I'm in a couple of different discussions about this INR/ICR thing. I noticed the different batteries right away on my second IO order. I have 7 King Kongs; 4 INRs and 2 ICRs. My first order included 3 INRs (free shipping with a third battery) and the second order included 2 INRs and 2 ICRs. I have no idea how many times I mixed the two in my JM05 because I naturally assumed the ICRs were from a newer batch or something. Now I discover they are entirely different chemistries?
IO now says, "The INR26650E have been discontinued" and "The King Kong cells are now ICR26650E." And, they're $9.47. So, they've been replaced with an inferior chemistry?
Ahh well, I guess it's not that big a deal. Would have been nice to know. I bet Hank knew as much as we did . . . or as much as we used to know. There's some pretty intelligent fellows around here. I can't keep up with larnin' like ya'll got.
I responded to your post in "what you got today", but I referred you right back to here. Just be sure you don't mix the different chemistry cells in the same light and you should be good. I believe ICR is just a bigger version of your standard 18650 cell. What bothers me is the mixing and matching on the sellers websites. I want accurate descriptions and above all I want to know what I am buying - don't like the lottery approach to supply and demand.
Tech, thanks for posting that link. I've read through it before and have to point out that this situation is not your standard 1 cell light. The user bought a used multi-cell light with used batteries that were over-discharged and out of balance. I think we should all respect what we are using, but let's not get all alarmist about it either. Standard one-cell applications are still inherently safe, if you respect and treat your batteries safely (Don has a famous quote about seagulls and fish that should be referred to). On the other hand, I'm kind of agreeing with you about converting to safer chemistries in the future. We just need more options to choose from.
Sorry to have not responded sooner. I've been trying to do some research on these two cells and I'm not comfortable listing them as valid options. In general, unless you give an ebay seller a 'trusted' rating here on BLF, I would not recommend buying batteries from them. It is too easy to slap a label on anything and sell it, so at least with some of our known flashlight resellers, we have some manner of recourse (IOS has changed two listings after inquiry). As we are discovering with this ICR/INR/IMR saga, even that is no guarantee. To be honest, I almost didn't link the DX Trustfire versions in post #1 because of the reported fake 26650's they sell.
Some bad experiences over at CPF with Keygos and Palight 26650 batteries. They appear to be fakes. I can find no OEM sellers - only ebay. The IMR version you link to is IMR in the title of the listing only. The pictures of the cell mention nothing about IMR and the product description lists it as Li-ion. Also, IMR do not usually come with protection circuits. I doubt this ebay seller even knows what IMR is. The link to the second blue cells on ebay also has an inflated capacity and lists very few real specs. I would not trust these to be real new cells either, but if someone wants to be the guinea pig and test them, feel free.
Something to remember: the highest reported capacity of regular Li-ion(Cobalt) 26650 cells is 4000mAh. IMR and LiMnNiCo other variations do not have as high a capacity, so if someone is claiming 4000 - 5000mAh capacity for an IMR, they are not being truthful. I suspect this is one of the reasons IOS no longer carries the MNKE 4000mAh IMR and just yesterday removed the King Kong INR 4000mAh listing - when called on it, they can't support the claim. It should be noted that the ICR King Kong is a well-rated battery, however. My issue with them on this is the mix and match of two chemistries and non-disclosure in the product listing. To Hank's credit at IOS, he will fix anything in error that is pointed out to him and do it very quickly.
Tri-element cells which combine slighlty improved safety (better than Cobalt oxide) with lower cost without compromising the energy density but with slightly lower voltage. Different manufacturers may use different proportions of the three constituent elements, in this case Ni, Co and Mn."
No arguments there. I just felt compelled to remind people here, especially those accepting/dispensing advice about dead shorting batteries to see how much load they can handle, about how dangerous even the safe chem cells are, let alone LiCo chem cells. [/End PSA]
I have one question: in 1 post we have information about cells 4sevens are ".. non protected"
Here my old (blue) and new (green) cells:
And now - on label is visible "with PCB", as well visible under isolation the belts of flat wire.
Doesn't this mark that however these cells are "Protected" ?
Good catch, kris2 and Shadowww - 4sevens 26650 cells are now listed under the Protected section in the OP. Funny that 4 Sevens doesn't note this in their product description.
Edit: I contact 4sevens and they have updated the product description to note it is a protected-cell battery.
Just a little update... I placed an order for 3x Battery space 3600 LiNiCoMn cells this weekend.
I'm only pushing them at ~1.38C in my ultrafire HD2010, so it should be a cake walk for these cells and I'm well within their capable range. I think I'm sticking with the 1x26650 setups, thats about as big as I can comfortably carry. No knock against BIG lights, I'm just not getting any younger, so weight and space are something I need to consider on the trails. They're At $9.50 from a reputable USA source it seems like a safe bet.
