# Is the AW 18650 battery worth the price?



## NiteCoreAddict (Nov 11, 2012)

*Im new at using 18650 batterys and I have a UltraFire "gold/black" which works pretty good for me. Someone told me that the AW 18650 batterys are very good but their $30.00 a pop! Are they worth the price? Im using them in my Nitecore MT-26 and my Nitecore EC2. Thanks...*


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## gopajti (Nov 12, 2012)

AW batteries are good, but overpriced. Go XTAR (Sanyo, Panasonic cells), Intl-Outdoor (Sanyo, Panasonic cells), Keeppower (Panasonic, Samsung etc), Fenix ARB-L2 (China BAK), Nitecore NL186 (Samsung) or Enerpower, Spark, AmpMax are also good brands.

I don't recommend UltraFire and other similar, cheap ***Fire batteries.


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## Shadowww (Nov 12, 2012)

$30 a pop? Seriously? You can get *pair* of Keeppower 3400mAh batteries for that price, and they have higher capacity than top-of-the-line AW's.


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## Samy (Nov 12, 2012)

Wow i think you might need to look around. I uually pay about $18 per 3100mah AW 18650.

cheers


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## GaryM (Nov 12, 2012)

Just ordered AW 18650s from Lighthound at $12.99 ea.


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## Shadowww (Nov 12, 2012)

GaryM said:


> Just ordered AW 18650s from Lighthound at $12.99 ea.


Those are 2200mAh ones, they're worthless, they perform even worse than TrustFire cells (which cost less than that for a pair, so 2x cheaper).


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## NiteCoreAddict (Nov 12, 2012)

gopajti said:


> AW batteries are good, but overpriced. Go XTAR (Sanyo, Panasonic cells), Intl-Outdoor (Sanyo, Panasonic cells), Keeppower (Panasonic, Samsung etc), Fenix ARB-L2 (China BAK), Nitecore NL186 (Samsung) or Enerpower, Spark, AmpMax are also good brands.
> 
> I don't recommend UltraFire and other similar, cheap ***Fire batteries.



So any Panasonic or Sanyo with a high mAh will do the trick, correct?


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## Changchung (Nov 12, 2012)

NiteCoreAddict said:


> So any Panasonic or Sanyo with a high mAh will do the trick, correct?



Definitely are a lot better than any XXXXfire

Check in ebay for the sanyo 2600mha if I dont recall wrong you can buy a pair for less that 16$ shipped, I have some and their are great...

For me AW is overpriced... Others are the same of good.


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## tobrien (Nov 12, 2012)

who is charging $30/cell for AW's? I don't believe AW does that either


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## Changchung (Nov 12, 2012)

tobrien said:


> who is charging $30/cell for AW's? I don't believe AW does that either



Check ebay for; aw 18650

The first item had this price, plus shipping... 


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## bose301s (Nov 12, 2012)

There's is absolutely no reason what so ever to buy AW. They charge more, a lot more, for the same thing as Intl Outdoors, Xtar, Keeppower etc. The thing is they contain the same Panasonic cells wrapped by the same company (usually Keeppower) using the same protection board with the only difference being the name on the label. AW is way overpriced comparitively.


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## Changchung (Nov 12, 2012)

bose301s said:


> There's is absolutely no reason what so ever to buy AW. They charge more, a lot more, for the same thing as Intl Outdoors, Xtar, Keeppower etc. The thing is they contain the same Panasonic cells wrapped by the same company (usually Keeppower) using the same protection board with the only difference being the name on the label. AW is way overpriced comparitively.



I have saying the same two o three years ago...


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## THE_dAY (Nov 12, 2012)

The Keeppower 3400 are a good price but make sure they can fit your light, I've already read 2 reports of them not fitting into lights.

According to HKJ's battery comparer, they are 18.7mm fat so check the ID of your tube before getting them.


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## tobrien (Nov 12, 2012)

rtdvapor.com (who I've ordered from numerous times) has the 3100 AW cells for $17.98 in the USA


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## bose301s (Nov 13, 2012)

tobrien said:


> rtdvapor.com (who I've ordered from numerous times) has the 3100 AW cells for $17.98 in the USA


Still more than $5 more per cell than other brands for literally identical products.


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## Tuikku (Nov 13, 2012)

I have used Xtar 2600mAh cells in my single cell flashlights for long time.
Ordered probably over 30 of them, yet to discover a single dud in them. Solid performers BUT they are pretty long in size.

