.

Paradise · 2019-04-30T19:26:43.000Z

I ordered all of my lithiums from gearbest, fasttech, and ebay. Not within a week, took me many weeks to wait for good prices, apply points and wait to get them. Not the fastest way, but every single item was authentic so far.
Prices have gone up, that is obvious and shipping is no longer free either.

Walmart DOES sell 18650 and other form factors, but the ones I have seen were either not branded or unknown at a high price. So not a good choice.

another excellent source in the US is

mtnelectronics.com

Batteries

wstrachan · 2019-04-30T19:45:39.000Z

I stay away from Amazon as far as I can for Li-Ion cells because they are a bin-pick assembly line seller/shipper and they often have counterfeit and genuine cells mixed. Have you tried the vapcell 1000 mAh gold 14500s? Many sellers in the US have them for reasonable pricing and they are quite good!

Lightbringer · 2019-04-30T19:46:33.000Z

On Amazon I got a bunch of EBL 14500s. NOT protected. Pretty respectable, powering my SP10s right now, and excellent customer service.

Unless you’ve got a pretty dumb light that doesn’t have LVP, dunno why you’d need protected, though. Either it adds to the length of the cell, or necessitates a shorter cell (with less capacity) to fit the protection circuit.

wstrachan · 2019-04-30T19:47:27.000Z

My favorite vendors in the US are ILLUMN.com and IMRbatteries.com

Barkuti · 2019-04-30T19:55:26.000Z

What flashlight?

Buying protected cells comes at a expense and is an additional hurdle.

Having a proper flashlight removes the need for them, you can even have a full flashlight + 14500 li-ion battery + simple charger pack for affordable money: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Presell-Sofirn-New-SP10A-Mini-Portable-Led-Flashlight-EDC-Pocket-Light-Cree-XP-G2-Portable-Keychain/32827035369.html (their SP10-V2.0 has a little better interface and is a better choice if willing to use a known good charger and another cell).

The above is just a recommendation. Generally it's not worth investing money trying to fix the deficiencies of certain dreadful products, learned that lesson already.

:-)

Pete7874 · 2019-04-30T21:46:46.000Z

Robin Dobbie:

I don’t know what light I have.

Does it look similar to this?

moderator007 · 2019-05-01T01:07:25.000Z

Its known as a SK98 flashlight and it has many, many brands. Searching around will find you several different brands.
It be hard to know if it had LVP without knowing who made it but it is a widely owned flashlight for members here. I have 4 or 5 myself.

.
Now that I think about it a little more I don’t know if i have ever seen a SK98 with LVP. A driver swap may be the only way to gain LVP for use with non protected cells. Me personally, I use non protected cells all the time in single cell lights, I have learned to watch for the drop in lumens and watch my usage to predict a low voltage cell. Most cells can run down to 2.5v under load nowadays, so the lumen drop is quite noticeable at that point. Just remember to charge it up as soon as you can once you realize its low. I usually buy new better higher performance batteries ever year or two as they come out anyway. So I’m not really babying the cells for the most cycles since they’ll be replaced in a year or two. That;s just me though.

Barkuti · 2019-05-01T02:51:45.000Z

Robin Dobbie:

Almost identical. … fifteen cents out the door, lol!

Cheap SK68 clone with angry blue knockoff or unknown brand emitter, attached with single use press fit sheet retaining ring in a hollow pill, and powered with a boost driver which resorts to resistor limited current when operating with input voltage higher than emitter's Vf. The onboard current sense resistor is used for sensing when in boost mode and to limit current when high input voltage (when fed with li-ion cell, for example).

My advice is: if you like it, keep using it with Ni-MH cells. Unless you are a skilled and talented flashlight modder who knows what and how do not waste your time with such wrecked by design ignominy.

Good luck in any case.

Cheers :-)

Wed, 05/01/2019 - 03:01

Barkuti · 2019-05-01T01:05:33.000Z

moderator007:

Its known as a SK98 flashlight and …

It's an SK68, usually and overall much worse than SK98s.

moderator007 · 2019-05-01T01:17:44.000Z

Barkuti:

moderator007:

Its known as a SK98 flashlight and …

It’s an SK68, usually and overall much worse than SK98s.

I always thought the original was (old) Sipik SK68 and the clones now where (new) SK98’s.
I think I remember someone commenting the SK98 was slightly bigger.
I’m not sure then, looks like the same zoomy design.

Barkuti · 2019-05-01T06:36:40.000Z

The SK98 is slightly bigger, made for 18650 cells moderator007. A genuine Ultrafire SK98 (manufacturer's link), available at FastTech, has a pill featuring a good 2mm thick ≈5mm wide ledge (inner hole ∅11.1mm), so thermal transfer is adequate for standard power levels. Uses ∅20mm MCPCBs and ∅20mm drivers.

I am the proud owner of an H1-A boost driver powered unit with a razor shaved “6V” high CRI XHP50A running at 4+A, it ended up being a lot of hand made work to fix the pill and I also had to replace the tailcap switch besides spring bypasses everywhere (tricky at the tailcap by design). Makes a beautiful “Windows” pattern when zoomed in. ;-)

Cheers :-)

Wed, 05/01/2019 - 03:37

BlueSwordM · 2019-05-01T02:37:24.000Z

Well, you want 14500s, right?

