I am new to the addiction and my first good light (besides my pd20 I've had for years) is on it's way. Now I need two 18650's and a simple charger to go along. Does any one have and advice or where to get a deal on two batteries and a charger with out spending a fortune..... Links would be great
Thanks for the advice and good reads.... I found a deal on a xtar wp2ii and two xtar batteries for 35 shipped .... Think I'm gonna snag that
I am considering getting a 18650 headlight for work. I was wondering what brand batteries are considered to be the best for run time and output and also what charger you guys recommend? I would like to be able to charge thme in my work truck if possible, as long as there is no cons to using a vehicle charger vs a wall charger. Thanks.
Unfortunately , you generally get what you pay for ... I'm not saying that all cheap chargers are bad , but with Li-Ions you need a charger that will terminate at the correct voltage every time ... This is far more important if your torch contains more than one Li-Ion battery ... If your torch uses three cells , they all need to be charged to exactly the same voltage ... The cells also need to be exactly the same Ah capacity ... Protected cells are essential in this scenario ... Because of this , most users only buy torches that contain only one Li-Ion cell ... Read up on the problems with using (in particular) multiple Li-Ion cells and buy a reasonable measuring instrument to check the individual voltages of your Li-Ions.
I always charge my 18650's at one amp which is perfect for 3100mAh Panasonics ... You might need a spare set of batteries too , if you are charging your cells in a single or double bay charger ... You certainly need to do a lot of reading (as we all did) before you get into the world of Li-Ions.
I would certainly recommend that you consider buying a cheap Solarforce L2 (single 18650) torch as well.
Most of the better protected 18650's seem to be a bit longer ... Some are 18700's ... Make sure that your torch will take the extra length of these cells and also make sure that the charger will accept the longer cells ... If the cells are too tight , you risk damaging the ends of your 18650's and that could be dangerous.
Good luck.
I don't have the shut off issue with my protected 18650's on the Intellicharger I4. Is this because they are protected cells? ...would it not be more logical to choose between a conservative and liberal top off charge?
I can't post links (Edit: yes I can, here you go), but fasttech has genuine panasonics, either with or without protective circuit added, in their 2900, 3100, or 3400 mAh variations for very good prices with free shipping, and CPF members get a further 5% discount by using the coupon code which is the three letter acronym for CandlePowerForums.
Additionally, they have some good 18650 chargers, such as the Nitecore i2 smart charger, or the XTAR WP2S.
If I were in the market for a li-ion charger today, I'd buy one of the two named above. Probably the XTAR, it looks pretty good, follows good CC/CV charge method, and has extra protection by means of the fireproof ABS shell cover. Plus it has the bonus feature of being able to use li-ion cells as a USB power supply for smartphones/tablets etc, anything that charges via USB.
But the Nitecore looks good too, and has the bonus of being cheaper, and also being able to charge NiMH cells, in a pinch.
Again, you can get 5% off fasttech for these too. I don't have any affiliation with them, for the record, I just happen to have found that they have pretty good prices on some of this stuff. If you can get better deals elsewhere, go hard. Just with cells, you want to make sure they're genuine name brand cells underneath: Sony / Sanyo / Panasonic, and if they are protected, that the protection circuitry is tried and true, perhaps models that have been tested by forum member HKJ and stood up well to high current tests.
PS, in answer to your question "re any of the 2 batteries and charger for around $15 any good?", I'd have to say no. You'll get what you pay for, generally, and it's not a good idea to skimp on li-ion cells or chargers. Buy at least reasonably reputable brands and quality, is my suggestion.
Thanks for the tip. I just ordered 2 protected 3400s from Fasttech. They are actually a whisker smaller than the Nitecore ones, and I figured the Nitecore ones ought to fit their own flashlights