I am about to order a bunch of 18650 batteries and I am trying to decide which of the two types to get (or both in some proportion?). Assuming price doesn’t matter, which of the two types would you prefer for your lights?
Even though both can handle 10 amp, for high power lights which actually draw 10 amp (yet alone more), Sony would be preferable as it can maintain voltage substantially better at 10 amp (and unlike Sanyo can easily handle more than 10 amp too).
But for regular max 3 amp lights, Sanyo NCR18650GA will give longer run-time, seemingly without any drawbacks. Currently I don’t have any flashlights which draw more than 3 amp, but at some point I probably will.
I have extra batteries, but I buy only what I might need. Battery technology is increasing each year and what today’s most sought after battery may be ‘ho-hum’ in 12 months.
I would go with the Sony if you want future-proof batteries, at least for a couple years. There won’t be any more Sony high drain batteries so the only deciding factor here is the price.
I bought a dozens of Samsung 25R and they served me very well for years until the 30Q came out then I just gave the 25R away. Now I have even more 30Qs and hope these don’t get replaced by a 30R or 35Q anytime soon.
Low drain cells in the other hand are renewed more frequently, as the market has more demand for capacity than current. I only have 8 Sanyo GAs, as only a few flashlights in my collection are stock and drawing ~3A.
In FET drivers lights you won’t notice the increased capacity of a 3,500mAh vs a 3,000mAh cell because the extra capacity is mostly in the lower voltages (down to 2.5V), where due to the vF of the emitter it simply won’t produce much usable light, even if you still have plenty capacity left.
A good point about capacity as it relates to available voltage.
There is as much to know about batteries and flashlights beyond make, model, and price. Purchasing a good product depends as much as on your knowledge as it does on product information details.
