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FrozenGate by Avery

Quality 18650 Batteries?

LazyBeam

LazyBeam

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Jun 12, 2010
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So I got my WL up and running and I'm only getting about 30mins of use until the last power LED goes dark.
Sure the laser keeps running after that... but I don't want to over discharge the cell.
The WL 18650 appears to be a 1300mAh cell and I can only assume 3.7v - Are these cells even protected?

So needless to say I'm looking into buying a pair of good cells. I need more anyways for when my Groove arrives.
What are some good 18650 batteries? I've been reading around and these names get mentioned alot:
Tenergy - AW - Ultrafire/Trustfire/*****fire - LG

The AW 2600mAh look nice but geez are they expensive. $16/ea !!
I might end up getting the Ultrafire 2600mAh (2pack for $10.31 from DX) <---- (likely candidate right now)
Ultrafire 3000mAh are only $8/ea but I hear they're bad @ high currents (??)
LG seems like it would be a quality brand but they are ~$8/ea too.

What about chargers? As long as I get a protected cell will the WL charger be just fine?
What are some decent chargers if the WL charger is no good? (No, I am not spending $50 on a charger)
 
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The Ultrafire WF-139 is a good charger. I'm pretty sure the WL cells aren't protected. The '3000mAh' rating is a lie, that's what's wrong with them. The AW cells are expensive because they're some of the best cells you can get. The Tenergy 18650s that are protected are about $10 each and they're also very high quality.
 
Does the WL cell have any markings on it? It seems odd for a ICR to only have 1300mAh... Either an awful ICR, an ICR being sold as an IMR, or a real IMR. Is it have any markings on it besides its capacity?
 
BShanahan14rulz said:
Does the WL cell have any markings on it? It seems odd for a ICR to only have 1300mAh... Either an awful ICR, an ICR being sold as an IMR, or a real IMR. Is it have any markings on it besides its capacity?
Click to expand...

It just says, " +18650 1300mAh- "
No other markings.
 
PM LarryDFW ... he has high quality brand name 18650 cells for cheaper(and faster) than ordering from China:

Link
 
I am starting to think that these might not be ICR's. I see no way to get 1300mAh from an 18650. I have 5 year old cells that hold more than that.
 
Regular Li-Ion cell. Lithium-Cobalt

IMR is Lithium-manganese, IIRC, and has a lower capacity but much higher charge/discharge rate.
 
Thanks for the recommendations above.

I have used hundreds of #18650's over the years in UV flashlights I have sold.

I have found that the "chinese" batteries fail very quickly (protected & unprotected).
See FireMyLaser's comments on protection circuits not working.

I switched to "brand name" UL tested batteries, and failures dropped by a factor of ten.

The UL 1642 testing is rigorous, testing for shorts, overcharging, heat cycles, pressure cycles, etc.

I am confident in Sanyo, LG, Samsung & Sony #18650 batteries.

They are the top quality manufacturers in the world.

I have abused many in RC trucks, and never even had one battery vent.
(Strictly for QC testing purposes, of course)

Larry DFW
 
I can say that the UltraFire 18650 (3000mah) is NOT good for high-current applications. I used one to test a MicroBoost driver on a test load and the most I could pull from the battery was 700-720 mA. Anything higher and the driver would get very hot and the amps would fall rapidly. At first I thought it was the driver but after reading a PM that jayrob sent me concerning MicroBoost drivers at high currents I am now sure it's the battery. I am going to order an AW 18650 2600mah battery this weekend.
 
sony has drastically changed their cells since then ;-)

IIRC, a couple years later was the big sony Li-Ion recall, I hope they've had a few revisions since then...

Still, a good find. I'm going to be testing cell performance if I get the cell I'm going after.
 
I've been able to find LG, Tenergy, AW, and Samsung 18650 batteries online... I read somewhere that the Sanyo 18650 cells were among the best out there but I haven't been able to find a Sanyo battery :(
 
I've got some ~5yr old sanyo 18650's. 2200mAh new. They're my workhorses. I may not always have a fully charged samsung available for use, but I'll always have a spare sanyo to use.

Some of the older model acer battery packs used sanyo. Last one I got was from a travelmate 4220, which should tell you how old these cells are heheh

Sanyo generally have a star=shaped button and their recognizable pinkish maroonish red wrap.
 
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