18650 with prominent button?

[bassopotamus]

So I'm having some trouble getting 18650s to work with my Nitecore SRT7. It appears that it needs a battery with a prominent button top.

I picked up a couple Panasonic 3400s off amazon, and it seems that their tops are too flat to make contact. They also don't say panasonic on them anywhere, but they are the same shade of green I've seen. I had bought these in lieu of the fasttech protected pannasonics that still seem to be sitting in Hong Kong. At least the Fasttech description says they are button top.

I'm about to leave town for a hunting trip, can't (AFAIK) get 18650s locally or on the other end. I only have a nitecore that came with the flashlight and works fine. I guess I could get another nitecore, but they are kind of expensive. Is there a brand of decent 18650 with a prominent button that I can get through Amazon on short notice (I have free 2 day shipping)? In a pinch, I guess I can get another nitecore.

 

[hoop762]

I've had good luck with Tenergy protected 2600mah 18650s. I got them from amazon. They are prime eligible.

They work well in my Olight M18. I would expect them to work well in your SRT.

 

[thedoc007]

Amazon sells Orbtronics and Eagletacs also (since I don't know what price you found for the Nitecore, I don't know if they will be cheaper, but you have the option). They are both good cells, with a button top. I can confirm from personal use (I have an SRT7) that Xtar, Eagletac, Keeppower, and Orbtronic cells all fit and work flawlessly. Redilast do not, and the Panasonics do not, as you discovered.

I've completely stopped buying flattop cells. Button tops just work better...seems silly to buy cells that can't be used in a great percentage of lights, when they are the same cell underneath anyway. There is no advantage, as far as I know, to flattop cells, but they do come with a very substantial disadvantage - compatibility. Caveat emptor.

 

[bassopotamus]

Amazon sells Orbtronics and Eagletacs also (since I don't know what price you found for the Nitecore, I don't know if they will be cheaper, but you have the option). They are both good cells, with a button top. I can confirm from personal use (I have an SRT7) that Xtar, Eagletac, Keeppower, and Orbtronic cells all fit and work flawlessly. Redilast do not, and the Panasonics do not, as you discovered.

I've completely stopped buying flattop cells. Button tops just work better...seems silly to buy cells that can't be used in a great percentage of lights, when they are the same cell underneath anyway. There is no advantage, as far as I know, to flattop cells, but they do come with a very substantial disadvantage - compatibility. Caveat emptor.

Thanks for the tip. I went ahead and ordered a Nitecore, as it appeared to be the only 3400 with free 2 day shipping. 20 bucks, which stings a little, but so it goes. Strangely, the Panasonics I ordered from Fast Tech claim to be button tops. We'll see if they work, if they ever get here.

 

[torukmakto4]

I've completely stopped buying flattop cells. Button tops just work better...seems silly to buy cells that can't be used in a great percentage of lights, when they are the same cell underneath anyway. There is no advantage, as far as I know, to flattop cells, but they do come with a very substantial disadvantage - compatibility. Caveat emptor.

Those "flat top" cells are proper, standards-compliant, 18650 cells. I would argue the other way on the compatibility issue. A bare 18650 is about 10 times as standardized and predictable as some random cell with all kinds of nonstandard and highly variable aftermarket mods like button top, protection circuit, 3 layers of shrinkwrap, etc. (none of which have anything to do with the cell manufacturer) or some random nonstandard device that was designed for some unfathomable reason to exclusively use such modified nonstandard cells - like many lights.

Granted, that doesn't help you when dealing with one of those devices. What's done is done, and we can only get the right cells (or mod the device, like I would) and hope the industry does better next time.

In particular, we really need a standard for button top protecteds and a standard for how to design a device to accept both those and proper 18650 cells in order to satisfy every user and avoid all this trouble with what brand of cells fit what.

 

[thedoc007]

Those "flat top" cells are proper, standards-compliant, 18650 cells. I would argue the other way on the compatibility issue. A bare 18650 is about 10 times as standardized and predictable as some random cell with all kinds of nonstandard and highly variable aftermarket mods like button top, protection circuit, 3 layers of shrinkwrap, etc. (none of which have anything to do with the cell manufacturer) or some random nonstandard device that was designed for some unfathomable reason to exclusively use such modified nonstandard cells - like many lights.

Granted, that doesn't help you when dealing with one of those devices. What's done is done, and we can only get the right cells (or mod the device, like I would) and hope the industry does better next time.

In particular, we really need a standard for button top protecteds and a standard for how to design a device to accept both those and proper 18650 cells in order to satisfy every user and avoid all this trouble with what brand of cells fit what.

I definitely agree that standardization of cells would be preferable. No disagreement there whatsoever - simple guaranteed compatibility would be a nice thing to have.

In the real world, though, button top Eagletac 3400 mAh cells (as an example, there are others) have worked in every single 18650 light I have ever tried. You can rail against the system, and in fact I encourage you to do so, but until it changes, button tops are simply more likely to work, regardless of how they match up to a non-enforced standard.

I cannot say the same about my Redilast 3400 cells, which are flattop. They don't work AT ALL in at least half of my lights. Seems like an easy call to me.

 

[smokinbasser]

From a cheap old farts view just take a small strip of aluminium foil and fold/ball it up and you have a button top that isn't going to look pretty but does work.