18650 recommendations

[Tet]

So I've caught the flashlight bug!  I've just ordered my first lights that come without batteries.  I've done a search but can't find anything posted in the last 10 years except me asking SOS about her extension tubes (oh how naive I was 2 weeks ago!).  What 18650 with button would people in the know recommend?  I'm thinking all things considered the more mAh the better?  I'm thinking of the best value here, not necessarily the best or cheapest.  I've found the Acebeam IMR 18650 3100mAh 3.6V Protected High-Drain 20A Lithium Ion, it seems much cheaper than other similar cells, am I missing something?

[GearedForwards]

My personal preference for 18650 is olight for Protected button tops and Philips for unprotected flat tops. I've never had an Olight cell let me down in over six years of using them.

[Dan B]

I've used the Fenix and Olight batteries that came with my lights and I've yeat to have a problem with them.

Also, I've used Orbtronic batteries for several other lights bit not 18650's. Mostly 14500 and 16650. My experience has been good with them as well.

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

[Sos24]

I have several different 18650s that work pretty well.  I usually use the below website to help determine if a battery is good.  It has a lot of technical data that I do not always understand, but at the end of his review he gives a conclusion as well.

https://lygte-info.dk/info/batteryIndex.html

The brands I normally stick to for 18650s are Fenix, Sony, Samsung, and Efest.

I avoid any battery with “fire”.  Surefire CR123s are good, but most others like “trustfire” and “ultrafire” are not known to be good quality.

Also depending on the light you are planning on using them in, you may not be able to use a flat top or may need a battery that is rated for higher amperage (some Sony, Samsung and LG).

[Tet]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!
Ok, another noob question - I see that a lot (all?) of the protected 18650's are about 69 mm long, when I thought the 65 part meant they should be 65 mm long.  Is that extra 4 mm a problem ever?

[Don Pablo]

Sometimes it's a problem on smaller 18650 flashlights. Usually it's ok.
Depends very much on the flashlight and manufacturer. With many flashlights, you can usually find a reviewer who mentions if protected cells fit or not.

[nate j]

I've stuck with the Fenix and Streamlight 18650s that came with their respective lights, and they've done well for me so far.

[comis]

I have been recatching the flashlight bugs in recent months, so here are some of my thoughts:

Chemistry: I think INR is probably what popular nowadays, and IMR is phrasing out.  ICR definitely is old tech and less stable than IMR.

I trust the larger producers like Sony(which now is called Murata, Sony no longer makes them) and Samsung, since they need it for their own electronics, has the QC experience in producing in large volume and have a brand name to protect.  KeepPower is also pretty good, since they use Murata/Samsung cells to make their own protected cells.

For early 2020, here are my go tos:
Sony/Murata VTC6  3000mAh, max discharge at 15-30A(w 80deg temp cut)
Sony/Murata VTC5A 2600mAh, constant discharge rate at 25A
Samsung 20S 2000mAh, CDR 30A
Samsung 30Q 3000mAh, CDR 15A

[Tet]

Thanks everyone, that definitely helps!

[Sos24]

I have been recatching the flashlight bugs in recent months, so here are some of my thoughts:

Chemistry: I think INR is probably what popular nowadays, and IMR is phrasing out.  ICR definitely is old tech and less stable than IMR.

I trust the larger producers like Sony(which now is called Murata, Sony no longer makes them) and Samsung, since they need it for their own electronics, has the QC experience in producing in large volume and have a brand name to protect.  KeepPower is also pretty good, since they use Murata/Samsung cells to make their own protected cells.

For early 2020, here are my go tos:
Sony/Murata VTC6  3000mAh, max discharge at 15-30A(w 80deg temp cut)
Sony/Murata VTC5A 2600mAh, constant discharge rate at 25A
Samsung 20S 2000mAh, CDR 30A
Samsung 30Q 3000mAh, CDR 15A

The Sony VTC6 and Samsung 30Q are two that I have a few of and like.

Sometimes it's a problem on smaller 18650 flashlights. Usually it's ok.
Depends very much on the flashlight and manufacturer. With many flashlights, you can usually find a reviewer who mentions if protected cells fit or not.

This is what I’ve found.  One flashlight that I have will work with a protected cell, but will not fully close.

[Sos24]

Deleted duplicate

[dks]

Most decent 18650 and similar chemistry batteries are made by a couple of manufacturers and other companies, like nitecore, fenix just put their name on it, and sometimes protection. I have used several panasonic and Samsung for many years and they are still going.

I have also used old laptop cells too, of unknown brands, and they too are working. You can also get them from damaged powerbanks as usually just one cell dies and the rest are OK.

Using a suitable charger you can see the remaining capacity in them. I have a link describing the chargers (and batteries) I use but there are many available. I have not bought much in the past couple of years as I am happy with my setup.  A bad charger is a good way to destroy them and even make them catch fire.

Panasonic and Samsung are major players in the market - Buy the largest capacity you can get, reasonably, from these, paying attention to discharge current, if your device needs a high current to work optimally. Do a search as there are many prices for the same products. Avoid too cheap....

If they are in parallel in the device then a larger total current can be produced by similar batteries (e.g. in can shaped torches).

Protection is more important when mixing up batteries in series. It may lower the maximum current, by adding a resistance.
It also helps protect the battery from over-discharging or having too large a current go through it (in series usually) which can kill it.
However, in some case you will need to re-set the protection to allow for the battery to be charged again, after the protection kicks in.

Size of batteries will depend on the original length and the protection added - some are shorter overall.

Squeezing a longer battery into equipment designed for a shorter one, even by a few mm risks damaging the springs and sometimes it will not let the body/case close. Unprotected batteries are usually shorter.

Have fun and feel free to take in or ignore what I posted.