I have read reviews and looked around for ages but a lot of the reviews tend to just confuse me even more with the discharge graphs and what not, I’m not actually sure what I am supposed to be looking at.
Amongst my small flashlight collection I have a Thrunite TN31 and an XinTD C8 V4 which are my two preferred flashlights. Until now I have been using the 3000mAh Protected Trustfire Flames in all of my torches, but now I want to get some good batteries to use in the TN31 and C8 (happy to keep the flames for now for the other lights).
So my questions…
Which ones should I be looking at for these torches? Do they require high discharge cells like IMRs or can I just use normal protected ones?
Which brands are the best etc?
Currenty the only ones I have been looking at are the 3400mAh Protected Panasonics from Fasttech HERE
I use a Nitecore i2 charger which probably isn’t the best but it does the job.
Also, I would prefer not to spend over $20/2x batteries.
Those Panasonics are a little long for the TN31. Just tested them for you. They are a very tight fit, the springs are completely compressed.
Otherwise they’re OK.
In your multi cell lights, it’s best to use a matched protected set that have the same voltage.
The XinTD C8 will run on anything. I feed mine unprotected laptop pulls, but am careful not to run them down.
Any of the protected Panasonic’s or Sanyo’s are quality batteries at fasttech. You can decided which is best for your budget. The 3400mah should give the best run time. Don’t forget the 5% off code “BLF”.
I had a bit more of a look, I think the most suitable would be the Panasonic 3100mAh Flat Top Protected. Good capacity still and from the specs they are a tad shorter than the Flames which are currently in there so should be fine. I checked out the Samsung and Sanyo ones as well and they all seem to be quite long cells? Like 69mm+ as opposed to the Panasonics at 68.5mm, is that normal?
Are those Panasonics able to supply adequate current? and are they are 4.2v cell rather than the 4.35v? as I only have a Nitecore i2 charger and don’t really want to replace it yet.
I have also just bought a TN30 last night to add to the collection so I will get 4 pairs and use them in the TN30, TN31 and the XinTD C8.
Lastly, I don’t think I can use the BLF code in conjunction with the multi-buy discount can I?
I have Panasonic 3400’s from a few different vendors, including Fasttech. I also have all the lights you speak of. While I cannot speak on the quality of the actual protection circuitry on the Fasttech 3400’s, I can comment on a few points. The Fasttech 3400’s do not have their original shrink wrapping removed to verify authenticity, so they add the protection circuit on top and then add a clear shrink wrapping around the cell. This makes the cells a little wider than normal. The protection circuit is also fairly long, which makes them the longest 3400 I have. While I am not sure if it has actually compromised the ability of the protection circuit to perform its duty, The negative contacts are made of very thin metal and most of mine have been pushed in to some degree. I don’t like how flimsy their protection circuits are. On the other hand, the 3400’s from EDC+ (Redilast) have thinner protection circuits and new shrink wrapping. They are shorter and thinner than the Fasttech 3400’s. Each cell is also hand inspected and tested by Jason at EDC+/Redilast before shipping. It is hard to argue when the Fasttech 3400’s are half the price of the Redilast’s, but you have to decide how much you are willing to compromise on build quality as well as quality control. Personally, I will only buy 3400’s from EDC+ now.