I am asking to get an idea when most charge their 18650s . Do you top them off after a little use or do you wait for the light to flash or something in between?
I top mine off when they are at around 50%. will charge until approximately 4.05V
i usually
a. let lights go til the they won’t go to turbo, or it flashes, or whatever it does, then
b. take that battery out,
c. put in charger
d. get a charged cell from BIN
e. when orig battery is charged, put into BIN
[so i don;t always necessarily get the one with the newest or oldest charge.
though i MIGHT try to get one with high capacity]
or if i anticipate heavy usage, i might start at step b that day
wle
When it is needed.
Generally, for me, it’s based on how much use I’ll be seeing that day/night.
3.5v-3.6v, since I don’t see a lot of minutes here in the big city.
I’ve topped off batteries/cells just because I can.
I’ve let cells run down to <2.80v, but those are an exception and not the rule.
Chris
I charge them whenever I think they might not be fully charged lol.
Generally around 3.8-4v, if I use them for any length of time, I generally charge them afterwards.
Better to top them off then do a full charge, plus that way they are always ready for action.
When they can’t maintain turbo / high , but I have no problem letting them get to 2.8-3 volts if I havnt got a spare near by.
I typically tend to charge mine when they are at 3.3v - 3.6v. Don’t really like to go any lower. I also check the batteries in all of my lights once a month, just so I don’t get any surprises when I’m out and about. I keep a light in every one of my coats, both vehicles, and several in the house,