Test/Review of Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA 3500mAh (Red)

Thanks for reviewing these, they are my next planned battery purchase (unless they release a higher capacity model by then)

I have a few I use in lights I want longer run-times (“wow” lights get 30Q’s). The cheapest source I have found is kaidomain. I have bought two there, well-packed and genuine cells. I’m not sure what shipping is like with the new regulations though.

Finally, I have been pretty sure that this battery is a good battery, and have 16x of them. Also think LG MJ1 is a good cell, have you tested it yet?

Thanks again for th excellent review HKJ.
Waiting for your review of LG MJ1 too, since these 2 cells are easier to find tha the Samsung 3500mAh that you’ve tested before

lol few people saw it in september apparently.

Very similar performance from the two, I say buy whichever is cheaper

I stand corrected.
Missed out on the earlier MJ1 test.
So all three 3500mAh cells have been tested.
The MJ1 tends to be cheaper but I haven’t come across the Samsung yet

According to all the reviews I have read so far, out of the 3:

The GA is best for 1A+, but at more than 5A you might consider high-drains.
The 35E is best for low current, 1A and below. Perfect for power banks and low powered lights.
The MJ1 performs about the same as the GA for low currents, but falls short when above 3A.

So it’s safe to say the GA is the best high capacity cell for flashlights.

Correct me if I’m wrong!

Well compare the GA and MJ1 on HKJ’s comparator. Almost no difference.

The MJ1’s seem to run hotter, but are rated for 400 cycles to 80% instead of 300 cycles to 70% like the GA.

Thanks HKJ!

The GA looks much better than my Panny B’s.

I still like my 30Q’s, but I usually recharge them well before they hit 50% of their capacities. If I needed more run time, I’d certainly consider the GA’s.

These are being sold by Gearbest now, 4 pieces for 17.39 USD.
Seems like a really good price.

8 pieces for $31.59 with code NC11. You might need to move to another country to avoid high shipping costs though…

[quote=hIKARInoob]

Luckily I still have free shipping to my country.
Thanks for the code though, ordering 8 is tempting but at that price customs might start bothering me.
Is Gearbest honest with their declaration or do they mark everything with a random low value?

That’s what I noticed with all my orders. They are always marked way down.

Does anyone know what the letter printed on the battery means ?, some sort of grading ?. The one in the picture here has the letter “C” printed on it, the ones I have are marked “B” and “C”

That letter is the cell grade. It is not clear how Panasonic/Sanyo grade the cell, but they do state in the specification that cells must be of the same grade when they are used in series.

Thanks for the reply, and welcome to BLF :wink:

Here are the discharge capacity measured with my Xtar Dragon VP4 Plus. The current batch from Illumn.com is the best batch I’ve seen.

Bought from Liionwholesale.com in January 2017
3375, 3557, 3479, 3391 mah

Bought from Vacell directly in November 2018
3480, 3552, 3502, 3467 mah

Bought from Illumn.com in August 2019
3570, 3584, 3631, 3549, 3561, 3600, 3611, 3540 mah

Samsung 36G for comparison
3454, 3385, 3427, 3463, 3328 mah

Still my favorite do anything cell.