Help me make a list of batteries for a UK store to sell - we'll get a 10% discount for BLF members

Some notes on the entries:
I see that 24S is better than 20S according to Mooch. OTOH 20S is better according to HKJ.
Aspire 18350 uses Yong Deli cell. So does Keepower P1835C2, though IIRC this one adds protection circuit.
ADDED

Shockli is avaliable as both flat and button top. Button top should be just as good as UH2660.
ADDED:
No, 24S is not better than 20S in Mooch test:

Hello everyone!!

Thank you very much for the time you’ve all given above.

A fair majority of the cells initially suggested are already readily available on the website, but some are being requested in button top (unprotected) format which isn’t an issue, we can solve that.

I should probably state that while cells/batteries aren’t new to us, protected cells for torches/lasers are and as above, we dont have a huge understanding of the most popular ones. Goose got in touch asking for a discount code for you all, so i thought it might be worth while providing you with a code for things you might actually want to buy!

18650UK is primarily a wholesale distributor. Whilst we do have a retail website, the majority of our business/my time is taken up with sourcing, supplying for and consulting on electric vehicles, Motorsport prototyping, military/aerospace and the ebike/personal transport industry. Because of this, we have a pretty good handle on global cell movement and can normally track pretty much anything down.

Ive made a note of the cells in the list above that we dont already have and will look to get hold of them for you all as and when i can squeeze them into shipments!

Thanks again,

Ben
Sales and Technical Director
18650UK

Hello, I am rather skeptical about the fact that you could get any cell model, because I think of the Samsung INR18650-24S cited several times previously for example, I personally contact a number of recognized suppliers in Asia ( Vapcell, Efest, QueenBattery, Voltaplex, etc … too long is the list to be all cited) because it’s been a long time (over a year) that I try to get them with their original wraps of the brand Samsung, but even in rewrap (Vapcell Purple 18650 2400mAh 30A), and I always get the same answer in a few words: We asked for it, but we have no answer on the delays or even the quantities that will be delivered.
The only thing I’ve learned is a rumor so I do not know if you really need to take it seriously, that one or the wireless power tool manufacturers would book them all from Samsung so grab them the full production of 24S, after that is only one so I repeat: to take with reservations.

We cant guarantee to get “any cell”, but we have over the years built a well qualified list of suppliers along with the factories themselves.

The 24S wasnt designated for powertool use. Due to a strict NDA we cant specify exactly what it was made for, but its not that. Neither was the 20S, nor the rumoured 25S production run. Thats not to say that they might not end up there however. The Sony VTC5D was a Murata tweak of the VTC5A specifically for Dyson, but that hasnt stopped them popping up elsewhere…

Edit - The issue youre having is that you are contacting companies who rewrap new to market cells and sell them at an inflated cost in order to push their brand. They routinely lie about stock. Ijoy did this last year. They claimed the cell under the wrap of their 5 leg positive 20700 (the Molicel INR20700A) was impossible to get. I was sitting on 3000+. Ijoy wanted $8 per cell (before shipping and taxes) with an MOQ of 2000. I was selling the original cell from under their wrap for £5 inc VAT in the UK at the time. Largely because we have the connections, but also because these companies lie to Europe to extort huge markups on their re-wrapped versions. Don’t fall for it.

There’s a nice 3500mAh protected 18650 from EagTac / EagleTac that I like, because it can handle 10A continuous discharge before the protection trips. It’s based on the NCR18650GA and keeps the width & length down, so it fits a lot of 18650 lights.

We happen to have that cell, but from Keeppower instead :wink:

https://18650.uk/product/keeppower-18650-10a-protected/

Somehow I missed that you had the protected Keeppower 18650 cells in stock. That fills my previous request for a protected high capacity 18650.

You are missing some high capacity cells that you must have :
LG MJ1
Samsung 35E
Sanyo GA
LG M36
Panasonic PF

26650 protected Keeppower 6000 mAh
26650 unprotected Keeppower 6000 mAh

Looking at Keeppower website, The 6000mAh P2660C is 28.6 x 69mm.

The 6000mAh is a tight fit in a Convoy L6. The recommended 5200mAh P2652C is 26.5 x 69.5mm.

And ? L6 is not only one flashlight that is using 26650, there are a lot of others out there, also it is not the only use of 26650 for flashlights so…

Thorfire S70S loves a keeppower 6000 or 2. Tight fit but functional

Of course.

