Which 18650 should I get??

I'm going to power this bulb with one 18650:

ThruNite Cree XM-L 3 mode drop-in for SureFire and others 2.7 - 4.2 Volts

Which 18650 do you recommend of these 4:

AW 18650 Protected 2200 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
AW 18650 Protected 2600 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
AW 18650 Protected 2900 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
or
AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

I don't really understand the amperage thing yet. But I want to buy the best battery for this application. I'm assuming that when I get an extender tube some day, I will need 18650's of the SAME amperage, too, correct?

Thanks as always guys!!

AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

thaugen said:

AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Click to expand...

Thank you for the quick response!!

Is it just always best to get the highest amps?

3100mAh is the latest Panasonic cell with slightly lower internal resistance compared to 2900mAh, for example, and by their claims, keeps more capacity over time during recharging cycles...

Also has few other things they did to make it better but I'm not very knowledgeable on this matter to understand/remember it...

I don't own any AW cells, but I understand they are very good. I do own an EagleTac 3100 mAh and an Orbtronic 3100 mAh (both protected Panasonic batteries). I just purchased the Orbtronic cell for $12.99, free s/h. It's nice to have a few purchase options.

OK ...purchased. Thanks guys!

Norseman2 said:

I don't really understand the amperage thing yet.

Click to expand...

The mAh could be seen as fuel tank. The bigger it is, the more milage you will do before refueling...

derfyled said:

The mAh could be seen as fuel tank. The bigger it is, the more milage you will do before refueling...

Click to expand...

Haha ...awesome way to help a laymen like me understand!!

Norseman2 said:

ThruNite Cree XM-L 3 mode drop-in for SureFire and others 2.7 - 4.2 Volts
[...]
I'm assuming that when I get an extender tube some day, I will need 18650's of the SAME amperage, too, correct?

Click to expand...

Well since this drop in can only handle 4.2 V which is what ONE 18650 battery provides you can not use two of them with this drop in. Otherwise you're correct, don't combine two batteries of different capacity. But you shouldn't either combine two batteries of different age. So to avoid problem if you get an extension tube and want to use two 18650 in series you should actually get two fresh cells of the same type.

Jonas

I use AW 3100, Redilast, and Callie's Kustom 18650s. Can't go wrong with any of them. Do not use 2 of them for that LED! Too many volts!

Yeah didn't mean to confuse the number of batteries. When I get around to adding an extension tube I'm going to get a new light too.

Thanks again guys!

Hi Norseman2, welcome to the club. Look up and search IMR or Lithium Manganese 18650s. Something to consider/ponder. That's all I use now. AW IMR 18650s to be exact...

Norseman2 said:

I'm going to power this bulb with one 18650:

ThruNite Cree XM-L 3 mode drop-in for SureFire and others 2.7 - 4.2 Volts

Which 18650 do you recommend of these 4:

AW 18650 Protected 2200 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
AW 18650 Protected 2600 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
AW 18650 Protected 2900 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery
or
AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery

I don't really understand the amperage thing yet. But I want to buy the best battery for this application. I'm assuming that when I get an extender tube some day, I will need 18650's of the SAME amperage, too, correct?

Thanks as always guys!!

Click to expand...

JohnnyBravo said:

Hi Norseman2, welcome to the club. Look up and search IMR or Lithium Manganese 18650s. Something to consider/ponder. That's all I use now. AW IMR 18650s to be exact...

Click to expand...

IMR are not protected. I don't see why using those in a single cell setup, especially on a regulated dropin... They might be safer than li-ion but there is always a risk of overdischarge. That dropin does not have an overdischarge protection.

In my opinion, Norseman2 should stick to regular li-ion...

derfyled said:

IMR are not protected. I don't see why using those in a single cell setup, especially on a regulated dropin... They might be safer than li-ion but there is always a risk of overdischarge. That dropin does not have an overdischarge protection.

Click to expand...

Everything's a trade off. I've seen more failures with protected cells, where the PCB breaks (from drops) or just stops working. Otoh, imrs do can be [slowely] killed from over discharge (when not recharged right away).

The only certainty is a second light, ready to go.

derfyled said:

IMR are not protected. I don't see why using those in a single cell setup, especially on a regulated dropin... They might be safer than li-ion but there is always a risk of overdischarge. That dropin does not have an overdischarge protection.

Click to expand...

Everything's a trade off. I've seen more failures with protected cells, where the PCB breaks (from drops) or just stops working. Otoh, imrs do can be [slowly] killed from over discharge (when not recharged right away).

The only certainty is a second light, ready to go.