Battery Brands (Li-Ion)

[wader]

I am looking to buy some batteries for my lights. I need a couple of 18650. When I look on-line, Amazon and such, there are way to many options and false advertising mixed in with reputable dealers. Who can you trust? I appreciate knowing if you have found some solid performers. Thanks in advance.

 

[fmerkel]

Amazon is a secondary seller anyway. I'd get upper end Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo, or LG from a reputable dealer in the States, there are some. Depending on the light you may want PCB protection.

Illumn.com - Flashlights, Batteries, Carry Gear, Intelligent LED Lighting, and More!
Earth's #1 source for IMR 18650 Batteries, Chargers, Cases & Wraps | IMRbatteries.com
Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery distributor

 

[PfcAJ]

I've had less than stellar results with LG. many friends have had great experiences with Panasonic.

 

[KeithG]

i scavenged a bunch from a laptop battery pack. The pack had aged enough that it would only provide about 1.5 hours (instead of 3.5). So i bought a new battery pack for less than $60cdn.

i pried open the old pack and stripped out the batteries. they are panasonic cgr18650cg. http://www.meircell.co.il/files/Panasonic CGR18650CG.pdf. i believe they do not have protection circuitry builtin to them (as per the warning on the above data sheet) but i have had no issues with leaving them left in my charger for days or letting my flashlights run down dead with them in it. ymmv?

 

[fmerkel]

I've had less than stellar results with LG. many friends have had great experiences with Panasonic.

I opened up a Sola 1200 > 2150mA LG inside. Now, why the hell they don't put Panasonic or Sony 3400mA in there is beyond me. Probably cost them $2 for a light that would burn a LOT longer. But, they are reliable. Might depend on the individual model. Also depends a lot on use.

 

[PfcAJ]

I opened up a Sola 1200 > 2150mA LG inside. Now, why the hell they don't put Panasonic or Sony 3400mA in there is beyond me. Probably cost them $2 for a light that would burn a LOT longer. But, they are reliable. Might depend on the individual model. Also depends a lot on use.

LG cells are cheaper.

 

[Caveeagle]

I recently bought a couple sets of these 'Keepower' (Panasonic) for $38/set of 4 ....based on recommendation from a poster here.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WDQTIN4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can tell you that all 8 that I got have tested out to the full 3400mAh and seem to be working great in my Dive Rite LX20.

FWIW, I just got back from a 94min dive and with the LX20 set to High, the batteries are showing ~40% usage. (based on my XTAR Dragon).

 

[wader]

Thanks! I ordered two LG from Li ion Wholesale.

Protected LG MJ1 18650 Battery Genuine & Tested - 10A 3500mAh - Button Top - Wholesale Discount

I also got an Opus BT-C3100 and a plastic case for the batteries. I learned about the protected too.
Batteries have come along way in just a few short years...

 

[Ricardo V.]

We've bought the EBL's 18650 for our LED flashlights. These are good batteries. For the price, it's hard to complain about them. My wife got them from Amazon. Ran into them by accident. We accidentally flooded one of the flashlights, which damaged the original 18650 battery. The flashlight itself survived, so considering we had nothing to loose, got 2 batteries from Amazon, and they work even better than the originals.

A universal charger came with the EBL's. It's just ok, nothing to write home about the charger. So we use the original chargers and the cells work great.
https://www.amazon.com/EBL-Lithium-...ie=UTF8&qid=1496016301&sr=8-12&keywords=18650

 

[cmrangel]

Great results with Sony. IMRBatteries.com has always shipped authentic batteries quickly and with competitive prices.