Need some Basic 18650 advice

[tubed]

I would really appreciate some help with a few questions about 18650s. I don't use my lights too heavily and therefore been sticking with cr123 primaries as the initial start up cost and complexity of 18650s has seemed excessive. I'm now thinking of taking the plunge on 2 18650s and a charger. I would use them for 3 different lights (possibly).
1. my Sunwayman T40cs
2. thinking of getting Sunwayman C20c and
3.a cheap (but powerful) Romison RC-T60 from SB.

I"ve found many of the small but powerful lights I'm interested in lately only seem to reach their potential with rechargeables (esp Sunwayman products).

Questions:
1. The most recommended battery is the AW but it comes in several different "mah" (2300, 2900, 3100) Which of these should I get?
2. Given how little i will use them would I be ok with less expensive ones (i.e Tenergy or Jetbeam)?
2. Although Pila chargers seem the best recommended- the recently reviewed Nitecore intellicharger seems quite good and is less expensive, thoughts?
3. If not used frequently, how much do they lose their charge over the months? Any storage concerns?
4. "protected" 18650s seem recommended, yet I don't even see those sold on most of the sites i'm going to (Goinggear,BatJunc) at least it doesn't say protected in the product description. Is that really necessary for a non-heavy user (trying to avoid even more expense).

Lastly - given that one Nitecore Intellicharger and 2 AWs will run me over $60 should I even bother? or just stick with CR123s

 

[Shadowww]

Questions:
1. The most recommended battery is the AW but it comes in several different "mah" (2300, 2900, 3100) Which of these should I get?

Currently best value is provided by 2600mAh ones (by the way, compared to 3100mAh ones they hold higher voltage and therefore offer flatter regulation in single-cell lights)

2. Given how little i will use them would I be ok with less expensive ones (i.e Tenergy or Jetbeam)?

You can get pair of Intl-Outdoor Store 2600mAh batteries for $18, they perform a bit better than 2 times more expensive AW's:

2. Although Pila chargers seem the best recommended- the recently reviewed Nitecore intellicharger seems quite good and is less expensive, thoughts?

If you want a good CC/CV charger, I'd recommend Xtar SP2. It is both cheaper & better than Pila IBC.
It also supports very-high 2A charging current, which can be quite useful for IMR 18650's, 26650's, and normal 18650's if you're in hurry (but don't use it with normal 18650's often, it'll wear them out. Normally they should be charged at 1A).

3. If not used frequently, how much do they lose their charge over the months? Any storage concerns?

High-quality Li-Ion will retain over 80% (and sometimes even 90%) of charge after year of storage.

4. "protected" 18650s seem recommended, yet I don't even see those sold on most of the sites i'm going to (Goinggear,BatJunc) at least it doesn't say protected in the product description. Is that really necessary for a non-heavy user (trying to avoid even more expense).

In multi-cell lights, protected cells are a must, in single-cell lights you can get away with using unprotected ones if you have good quality charger, and your light has low-voltage cut-off.

Lastly - given that one Nitecore Intellicharger and 2 AWs will run me over $60 should I even bother? or just stick with CR123s

Pair of Intl-Outdoor Store 2600mAh's + Xtar SP2 will run you $50, or pair of same batteries + Xtar WP2 II (very good charger, too) would run you just $35.

 

[rustlerdudr987]

1. mah stands for Milli-amps and hour so that is basically how long they will last so its up to you on that one.
2. yes it really doesn't matter which ones to use but make sure they have some sort of protection circuit in them.
3. really hard to say because it depends on the battery (ie. quality and capacity).
4. it is STRONGLY recommended to get protected i found a couple on goinggear that are good and cheap that are protected so i will pm you the link as im not aloud to link to outside sales.
5. i will pm you some decent cheap but quality batteries and chargers.

 

[tubed]

Thanks very much Shadoww!

So- are those AW batteries i'm seeing on GoingGear, etc protected ones or not?
What is being protected? the light or the battery?
I'll check out those chargers.

 

[rustlerdudr987]

I'll check out those chargers.

the battery from being over-discharged or overcharged and i believe they are protected because the label says protection built-in

 

[tubed]

Thanks rustlerdudr.

 

[rustlerdudr987]

did you check your private messages?

