What is the best make and model for an unprotected high discharge rechargeable 18650 cell?
I would say Samsung 30Q, but you should probably define what “high discharge” exactly means to you, as that may have impact on the answers you get.
30Q is good up to about 15A constant drain.
Maybe Sony VTC5A if you need more drain than that.
High drain is the term used I believe. I have been looking at 30Qs and was wondering if there was a better choice.
High drain is a very generic term. Some people consider 10-15A to be high drain. Others may want 25-30A.
You can start by telling us how much current your flashlight/device draws.
I just purchased two lights and one of them is a Emisar D4 219C.
Recommends a 10A Continuous or Better…
See the list of recommended batteries toward the bottom of this page:
http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=80&product_id=855
I think the 30Q would be just fine - good balance between drain and capacity.
Sony VTC5A
Sony VTC5A or Samsung 25R
Doesnt the efest provide the most lumens out of the d4?
Im looking at picking one up for my d4. Have some vt5 and vtc6 but want to try other 30a and higher batteries. My friend let me borrow an expensive vapcell 18650 that provided a solid initial output before sag. Slightly better than what i have but not worth double the price.
For the D4 flashlight, best would be VTC5A (or VTC5 if you can’t get the 5A), followed by VTC6, then 30Q. Although it says 10 amps or better, I wouldn’t go with anything less than a 15 amp cell.
Yea… i have bought vapcell sony vtc5d $9.99 each… its just not worth it… it doesnt perform any better than vtc5a in the flashlights… vtc5d is similiar to vtc6…
How high is “high drain”…….
Sony VTC6 edges out the Samsung 30Q in testing. I run them in moderate drain devices and the Sony VTC5 in high drain devices like my Emissar D4.
Devices under 8-9A demand I run the Sanyo 18650-GA.
All are proven winners in testing.
Vapcell 18650 2800mAh 25A[Sony VTC5D REWRAP] VTC5A would be my second choice and 30Q third.
Tested against the others mentioned.
What is the max current that a D4 is able to pull from a cell?
Samsung 20S
Samsung 24S
Sony VTC5A
Sony VTC5D
Sony VTC6A (unobtanium)
Sony VTC6
Sanyo GA
Samsung 35E
These are Pareto frontiers in terms of resistance and capacity. You can pick capacity that is good enough and take the lowest resistance cell which has enough of it.
Note that this comparison doesn’t take into accounts other qualities, f.e. Sony VTC6 are known to have low durability.
Also note that resistance improvements are not in general proportional to capacity drops. 20S is not that much better than VTC6.
That’s why many recommend 30Q. Actually so do I. It’s a good jack of all trades; resistance is not much worse than even 20S, capacity is OK, it is durable, it is cheap and it is said to work well in the cold. If price is not important, you’ll be better off with VTC6 though.
I remember one post stating that a low drain cell gives you longer high power on a D4. Because of less amps it doesn’t heat up as quick.
Sure, the higher internal resistance of a low-drain cell means less current. It will last longer, but the D4 will not run as bright. However, the whole point of the D4 is to run as brightly as possible, so a low-drain cell defeats the purpose. Additionally, you have to make sure you’re not running the cell higher than its safe maximum current. A low drain cell will have a much lower max safe current than a high-drain cell. Even though it will run at a lower current, there’s still the risk the D4 will drain it at too high a rate for that cell. Measure it, if you’re not sure.
A lot of low-drain “laptop” cells are rated for about 5A max current. I suspect the D4 will drain faster than that, even with a low-drain cell.
If it’s the same post I remember reading, I believe the “low drain cell” being referenced was a Sanyo GA.