# Best & Highest mAh 18650 Li-Ion Out There?



## Jerry B (Apr 16, 2009)

After posting some battery questions and issues on this matter twice now on apparently the wrong forum, I was rather sternly directed over here where hopefully I can finally get some useful advise rather than a reprimand!
All I'm trying to find out is what is supposedly the winner out there in a high mAh (hopefully 3000) 18650 rechargable Li-Ion batterys.
I'm hearing that the UltraFire batteries are not the greatest quality and very inconsistant in output, but they're tho only manufacturer I'm seeing that offers a 3000mAh cell. What's the winner?


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## lctorana (Apr 16, 2009)

Best and Highest are, most emphatically, two very different things.

For Best, go with Pila or AW.

For Highest...


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## VidPro (Apr 16, 2009)

at what rate? some of the high capacity ones DO have the highest MA rating, but choke down to worse than normal ones when asked to DO anything, like run a flashlight.
how many months of use do you want to get out of it? some of the cheaper stuff out there will get you at least a good year of use , mabey 100 cycles


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## old4570 (Apr 16, 2009)

As it is ATM ...

All the top end batts are going to laptop computers ..

Yes there are 2800 to 3000mA batts out there , but there not really being directed / redirected to flashlight use . 

If you read the threads , then there might be some available @ http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/

Or try the much maligned Ultrafire 3000mA batts ... 

Available from DX and KD or flea-bay ...


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## VegasF6 (Apr 16, 2009)

It may well shape up to be the Panasonic cells talked about here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/217485&page=4
But, I guess it is all relative. And besides, you can't really get those just yet.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Apr 16, 2009)

On another lighting site, one member highly recommends Eagletac 18650 cells as being relatively high capacity. I don't think a graph was posted, though.


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## zx7dave (Apr 16, 2009)

AW....tried and true...


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## Benson (Apr 17, 2009)

zx7dave said:


> AW....tried and true...


Best? Absolutely!

Highest? Definitely not. Since the OP is looking for 3Ah cells, recommending 2.2Ah cells doesn't seem helpful...

The Panasonic cells VegasF6 mentioned seem promising, but availability is not there yet (ever?).

The UF3000s _are_ some of the highest capacity readily available, but their current-handling is abysmal.


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## old4570 (Apr 17, 2009)

Yes , the Ultrafires are bad in High current applications [ ? ] , but when used to power a Cree R2 , well , they could be just right ...

I just got 2 today , and they were/are for R2 use .. I have a SSC P7 , so will see . Hopefully we may see some more 3A Batts in the months ahead . 

Poster did not mention Application ? MC-E - SSC P7 - or Cree ?

Anyway , I have 2 that are fully charged and ready to go , so I will see for myself ...


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## Black Rose (Apr 17, 2009)

What about those "true" 2400 mAh 18650 cells that showed up on DX recently?


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## Tohuwabohu (Apr 17, 2009)

Black Rose said:


> What about those "true" 2400 mAh 18650 cells that showed up on DX recently?


I bought 4 of the black "true" 2400mAh Trustfire 18650s (SKU 20392 at DX) but I did not yet have the time to test them at different discharge rates.
I only managed to do a 1A discharge:





Capacity at 1A discharge is between 2.3Ah and 2.4Ah.
Voltage under load is higher than with the Ultrafire 3000s, it is even higher than that of my 2 unprotected 2500mAh Trustfires.


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## harddrive (Apr 21, 2009)

Have you had a chance to do any further testing on those Trustfire "True" 2400s Tohuwabohu?

Performance seems pretty impressive at 1A anyway. 

This might be a very dumb question so I appologise in advance. If a light that is driving the emitter at 1.2A on a single 18650 (such as Dereelight 1S/3SD pills) what would the disacharge rate be at the battery? 1.2A or not?


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## 325addict (Apr 22, 2009)

According to numerous people here on the forum, the BLUE Trustfire 2500mAh protected cells seem to be truely something like 2500mAh :thumbsup:

I just bought two of them (SKU 5790) for just $10,- and I will do some capacity-tests on them soon.

The topic-starter didn't ask for protected or unprotected cells IIRC. I would always go for protected ones, and IF these really are 2500mAh, then they may belong to the highest rating (I don't say: highest QUALITY) cells around.


Timmo.


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## axim (Apr 22, 2009)

I did also order a few of those true 2400mAh, expect them to arrive in about 2 weeks.

How do you create these diagrams while discharging them? With some kind of USB scope? Maybe I could find some equipment in our lab at university and do some measurements! Do you use equipment for the discharging process, or do you build a small circuit yourself?


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## vincebdx (Jun 1, 2009)

Trustfire 2500 blue label are more efficient at ~1,2A (2*18650 MCE/P7 led flashlight or 1*18650 XRE led flashlight) : https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/223638&page=2

But at 1.5C-2C AW2600 can beat them, graph wanted :bow:


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## The Dane (Jun 2, 2009)

Heres a small test of what I had laying around.






Discharge at 1A, 2.4A and 4.8A


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## ntalbot (Jun 3, 2009)

AW's new 2600mAh 18650's are probably the best conveniently available protected 18650 cells right now. They just became available a couple of weeks ago.


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## mikekoz (Jun 3, 2009)

I know these cells are not protected, but I have several 18650's that I yanked from laptop battery packs. These cells are made by Panasonic and Samsung, names I have trusted for years to make good quality products. I also have some wrapped in a dark red casing that I can not tell who makes. The Samsungs are 2600mah, the Panasonics 2400. I would trust these cells, at least from a point of brand name alone, over Ultrafire, Trustfire, Wuteverfire, anyday. 

Mike


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