 

[tubed]

Just did - thanks.
Funny - those Eagletac batteries look just like the AW batteries - they're like half the price
I could do your whole setup (2 eagletacs, 1 Xtar charger) for almost half of what i was looking at
I still might go with the Nitecore charger (only a few bucks more) b/c it can charge all sorts of other batterie. time to charge is not an issue for me
appreciate the help

 

[rustlerdudr987]

yeah no problem and by the way those Eagletac batteries are really the Panasonic cells just relabeled. and the charger charges 14500/ 14650/ 17670/ 18500/ 18650/ 18700/ 10440/16340 but i dont believe it does cr123a if that is what you were thinking of.

 

[Shadowww]

Just did - thanks.
Funny - those Eagletac batteries look just like the AW batteries - they're like half the price

That's because they're not overpriced.
AW batteries are like Apple laptops.. not better, just more expensive.

 

[rustlerdudr987]

That's because they're not overpriced.
AW batteries are like Apple laptops.. not better, just more expensive.

I love that analogy :twothumbs

 

[CamoNinja]

Go with the eagletac 3100's. No need to spend AW's high prices. I personally use the Pila charger but the Xstar seems to get good reviews.

 

[sidecross]

I have two Nitecore i4 version 2 chargers and 10 Eagletac 3100mAh batteries; I like the lower charge current current of the Nitecore and have enough batteries to allow for the slower charge rate.

I would also recomend checking voltage on any rechargable battery for longer life span of the battery. Voltage drop below 3.5 volts will shorten the life of rechargable batteries.

 

[tubed]

I have two Nitecore i4 version 2 chargers and 10 Eagletac 3100mAh batteries; I like the lower charge current current of the Nitecore and have enough batteries to allow for the slower charge rate.

I would also recomend checking voltage on any rechargable battery for longer life span of the battery. Voltage drop below 3.5 volts will shorten the life of rechargable batteries.

Thanks - do you think the bar-style lights on the charger would be sufficient to (somewhat) check voltages?
Also - Is it bad to partially discharge then recharge these lights? I've heard that for some batteries (like computers, cell phones) it's good to have periodic full discharges to recondition the battery. Does that apply to these? Sounds like the answer is no.

 

[tubed]

As a side note- i came across thread on this sub forum last night that was a bit creepy. Its about a guy who had some primary CR123s blow up on him. I currently use a lot of those batteries and, in my Sunwayman T40, i have 4 of them. I've since read up on all the safe things to do to try to prevent that stuff.

I'm left a bit disappointed (i'm relatively new to these lights/batteries). I thought one of the great things about lithium batteries was their long shelf life and lack of leaking (unlike Alkalines) Now I learn that they have their own set of problems and need for changing, etc. I have several lights that sit around for long times unused and thought i could just forget about them until needed.

I'm not going back to Alkalines but, frankly, I 'd rather have a battery leak then explode.

Any thoughts from anyone on the best battery type for leaving in a light for a long time period?

 

[MaStAViC]

Where can I get two 18650 batteries and a charger?

Hello, I hope you are doing well.

I am looking for two 18650 batteries and a charger for them. Can someone recommend an inexpensive set that is of decent quality? Thank you.

 

[Mr.Sun]

Very, very interesting . Last week I was doing some forum searches and got some bits of this same info, sorta scattered though .

Great group and lots of very knowledgeable folks !!

 

[sidecross]

Thanks - do you think the bar-style lights on the charger would be sufficient to (somewhat) check voltages?

Also - Is it bad to partially discharge then recharge these lights? I've heard that for some batteries (like computers, cell phones) it's good to have periodic full discharges to recondition the battery. Does that apply to these? Sounds like the answer is no.

I use an inexpensive digital voltmeter to check my battery voltage.

Yes, your deduction is correct 18650 should never be fully discharged. Protected 18650 cut off at 2.5 volts, but many feel this is to low a voltage to obtain the best value of the 18650 battery.

 

[Shadowww]

Also - Is it bad to partially discharge then recharge these lights? I've heard that for some batteries (like computers, cell phones) it's good to have periodic full discharges to recondition the battery. Does that apply to these? Sounds like the answer is no.

Periodic full discharges are harmful to ANY modern devices such as notebooks and cellphones. They have Li-Ion cells inside, to which such thing as "reconditioning" doesn't applies.

 

[Changchung]

Check the battery section, a lot of info there, a lot a thread like yours... Good luck...


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