which are the best 18650s for 1W 445?

Hey

As my post got "necro" in the 445 section and no one answered my question, i wanted to know what would be the best 18650 for a 3405@1A 445 build.

After reading a bit here in the forum, i see some people really dont trust the DX batteries, although the reviews for these:
DX Trustfire 2400mAh protected bats
say quite good things about them, and they aren't that expensive (and lets face it, for us here in Europe, free shipping is a +++++)

I also saw that LarryDFW sells some really good 18650s, as supposedly FlaminPyro stated them to be.

id just like to know if there is any insight here in the forum on those bats from DX while performing in a high power build, or if i should just leave those bats alone and get some other bats.

Thanks for reading!

I would personally recommend a name brand quality cell from Sanyo, LG or Panasonic any day over a generic trust/ultra fire cell. The brand name cells are made to a much higher standard, using high quality materials.

I usually avoid batteries with protection circuits as they don't always fit in many of my lasers or flashlights.
However if you must have one go for a AW brand cell like this
AW 18650 Protected 2600 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

LarryDFW is selling they. I'm looking forward to some reviews and actual power tests from anyone

If your Just powering 1W those cells you linked are fine. But i would still recommend you go with a good name brand cell. As stated by rpaloalto.

I have both those cells you linked and LarryDFW 2600mah Sanyo cells and the Sanyo cells perform better. I also have AW and Sony cells and all those 3 cells are what i use in my lasers.

The cells you linked are cheap for a reason. They will not last long. Life Wise. Also the outer plastic protective slip is very thin and by simply removing the battery in and out of you laser will crack and make it peel over time, witch will cause your battery to short maybe and possibly blow up.

I still have my Sanyo cells that i got from LarryDFW over 3 months, my Sonys close to 6 months and my AW are going on close to 1 year and they All hold there charge still 100% .

I would spend the little extra money on Name brand cells as just in any electronic item you get what you pay for.

Hope this Helps.:beer:

Samsung 18650 ICR18650-30A 3000mAh Li-ion Battery x2 - eBay (item 330450381303 end time Feb-05-11 19:11:18 PST)
These are simply the best 18650s on the market right now if you can modify/find a charger to charge them to 4.35, these batteries will consistently hold a higher voltage then others at comparable loads(higher nominal voltage and low internal resistance), not to mention high quality and monstrous capacity. But only go for these if you can get your hands on charger that charges to 4.35v, otherwise go for the 2900mah Panasonics--the best 18650 that works with all li-ion chargers. They can be found here:Panasonic NCR18650 18650 2900mAh Li-ion 3.6v Battery x2 - eBay (item 390266429165 end time Feb-25-11 06:10:16 PST)

Leodahsan said:

LarryDFW is selling they. I'm looking forward to some reviews and actual power tests from anyone

Click to expand...

I bought a battery from Larry and it is great as far as I can tell. I am running a 445 at 1.5 amps. I think Larry has the best cells for the money. The charger I also purchased is good and can charge to 18650's at once.

Thanks all for the input!

So if id buy the DX ones, id have to get electrical tape around it so the plastic wouldnt get damaged...

Im using a 3405 host, so the plastic wouldnt get "hurt" by taking it out of the bat holder.


Im really starting to consider Larry's ones...ill think about it...because i really should be saving money...but sometimes its just better to spend a little more. Im in doubt now.

Thanks all :wave:

If you insist buying from DealExtreme, I would recommend the Trustfire 18650 batteries.
I have Sanyo, Trustfire and Ultrafire brand. The latter dies rather quickly.

Blord said:

If you insist buying from DealExtreme, I would recommend the Trustfire 18650 batteries.
I have Sanyo, Trustfire and Ultrafire brand. The latter dies rather quickly.

Click to expand...

I guess they are the ones i linked in the OP. Through what i read also in other forums, they are quite good when compared to the rest of bats they sell in DX.


Even so i PMed Larry for some insight.

Thanks all!

LordKaramazov;

Since you are using a "boost driver" with your #3405 host;

I would recommend the low I.R. Sanyo 2600mah cells.

LarryDFW

@LordKaramazov, I've purchased some 18650's from LarryDFW in the past, & have found them to be GREAT BATTERIES. They hold a charge well, & discharge very slowly. Plus, LarryDFW is a great guy to do business with................ rob

I just found out the reason to my laser start blinking after 20 or less seconds with my 10440s...I dunno why, but it was only draining one of the bats...the others werent doing anything. I found out why with one of the bats, the - terminal wasnt making contact with the metal...the other i guess was also a bad contact, as i got some solder on the contact and now its fine, but it was touching the metal all the way.


now ive done a 1min30secs without it blinking anything...was great!

i guess ill hold for the 10440s a tad longer...if i see the need, Larry, u know u got a customer

Are you boosting a single 10440 to drive a 445 at 1A? Vf at that current will be about 4.5V. This means that at 3.6V, your laser will be drawing more than 1.25A, probably more like 1.5A. Using the 2C rule of thumb for large LiCo cells, the maximum safe discharge current should be about 0.7A to 0.8A for a single 10440. Now, given that 10440s are smaller, made by unknown companies to unknown standards, you might even decide to pull that max safe discharge current to 0.5 or 0.6A.

I'd highly recommend getting a brand-name 18650. Larry's 2600mAh Sanyos, for example, will have a ~5.2A max safe discharge rating, using the 2C rule of thumb for large LiCo cells. They are made by Sanyo, a much sought-after brand. They also make the highly regarded Eneloops, and make some very nice capacitors too. Larry'd be able to tell you about all the standards that Sanyo actually complies with, as opposed to ___fire brands, which basically say "if it looks like a battery and holds a charge...."

Ok, maybe I'm being harsh. I had a few trustfire cells, only half of them still work correctly, so keep that in mind too when reading about my opinion.

Actually i did not know it was only draining one of the 10440s...I have a 3405 host, and i got all 3 bats...i found out that only one of the bat holders was making contact. But now i fixed it and the 3 of them are giving power to the laser!

Thanks for the advice!