I am sure this will already be listed in great technical detail some where in here. But can anybody advise ‘simply’ which 18650 3.7v battery is best to power an SST-50 900 lumen (Digital Regulated 3000mA Current Output), and a 1000 lumen Cree XM-L T6. Both high power flashlights powered by a single 18650 battery.
Firstly I want the brightest light with most power, then secondly more mAh capacity. Ideally both, but without losing power. What are the new best batteries?
I don’t know what IMR means, and I thought Lithium Ion were the best. I also read something about high power flashlights cutting out if the battery cannot deliver fast enough and it thinks the battery is dead.
I am just clueless. So please explain simply and no need for graphs etc. Just your personal insight and recommendation please, with maybe a quick simple why you prefer them.
For real power and capacity MNKE 26650 which are IMRs rated @ 4000mAh, Mitro got even more than 4000mAh and that's @ 3A discharge. Others got more than 4000mAh too.
SST-50 @ 3000mA outputs 750L, you need 4000mA to get 900L .
You can get XTAR 18700 2600mAh for $13.50 but these are 700mm long and may not fit your charger or your light.. You can get a single XTAR Charger for under $10 on ebay..
When a light cuts out it's usually the circuit protection kicking in or the battery is empty. If your lights have low voltage protection you can use unprotected batteries like the Panasonic NCR or Sanyo batteries. Cheap protected batteries are the Trustfire Flame 2400mAh
Not real helpful as the OP was asking specifically about 18650s...
Trustfire "Flames" (wrapper is black with red/yellow flames printed on it) are pretty well liked as a reasonably priced battery with good power delivery. They run around $8-$10 per pair from many sources. I have some and I like them.
Tenergy batteries can be purchased off of ebay for $15 for 4 delivered, and from what I have read, they appear to be as good as, if not better than the Trustfire Flames. They are old stock being liquidated, but appear to be fully functional. If you live in the U.S., you can get them in just a few days, as opposed to waiting 2-4 weeks for delivery from Hong Kong or China. I'm planning on getting some to try out.
IMR and Panasonic batteries (and another that I can't think of right now) supposedly have the lowest internal resistance, which means they can deliver up to 5A, which is pretty crazy. If you have a light that can draw that much power without going up in smoke, you might want to give them a try.
Those are the ones that come to mind, I'm sure some folks will provide other suggestions, or advice as to what to avoid.
Those are facts and he might want to consider real power. At $9 MNKE 26650 you get IMRs which are supposed to be safer, large capacity and a battery capable of currents of 10A+ and no sag on those 3A currents. It's a very good option to know of.
Yes the Panasonic NCR18650A can give currents up to 6A. However there's going to sag quite a lot @ 6A.
For 3A currents Sanyo 2600, Pansonic NCR18650A 3100mAh can manage very well.
There are about 4 companies that offer 3100mAh Panasonics protected, however the cheapest are @ Intl-Outdoor.com
The XTAR 2600 mAh are basically Sanyo 2600mAh protected.
The AW IMR 1600mAh 18650 batteries are rated up to 16A of continuous discharge, so you can't put them in the league of Panasonic 18650 with max 6A.
the trustfire flames have been very good in the past, excellent for the price, but there seems to be some question as to whether the newer batches are as good. the xtars mentioned above, and these http://www.ebay.com/sch/pingyi.co.ltd/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562 "hi-max" are my two current favorites and both have received very good reviews.
I read it first on a Russian website reviewing a Keygos flashlight. There they said better to use unprotected batteries, and I did have to translate it. The link I had has changed so I cannot produce it. I also read something similar which I dropped on, which was in e-cigar forum. Something about high draw and the device thinks the battery is flat if it cannot deliver quick enough.
I have an Ultrafire SST-50 900 lumen (Digital Regulated 3000mA Current Output), single cell 18650. C8 type. A high power torch.
I have also got coming 3 high power Keygos Cree XML-T6 1000 lumen. All single cell 18650, 2 similar to C8s and the other similar to a Ultrafire U-80.
I am not sure if protected or unprotected will be better.
I take it 18700 are larger so unsure if they will fit. My charger is a little longer, but not sure if they will fit in the flashlights. Are they wider?
I want the best battery to give the brightest light for the longest time.
I was told in DX forum that I need the batteries that can discharge the most at the highest rate.
So besides the capacity, and I think one being unprotected, what is the difference? Do any discharge better? Also how much bigger than 18650 are they? Which is best?
Everybody here has talked about XTAR 2600mAh. They are Sanyo 2600mAh cells with a protection circuit.
All the Xtar 18700 are protected. http://www.xtarlight.com/en/05-chanpin/p-001.asp?styleid=43&cp_id=1
The best discharge will have the 2600 one.
For the same size you can go with Panasonic NCR18650A 3100mAh protected, these perform better and have larger capacity. http://www.intl-outdoor.com/panasonic-ncr18650a-3100mah-liion-battery-p-213.html
Don't know why, my Sanyo 2600s UR18650 deliver noticeably more current than the Panasonic 2900s NCR18650 and Panasonic 3100s NCR18650a. Too bad i can't measure internal resistance. But in most cases not significant, only some lights can take advantage of that.
They are expensive but I am absolutely delighted with them and can highly recommend for excellent output. They deliver 3.3A and 4.6A to each of my torches. Have a look at the charts on his website.
LMR or incorrectly called IMR are just a different chemistry from your basic lithium cobalt battery
both are lithium ion ...
one is lithium manganese and the other lithium cobalt .
LMR/IMR are safer and need not be protected .. they also discharge faster delivering higher amperage....But the capacities are much lower ..almost half the runtime