I thought it was important to point out the 6000mAh Keeppower cell has a 28.6mm diameter. I’d hate for someone buy them without checking the fit first. I used the L6 as an example because there was already a thread on here.

Perfect, thank you :+1:

I expect to be in the market for some in the near future - my spares keep disappearing into new lights :slight_smile:

Good Afternoon!

Just to keep you all in the loop, ive been doing a bit of digging on what i can get immediately (IE, inside a week in decent quantities and at a cost that makes sense for us all) and i should have these on the way before the end of the day;

Panasonic NCR18650b
Sanyo UR14500P
Panasonic NCR 18650F
Keeppower: UH2660

These are a little harder to come by but are cells i have previously supplied to other clients in the EV market. Rest assured these have been a high priority for me;

Samsung INR18650-36G
Samsung INR18650-20S
Samsung: 18650-24S

On the subject of OEM cells (Samsung/LG/Sony) since this is the bulk of my work, does anyone have any idea of the bias over flat/button top? Im happy to pull in some button top variations of the cells we stock, but im unsure of how many devices already have an over-discharge circuit etc and would use a button top option with no protection?

Il be addding the products to the following page as an when they come in - https://18650.uk/torch-batteries/

Let me know what you think!

Ben
18650 UK

Many high powered flashlights will only work with button tops and/or unprotected only cells (650mm height + a couple mm for the button top). For instance BLF Q8 uses 4*18650 button top exclusively, flat tops won’t work. Many flashlights are like this and I can’t recall - but they surely exist - of any flashlight demanding only flat tops. There are many variations but many flashlights use specific combinations only (e.g. Astrolux MF02 can use only button tops - except if modded to accept flat tops by disabling the hardware reverse polarity protection - but can also accept protected ones, Astrolux MF01 will accept whatever MF02 accepts but won’t work on turbo for more than a couple of seconds with protected cells due to very high amp draw and the batteries protection circuit kicking in).

On the other hand, vaping devices are, usually, just the opposite. They need unprotected flat tops and they won’t work with even a couple of mm longer button top battery. Same goes for many powerbanks but with much less amp needs and more capacity needs.

It all depends on where a battery needs to be used.

For example, I am using 30Q button top with all my high powered flashlights, VTC6 flat top with my ecigs, NCR18650B flat top unprotected with powerbanks, NCR18650B protected button top with many low-amp flashlights.

Hi Aleister,

Thanks for that, that mostly answers my querstion. We’re well versed with the vape side of things. I supply several hundred shops in the UK and the same again in Europe and coupled with our primary industry verticals, we will always have flat top unprotected cells on hand. Theres just not been much of a call for the button top variants.

Ill get them in. If i start with the HG2/VTC6/30Q, and go from there?

I think that button-top batteries choice is a lazy choice by many flashlight manufacturers, made just because:
a. they don’t go the extra mile to create software reverse polarity protection (like many ecigs have)
b. find another way (e.g. load the batteries from the tail) for the + pole to make contact in carrier-less multi-cell parallel connections instead of this:

c. can’t use software reverse polarity protection because they use a carrier that only connects with a + and a - to the driver without electronics on its own

In a few words, flashlight companies can solve that but won’t (due to extra cost I believe)

I will vote yes to that

A little update;

The following are now in stock on the website;

Panasonic NCR18650PF
Panasonic NCR18650B
Sanyo UR14500P
Keeppower 26650 6000mAh 20A
Samsung 30Q button top.

I had hoped that i would have had the button top VTC6 today too but there seems to be a bit of a delay on these. There is in fact a global shortage of VTC6 at the moment that came out of nowhere. Normally we know when a drought of something is coming but this one caught us completely off guard!

could you be able take these cells in ?

Keeppower 26650 5200mAh (protected) - 12A

I would like to suggest another ShockLi battery (original battery model, which is rewrapped by them - is unknown):
21700 4550mAh (closer to 4000mAh during tests)

It can be regarded as similar to the LR2170SA (which is mostly known in Liitokala rewrap), but it has better discharge curve for the first half of the discharge, and runs noticeably cooler (15A discharge, at 1.5Ah, temp is 16°C above environment).

For reference LR2170SA has a bit worse discharge performance, and gets hot much faster (15A discharge, at 1.5Ah, temp above environment is ~28°C).

Tests: ShockLi 21700 4550mAh + Liitokala 21700 4000mAh (LR2170SA)

I think, this ShockLi battery could be a good inexpensive one, if you can stock it.

EDIT

Forgot to mention, that ShockLi 14500 660mAh exists in button top version as well, and that could be also desirable.