18650 batteries

DiRTY DOG

DiRTY DOG

Well-known member
What are the best quality 18650 batteries these days? It seems most of them are rebranded, and the supply constantly changes. What's good right now?
 
Lots of choices here.

www.18650batterystore.com

18650 Batteries

Discover our collection of top-notch 18650 batteries with high energy density and long lifespan. Perfect for laptops, flashlights, electric vehicles, and more. Shop now!
www.18650batterystore.com www.18650batterystore.com
 
Panasonic or Sanyo brand are considered the best in most reviews, and I have a few of them. Orbtronics is what I run mostly. They use Panasonic/Sanyo cells. I have some Nitecore brand that are not disappointing me. Finding legit and trustworthy sources is the important part. A lot of room for shady stuff in the battery market.
 
I’m don’t remember which brand, but bought a 12pack pretty cheap. Already had 2 older batteries so I took 4 from the pack and keep them all charged and ready.
 
My unit manual says NOT to use unprotected rechargeable batteries. Unprotected batteries are cheaper, check your manual to make sure it doesn't require protected circuit battery.
 
Not sure if my batteries are “protected” or not but they’ve been working great for over a year now. Even bought some CR123 batteries for the AGM and keep about 8 of those charged and ready. I’ve gotten good with swapping batteries in the dark while in the field…even with the rifle on the tripod, lol. The iRay has an internal battery as well, so “if” the 18650 dies on stand I still have the internal.
 
Gman757 said:
Lots of choices here.

www.18650batterystore.com

18650 Batteries

Discover our collection of top-notch 18650 batteries with high energy density and long lifespan. Perfect for laptops, flashlights, electric vehicles, and more. Shop now!
www.18650batterystore.com www.18650batterystore.com
Click to expand...
This is a good source. Before I ever got into night calling I was a big flashlight enthusiast. I run a flashlight with a 18650 and these work great. The 18 stand for 18mm diameter and the 65 is 65mm length. All batteries are know by their numbers commercially. It's just that we named them differently in the consumers sector, AA, AAA, etc.

@Spurchaser the protected ones have a button on one of the ends. The unprotected ones are completely flat. This allows for a higher current pull for devices that need high current but can damage devices that don't, hence the protection.

Edit: There are unprotected button top batteries. Please consult your devices manual before purchasing batteries.
 
Last edited:
Lazer32 said:
@Spurchaser the protected ones have a button on one of the ends. The unprotected ones are completely flat.
Click to expand...
This is not entirely correct. You can definitely purchase unprotected button top 18650 batteries. I’m unaware of protected flat top 18650 batteries, but they may exist as well. Just be sure to read the specs on the batteries when you purchase them.

One thing to note on the cheap protected batteries… the protection circuits are usually the first thing to fail. Very noticeable with flashlights. If as the voltage depletes you start seeing your flashlight dimming and brightening, it is most likely a faulty protection circuit in the battery.
 
I stand corrected, what hunt0168 speaks of is correct. They do sell unprotected button top batteries. I guess I've always used unprotected batteries and made an incorrect assumption.
 
From Google,
"includes a built-in protection circuit that monitors voltage, temperature, and current to prevent overcharging, over-discharging, and short circuits."
 
Back
Top