High CRI 18350 light with USB-C charging

LED Flashlights – General Info Other Battery Type Flashlights
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Depends how and where you use your lights. If you can find a runtime chart to demonstrate your point, I would be glad to learn the difference.

Do you know the discharge rate for the stock 18650 that comes w the FC11C?

I did not find a runtime chart for the FC11C, but here is one for the FC11

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notice how after the initial Very brief turbo, the output drops to about 300 lumens

3A discharge works fine for me, I dont use more than 500 lumens, the majority of my use is below 200 lumens. My personal use pattern is focused on sustainable outputs at indoor distances, with long runtimes,

I am not a Turbo user. Brief unsustainable outputs that constrict my pupils, and quickly step down to 300 lumens and less, are not my priority. I can do without the bright flash, and go straight to outputs that are sustainable.

But if you want higher outputs, suggest you stay with the stock 18650 configuration. The FC11C is rated for 1200 lumens on Turbo.

fwiw, my FW3A modded to DD 4500K 519a, using an 18350 tube and the F16 battery, reaches 1000 lumens on Turbo… I disable Turbo and am more than satisfied with its ceiling set to 550 lumens.

Here is what the discharge curve looks like w 18650 on a stock FW3A… note that after Turbo the output drops to less than 200 lumens:

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(that 18650 battery has a 35A max discharge rate)…
To me, Turbo is a waste of battery capacity :wink:

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22

Here is an interesting question: higher continuous discharge batteries usually have lower stated capacities. Suppose those values are honestly measured and reported, just like Mooch does it. Does it mean the battery rated at higher discharge wouldn’t also show similarly higher capacity if discharged at a much lower rate?

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Turbo: 3.66 A
High: 1.25 A
Medium: 0.45 A

2 Thanks
24

What’s the likely explanation for the cooled Turbo slow peaking after the thermal (or timed?) usual drop?

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I guess it’s the thermal regulation that responds very slow. You can see that behavior (slowly rising, then a sharp drop) a few times in the uncooled run, until it settled at its lowest thermal regulation limit.

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But the response takes over an hour…

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That’s why I said “slow”. :rofl:

In the past we had extreme and relatively fast oscillations like here with the WK40. Maybe they just made the rate of change very slow instead of writing a new regulation from scratch.

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Given that ‘uncooled’ is more likely how the flashlight will be used in practice, would it be safe to ignore its ‘cooled’ quirks?

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29

These runtime tests always have a theoretical part. In practice you don’t use it on turbo all the time usually. Maybe on a bike and then it would be cooled even better than in my tests. Normal use also involves some movement and a significant amount of heat is dissipated just by holding it (“blood cooled”).

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Hey. phrasing! It’s ‘liquid cooled’ to the civilized bunch.

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Rated capacity is already measured at very low currents, doesn’t matter if the battery is capable of sustaining high discharge or not. The internal construction of the battery varies slightly different from each other, that’s why the capacity is different (more volume occupied by thicker electrodes instead of active material and dielectric, slightly different chemistry, reinforced terminations that can take slightly more space, etc)

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thank you Sammy!

does that mean the Vapcell F16 18350 (max continuous discharge rate of 3A) does Not have a high enough discharge rate to run the FC11C on Turbo?

or is the F16 fine for the FC11C, since Turbo max output is so brief?

otoh does that mean the Vapcell F16 18350 Does have a high enough discharge rate to run the FC11C on High mode? (which seems to be about 600 lumens at about 50% of Turbo)

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Turbo 3.66A? Which means the ‘1200lm’ is fake. At 3.7A the most you can get out of a 519A is 950lm or so. But it’s still enough since it is the sustained output that I’m looking for anyway.

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34

Isn’t it more like headroom. A 3 amp cell when more current is drawn from it will just allow more voltage sag. So it won’t allow rated “power” for the driver. But it isn’t like the cell just hits a brick wall. As you don’t use turbo much (nor do I), it is probably not going to cost you anything in using the F16. At lower draw, the extra capacity is very nice.

1 Thank
35

The original claim of 1200 lumens was when the fc11 first came out with a cold white low cri LED.
I just did some amp testing with 2 different 4000k fc11’s. Multiple batteries including some 18650s and some 18350s. Readings varied from 4.4 to 5.0 amps on turbo. Highest of the stepped mode was around 2.35 to 2.4 amps. Voltages ranged from 4.0 to 4.06 . The wurkkos18650 3000mAh batteries represent some of the lower numbers. The numbers obviously will be entirely different with a different driver and different LED with the fc11c.
I’ve been using a convoy s6 shorty for the last couple months as my primary EDC. At 100% that thing is pulling 5.5 amps. The keeppower 18350 1200 claimed mAh runs it fine but I’m not entirely happy with the capacity on some days. If I thought the vapcell f-16 could be pushed occasionally to 5.5 amps I’d like to try them. The only reason I’m using the 18350 in the primary EDC is because I carry a backup light with an 18650.

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The range anxiety is exactly the reason I’m weary of carrying a 18350 light as my only light. I feel a lot more confident with a high capacity 18650 light, that in case of a real emergency, could last me all night or two, or three.

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If you dont mind carrying the extra length and weight of the 18650 light, with battery, go with whatever suits your needs :wink:

its getting close to a wash
two 1600 mah 18350 equal one 3200mAh 18650 in capacity

the weight of the 18350 light with two 18350 batteries is equal to the weight of the 18650 light with one 18650 battery.

atm I prefer to carry one 18350 light with one battery… I like the smaller bulge in my pocket, and the lower carry weight when wearing lightweight summer shorts with no belt.

I get plenty of runtime, for the way I presently use my flashlight as an urban indoor EDC at very low outputs…

When I go camping or traveling and I want more capacity, I have choices:

  1. bring a spare 18350 battery, or
  2. bring another 18350 light as a backup battery carrier, (I prefer this option, it lets me recharge without giving up my EDC ), or
  3. change the battery tube on the 18350 light to an 18650 tube, and use an 18650 battery… (atm, I prefer not to carry this size and weight in summer, otoh when wearing jeans and a belt the extra size and weight is less of an issue)
38

This was the input current measured at the battery when it was full. I haven’t measured the output current of the buck regular nor the current when the battery voltage drops. In any case a 5A CDR battery would be better, even for efficiency.

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Ah, I forgot buck input amps < output amps. It makes sense. If you have a full battery drawing 3.66A, it means it’s outputting ~15W of power. With 95% efficiency you get about 1050lm, which is a bit closer to official number.

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Here is a smorgasbord of 18350 flashlight reviews from 1Lumen: