I bought my son a laser and spare batteries, which were Sanyo 2200MaH.
Is there anything special about those batteries or can other 18650 batteries do as well? I have not seen them, but think they do not have a button. I recall reading here that some batteries have a capacity for faster current draw.
Thanks,
Jerry
This question, since its laser related, may be better suited for LPF (laserpointerforums) but since i am a laser nut myself and i heavily active member over there i can help you out. it depends on the laser for one. do you have a link to which laser it is so i can take a look at it and get a better idea of what your dealing with? also i hope he has proper safety glasses or else his and everyone elses eyes are in danger of permanent damage.
button tops only come into play if the laser has a flat contact board which some flat heads wont make contact with. i only have flat tops 18650s and they work in all my 18650 lasers. the laser may be able to use 16340/18350 depending on the driver so after i take a look at it, i can better help you out 
Thanks, Livinloud,
Here is the laser and the batteries are on the page.
I know nothing about lasers.
Thanks,
Jerry
double post deleted
Jerry,
Well got some good news and some potential bad news but ill start with a question. Have you received the laser yet? Second you really should go over the LPF and do some research on WL after i help you out. WL has a HORRIBLE history of being liars (still are a bunch of liars now) and questionable business decisions but if you got your laser then you won half the battle
Good news: it only works with a 18650. the sanyo that comes with it is more than perfect. if you want to grab the best 18650 battery available then grab a panasonic 3400mAh. it will just prolong the recharge cycle, thus giving your son more enjoyment of the laser (HOWEVER if he doesnt have safety glasses then he NEEDS THEM BEFORE HE USES IT!)
Bad news: as mentioned above WL is, IMO the biggest crook out there as far as lasers go. you may want to list it on ebay and sell it right away. they have a bad habit of breaking and WL customer service wont do crap. also WL is notorious for selling under spec lasers and ripping customers off that way. the only way to tell the power output is by LPM’ing it (laser power meter) and those will run you $150+ (my LPM costs over $400 but is also a top of the line hobbyist LPM). more bad news, if the laser came with safety glasses then they are junk. they will protect your sons eyes to an extent HOWEVER it isnt enough protection to keep his eyes safe. if you want to keep your sons eyes safe then you need to invest in glasses that are actually certified and approved OD4+. i can recommend many pairs from $45 all the way up to $400. if your son plans on doing any burning or use the laser indoors then glasses are a MUST! if he only plans on using it outdoors for sky pointing then glasses are not needed.
Good news second part: if you are interested in selling the laser and buying a new quality custom built laser then i can also help you there. there are a bunch of members on LPF who custom build lasers for customers. i have no ties with these members but can promise quality work and customer service of these guys based on personal experience and others experience. if it was a month or so down the road then i would have a 445nm for sale. a 1W 445nm laser will only cost you $100-120 shipped so that right there shows how bad WL rips people off. also my 1.5W 445nm cost me only $160 shipped from Belgium to the US!!!
im sorry to be the barrier of bad news to you and your son, trust me it kills me to inform you this but id rather tell you up front then down the road you flip due to a laser failure or some other problem. i can promise you and your son this though, if you sell it you can buy a laser that is 100x better than the WL that you purchased. i also will say this, WL has apparently gotten better over the last year or so but i have a friend who JUST recieved a WL and not even a week later it broke. this was after warning him of all the WL problems. hate to see this happen to you too. if you sell the WL on ebay you can get roughly what you paid for it if not more (dont ask me how this works but it does, guess people are just silly). check it out for yourself and if you do decided to go this route let me know since ebay has policies against selling lasers over 5mW so i could help you with the ad wording so it doesnt get taken down by ebay.
let me know if you have any further questions Jerry. i am MORE than happy to help you out with ANY laser related problems or questions
-Sean
The Sanyo that comes with the WL Arctic is in-fact a good battery, no worries. If you buy any other batteries for it you can simply get another Sanyo for it or the Panasonic 18650’s too…just be sure not to use protected 18650 with the Arctic, the Laser is designed for un-protected 18650’s and protected ones won’t fit and can damage the spring contact.
Don’t believe all the bull you may hear about WL, yes they have had their issues over the years for sure; don’t let someone else poison you with their view, many have agendas. Rather form your own opinion on your experience with your Laser. If you can get it’s power tested that would be good, you can also do some informal testing yourself such as does it easily burn things…a power test is best but I realize many can’t always do this. People such as myself are able and willing to test Lasers using Professional equipment for those that need that help.
I’d really like to hear your comments on the Laser when you have had it in-hand and had sometime to learn the smart-switch operation.
I really do appreciate both posts/comments.
My son has he laser. I think it is the second one he has from WL. He picked out the laser and the dealer. Both times all has gone well, but maybe we are the exception.
My son lives out of state, and I have never seen the laser, and not sure I will unless he chooses to bring it with him for his Jul 4 visit. I personally have no interest in lasers, but just let him tell me how he likes one. He said he is pleased with this one, and delivery was fast.
