Help with choosing 26650 cells for use in HD2010

Hey all,

I was looking at getting some Kingkong INR26650E 4000mAh cells from intl-outdoor to use in my new HD2010 light.
Link: http://www.intl-outdoor.com/2-pcs-kingkong-inr26650e-4000mah-liion-battery-p-369.html

From what I have read these seem pretty decent, but I have a few questions. Firstly are these cells protected? They don’t specifically say on intl-outdoor website except that they have a cutoff voltage of 2.75V. And also would I be better off getting the standard top or raised top type?

Thanks everyone for your help :slight_smile:

Not protected cell.

These cells good for 7135s driver (If you modded).

The OP in this thread has lot's of info on 26650 batteries for a start. Personally, I'm using 2 ICR26650E King Kongs for all my 26650 needs - they are unprotected. As I get more lights, I'll probably add some protected cells, but you have to be careful for fit. Whether you need a raised or flat top depends on the light. Benkie/HKJ have done extensive tests on the Trustfire 5000mAh, sourced from Manafont/DX respectively.

Thanks for the info!

Is there much risk in using unprotected cells? Overdischarge, etc?

Cheers

Always a risk if you don't know what your are doing... :)

Personally, I won't use an unprotected cell unless it is in a light that has low voltage cutoff. These usually 'step down' in brightness when the cell is not providing enough voltage, so you know it's time to change the cell. I use my lights for night bike riding and I carry a spare 18650 with a battery sleeve for just that purpose. Serves the same purpose as the low voltage protection circuit in a protected cell.

If you are not sure about your light or just feel uncomfortable with it, buy a protected cell. They cost a few $ more, but are worth the peace of mind.

Hmm, I was more worried about the cells exploding etc than running them too low. I generally charge the battery after each day at work and rotate through my cells. I don’t know if protected cells are any safer as far as exploding / fire is concerned - just seen some nasty injuries on the net when it does happen. :open_mouth:

Protected Cells can explode too if they are abused. Abuse can be through poor design/quality, physical damage, mis-matched voltage in multi cell applications, over-charging or over-discharge, among other things. Protection circuits, if designed well and of good quality, can minimize the risk from over- and under-discharging, but most of us here still use a good quality charger and check our battery voltage before and after charging using a DMM.

Like I said, if it gives you peace of mind, go for the protected version. Whatever you choose, do a little study on Lithium-Ion batteries and know what you are dealing with. They should be treated with care and respected, but if they strike fear in your heart, stick to a safer technology. Smile (But all battery technologies have an element of risk Tongue Out)

Some light reading:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/the_high_power_lithium_ion
http://www.mpoweruk.com/lithiumS.htm
http://flashlightwiki.com/Rechargeable

Thanks again for all your advice.

One last question, would there be any difference in output (current draw and actual lumens output) with using protected cells such as the Trustfire 5000mah from Manafont (discharge test: Review / Test: Protected Trustfire 26650 5000 mAh Battery from Manafont) compared to using unprotected cells such as the King Kongs?

Cheers :beer:

rufes1 the protection circuit, as I understand it, can limit current output, kind of like a regulator, so if your light needs a higher current draw than the circuit allows, then you will have a reduced output compared to an unprotected and unregulated one.

I doubt it makes a huge difference unless you want extreme output or like pushing the limits of the LED

I have a few of these Keygos IMR 26650 which are advertised as protected, but the jury is still out on that. All I know is, they work and are my best cells. Some of the ones I have have not been charged, I am still using them on the storage charge they came with a few months ago. They still test close to 4 volts. Admittedly, they have not seen heavy use yet.

They are much better than my 18650 cells, blue TrustFires from the same sellers. I plan on getting a few more of them. They are about $18 a pair delivered on ebay. cyberport888, go-market or redlog are reputable dealers I have bought from who sell them. They are all the same seller I think.

EDIT now about $16 from Keygos themselves

I have a pair from them and they are identical to the other ones I have, think I will order some more myself at that price

Well the led will draw up to 5A and from the discharge test the over current circuit kicks in at 6.4A so that’s not a problem. My concern was the increased internal resistance of the cell due to the protection circuit. Thoughts?

