This fit problem is nothing new and affects major brands too in addition to small producers like Malkoff. I have a new Thrunite that has a battery holder too short to hold most protected 18650 cells. Most are about 68.8mm long and the maximum length cells that will fit the battery holder as received are 68.3 to 68.4mm long.
My Jetstream RRT-3 has a body tube bored tight enough so that many protected 18650 cells when installed in it’s battery carrier make a package too large in diameter to fit in the flashlight body battery tube without using force. This is enough of a KNOWN PROBLEM that Orbtronic warns on their web site that there is a known fit problem with their 3400 mAh batteries fitting this light.
There needs to be a industry agreed to ANSI /ISO standard for battery dimensions for both unprotected and protected lithium ion batteries and then both battery and light makers need to stick to making items that meet the specs and can work with worst case battery dimensions.
Even 19670 is not descriptive as many protected cells are considerably longer than 67 mm. 19690 or 19700 would be more real world numbers for protected cells and light makers engineers should be aware of this regardless of what protected cells actual dimensions are as long as their lights are intended to use them. Even then without ANSI/ISO standards there are no tolerances stated for these nominal dimensions and even items such as Panasonic’s unprotected 18650 cells are larger than 18mm diameter.
The whole situation is DUMB and IMO indicates either stupidity or a DGAS attitude on the part of some manufacturers.
How many reviewers complain if the cell rattles, though? So they try to make it 'just fit'. If they also sell cells under their name, they'll only worry about fitting those.
Find some Sanyo 16650. They fit in everything that’ll fit a 16340. Hank used to carry them, but I see he doesn’t have them anymore. They also have higher capacity than 17650.
I’m sure he meant that they will fit any 2 cell 16340 lights. I know that they fit in all of my old unbored Sure Fires. They are great cells, I have 6 of them, some protected some not.
Glad to hear you got it worked out. I have some Sony 17670’s that I pulled out of something years ago that have served well in situations like these.
I have many lights so a little reduced capacity in one light is not that big of a deal for me, but I agree it is frustrating to pay a lot for a new light and not be able to use it.
Actually the lights I mentioned with cell fit problems were solved before this. 3100 mAh Orbtronics button tops fit the Jetbeam barely and 3400 mAh Soshines are short enough to fit the Thrunite battery holder as received. As a better solution I added some spacer washers to the Thrunite battery holder too so it now accepts virtually all lengths of protected 18650 cells. However IMO such work arounds should not be required. I just find it annoying and DUMB that this fit situation exists. 1.5V nominal Alkaline, NiMH and Energizer Ultimate Lithium cells are so standardized in sizes that I have never heard of a fit problem between an AA, AAA, C or D battery and light.
Like to have the 16650 batteries primarily for use in dual CR123 and 16350 battery lights which cannot take 18650 batteries.
I think if we were all using the same batteries IE: protected, non protected etc. and if all 18650’s were manufactured in the same country then we would not be having these problems. However 18650’s and most li-on’s were not designed for flashlight use at all. We have commandeered these batteries from other intended purposes. The Chinese have been gracious enough to build lights for them and only recently have other manufacture’s started playing catch-up. Many countries have very little standardization if any at all.
I’m sure the American battery industries wish Li-on’s were never invented. I know it is frustrating at times but I am very pleased with the progress that has been made.
How are those 3400 Soshines working out? I’ve read mixed reviews about Soshine.
No problems with the Soshines so far but they are new buys from Illumination Supply. I do not see why they should have problems unless they have to do with the protection circuits as they use Panasonic base batteries per my understanding. Are there any brands of cells that SOMEONE has not figured out how to muck up?
“green” protected panasonic 3400 from chinese suppliers are so out of specs that I cannot use them in any of my lights excepts the nitecore srt7 that has springs on both + and - contacts…
That's called a flat top. That's the default configuration for 18650 since they're used in battery packs where a raised button top only makes it worse. The best 18650 size is no thicker than 18mm, and no longer than 65mm. Using a flat top maximizes the internal space. Some companies like Keeppower, Soshine, Nitecore, Callies, AW, etc might get their batteries customized with a raised button top for use in products were the battery is expected to be removed at the cost of making their batteries longer. This is something you need to pay attention to when you buy batteries.
The thickness of the battery is another reason you pay attention to reviews where the battery is measured. Some 18650's are a little thicker, and some of the companies I mentioned above might make the 18650's even thicker by adding their own second wrapper on top of the original wrapper.
Either of those modifications can make batteries unable to fit in some flashlights. The only one we can resolve ourselves is removing the second wrapper.
Your spring problem is easy to fix. Add a solder blob or solder on a brass button.
An awful lot of lights cannot take flat top batteries as they have designs which use mechanical contacts for the button on button top batteries to provide reverse polarity protection. Put a flat top battery in and it cannot touch the + contact in the light. Many unprotected Panasonic batteries are listed as having diameters of 18.4 mm so they are over 18mm as manufactured by Panasonic.
It is listed in the header of every page on Gene’s site
I’ve never had problems contacting Gene or Cathy, two of the best, nothing is ever too much problem.
They have a contact us page on their web site, how hard is that. Looks like you haven’t tried too hard. Don’t rubbish the good guys when you haven’t even checked.
From that page:
Malkoff Devices, Inc.
2320 Plaza Drive
Enterprise, Alabama, 36330
United States
334-393-3717
There seems to be some confusion. A bit of info that may help:
There are protected and non protected. But there are different sizes of protection. Different shops use different thickness connecting wire and wrappers. So some brands of 3400 fit differently in the same light, despite the same base cell.
There’s no such thing as protected Panasonic 3400s. These are sellers to small to put their own brand on them and are using clear wrappers. And using panasonic’s name to sell the result. There may be 10 shops doing the same thing, with 10 different results.
I’ve created a fitment guide here, covering most Malkoff sizes, and multiple battery brands. It’s not large enough to be considered comprehensive, but you can see that certain brands run thinner and others thicker, all protected 3400:
Some not so budget lights have battery fit problems too. The Jetbeam RRT-3 as I mentioned in an earlier post has battery diameter issues and the battery carrier for my TN 32 had battery length limitations.
