For those awaiting a good deal on the L6, it’s around $45 right now not sure BG or GB-…
Check the various deals/coupons and codes threads.
Edit: i must have dreamed it… can’t find it anymore. :person_facepalming:
Edit2: now i’m sure i’ve seen it. I actually wondered wether i would rather get another Q8 instead as they were about the same price - at that instant. Probably during that “black” weekend frenzyness.
Had the clear L6 and 26650 unprotected KeepPower black listed in this thread were just right in L&W.
Just got a Black L6 today to replace the modded Clear I sold and the same KPP black are pretty tight on OD.
I really doubt those 27700 are going to fit in either direction, especially if protected.
You weren’t dreaming, it was around Nov 15th. I got a CW Black one for bout $45. I was in the market for one for a while and think it is the best price I have ever seen.
It just arrived today. Will mod it soon.
I know the recommended battery for the L6 is generally the Keeppower ICR26650 5200mAh, but looking at HKJ's test it is very easy to find better performing cells. So I'm a bit hesitating. Why the KP ICR is considered the best match? Apart from size consideration, is it only because of its protection's circuitry, making it a safer choice for 2x configuration?
It’s been a long time since I read post one. The last update to it was 11 months ago. It does seem to be biased towards safety and not towards performance. For newcomers the protected cell is recommended.
Most folks here (modders) don’t run protected cells, though. They can’t, because they just don’t produce enough output.
My modded L6 pulls 17 to 18 amps with the Liitokalas for about 8,500 lumen.
It only pulls about 10 amps with the protected KeepPower 5200 for about 6,500 lumen.
That’s a big difference and clearly seen with your eyes. It’s also why almost all L6 modders use unprotected cells.
If your light is stock and you are worried about safety stuff then stick with protected. It is fine for lower powered lights. In fact, Orbtronic makes a 26650 protected cell with a 15 amp rating. I don’t know if it cuts all power at loads over 15A or just limits the load like the KeepPowers do.
Everyone using unprotected cells in series just need to follow a few safety rules. Always use a matched and married set and always check that the voltages are identical before charging.
Eh doesnt simon himself recommend to use keeppower icr? not that u must but i never heard that litokala was the main battery choice for this light and ive read almost the entire thread of this massive light. I will myself tho use efest batteries for this light once it arrives.
This thread kinda swings both ways from what I remembe. Mainly because Simon recommends Protected cells on his site.
Most members here do not want protected cells, including myself, and Jdub managed a deal with BG early on for the black unprotected Keep 5000mAh. I bought those for my first L6 because I intended to mod it.
But seriously consider measurements with any cell you may buy. L6 is pretty picky on diameter and length and the tops of cells need to be high enough to contact the other cell in series.
Convoy recommend the 69.5mm protected Keeppower (which as far as I’m aware is actually INR, not ICR as commonly thought). I doubt that in the stock L6 there would be any significant difference in performance between the protected Keeppower and unprotected Liitokala.
There’s not. I tested it.
I actually got a bit higher amps on the brightest setting with the KP for some reason (it might be an anomoly), but as soon as you resistor mod it, the Liitokala has the advantage. Then with a FET driver the Liitokala has a much bigger advantage.
I may as well chime in on this…
The cell recommended by Convoy and the cell the L6 was designed around is indeed the KeepPower 5200mAh as listed in the OP and recommended by Simon himself. Keep in mind though that was definitely stated with safety being priority #1 and that is based on the stock L6. In stock form you will see little if any difference from a higher-drain cell. Again, that is only when referring to the STOCK L6.
If you’re running a modded L6 with a different driver setup there are definitely better high-performance cells out there like the black LiitoKala cells or the light blue or any others Dale or Kawiboy or any of our other modding maniacs recommend.