Best Place to Buy 18650 Batteries -Place, Brand and Cycle Life

Where's the best place to get rechargeable 18650 battery?

The 18650 may be a sort of rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized portable devices. They’re in everything, from our smartphones and cameras to baby monitors, fitness gadgets, and flashlights. As battery technology has matured, cells, like the 18650, that were once reserved for device manufacturers, have found their way into consumer's hands. However, these new lithium cells have not been standardized quite like the rechargeable AAs you’ll find in the supermarket. The 18650 isn’t a standardized cell. They’re not all built equally, or with the same task in mind. The most important trait to consider when looking at 18650 batteries is the continuous discharge rating (CDR), also known as amperage capacity. The CDR is the rate at which current—measured in amps (A)—can be pulled from the battery without it overheating. In order to find out which battery is right for you, you’ll need to match the CDR of the battery with the power draw associated with your device. If you pick the wrong battery, the cells will get too hot. The heat will damage the battery, reducing its overall lifespan. Overheating may even cause the cells to explode, leak, or damage your device.

Fortunately, there’s an immediate relation between CDR (A) and battery capacity (mAh). The higher the capacity, the lower the CDR. That means devices that draw less power can cash in of higher-capacity cells. Hungrier devices will got to use lower-capacity cells so as to securely draw more current.

The current maximum CDR attainable in a 18650 battery is 38A at 2000mAh. Some bogus manufacturers claim ratings of 40A, or 35A at 3000mAh or greater, but these are not trustworthy ratings. Battery technology evolves constantly, so expect this to change.

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When buying 18650 batteries, you'll have a choice between protected and unprotected cells. Protected cells, because the name might suggest, have a little electronic circuit integrated into the battery packaging. This is located at one end of the battery and is indistinguishable from the cell itself.

This circuit protects the battery against dangers like excessive charging and discharging, short-circuiting, and extreme temperatures. This is designed to protect the devices you use them in and to prevent damage from explosion or leaking.

There are some sellers on eBay and amazon selling the original 18650s. If you’re going to buy the 18650s, stick to SAMSUNG, PANASONIC or LG. Don’t buy the cheap brands or ultrafine ones unless you want to set your home on fire.

How many brands do you know about best 18650 batteries?

The best batteries are generally produced by Sony, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic/Sanyo. That doesn’t mean all other brands are untrustworthy, but these brands provide reliable and trustworthy CDR ratings and enough information for you to identify fakes.

Sony VTC5A

• CDR/Capacity: 35A/2600mAh

• Weight: 47.1g (variation of 1.5g)

Sony VTC6

• CDR/Capacity: 15A/3000mAh

• Weight: 46.5g average

Samsung 25R

• CDR/Capacity: 20A/2600mAh

• Weight: 43.8g average

Samsung 30Q

• CDR/Capacity: 15A/3000mAh

• Weight: 45.6g average

LG HD2

• CDR/Capacity: 25A/2000mAh

• Weight: 44g maximum

LG HG2

• CDR/Capacity: 20A/3000mAh

• Weight: 44-45g

VapCell

• CDR/Capacity: 38A/2000mAh

• Weight: 43.4 average

Orbtronic

• CDR/Capacity: 10A/3500mAh

• Weight: 46.5 average

To avoid disappointment, always pick a top-quality charger. We’d recommend Nitecore’s i2 Intellicharge Charger for 18650 batteries, which can charge two cells directly. you'll use it with 18560, AA, and AAA Li-Ion and NiMH rechargeable batteries. These chargers detect battery status, then change the voltage and appropriate charge mode accordingly. this could help avoid damage associated with overcharging, though you ought to always lookout if using unprotected cells. you'll also buy the Nitecore D4 with a car adapter for charging on the go, with room for four cells to charge simultaneously. You’ll get to exercise similar care when buying a charger as you'd when buying your batteries to avoid fakes. For best results, buy directly from manufacturers (or their official outlets).

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How do you extend your 18650 battery cycle life?

When a 18650 battery is charged and discharged, this is often counted together cycle.18650 lithium-ion batteries are charged up to 4.2V and right down to between 2V and 3V counting on the cell's specification for cut-off voltage. To be safe, never discharge but 3.0V unless you recognize your cell's specification. Discharging occurs anytime you employ the battery for power. The electricity is drawn from your device, and therefore the battery discharges current. you'll also use battery testing equipment to discharge A battery. To charge a 18650, you ought to use a special charger for lithium-ion cells. Cycle life is decided by the difference within the capacity of your cell taken from its first-use rating to its present rating. for instance, if your cell started at 3000mAh, but now only has 2900mAh. 2900 mAh is 96% of the first capacity. When this percentage reaches 80%, we are saying the cycle life has ended (even though you'll get a couple of thousand more cycles out of your battery). The latest 18650 batteries have a typical cycle lifetime of 300 - 500 (a charge, discharge cycles). When in high-amp or high-drain situations, this may decrease substantially to 200 cycles. If you re-evaluate the utmost discharge current limit (A) you'll decrease the cycle life all the way right down to 50 cycles. In optimal conditions, your cells may achieve quite 500 cycles. Some chemistries are ready to cycle thousands of times before reaching 80% of their capacity.

18650 cells are rated normally between 20 and 25 degrees Celcius. Any deviation from this may create a small loss within the efficiency of the battery.

Never charge your 18650 cells below freezing! Eg. during a garage in Winter because it will degrade particularly quickly this manner. While you're using your cell, if you notice it gets hot, let it rest. Under normal use, your cell shouldn't get hot-to-touch, and will never exceed 60 degrees. If it's getting hot fast, you're over-stressing it. Don't Overcharge (above 4.2V), Consider Undercharging (under 4.0V).

When you discharge a cell you'll choose its cut-off voltage like we already discussed. But we will also choose the amperage with which we are drawing current. the upper the amperage, the less capacity we'll ultimately see. Higher amperage discharges (called high-drain) also will reduce the cycle lifetime of your cells. When possible, use less amperage. Official tests by LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, then forth usually do their discharge tests at just 0.5 or 0.8 amps.