US Based BATTERY SUPPLY From BLF Member Arriving Soon!

BATTERY ANNOUNCEMENT

US BASED BLF-MEMBER IS THE SUPPLIER!

(Wide Selection of the HIGHEST QUALITY Batteries)

A Supplier that will be RESPONSIVE TO YOUR NEEDS!

Wide Range of Battery Types to be STOCKED - here in the US!

The Very Best Product Quality

As Verified by trusted INDEPENDENT TESTING!

Consistent Production Standards

Accurate and Complete Specifications that you can Rely Upon.

Highly Competitive Prices – Often the Lowest Available!

AND A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER to BLF MEMBERS: 10% OFF!

To be Operated by Professionals

With Decades of Wholesale & Retail Management & Ownership.

Customer Service based on the Very Best of US Operations.

Average Inquiry Response Time Soon After Start-Up: No more than 24 hours on average. * (see footnote)

Average Order Processing Time Soon After Start-Up: Less than 48 hours. * (see footnote)

Average Time in Transit (as promised by USPS, UPS and FedEx):

Only Two to Three Days

Delivery Confirmation will be Standard.

Professional Packaging to Protect the Batteries.

Product from overseas will be shipped via DHL.

They are the fastest, most reliable, and MOST CAREFUL carrier with which we’ve had experience.

But you will not have to wait for overseas shipment because we’ll be Stocking in the US and SHIPPING FROM the US!

TIMING:

We don’t want to make any promises that we’re unable to keep – and although this estimate was not “Cast in Stone” because Customs and other issues can cause delays, we actually received the first two shipments well ahead of schedule and we hope that the coming shipments will arrive on time as well.

We will confirm the mix of items in a shipment only when that shipment is on the way. We’re always anxious to know of any items that you’d like us to keep in stock for quick shipment.

IMPORTANT: We will NOT accept any payments until the batteries are in-house here in the US.

PayPal will be Accepted!

NOTICE: It is currently illegal to ship Lithium Cells out of the country so we cannot ship to countries other than the US for now. On the other hand, it does appear that export licenses may be available and we will definitely look into that possibility (and other methods to provide service to members in other countries).

* (footnote): These time estimates are based on a 5-day work week. Also, please allow for an occasional short trip. There will also be the normal "start-up surprises" that are likely to prevent us from adhering to our scheduling goals until we've had enough time to get everything "sorted out." Note that if we anticipate any delays, we will try to contact you. Thank You and Regards, Bob.

Please Review the List Below to See the HUGE List of Batteries We Want to STOCK in the US!

LIST OF BATTERIES EXPECTED (Protected and Unprotected)

Please Review the List Below to See the HUGE List of Batteries We Want to STOCK in the US!

PROTECTED CELLS:

Note that according to the reviews, the Protection Circuits Used in these Cells is the VERY BEST available!

18650 IMR 2250mAh High Amperage

18650 2600mAh

18650 2900mAh

18650 3100mAh

18650 3400mAh (latest technology) expected within 7 days of the first shipment!

26650 True IMR 3800mAh Flat Tops

26650 True IMR 3800mAh Raised Tops

26650 Protected 4000mAh Flat Tops

26650 Protected 4000mAh Raised Tops

16340 700mAh

14500 800mAh

18500 1500mAh

18500 1700mAh

UNPROTECTED CELLS:

Panasonic CGR18650CH 2250mAh (very high amperage)

Sanyo UR18650FM 2600 mAh

Panasonic NCR 18650 2900mAh

Panasonic NCR 18650A 3100mAh

Panasonic NCR 18650B 3400mAh – the Newest Technology (are due in the first shipment!)

MNKE IMR 26650 flat top

MNKE IMR 26650 raised top

King “Kong” 26650 flat top

King “Kong” 26650 raised top

DLG 14500 800mAh

Sanyo 18500 1700mAh

YOUR FEEDBACK IS REQUESTED

So that we can satisfy everyone’s needs most effectively

Are there any other batteries (Protected and/or Unprotected) that you would like us to stock? Please make us aware of your needs and we will try our best to accommodate you.

A CAVEAT: We would like to limit our inventory to batteries that have successfully passed independent tests for quality and performance.

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

Another Post Asking Specific Questions Will Follow

Feel free to comment openly or via PM (particularly if you feel it’s a sensitive matter).

THANK YOU and BEST REGARDS

BOB

* (footnote): These time estimates are based on a 5-day work week. Also, please allow for an occasional short trip. Note that if we anticipate any delays, we will contact you. Thank You and Regards, Bob.

How do we order? :D I'm guessing you are running this store?

Hi Scaru!

Thank you for your interest.

We’ve been working on this for quite a while but we felt we had to announce our plans with enough time to alter the initial overseas orders. We wanted to ask all the members for feedback regarding the type and quantity of batteries that they may need.

Assuming the prices and detailed specs look good to most of our members, we’ll be asking for estimates (but not commitments) for the quantities of each that they may want to order.

Soon we’ll be releasing the detailed specifications (particularly measurements) as well as the pricing structure but we want to make certain that we don’t make any promises that we can’t keep.

With that in mind, we will confirm the mix of available items only when the first shipment is on the way. Most important is our commitment not to accept any payments until the batteries are actually “in-house” here in the US. We’re determined to avoid any possibility of repeating the recent fiasco relating to the Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAh batteries - where people actually sent in payments and ultimately received refunds – rather than the batteries that they were promised.

