With Panasonic putting out releases (can't find the post now) stating 3.4 and even 4.0 amp hour cells are being worked on, I could care less if I don't get the maximum amount of cycles out of the cell. They will be obsolete before then.
The million dollar question is this:
"What negative effects, if any, will one experience when they deviate from Pansonic's
published maximum charge rate?"
The various dealers can state what they like, but they do so in direct contradiction to Panasonic's own specs. Here is a link to the PDF in question:
Link
For those without a PDF reader handy, it states:
"CHARGE CONDITION: CVCC 4.2V Max.0.3It(885mA), 60mA cut-off at 25deg.C"
Again, the question is not whether or not charging above 885mA is outside spec, as it clearly is.
The question is what, if any, deleterious effect on the cell it will have, and whether that effect will result in:
1) Shortened cell lifetime
2) Risk of fire/explosion
3) Reduced capacity
4) All of the above
and,
At how much current above spec are you putting
yourself and
your loved ones at risk.
Perhaps if we are fortunate SilverFox will pop by for a visit...
EDIT: After reading this post again, I realize I may sound alarmist. However, these are lithium ion cells, and they do need to be treated with care. If the various dealers have a different publication and/or have direct information from Panasonic stating that it is okay to charge up to 1C, then that is a different story. It just makes me anxious when the spec sheet states specifically that the "MAX" charge rate is 0.3C.