first, i dont know what you mean by their regular 5000mah that are flat top and looks like button top, are they selling that? i only see one battery option on their site, and its 25A HD, which they claim to be PLB, and 5000mah. wheres this regular one you’re talking about?
second, the one i got says 5500mah on the wrap. and i checked amazon.ca description, thats where i got them, they came with sp70. and it doesnt say PLB wrapped, it just says “(Sofirn 26650 5500mAh Button top batteries included).”
but on their own website, the sp70 listing does say it comes with PLB wrapped 26650, but it doesnt say the capacity. so does this mean the ones that come from amazon are the “regular” ones you’re talking about? and only if i buy them separately, or buy sp70 from their website, it comes with PLB cells?
i think im gonna need to have a word with their customer service and clear the air…
The AliExpress store does not mention that their 26650’s (here and here) are PLB rewraps, only Sofirn’s website says that.
The ones you received are the older version, not PLB
I hate how Sofirn have rated the PLB rewrap at 25A when they’re only 10A. For continuous they are 10A but only short pulse current at 15 - 25A. It’s a marketing tactic
I can tell you one thing, they aren’t being truthful that the SP70 outputs 7000 lumens using them. I can’t get higher than 6000 with bypassed springs, factory they are 5200, and using the old Sofirn 26650 they are 4800.
Sofirn said 7000 lumens with their old HD 26650’s but tested to be no higher than the non HD ones.
they dont, but the 5000 one seems to match the description of the PLB ones on their site, because it does say “continuous discharge”, so either they are 25A, or its straight up false advertising.
The ad for the SP70 mentions PLB, but it does not say anything about Sofirns battery being a PLB. So I would ignore that. The wording is vague.
Check Sofirns AliExpress store. It should have all their products.
I see 4 different listings for 26650 batteries.
The 5000mah 25A HD
An actual PLB 5000mah (blue wrapper)
Their standard 5500mah
Their standard 5000mah
It has been a while since I’ve checked their store.
Seeing as how they are stocking actual PLB 5000mah cells, I am inclined to believe that their current 25A HD cells are rewrapped, button topped versions of this cell. It’s not proof, but seems highly likely.
well that i never trusted in the first place, u always take marketing with a grain of salt, if they only claim it “CAN be”, then i just take that as, ya most likely not, but maybe in ideal or theoretical situation, they can be, by their own method of calculation. lol
well their sp70 listing says “You are buying SP70 KIT with 26650 Batteries(rewrapped PLB cells), choose 5000K or 6500K.” i dont think thats vague at all, thats straight up telling us, yes we are sending you the flashlight with PLB cells wrapped with our name.
also, where are you seeing 4 listing in their own store? i see none, i only see them, and the blue ones you mentioned, in “E-battery store”
ah whatever, im too lazy to figure all that out, im counting on it to make the best decision for me, if sometimes it screws up, then it is what it is. batteries are consumables anyway, if i can get a few yrs of life out of them, ill be happy
That’s the thing, i dont know! because this sp70 listing on their site doesnt specify the capacity, it just says PLB wrapped. and on amazon, it only says capacity, 5500mah, does not say PLB. so theres no conflict with the two listing at all. it could very well be 5500mah PLB cells, they just missed a piece of information in each listing. and then they have their own separate battery listing for 5000mah PLB. god this is so confusing.
im starting to think maybe sofirn has 2 batches of batteries, 1 that comes with flashlights, probably cheaper and worse in quality, and 1 thats being sold separately. cuz their 21700 lights come with 4000mah batteries, while separately sold ones are 4800mah. although 18650 doesnt fall under this pattern, both separately sold ones and ones that come with flashlight are 3000mah.
In my opinion worst thing which can happen if charging the cell at 2A is somewhat reduced lifespan, nothing more serious. Also, 2A can only be maintained until maximum charge voltage is reached, which due to current rate by rail resistance overhead will be attained earlier (less time at 2A and longer CV phase). To sum up, I wouldn't care.
Highest discharge rating I've seen at PLB for their NMC cells is 3C here and there, with a restrained 2C nearly elsewhere. The official rating may seem low but I guess the chinese government, their main customer (for their EV buses fleet) doesn't likes to be lied.
The Sofirn rating, on the other hand, is a typical unofficial fabrication. The worst part is that they went too far, 25A is not a safe discharge rating for these cells. HKJ tested them from different rewrappers in the past (here, there, or the 55A cell over here) and it can clearly be seen that at 20A not only their end of discharge temperature gets on the limit, but their discharge curve also looks forced and already losing capacity. So, the bladesmith leaving the forge is… Sofirn.