If used in 2 x 18650 lights, make sure first, you can fir 2 of them in one light


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## Hooked on Fenix (Nov 13, 2012)

Personally, I like AW cells. They aren't that bad in price. You can get 3100 mAh protected cells for under $20. However, since they don't yet make 3400 mAh cells yet, I've ordered Orbtronic 3400 mAh protected cells. These are still under $20 each with free shipping. Whatever cells you purchase, make sure they are made with Panasonic 3400 mAh cells. These are currently the best cells and most good protected 3400 mAh cells use them and just add a PCB.


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## Shadowww (Nov 13, 2012)

Hooked on Fenix said:


> Personally, I like AW cells. They aren't that bad in price. You can get 3100 mAh protected cells for under $20. However, since they don't yet make 3400 mAh cells yet, I've ordered Orbtronic 3400 mAh protected cells. These are still under $20 each with free shipping. Whatever cells you purchase, make sure they are made with Panasonic 3400 mAh cells. *These are currently the best cells and most good protected 3400 mAh cells use them and just add a PCB.*


All, not "most". Panasonic is the only manufacturer who produces 3400mAh cells (at least for now).


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## roadkill1109 (Nov 13, 2012)

AW should actually price their batteries more competitively, the competition has caught up and im sure they feel the pinch of losing customers to the other protected cell brands.


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## Shadowww (Nov 14, 2012)

roadkill1109 said:


> AW should actually price their batteries more competitively, the competition has caught up and im sure they feel the pinch of losing customers to the other protected cell brands.


Yup.. pair of AW 3100mAh = $44.5 (19.75/cell + $5 shipping), pair of Intl-Outdoor 3100mAh = $25.95, and I-O ones actually perform better:


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## Verndog (Nov 14, 2012)

NiteCoreAddict said:


> So any Panasonic or Sanyo with a high mAh will do the trick, correct?



Here is the Panasonic industrial 3100 for $10.99. 

http://www.orbtronic.com/batteries-...rechargeable-18650-battery-cell-made-in-japan


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## Norm (Nov 14, 2012)

Verndog said:


> Here is the Panasonic industrial 3100 for $10.99.
> 
> http://www.orbtronic.com/batteries-...rechargeable-18650-battery-cell-made-in-japan


You have linked to a bare unprotected cell, you're comparing apples with oranges.

You should be looking at "Protected 3100mAh 18650 Li-ion Battery - Cell Panasonic NCR18650A - Price: $16.99"
Minimum order two and this is the shipping quote I get "USPS - Package - Priority Mail International, (6 - 10 Days) $37.95"

Not looking so cheap if that is the correct postage.

Norm


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## tobrien (Nov 14, 2012)

Norm said:


> You have linked to a bare unprotected cell, you're comparing apples with oranges.
> 
> You should be looking at "Protected 3100mAh 18650 Li-ion Battery - Cell Panasonic NCR18650A - Price: $16.99"
> Minimum order two plus postage.
> ...



are we cool to link to stores now? 

also, for what it's worth, in the USA at least, Orbtronic ships free


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## roadkill1109 (Nov 15, 2012)

tobrien said:


> are we cool to link to stores now?
> 
> also, for what it's worth, in the USA at least, Orbtronic ships free



too bad they can't ship those cells internationally here where i live.


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## Toaster79 (Nov 15, 2012)

DX has protected Panasonic NCR18650A for 19.30$/pair.


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## Changchung (Nov 15, 2012)

I just close a group buy from intl-outdoors for the 3400 protected...

Hank give us the amazing price of 25$ for the pair plus 2$ for the shippment with tracking number...

Maybe I ask him for another group buy...


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


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## march.brown (Nov 17, 2012)

Toaster79 said:


> DX has protected Panasonic NCR18650A for 19.30$/pair.


I buy off ebay from ilike2012wow for £14-51 for two protected Panasonic 3100mAh cells including postage to the UK ... No problems other than about three weeks delivery time.
.


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## ateallthepies (Nov 17, 2012)

For me AW cells are worth the price. Much more knowledgeable folk here speak highly of them and I have many cells from AW which to date have performed well even some that have been abused a bit. Some of my 'fire' branded cells while much cheaper have just died while some others are OK though I have yet to have a lithium meltdown yet!!

Steve


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## Changchung (Nov 18, 2012)

ateallthepies said:


> For me AW cells are worth the price. Much more knowledgeable folk here speak highly of them and I have many cells from AW which to date have performed well even some that have been abused a bit. Some of my 'fire' branded cells while much cheaper have just died while some others are OK though I have yet to have a lithium meltdown yet!!
> 
> Steve



The same performance of others with cheap or less price...


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## Norm (Nov 18, 2012)

This thread has served it's purpose, I can see no future for it except for the same opinions for an against being repeated ad infinitum - Norm


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