As a lot of parents and family we never know what to get for presents, so we let each of our children pick what they want. Not sure what he does with lasers, but I guess it is “different strokes…”
I have a couple of Sanyo batteries I got from FastTech, and they should be OK, except they are protected. I will have him give me the numbers on the batteries if there are any. He would have no idea where to get them except from WL.
Of course we have no capability to test a laser.
Thanks for the input both of you, and I will see how he likes it when he comes for the holiday.
Regards,
Jerry
Please Jerry, don’t send him the protected batteries I have several WL’s, 532nm (Green output) and the 445nm Arctic’s.
It will damage the spring contact on the head and the Laser will break and then he will probably be mad @ WL that it broke; but it’s not designed for them.
Yes you can order Sanyo’s much cheaper from FastTech and that is what I’d do. You really don’t need higher capacity batteries because who in the world in going to run a Laser for an hour or more?? but OK there is nothing wrong with getting higher capacity won’t hurt for sure….BUT stick with un-protected ones.
Thanks, I won’t get any protected batteries for the laser. I appreciate the caution, and have taken heed.
Thanks again,
Jerry
just an FYI for picrthis, burning tests wont tell you anything for a lasers power output. also there is not difference in burning power between a 700mW, 1W or 1.5W 445nm. they all burn the same and it ultimately relies on how well you can focus the beam to infinity. ive personally had a 35mW 532nm laser light a match and it should take ~100mW to do this but with a precise focus i can get my 35mW to do this. Also i have never bought anything from WL and never will and yes you should hold their past reputation against them.
most WL buyers are uninformed and im guessing you are one of them (no offense). im almost positive you have no clue about the arctic scandal or the scams WL has done in the past. im not going to give details because if you know about them then you can post them yourself to prove knowledge of them. ive had many friends be scammed by WL in one form or another (not getting a laser EVER, under-spec lasers or DOA) and i hate to see others get scammed by them. you want proof of their smoke and mirrors advertising then just go to their arctic page and read the FB comments from WL customers who have been lied to.
I bought a WL E2 Evo 532nm 75mW off a friend (no intent on keeping it a WL product) and when i received it (mind you it was brand new stock from 2011. he had ~100 of these since he sold them here stateside) it did a whooping 8mW!!! that is ~0.10% efficiency/90% under-spec!!! absolute garbage IMO but i could care less since i bought it for the host and im scraping the insides to build my own laser.
Worst thing is, back when WL offered there “lightsaber” attachment, they straight out said, “go fight with your friends” as their advertising gimmick. i dont know about you but shining a ~1W 445nm laser at my friend with a VERY high chance of shining it in his eye, sounds like a grand ole time to me, NOT! You can be a WL fan all you want, im not stopping anyone but i will inform every possible WL customer first. you have the ultimate decision and if you pick WL then so be it, your loss not mine. I can build a 1.5W 445nm laser for literally $80-90 if not less depending on sales of parts. if you want to spend $400 on that same laser from WL then go waste your money, its yours to waste not mine. only thing WL has going for them is a nice looking host. take their lasers apart and you will find junk diodes, junk drivers and a CRAP LOAD of thermal paste (which shouldnt be there to begin with. only thing that should have thermal paste on it is a THIN layer between the heat sink and the host, thats it!)
@Jerry, if your son is happy with his lasers then im happy for him and you. however please inform him that for his next laser, he can get a higher quality laser at a lower price. lasers are expensive as it is, no need to waste money on WL smoke and mirrors advertising. if he likes the style of the hosts then he can get the SAME exact host else where cheaper. there are hundreds of companies who have copied the WL host and IMO done it better (jetlaser) to name one. laserbtb is also another great option and i have personal experience with them. bought a HL532-300mW laser from them and when i recieved it, it was doing 400mW AVERAGE, it peaks over 400mW all day. a year later it still averages 400mW and peaks around 440mW. almost 50% OVER-SPEC!!! that is what you should get with EVERY laser you purchase, more for your money and never less.
i have no ties with WL, jetlaser, laserbtb, dragonlaser, etc…… i am just a laser collector and builder. the only person i have ties to is myself and the lasers i build. if anyone is interested in buying a laser, then i can build one cheaply for you or recommend companies who you can purchase one through, based on what features you want. in the end, the choice is yours and you can spend your money how you please but why over pay and not get what is being advertised. might as well buy from a reputable place and get more for your money as well as a LPM reading of your actual laser so you 100% know its on or over-spec
Enjoy,
Sean
@ Livinloud
I’m not going to waste much time in a pissing contest with you over WL, I know plenty about them. You should read better, I already told him burning wasn’t a true test, it needs to be metered. I have around 50+ lasers from different vendors such as WL, private sellers on LPF, Nova Laser, Dragon Lasers, Optotronics, etc along with the hobby meters I have a Professional one too. I think it is very funny when you speak about price because the folks on LPF complained to WL that their Arctic when first announced was too cheap and kids would buy it, so Yep WL eventually did raise the price and then they cried about that, too funny.
I’m not a fan boy of WL or any other company for that matter, nor do I hang onto things of the past.
Move on……his question about the battery has been answered.