By the way, PayPal will be one of the acceptable forms of payment.

Again, thank you for your message. I hope we’ve been able to answer some of your questions and that the information we’ll be providing shortly will cover the rest.

Best Regards,

Bob

2 threads?

What brands, what prices, shipping included, volume discount?

Hello AlexGT!

Thank you for your interest.

About the 2 Threads - I was asked (by a senior member) to post in the Commercial section so I complied. I'm sorry for any hassle that may cause.

About your questions - I would really appreciate your checking out my most recent posts in the other thread. I believe they answer your questions (at least to the extent that is currently possible).

If you have remaining questions after checking out the posts, please don't hesitate to ask (using the other thread).

Thanks Again and Regards,

Bob

Great news for those BLF members in the US.

Keep in mind there is an even bigger market out there, called the rest of the world! :slight_smile:

I know there are issues with shipping, but as a UK member reading threads that are US only it can get kinda frustrating to say the least.

.

Hmm, since when Sanyo makes 1700mAh 17500’s? I thought they only made 1600mAh ones.
Also, protected IMR’s? Nice!

Can you give more details about the cells used in the protected cells?

Since I’m slowly moving away from NiMh (said I wouldn’t lOL) that sounds great!

Keith

Thanks Bob,I really want to get my hands on the 3400mah cells,and a U.S. supplier would be a welcome change.My curiosity is in what brand they would be and I saw an IMR that was protected on the list,which is contrary to what I know about IMR cells and if you have a spec sheet,I would like to see it.

This is great news for sure !!!

The "issues" are one of legality, very much like the inability to carry locking blades in some countries.

I’ve not read up on the shipping issues.

BTW I can carry a locker, but I need to have “just cause” to be carrying it :wink: but lets save that for another thread.

Hi Shadowww!

Thanks very much for the post and the “heads-up” regarding the Sanyo batteries. I’ll be sure to double-check the facts on that one.

Please keep the comments coming. They’re quite helpful.

Best Regards,
Bob

Hello Essexman!

I agree - It is HIGHLY FRUSTRATING! On the other hand, I just received another advisory and the law is clear. That may not stop us though because I may be able to get permits for some of the cells and I definitely plan to try to do so.

Regards,

Bob

Hello NightCrawl!

Thank you for the question. It presents a good opportunity to explain a little more about how we plan to conduct ourselves.

There are some legitimate reasons why a very few legitimate makers want to keep the information about the core cells "under their belts" but most of the reasons are IMHO simply not justified (and may only be a way to pass off inferior product as if it were good).

Since we are using the best core cells, I very much WANT to be open about this kind of information. It will only help in showing the level of quality that we'll be offering. I'll need to make certain it won't cause problems with the manufacturers but ultimately we definitely plan to reveal the exact details.

Best Regards,

Bob

Hi Keith,

There are many people in your position. Although Lithium chemistry is used in laptops and cars, it remains potentially dangerous – and it behooves any user to follow safe practices if they do.

That said, the energy density (and retention) is so good, that using them has huge advantages. I don’t claim to be a chemistry expert – that wasn’t my field at MIT – but I have picked up quite a lot of information about batteries and I plan to share a lot of what I’ve learned – particularly about precautions to take in order to insure safety.

Thank you for your input and Best Regards,

Bob

Hi Bob!

Thanks very much for your post.

I'd appeciate any advice/input you feel comfortable providing - and I may just take you up on your PM offer.

Best Regards,

Bob

Hi DARCANGEL!

Thank you for the post. The research I've done clearly indicates that the 3400mAh batteries from Panasonic represent the best technology currently available for many flashlights. These batteries are quite new and have been difficult to obtain but we believe we've secured a decent quantity. By the way, the protected 3400s have the Panasonic NCR18650B at their core as well.

About IMR chemistry - my major at MIT was not Chemistry and I don't claim to be a chemistry expert but the IMR battery is still based on Lithium and as far as I understand it, a protection circuit simply provides another layer of safety on top of a battery that is somewhat safer to begin with. If that's true, that can't be bad - right?

Regardless, I'll continue to study the matter and post what I learn in the process.

Thank You and Best Regards,

Bob

@Kuma: Is the following list correct? If so, what about the 2 unknown cells?

18650 IMR 2250mAh High Amperage Panasonic CGR18650CH 2250mAh (very high amperage)
18650 2600mAh Sanyo UR18650FM 2600 mAh
18650 2900mAh Panasonic NCR 18650 2900mAh
18650 3100mAh Panasonic NCR 18650A 3100mAh
18650 3400mAh (latest technology) expected within 7 days of the first shipment! Panasonic NCR 18650B 3400mAh – the Newest Technology (are due in the first shipment!)
26650 True IMR 3800mAh Flat Tops MNKE IMR 26650 flat top
26650 True IMR 3800mAh Raised Tops MNKE IMR 26650 raised top
26650 Protected 4000mAh Flat Tops King “Kong” 26650 flat top
26650 Protected 4000mAh Raised Tops King “Kong” 26650 raised top
16340 700mAh
14500 800mAh DLG 14500 800mAh
18500 1500mAh
18500 1700mAh Sanyo 18500 1700mAh

On topic of protected IMRs: those already exist, Enerpower offers them, for example. More safety, but less voltage under load and therefore less capacity and limited current.