I'm a long-time lurker and this is my first post, so you've got a Noob here.
I have been reading the threads on the "best value" 18650 battery, so I started looking around and ordered 4 Panasonic NCR18650A (3100mah) batteries from FocalPrice (sku EB0048G).
I chose this battery based on price ($8.76 each ordering 3 or more and free shipping). Everything I've read indicates that NCR18650A have the most capacity.This particular green Panasonic is different in all the comparisons that I've read because these have a PCB installed by the manufacturer of the cell.(Note the black stripe around the bottom of the cell, that is the PCB).
They came packaged in a padded envelope that was in good shape. Shipping is slow, as they took 2 weeks to arrive from China. One PCB has a VERY slight dent, possibly caused by shipping.They also came loose, with 2 paper UPC labels on each cell. After scraping the labels off with my fingernail, glue residue had to be removed with paint thinner (solvent).
Compared to my Trustfire Flames, these cells are long. I measured 18.4mm X 69.2mm with a micrometer. They fit in my Solarforce L2, and barely fit in my Olight SR51.(spring fully compressed)
The 4 cells arrived with 3.643v, 3.643v, 3.642v, and 3.641v.
I don't have a hobby charger to do discharge capacity tests, but I did 4 rundowns to shutoff with my SR51 on high.
Run 1, set A: 4.17 V start to PCB trip at 2.8 V - 108 min.
Run 2, set A: 4.20 V start to PCB trip at 2.8 V - 109 min.
Run 1, set B: 4.20 V start to PCB trip at 2.8 V - 110 min.
Run 1, set B: 4.20 V start to PCB trip at 2.8 V - 109 min.
(109 min. average)
Just for curiosity's sake I used my 1.5 yr. old Trustfire Flames that have had very light usage, and they yielded 80 min. to shut off. (PCB looked like it tripped at a higher voltage.) As I mentioned before, the Panasonics PCB tripped at 2.8 v, and reset itself when resting voltage climbed back up above 3.0 volts.
Olight's rating of 110 min. on high is obtainable, and these cells are right there. If anyone would like to do a discharge test using new cells (Hi-max,etc.) and a Olight SR51, I'd be interested in the runtime results. Please post it here.
Overall, I'm very satisfied. If you are looking for the best at just a few dollars more than the cheapest cells, consider these.