# Nitecore HC90 and Nitecore 18650 3400 mAh battery fit problem



## Ozymandias (Oct 20, 2014)

Hello,

I recently purchased a Nitecore HC90 to replace a headlamp that I thought was defunct, which I was able to fix by adding some battery spacers, but that's beside the point. 

I was originally going to use one of the batteries from my previous headlamp for the new Nitecore one, but they had a good deal for the HC90 + i2 charger + a 3400 mAh Nitecore battery so I got that instead. I received it today and promptly charged up the Nitecore 18650, only to discover that the brand matching 18650 fits SNUGLY into the HC90. When I say snugly, I mean that you have to force it to get it farther than 3/4 of an inch. At first I just threw it in there thinking it would fit perfectly, and I had to struggle to get it out. If one were to push it all the way in, there's no way it would ever come out without taking the light apart. Guaranteed. 

The HC90 works fine, I used another battery and all functions work correctly. 

So I'm wondering if anyone else had this issue or perhaps knows a workaround.

Thanks

Edit: Also looking for advice on what to do about this issue. I received a Nitecore EA41 last week. The light itself is great but the lanyard was in bad shape when I got it. I sent an email to Nitecore CS and have yet to hear back so I'm curious about the experiences of other people.


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## y260 (Oct 21, 2014)

I have an HC90 and have used a 3400 Nitecore mAh cell in it. It's a little snug around the radius of the battery, but it's not too bad. I actually prefer a fairly snug fit because it makes the light feel a bit more solid and unibody.

I know you think it will get stuck in there, but you could try shaking the headlamp to get the battery out. I do that sometimes but YMMV


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## Ozymandias (Oct 21, 2014)

When I first got it I didn't think anything of it and just threw the battery in there to the point where it was only protruding 3/4-1/2 of an inch. It would not shake out and I had to use a pair of pliers to remove it. Trust me, if it was pushed all the way in there it was never coming out. It was difficult even with the pliers.


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## Ozymandias (Oct 21, 2014)

Here's a picture to try and illustrate what's going on:








Beyond that point, and even slightly before that point, you have to force the battery into the tube. It simply gets tighter the farther it is pushed into the tube. At that point, I shook it a number of times as hard as I could and there was no movement at all--and I'm not a weak person. I had to get something to wrap around it so I could grip it to get it out. Any farther, and it would have either been use pliers to remove it or it was stuck; I thought I wasn't going to get it out the first time as it was a little farther in than in this picture.

On top of this, I contacted the seller and they said the factory 'notified' them that the battery is completely full capacity (3400 mAh) and that they are slightly larger. So of course they're not admitting to any sort of problem. 

I put an Eagtach 3400 in there and it slipped in and out with no problem.


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## bearbreeder (Oct 22, 2014)

before i returned my HC90 because of switch issues, i had 2 nitecore 3400 mAh bats that fit snugly into it fine, no need for pliers

since those aluminum blocks are machined en masse ... i suspect that your nitecore bat may have been wrapped a bit too thick

with apologies to the OP ... but i personally find it pretty hilarious that a nitecore bat that they recommend for that lamp wont come out without a set of tools !!!

as ive said before with the chinese brand lamps (and the bats they recommend with em) you can resign yourself to a decent possibility of having minor issues like this


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## Roger Ranger (Oct 22, 2014)

Try laying the battery on a flat surface and gently rolling it back and forth, using the palm of your hand. About one in five of my batteries have this issue. I usually use those misfits in lights that don't require an exact fit.


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## Ozymandias (Oct 25, 2014)

bearbreeder said:


> before i returned my HC90 because of switch issues, i had 2 nitecore 3400 mAh bats that fit snugly into it fine, no need for pliers
> 
> since those aluminum blocks are machined en masse ... i suspect that your nitecore bat may have been wrapped a bit too thick
> 
> ...



I also find it comical that a Nitecore branded battery does not fit into a Nitecore branded light in an acceptable way. Ludicrously comical as a matter of fact. 



Roger Ranger said:


> Try laying the battery on a flat surface and gently rolling it back and forth, using the palm of your hand. About one in five of my batteries have this issue. I usually use those misfits in lights that don't require an exact fit.



I tried doing that with the first one, to no avail. Thanks for your input though

*Update* I informed the seller of this issue and after several messages back and forth, they agreed to send me another NL189 (Nitecore 3400 mAh) to try. What I did differently this time was to try to insert the battery before charging into the HC90. It fit snug, but not as snug as the other one after the charge. When I say snug, I mean the new one could be inserted all the way and shook out with significant force. After charging, however, it was a completely different story. After charging both cells performed the same in terms of fitting into the HC90. To me, this is unacceptable and I will be returning them. FWIW, both cells were charged in a Nitecore I2 that came as a package deal. I didn't try the first battery for fit before charging as I did the second, but they both perform the same after charging with a significant difference in fit with the second 189 BEFORE charging. 

This concerns me, and I don't think I'll be using these batteries.


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## Ozymandias (Oct 25, 2014)

Should have never strayed away from stalwart brands.


