Suggestions for a cheap 18650

Hello, I used to have an account here but for some reason I couldn’t log in so started a new one.
Lapsed a bit in my torch buying as I settled into a nice useful set and I don’t do as much outdoorsy stuff anymore. Last I bought was a BLF X5 which is a truly awesome torch and I absolutely love it, fulfils just about everything I need in a low use outdoors type torch really.

Over the past year though I have built up a nice collection of recovered 18650 cells and I would really like a torch capable of using them. Something with a serious punch of light and a reasonable run time too. For general outdoors use my X5 is ideal as it’s compact and lightweight, and I don’t plan to be out in the dark for long, but for those occasions where I am going to be out for an extended period I am happier with something larger.
So specs as follows:

Cheap (needs to be as cheap as possible really as it will not be used that often)
Bright (Ideally a good bit brighter than the X5 and capable of holding brightness for a longer time without overheat)
2 modes minimum (super bright and a more useful mode for pathway lighting)
2 x 18650 cell capacity or more (would like good brightness and run time, size is not an issue)

Thanks in advance for any help.

Don’t know what your idea of cheap is, but you could get a BLF Q8 for a “reasonable” price, and it will use four cells at a time. Be careful matching old/used cells. You want multiple cells used together to be as similar as possible in charge voltage, capacity, and internal resistance. If you have an analyzing charger, you could test your cells and match them accordingly. Now, having said that, since the Q8 uses cells in parallel instead of in series, the cell matching isn’t as crucial. I have cells from laptop pulls, and my method of matching is to check resting voltage with a multi-meter at least several days after a full charge. Cells with closest voltage get matched together. You can get by with this for two reasons only: the cells are known good quality and very well tested by the OEM, and the light is using the cells in parallel. If you’re interested, there is a thread about Lithium Ion cell safety HERE.

Yes the q8 is hard to beat, here is a code in this link to save you some cash,

https://m4dm4x.com/blf-q8-arrived/

That does look like a great torch and I will seriously consider it. It is however a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Under £20 would have been nice, though possibly not realistic. Also now I think about it, a flood/zoom option would be nice as that is a feature I use a lot on other torches I have, and do wish the X5 had.

Well, a cheap 18650 light can be had, but it’s rare to find a decent AND cheap 18650 light. I guess you could search some of the websites mentioned around here at BLF like Fasttech, Banggood, Gearbest, Mountain Electronics, Convoy store in AliExpress, etc. and find some lights that you like, then ask here for opinions on those specific lights. We have plenty of opinionated people around here. :stuck_out_tongue:

A light that will pass the Rorschach test… :stuck_out_tongue:

If you are using cells recovered from laptop packs, then singly, you should probably limit yourself to lights that draw about 3A.

A Convoy C8 or S2+ with the 8x7135 driver are ~3A lights in your price range. They should be good for ~1000lm on high. On high, their runtime will be under an hour with ~2,600mAh cells. The C8 has enough mass and surface to run on high for a while. On high, the S2+ will get uncomfortably hot in 5-10 minutes.

If you want more output and/or runtime, you’ll need a multi-cell light, and for unprotected recovered cells, you’ll want one that runs them in parallel. The Q8 is the cheapest such light I can think of. The Q8 was designed to be a good version of the SRK clones on the market. Those SRK clones are still around, they are in your price range, and they still suck.

You should be able to find coupon codes to get the BLF Q8 for ~$40US. They seem to come around every few weeks, and I’d guess the deals will become more frequent as we move into the holiday shopping season.

You should also consider just buying new, better batteries. I have a bunch of recovered 18650s from packs I collected ~4 years ago, back when new 18650s were still pretty expensive and hard to get. These days, you can get a new Samsung 30Q, a 3000mAh cell that supports 10A drain, for$5US. Higher capacity cells are also available for about the same price, that can sustain 5-6A. If I remember right, 4 years back, the equivalents would have been at least $10/cell.

Thanks for the info there. Maybe what I want doesn’t exist, which is not uncommon for me lol!

I’ll try and do a bit more research and see what I come across. The C8 and S2 are not as bright as my X5 so the only benefit there is run time. If I am spending money then I want longer runtime and the higher output, even if that output is not able to be sustained for a long period.

The Q8 is probably the best option as you say, but is more than I wanted to spend.