If you want a good light with it: https://www.amazon.com/Flashlight-Keychain-Waterproof-Battery-Excluded/dp/B07F8TDPW6/

Quite the nice light.

And this is the highest capacity 14500 that we currently have:

illumn.com

14500 Vapcell ICR14500 1000mAh 3A Discharge Button Top Li-ion Battery

14500 Vapcell ICR14500 1000mAh 3A Discharge Li-ion Battery

Price: USD 3.99

And this magnificent charger to go with it:

illumn.com

Folomov A4 Intelligent Rapid Charger Li-ion/LifePO4, NiMH/NiCd Charger

Folomov A4 Intelligent Rapid Charger

Price: USD 39

Will kickstart your revolution.

Lightbringer · 2019-05-01T03:05:18.000Z

moderator007:

I always thought the original was (old) Sipik SK68 and the clones now where (new) SK98’s.

SK68 = 14500

SK98 = 18650

The ’68s could take anything from alkaleaks through 14500s using generic boost circuits that could pass through higher voltages. Sometimes the higher voltage would still fry something, though, and not let you go back, so you took your chances.

But go to any Amazon page where someone’s hawking either model, and you’ll see all the reviews conflating the two.

Lightbringer · 2019-05-01T03:23:54.000Z

I know it’s the opposite end of the spectrum, but if anyone’s interested in a rather nice zoomie on the large side, the Morpilot zoomie that came with the multitool is rather nice. Really nice, in fact.

Built solid, nothing cheap-feeling at all. Good quality aspheric, decent XM-L2 or clone (rather CW but not angrily so), good solid switch, thin but decent black clip (didn’t pry mine off yet).

Takes 3×AAA in one of those holders… but drops in a 21700!

https://www.amazon.com/Morpilot-Multitool-Stainless-Tactical-Flashlight/dp/B07MXDCC9X

I got mine for a steal, courtesy of vipon, but 15bux for both light and multitool ain’t bad at all.

Standard LED/driver swap, and it’d be a damned nice light for the price, especially running a 21700!

Aaaaaaand wtf? I can’t find my review up there. ’Cause I rather liked both tool and light?? Well that’s a kick in the nuts…

Barkuti · 2019-05-01T03:26:33.000Z

In my experience with an SK68 clone or two their drivers won't fry with li-ion cells. The emitter will, though, because it is held thermally crucified to a thin shelf border in its hollow casket-pill. The drivers also do not feature low voltage warning or cut-off for li-ion so I don't recommend using them in.

I think you may want to ask yourself: What do I really need? What am I up to for?

I gave you a fairly good and inexpensive solution in my first answer here but I see the flashlight bug may have bitten you already. ;-)

Cheers ^:)

Lightbringer · 2019-05-01T03:32:25.000Z

Robin Dobbie:

Does the higher voltage usually fry them right away? I mean I used a 3.7v battery in mine kinda jurry rigged up. I’m still able to put AAs in it. Obviously the rigged up 3.7v wasn’t for long.

It’s hit or miss. I’ve rarely tried to “up the game” of cheep cheep cheep lights meant for alkaleaks. Worst I did was run 3.2V LFP cells, and alkaleaks still worked. That was a plastic-case light from Rat Shack that came in a 4-pack free when you bought a brick of alkaleaks.

Didn’t want to chance frying my bobofett lights (plural at this point), because they wring out every last bit of juice and pulp from alkaleaks soooo nicely, and didn’t want to lose that feature.

I’m still (damnit) in the process of converting the “Thorfire” CT01s I got to run just offa 14500s, as they’re rather pitiful as-is.

So… never happened to me personally because I chose to not to chance it, but others reported that happening, again, hit or miss.

moderator007 · 2019-05-01T03:44:07.000Z

All mine use AA/14500, guess mine are SK68 then. Learn something new ever day, well almost.

Paradise · 2019-05-01T06:33:38.000Z

Robbie, you could walk into the Walmart here in my area and pick any lithium you like! They have mostly 18650, 18500 and 1400 available. Albeit no brand and no technical specs and at very high prices. There are also other stores that have them like Fry’s Electronics or similar. I see lithiums in retail stores all the time.

Barkuti · 2019-05-01T06:50:05.000Z

The SK98 can be easily modified with another emitter, just buy something suitable like some nice (optional high CRI) SST20s and swap the star inside the pill.

The stock switch has always been of poor quality, when I turned my SK98 into a 30W power burner the test lasted just a few bursts :-D until the switch raised the white flag (between 1 and 2 minutes total power on time LoL).

Last time I bought the SK98 I noticed they had swap their switch assembly provider (again!). Either way a fix can always be found.

RelakS · 2019-05-01T09:43:02.000Z

I have ordered keeppower on Banggood, looks good enough for me.
I have way cheaper Soshine cells also, but those are unprotected.