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## bearbreeder (Oct 25, 2014)

Ozymandias said:


> I also find it comical that a Nitecore branded battery does not fit into a Nitecore branded light in an acceptable way. Ludicrously comical as a matter of fact.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



when i had my HC90, i charged the bats just fine in an i4 and both of em went in and came out fine, though a bit snug ... no tools needed

with 2 bats not fitting properly its possible your HC90 is slightly out of spec, though i would expect to hear from other folks who would have had the same issue from the same batch

im pretty new to 18650 bats, but is it expected that they expand when charged???

again with apologies .. but it is pretty funny that two nitecore branded bats that were charged in a nitecore charger wont fit properly in their flagship headlamp


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## Roger Ranger (Oct 25, 2014)

I always thought of Nitecore's as "top shelf" batteries. I once talked with an Eagletac guy (edit. oops! Sorry, it was an Orbtronics guy) about an issue with the plastic shrink wrap on one of their 3400's ripping open when being removed from my i4 charger. He said that they had to go with thinner shrink wrap to maintain the "18" in the 18650 in the newer, higher capacity cells. Because of this, they gave a greater tendency to split when damaged. Maybe Nitecore 3100's will fit your light.


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## thedoc007 (Oct 25, 2014)

bearbreeder said:


> with 2 bats not fitting properly its possible your HC90 is slightly out of spec, though i would expect to hear from other folks who would have had the same issue from the same batch



+1. If one cell doesn't fit, you can try another. If two different cells don't work, likely your battery tube didn't get bored as wide as it should have. I have several Nitecore lights, and they are bored fairly wide, and can accommodate any 18650 I want, including Redilast, which are among the largest diameter cells I have seen. 

18650 is a general size, but as you have found that, there is some variation. Eagletac and SoShine make some of the smallest protected cells. Eagletacs are overpriced, and the button top is easy to damage, and the wrap is thin, though, so I can't really recommend them.



bearbreeder said:


> im pretty new to 18650 bats, but is it expected that they expand when charged???



I have never noticed that. I think a more likely explanation would be that the cell was rotated a bit, and was therefore harder to insert. They aren't perfectly round, again, there is always a little variation. Most lights are bored wide enough to avoid this kind of issue, but when you get one that is borderline it can create a problem.



Roger Ranger said:


> I always thought of Nitecore's as "top shelf" batteries. I once talked with an Eagletac guy about an issue with the plastic shrink wrap on one of their 3400's ripping open when being removed from my i4 charger. He said that they had to go with thinner shrink wrap to maintain the "18" in the 18650 in the newer, higher capacity cells. Because of this, they gave a greater tendency to split when damaged. Maybe Nitecore 3100's will fit your light.



To me, nothing has changed...I still consider Nitecore's cells to be of good quality. After all, it uses a Panasonic cell, same as all the others. I would never buy them without a special deal, though, because like Eagletac they are overpriced, and there are many other brands out there that perform just as well for a substantially lower price.


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## Ozymandias (Oct 25, 2014)

thedoc007 said:


> +1. If one cell doesn't fit, you can try another. If two different cells don't work, likely your battery tube didn't get bored as wide as it should have. I have several Nitecore lights, and they are bored fairly wide, and can accommodate any 18650 I want, including Redilast, which are among the largest diameter cells I have seen.
> 
> 18650 is a general size, but as you have found that, there is some variation. Eagletac and SoShine make some of the smallest protected cells. Eagletacs are overpriced, and the button top is easy to damage, and the wrap is thin, though, so I can't really recommend them.
> 
> ...



While it's possible that the battery tube isn't bored as far out as it should be, both Nitecore batteries fit very snugly in 2 other single 18650 lights (my only other single cell lights). They fit snugly, but aren't impossible to remove as would be the case with the HC90. 

The second battery definitely did swell after charging, and it would be a fair assumption that the first one did also. Nitecore's batteries are more expensive than Eagtac. What batteries do you recommend? 


Also, while I appreciate the recommendation of a 3100mAh Nitecore battery, I find it ridiculous that something that is packaged with an item does not work with it. Also I shouldn't have to give up capacity, no matter how minimal, just to get the thing to fit. Plus, it's not even an option at this point anyway because the seller doesn't have NL188's.


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## thedoc007 (Oct 25, 2014)

If you are on a budget, I'd recommend the SoShine 3400, available at Illumination Supply. With the standard discount code, a pair is $17. Less than a single Nitecore cell. I've personally purchased more than 20 of them (given a bunch away) and have had/heard of no problems at all with any of them.

If you don't mind spending a bit more, or want a bigger name, then the Keeppower 3400 is another good choice. It has a lower internal resistance compared to most other protected 18650s, is a well established name, and also has great reviews virtually across the board.


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## Charles L. (Oct 25, 2014)

Does seem ridiculous that a Nitecore battery can't fit into a Nitecore light. Price aside, you may want to look at HKJ's battery info site to make sure your next batteries will fit. Among the smallest batteries I could find are AW. Not cheap, but should fit


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## Roger Ranger (Oct 25, 2014)

Also, while I appreciate the recommendation of a 3100mAh Nitecore battery, I find it ridiculous that something that is packaged with an item does not work with it. Also I shouldn't have to give up capacity, no matter how minimal, just to get the thing to fit. Plus, it's not even an option at this point anyway because the seller doesn't have NL188's.[/QUOTE]

I feel your frustration. I once went round and round (and round and round...) with the guy at POG who he sold me a Zebralight H31 and a Klarus RCR123 to go with it. When installed, the Klarus RCR stuck out the end of the H31.

Tenergy 2600 flat tops, 4/$30 on Amazon.


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## Ozymandias (Oct 28, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your input and advice.


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