I have no way to measure the cells internal resistance, so I will have to let some of the experts answer that one mate. All I know is I am happy with the Keygos cells and just ordered two more pairs.

They work well in my UF HD2010, Keygos M13, M10 and M12. I have another 26650 light on the way and I’m watching to see if a group buy develops on that 2x26650 triple XM-L diving light. Anyway, you can’t have too many cells can you? :wink:

I use IMR because they won’t explode. I’d rather rely on unprotected IMR vs protected ICR for larger batteries someone not as familiar with lithium-ion flashlights will be using. That’s what I did for my dad. The protection circuit can still go bad.

I use the King Kong INR in my HD2010

The Keygos cells are advertised as IMR. They are the same ones on the Keygos site and ebay. I have no way of knowing if that is correct though.

I’m not a battery expert. Just know enough to hopefully not blow myself up. For my HD 2010, I got some moli 26650 batts that arrived yesterday from this vendor:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOLI-IMR-26650C-26650-3-7V-Li-ion-Lithium-Rechargeable-Battery-New-ML0001-/130715091525?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item1e6f3a0245#ht_3690wt_1164

Took about 3 weeks. Work GREAT in the HD 2010 and a Keygos M12 I have, but I just got em yesterday sO I haven’t had time to really do some tailstand tests and see how long they work for.

Of course, they are unprotected, so I pull them before they drain too far, but I use unprotected batts in many of my single-batt ights and almost prefer them to protected.

I did have some hesitation about the moli brand. I had never heard of them. Fortunately we have this thing called the interweb :wink: so I was able to look the company up.

Their web site says:

“Our location in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada is a world-class lithium ion battery Research and Development facility as well as the home of our North American Sales and Technical support team.”

Sure sounds impressive. The batteries say “made in canada,” so I assume (a dangerous thing) that they were made at this facility.

Web site shows Moli branded batts with Moli labels, but I’ve never seen any on ebay. I wonder where they are sold?

I also read somewhere on the site — that of course I can’t find now — that their specialty is 26650 batts!

Web site also stresses how they are trying to make a “safe” li-ion cell.

They say IMR on the cells. I suppose they could be pulls, but they look new to me. NO tab residue. Tops and bottoms are bright and shiny.

Of course none of this means anything if the batts are fake, but man they are some NICE looking batts, so nice that I just really think they are real.

I have some keygos batts on the way. Interested to compare the two.

The moli cells were like 3.6-3.8 volts when they arrived. Could have been better. AND they took FOREVER to charge. About 8 hours. Bigger capacity? First charge? They did fit in my Trustfire TR001 and my intellicharger, although from looking at either of those chargers you’d think they would never fit.

In your experience… what is the 26650 cell with higher capacity? It doesn’t matter if protected or unprotected. As far as i know I think it’s the KingKong, but I’m not sure for that reason I’m asking :slight_smile:

All I have right now are the Moli cells so nothing to compare em with.

Found the speck sheet online for the Moli cells, although this looks to be from 2004, so they could be higher output now?

http://www.power-guide.com/pdf/IMR-26650.C.pdf

Looks like they’re 3300 mah. Don’t know if that’s good or bad, but if the Chinese ratings on 26650s is anything like their RIDICULOUS outer-space ratings on *fire 18650 batts, then trustfire and the other 26650s are probably WAY less than what’s on the case.

Usually it’s pretty easy from the case to decipher the output on these unprotected cells, but the Moli case is all Greek to me. Let me know if you can find the output rating in there:

MOLI FSPE70038.0812 01
next line: IMR-26650C MADE IN CANADA

I don’t have two HD2010s, so I can’t put one type of battery in one and another type in the other for comparison purposes. I did try to swap out Panasonic 18650 cells, TFFs and some Xtars. It seems that they’re all about the same brightness in the HD as the Molis. Maybe the molis are a little brighter?

One cell — not in a light as a test cell — came off the charger at 4.13 and 24 hours later is still a solid 4.13, so that’s a good sign.

