18650 price difference

[Gofilord]

Hello,
I was wondering how come the same battery model from different companies and sites cost very different.
For example, the well known 18650:
DX: 4.90$ for a pair
UltraFire 18650 3.7V "3600mAh" Batteries (Pair) - Worldwide Free Shipping - DX

LightHound: 24$ EACH
AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

:wtf:

 

[ryansoh3]

Just quality difference, that's it.
The DX ones are terribly overrated, as they're considered good if they have half the advertised capacity. They're often recycled cells from old laptops and used li-ions and may vent or explode while in use.

AW is a very reputable Chinese battery packager and their cells are of superb quality. They're safer and are on par with the rated capacity.

If you're on a tight budget, try these: 2500mAh unprotected or 2400mAh protected.

Cheers! :beer:

 

[Gofilord]

:thanks:

Oh and one more thing, a year ago I bought a laser from them, and it came with one bad 18650 and one bad charger. I replaced the battery with another 18650, and it worked for a while, but the laser stopped working correctly, I think it's the battery charger fault. I also never know when to turn it off, can you link me with a good inexpensive charger that maybe auto power off?

 

[ryansoh3]

No problem.

You might want to try these. (7 bucks)

I think they stop charging once the cells hit 4.20 volts.

Or if you're a techie like me, you might be interested in the iMAX B6. (30-40 bucks)
It's a computer controlled charger so it has many options.

Cheers! :beer:

 

[Gofilord]

but it's a 3.7V batt, does it overcharge?

 

[Blord]

LightHound: 24$ EACH
AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

:wtf:

The price is $19.25. Still a lot of money for one 18650 cell.
You can find other branded 18650 cells like Sanyo or Panasonic with almost half the price. These are much better than any ***fire cells.

 

[ryansoh3]

but it's a 3.7V batt, does it overcharge?

Nope, a li-ion battery rated for 3.7V has a max voltage of 4.20V, and the charger charges to that max voltage.

Cheers! :beer:

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

The DSD charger does not have a charging IC, but instead only has a cell protection IC that cuts charge at 4.3V.
Inside the Notorious DSD Charger

The main thing here, is that people all report it only charging to 4.25 max, which is barely but technically allowable.

I will say that this was my first charger, though, and while I don't agree with its methods, it didn't blow up, so that's a plus :wave:. I just wanted to let you folks look at the info yourselves. Here's some reviews for other chargers, but some are pricy and the post itself is kind of old: Consumer Li-Ion "cradle" charger roundup...