For quite a long time, the best 18650 for the money were the 2400mAh TrustFire Flame Cells - I still have 10 of them and they still work after 10 years.
Some years ago the Samsung 30Q came and easily took the throne from whatever was on place 1 before.
26650, I have some Basen 60A and some Liitokala - but both have had some changes and seem to be not as good, Liitokala seems to be more fake than ever.
But now years have gone by - and it seems to be very difficult to get a decent cell for cheap.
For 21700 that’s not the case, I just bought 5 40Ts from nkon.nl for 4,85€ each - not bad at all.
But when I search for 26650 on nkon, the cheapest cell is 8€ - for less capacity than the 21700 (3400mAh).
So - what are the best bang for the buck batteries for late 2021 in each category?
16340
18350
14500
18650
21700
26650
Ofcourse I know lygte (HKJ) or dampfakkus - but both don’t have a “best of” list based on price.
Most people want to avoid a bang with batteries. There is no “best of list based on price” for a real good reason. The specs matter to some people. If you’re not going to look at amps and capacity then opinions mean nothing. Of course everybody likes to save a few dollars here and there. Some of the larger retailers mentioned in many other battery threads will show you some of the manufacturers ratings. It’s useful to read those ratings and have some understanding of what you want and why. Then you can shop around. The pickings are a little slim right now. Edit. It also seems that shipping batteries into Germany at this time is difficult.
It depends on what you want to do with them. Go with name brand, new cells. You’ll be glad you did. Pay the extra for the quality. Buy from good sellers! These are reputed, known good performers.
18650:
Sanyo 18650GA
Samsung 30Q
Sony VTC6
Samsung 35E
21700:
Molicel P42A
Samsung 30T
Samsung 50G
Samsung 50S (if you can find them)
(New) Lishen ‘purple’ 4000 mah
26650:
Shockli ‘black’ 5500 mAh
Keeppower 5200 may
Golisi ‘gold’ 4300 mAh
If you happen to be buying a Sofirn light, their batteries can usually be had with the light for a few extra dollars. If you buy them separately I think the shipping costs negate any savings. Their cells are known brands rewrapped. I think their 5000mah 21700s are Lishen
Oh, learn sumtin new everyday. :student: So….Panasonic is Sanyo’s parent and look for Sanyo brand then?? Or is it the other way around and still look for Panasonic brand?
Among enthusiasts, the original brand would probably sell better. But I suspect companies rebrand some batteries compatible with their products so that non-enthusiasts will have an obvious replacement battery to buy.
I don’t know for sure but I suspect that Panasonic and Sanyo branded cells are identical. For example, there are these two cells:
Both are identified as 10 amp NCR18650GA cells. One has a 50mah lower capacity rating but maybe they are binned at the factory and branded accordingly.
But then again, you can see that NCR18650GA cells with Sanyo branding are being sold here with that same 3450mah rating as the Panasonic cells:
It is hard to say, Jan-March 2021 there were many cheap good cells available but currently the best bang for the buck batteries will be Molicel P26A (18650) and P42A (21700). The shortage is real, particularly on 21700s.
Okay so Sanyo and Panasonic are Japanese but Panasonic is made in China. Hmmm, I hope the quality control is top notch at that China factory. I have a few Pano B’s and she’s still going strong!
Usually when foreign companies setup their factory for their own brand in China, quality control is great. I think Panasonic has high standards regarding their China factory so should be good to go…or is it?? :innocent:
That’s what the labels say but I wonder if that’s true. Look at these two cells:
I’d be surprised if they were actually made in two different locations. But even if they were, I’d be equally surprised if they performed any differently.
Made in Japan 18650GAs are in red color while Made in China 18650GAs are in green color. You can clearly see the origin described in all your 18650store and imrbatteries links
This is a old testing, Chinese GAs were also in red
Oh right on and therefore mine’s made in Japan too. I get that warm cosy feeling when I have items that are “Made In Japan”. Mind you there are China companies that made good items and have great quality control also. Just that I’m not too keen in using Chinese brand batteries.
Yes of course, but 18650 store has them at same price, there is no reason to buy Chinese version……And I think most 30Qs are made in China nowadays.
I think CATL is the best battery manufacturer in China but never see they have consumer cells on sale. I don’t trust Lishen and DLG (Sofirn rewrap) due to their bad reputation years ago. Also Mooch recently tested some Chinese cells and results were not good at all.
…yes…i know…I provided the links. I’m questioning that these two cells were made where the websites say. You realize the color is just a wrap that can be changed, right? I think it’s time for a retest of these two seemingly identical cells.
I get that warm cosy feeling when I have items that are “Made In Japan”. Mind you there are China companies that made good items and have great quality control also. Just that I’m not too keen in using Chinese brand batteries. 