Hi guys, I am prepping for my second trip on the Appalachian trail. I plan on carrying a 18650 based power bank. I was wondering what the best 18650 would be for this use. I am looking for the highest capacity for the range of 4.2V-3.0V. This will be at around a max 3A draw at the battery.
I am a little behind the times on 18650s. My guess would be the Panasonic 18650B but wanted to get some other opinions on t he subject.
Thanks.
Hi, check out HKJ’s 18650 Li-Ion Cell Comparator or the 18650 battery section in this post for a consolidated view of discharge times & curves of some good cells.
New 3500mAh Panasonics might be what you are looking for? Rated 10 continuous discharge...
Protected - http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_88&product_id=289
Unprotected - http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_88&product_id=352
I think your guess is good. Panasonic 3400 mAh 18650B was what I got for my 4x18650 Ruinovo 402 power bank. The bank works fine, but charging is a bit slow, even though it accepts 2A in.
HKJ review: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/21824
Since the 18650s are in parallel I don't have to worry about current draw. It doesn't give more than around 2.1 A at 5 volts and that is split on all the cells.
One problem can be that it takes a while to charge the cells. You may want a power bank that allow you to remove the cells and charge them in a regular charger at a higher current so you can move on quickly. Or some other more advanced solution...
I will be trying to minimize weight so I will be sticking with charging in the bank itself.
It looks like either Panasonic 18650B or 18650GA.