FX-32 & Ubehebe: Read the OP in this thread:

http://www.intl-outdoor.com/2-pcs-kingkong-inr26650e-4000mah-liion-battery-p-369.html

Where possible, there are links to battery reviews. The King Kongs and Trustfires have been extensively tested by HKJ, Benckie and 2100 to name a few. Claimed and tested capacities are given in the OP in some cases and in the reviews definitely. Kongs (unprotected) and Trustfires (FROM MANAFONT - protected) both have the highest capacities. The OP also tells where the tested batteries can be purchased. My advice is avoid buying Trustfire flames from unconfirmed sources - too easy to copy.

>>>>My advice is avoid buying Trustfire flames from unconfirmed sources - too easy to copy.

Tell me about it. I just got 4 NEW 18650 flames that were the best counterfeits yet. They were from DD, I think. I STUPIDLY threw away the enevelope and can’ trace it through my receipts. Ordered too many at once. Don’t know which is which.

They had the background hologram on the label but NOT the square one on the actual original shrink wrap holding two batts together. That set off an alarm. Closer inspection: Obviously fakes.

One label is perfect. The other label is all crooked and nasty. Typefaces are slightly different. And they have a really low capacity. Dead in like 20 minutes. But if that second label hadn’t been smushed, I never would have known it. Good counterfeiting job.

I also got fakes from buy in coins on ebay, who was a pretty reputable seller (for me anyway) for at least a year.

So out of 8 recently ordered TFFs = ALL fakes.

So I have been buying more unprotected cells, keeping my known good TFFs in reserve for my 2 cell lights.

I’m being calm about this, but under the calm exterior, ripoffs REALLY p+ss me off. These dealers KNOW they are selling crap but think they can get away with it. That’s what ticks me the most — these guys are bonafide common CROOKS. They know they are selling fakes but keep doing it, not caring that the batts may blow up and blow someone’s face off OR some hard-working cop gets in a gun battle only to have his fake TFF click off after 5 minutes. I mean we’re not talking about counterfeit chalk or pencils here. We’re talking volatile merchandise where fakes can kill or maim people.

I guess what can you expect from a country where poison baby milk gets sold purely to make more money? Yeah, we had some nut case poison tylenol caps, but that’s the key word, “NUT.” These are supposedly normally thinking small businessmen, but obviously not normally thinking if they put other’s safety below the almighty buck.

Not to mention, the fake batts are really destroying this hobby. Really. How can I continue in this knowing that I could hand a kid one of my flashlights to try and have his hand blown off by a fake Chinese battery. Kinda takes the fun outta your day.

Arggghhghgh. Sorry for the rant.

Batteries are the one place we shouldn't push Budget too much. Just not worth it.

You're rant does not bother me!

>>>>>The King Kongs and Trustfires have been extensively tested by HKJ, Benckie and 2100 to name a few.

I have keygos on the way to try.

I got so carried away on my rant that I forgot to say my reasoning for buying the molis: to test them. I’m sure the others have been extensively tested and the tests are correct IF you get real ones. But since all I seem to get these days are fakes (even from name shops like BIC and DD) I was trying the Molis for 3 reasons.

1. Haven’t seen any reviews or tests on these batts, so I decided to throw myself in front of the train, take one for the gipper :wink: .

2. They are theoretically from a major manufacturer of 26650 batts.

3. They are half the price of the KKs.

I hope someone does tests on them or can find results. They really seem to work well. In fact, I think I’ll get 3 more before his stock changes or he starts selling fakes.

How do I know these aren’t fakes? I don’t, but appearances seem to point to real Molis. The construction is much better than even the best TFF. On par or better than Panasonics. The wrappers are PERFECTLY straight and centered. And MUCH better wrapper material than the tissue-paper-thin junk TFF uses (all the **fires use the thin junk). Plus, the + pole is heavy steel, not the rinky-dink THIN pot metal on the TFFs (and Chinese products in general). Neg pole is convex dimpled for strength. And they are HEAVY. 3.2 ounces to be exact.

But they could go dead in a week and could be made by the best battery counterfeiter in all of Asia :wink: