Does anyone have advice on which of these three unprotected 18650 batteries would be the better purchase?:
Panasonic CGR18650CH 2250mAh Li-ion
Panasonic NCR18650A 3100mAh Li-ion
Sanyo UR18650FM 2600mAh Li-ion
I've been attempting to read as many 18650 battery threads as I can and these three each get their share of praise. All things being equal, I wouldn't mind leaning toward more capacity (I have a couple of (protected) TrustFire 2400 (flames) that are about two years old now). I would consider the new Panasonic NCR18650A 3100mAh protected batteries, but I'm concerned that they are too big and might not fit my flashlights.
Whatever battery I get will be used in something like the Roche F12 XM-L Mini, Shiningbeam S-mini or a Zebralight SC60w or SC600w (which all have built-in protection circuits - but I do understand that unprotected 18650's could experience issues during charging and therefore the flashlight protection circuit would do nothing to prevent that).
Thanks for any and all help.
All are good cells. As far as the lights go, My S-mini will take any protected cell I have, as a matter of fact I have an Xtar 2600mAh (~18700) in it and there is plenty of room. Read up on Richie's review of the F12 - it seems to be kind of persnickity about what fits in protected cells.
And I forgot to say Welcome to BLF!
All good , and if there unprotected , they should fit .
Its when there re wrapped and protection added , they grow a little oversized .
Hello, gvmelbrty! Welcome to BLF.
I like the fact that I don't have the option to givudeth. ;)
Aloha and welcome to BLF gvmelbrty!
Haha, that's a good one!
And thanks to everyone for the welcome and chiming in so quickly with your replies.
I guess my main question is.. since I'm interested in more capacity and these cells are listed at 2250, 2600 and 3100mAh, is there any real-world-use difference in capacity among them? Or, are there other factors that outweigh higher capacity that should sway my decision instead? .. Maybe if you have a moment to spare, just tell me which 18650 you'd get and why and we'll go from there. Maybe it's some other cell I don't have on my list?
Thxs again.
I'd personally go for UR18650FM, not only because it offers more mAh for the buck, but also because it has flatter discharge curve than NCR18650A (3100mAh Panasonic).
Sanyo
From what I understand the CGH Pannys will give you more lumens than any other battery… correct?
Whatever ones you get, deal with Orbtronic. Free same day shipping and you'll get them the same week.
No affiliation here, just happy customer.
Rich
Nope.
Me too, for the same reasons (flatter discharge curve = more time in the HIGH setting).
Also, since the quoted flashlights are 1x18650, its not going to drain that much either (the panasonic 3100 can drain to 2.5v)
Here's so more informative stuff
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/8745
BTW... anyone consider the LG 3000mAh charged to 4.2v? Seems like you would get an extra "umpf" especially at 1A
I have the unprotected Sanyo's and I have to say they are super duper! My Solarforce XML's pull 2A from Trustfire flames but 2.5 and 2.8A from the Sanyo's.
Marc.
I'd go for the unprotected Panasonic 3100s if your main concern is capacity. They WILL last longer than other cells, even when the light doesn't allow the cell to go below ~3V.
My unprotected cells fron intl outdoor also run approx 300mAh more than my protected versions from DX. Don't worry about protection if you are using single cell on high, you will notice the light will dim significantly way before a dangerous voltage is reached.
I ordered a 6-pack of LG D1’s recently (4 to use in my (upcoming) SkyRay King, 2 to use in single-cell Solarforce L2P). I’ll be charging them to 4.3V however (sadly iCharger can’t do 4.35… at least yet), I wouldn’t take them if I only had 4.2V capable chargers. If you’re interested, I can report how good they are when I get them.
Please report back! (I’d be more interested in the L2P just cuz it uses less cells, although output pics from the SkyRay king would be awesome!)
Results would be very interesting esp comparing those to the Panasonic 3100mah’s and even the Sanyo 2600mah’s.
BTW HKJ posted a review on LG 18650 C2 2800mAh (Orange) over at CPF.
I haven't even heard of these!
EDIT Just looked at HKJ's comparator and the LG 3000mah's look better than the 2800's. Extra capacity but the discharge curves look very similar till the very end (3000 lasting a little longer)
EDIT2: Oops, looked through the wrong subforum here for a review, else I would have just linked to BLF in the first place. Thanks HKJ ;)
At first, yes. Lower internal resistance SHOULD mean that lights which are a little underdriven, should get a lift. That's why I bought mine, anyway (haven't had time to test). Less overall capacity, so it does drop, but I keep mine charged. I'd also think the protection circuit adds some resistance.
Didn't see so much of a difference with the NCR's in this respect.
So, the question is: which battery allows the flashlight to draw more current: Panasonic CGR18650CH, or the Sanyo UFR18650FM listed above?
And, am I to take that Sanyo cell comes in a protected version under the name "Redilast" in addition to AW? Any known sellers for the Redilast (didn't find any FS in a quick search), and any specific model for AW?
Partially answering my own questions, Redilast sells directly at Redilast.com. But the cells are very expensive.
Mitro posted a 3A test graph of a "Sanyo 2600 li-poly" vs an AW. I can't find any specific reference on the internet to a 2600mah lithium polymer battery made by Sanyo, and I didn't find a specific model reference from him, so I'm not sure it's the same cell:
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/mitro74/bt/aw2900/aw29s261.gif
As well as a 3A test with others:
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/mitro74/bt/CK%20IMR%202250/18650s3a.gif
from this thread:
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/2325#comment-48561
Old4570's CPF review shows the "Sanyo 2600" second to the Callie's Kustoms Panasonic CGR18650CH in amps output on an XM-L light of his, of the ones he tried. I'm assuming that was UR18650FM cell. He probably has the same review posted here.
Interesting note, Callie's Kustoms apparently posts on CPF as user xxllmm4.
In the same thread, a few posts down, Old4570 gets a post deleted, then gets his account suspended by DM51! And for what? For "baiting"! Yes, that's right! "Baiting!" I don't even know what that means, LOL! Laughing, altho it's not funny. I know how he feels. (For those who don't know, Old4570 is one of the most respected BLF members, battery-holic and -tester.)
I also did some comparisons on my Panasonic NCR and CGR versus others, and indeed the Pannies do deliver more current, but "how much more" apparently depends on the driver too. On one flashlight with the CGR's I in fact was able to go from 2.4A to 2.9 amps like I'd hoped. However, on another the gain was modest, from 2.1A to 2.3, not very significant for a battery double the cost. The NCR was in the middle at 2.17A. Someone just looking for max amperage, not runtime, should choose CGR-CH over NCR. Will have to see about the Sanyos.
CnQualityGoods has the best price I've seen on Sanyo 2600's, I'm again assuming/hoping these are UR18650FM. $5.90ea, not sure if that includes shipping
http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1184
Also saw an unusual cell, light blue Ultrafire XSL 260, "Japan version". I think it's wrong to not clarify what that means, and let people think Ultrafire is selling a protected battery with a Japanese-made cell. A CPF member emailed CQG and got the reply implying that the cells were not made in Japan, stating they were intended for export TO Japan, and supposedly "higher quality process". Seems to me CQG should say that right on their page. And I wonder why UF would need/want to make a cell specifically for Japan--do they have stricter rules on parts or labeling?
Have you look at my comparator, there you can compare many different batteries at a couple of currents.