GA in just about every 18650 light I have nowadays. The flat top GA can also be used in most lights that accept button tops. Capacity is very good at ~3500mAh and it has a constant discharge rating of 10A.
If you want to prioritize maximum brightness over runtimes, the Samsung 30Q or Sony VTC6 are very good choices.
Generally, Convoy’s 18650 lights can accept just about any type of 18650 including protected cells. If you tell us what lights you have, it may be easier to recommend specific cells.
The Samsung 30Q or Sony VTC6 are perhaps the best all rounders.
They are high drain cells with a decent capacity of 3000mAh.
That’s only some 12% less capacity than the well known lower drain cells, but you can use them also for lights that draw a lot of current.
They should cost about the same.
Liion Wholesale is running a sale which includes the LG MJ1 cells, flat or button top.
They should come out to ~$5 a cell shipped, which is a good price for quality, known genuine cells. Plus some shipping options come with a “free gift,” which is reported to be an inexpensive 18650 flashlight. My guess is a zoomie.
I would suggest Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAH or Panasonic NCR18650BD 3200mAH for the largest capacity batteries.
For charger I recommend a NiteCore IntelliCharger 2 which are inexpensive and versatile in charging both 1.5V NiMH and 3.7V Li-on batteries.
These two sellers on AliExpress sell genuine Li-on batteries and have 100% approval ratings.