Test / Review: Sanyo UR18650ZT 2800mAh (Orange)

Batteries and Chargers Rechargeable Batteries
1

Sanyo UR18650ZT 2800mAh (Orange)



Official specifications:

  • Battery Capacity: 2800 mAh
  • Battery Chemistry: Lithium
  • Battery Feature: Rechargeable
  • Battery Form Factor: 18650
  • Battery Maximum Voltage: 4.3 V
  • Battery Minimum Voltage: 2.75 V
  • Battery Rated Voltage: 3.7 V
  • Brand: SANYO




This battery needs a 4.3 volt charger to get maximum capacity.










With a 4.3 volt starting voltage the output voltage from this battery is higher than most 4.2 volt batteries.















Test with 4.2 volt charging



Using a normal 4.2 Volt charger looses about 210mAh and some of the voltage advantage.

















Conclusion

Being from Sanyo it is a very good battery. Using the battery with 4.2 volt it is close to 2600mAh batteries in voltage, but with slightly less capacity. Using a 4.3 volt charger the battery has a slight advantage over 2600mAh batteries.



Notes and links

How is the test done and how to read the charts
How is a protected LiIon battery constructed
More about button top and flat top batteries

2

Thanks for the review!

Is it normal for 2,800mAh rated batteries to give only 2,547mAh at 0.2A even when charged to 4.3V?

Thanks again.

3

Thanks HKJ! I wish you had tested the protected version as I am interested in hearing where (or if) the protection trips when trying to charge to 4.3v. Seems there is mixed feedback on what voltage it trips.

-Garry

4

Depends on the battery, I often get low capacity on 2600/2800 batteries.

If you use my comparator you can see it.

5

Thanks, for the test. I was waiting for it a long time…now we can be sure the 18650FM is the best cell

Look at this:
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Sanyo%2018650%202600mAh%20(Red)%20bv%20UK.html

6

Huh? Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis? (i.e. - Can you please fix your link? Thanks!)

EDIT - you fixed it while I was posting! However, that's the protected 2600 - I'm looking for the protected 2800.

-Garry

7

Look closer…its a test of the UR18650zt which is the 2800mAh 4.3V cell, same as the tested one in this thread….
And the standard protectioncircuit trips at 4.2V, i have this cell from cnqualitygoods. Still the FM is the way to go for sanyo cells.

8

Ah, sorry. The title is wrong (I guess) but yes I see it's the 2800 now from bestvaping.

-Garry

9

And it's missing any information about trying to charge it above 4.2v. (It could also be a different protection circuit since it's from BestVaping.

-Garry

10

Thanks for the tests HKJ!
My testing on these produces very similar results. I have purchased 20 of these and I like them for the additional run voltage, even if capacity is a little lower than rated.
Discharged at 1A:

11

Yes indeed the protection looks different from the one I have or the ones fasttech sells, but i guess if it has a overcharge protection it will still cut below 4.3V…
I have thought about modding my protection circuit so that it alows to charge to 4.3V, its a simple voltage divider.

12

I do not plan to check the protected version in the near future, but I will soon (next week) publish a review of another cell with tests up to 30A (Rather impressive cell).

13

For what it’s worth I asked Fasttech if their version could be charged to 4.3V and they replied no. 4.2V max charge. (http://www.fasttech.com/products/1420/10001901/1143804-sanyo-ur18650zt-18650-2800mah-protected-rechargeab)

14

As per this thread, I charged up my two protected KeepPower Panasonic 18650 3100's in my Nitecore i4 and they charged to 4.27v and 4.28v! Keeppower are supposed to have some of the best protection circuits in use. I don't intend to find out however at what voltage they do cut-off.

-Garry

15

With protection circuits you can buy the protection chip to with different voltages, i.e. you cannot be sure that the manufacturer always uses the same chip.

I did trip one over voltage protection on a Keeppower cell, the cell was 4.35 volt, but the protection tripped at 4.34 volt.

16

I noticed that they simply quoted the manufacturer in the forum thread on this topic. No test was performed.
You can always try charging up to 4.3V since the cell is rated for it. If it doesn’t cutoff then you’re good. I suppose you might no want to take the chance on purchasing them just to find out.

17

That's my issue now - do I wanna chance that they can in fact be charged to 4.28v (my i4 cutoff) or just go with the 2600's.

HKJ - isn't 4.34v too high for an over-charge cutoff?

-Garry

18

I can’t find your stickies with summaries, but I’m thinking a ‘plausibility index’ may be useful.

This would be claimed battery capacities superimposed on a Ragone Chart. Batteries that landed farther away for the colored zones for each technology would be less plausible. This is a bit beyond my programming skills.

The ratio of claimed vs. actual measured performance may also identify battery makers who habitually make up nonsense while they troll for gullible buyers.

All of this info should probably be updated twice/year as makers adjust their strategies and production lines to meet rising or falling sales.

19

No on the battery where I found it(it was a 4.35 volt battery).

For a 4.2 volt LiIon it is a bit high, but within Panasonics safety specifications (4.3volt +/- 0.05 volt).

20

I meant that 4.34v was too high a cut-off level for a protection board designed/intended for a 4.2v cell. Thanks for the info on the Panasonics specs.

I may just go ahead and get the protected Sanyo 2800's "for the good of the BLF community" and report back on if/when the protection trips. What is Sanyo's safety spec for overcharge? Same as Panasonics? I guess it varies based on cell.

-Garry