They are the same identical battery. They are all the PLB-55 under the wrapper. Here are the brands they are sold as:
Shockli 5500mah Keeppower 5500mah and 6000mah Vapcell 5500mah red and 5900mah purple Orbtronic 5750mah
I had to recheck the max continuous output (from 4.2v down to 2.8v staying under the max rated temperature) of the PLB-55. I was thinking it was 15A, but it’s actually 20A. It can do 30A for about 8 minutes. It’s considered a high capacity cell and not high drain, but it’s a newer design than all the other 26650 cells on the market. Its newer chemistry gives it pretty impressive specs.
I’ve got the Vapcell 5900mAh (violet wrap) but not the Vapcell 5500mAh (red wrap). I also have the Shockli 5500mAh.
Doing capacity testing and IR resistance testing (YR1030 IR tester), I would say they are the exact same cell (also tried weighing them with a small digital weighing scale with 0.1gam resolution and they weigh very similar)
So I would add that the Vapcell 5900mAh (violet wrap) is also the same cell as the Shockli 5500mAh, and thus likely the same PLB-55 cell internally.
Yes, I think that 5900 was an earlier version that Vapcell did. They rated it a bit too high just like Keeppower did so they lowered the capacity on later versions.
Here is a link on the Shockli 5500mah with a lot more duscussion.
I’m not sure you understand flashlight loads vary over time. A flashlight is never going to be able to maintain a 20A load from 4.2v to 2.8v. Even if it starts at 20A, the voltage will drop and the amperage slowly goes down with it. As the amperage drops, the heat build up will slow down.
Plus, any flashlight pulling 20A from a battery is going to get really hot from the led and you will either adjust the brightness down or the driver will automatically adjust the brightness down.
The testing rigs used by battery testers constantly adjust the resistance to maintain a 20A load. This is very different from a flashlight. You have zero to worry about using that cell in a flashlight.
I see posts that state the ShockLi 26650 5500mAh and the red Vapcell 5500mAh batteries are the same but on the ShockLi it says IMR while the Vapcell says INR.Two different chemistries,no?
I can only guess why the Shockli 5500mah says IMR. Remember that Shockli doesnt make the battery, it’s made by Powerlong Battery (or so we assume). So Shockli really doesnt know what chemistry that battery uses.
On the flip side, we have no concrete proof of what cell is under their wrapper. We assume it’s the PLB-55 for very good reasons. When tested by people with sophisticated battery testing rigs we see the output curves, the temperature increase, the measured capacity, the internal resistance, the weight, the physical size and design and it all matches up to the PLB-55. Currently we don’t know of any other cell that comes close to all these parameters.
I’m am going to guess that Shockli made a mistake in calling it an IMR. The PLB-55 is shown to be a INR. Honestly, I dont think anyone cares which it is. It makes no difference to me. I just want it to work well.
I see the Orbtronic version and both Keeppower versions also says IMR. Vapcell is the only one saying INR.
Keeppower has a 27700 cell? Odd. Never mind, it’s what they are calling the protected version of the PLB-55. The protection circuit adds to the length and diameter.
No need be rude again. Did you read the reviews? This statement very specific for the vapecell. “The capacity of these is the real star. I tested well above 5500mAh. As for 20A rating – yes, it hits that. This is the first cell I can remember that has set off the temperature alarm on my logger, though, so be aware that at 20A it gets quite hot.” Hope this helps.
16 minutes on Zeroairs temperature stats. It seems they fully discharge, get down to 2.8v, in 18 minutes with a 20A load. Of the 2 cells he tested, one got up to 65°C and the other got to 72°C. So there’s a little wiggle room there.
It seems 70°C is supposed to be the temp limit for these cells (I’m not sure, I don’t have any data sheets on them), but at 20A continuous they seem capable of going just above that. Maybe 72°C or so.
So it might be more accurate to say the max continuous amperage is closer to 19A instead of 20A. There’s a bit of wiggle there, these stats aren’t exact. I think they officially rate it 20A because that’s close enough.
Even if you read the tests it can be hard to really understand them. Batteries are pretty complicated.
I can not think of a single flashlight where the battery temp would be even close to a problem. If anyone wants to suggest a flashlight they think might be problematic, just let me know. I might be familiar enough with it to give some insight.
