are there any GOOD 18650 batts over 3400mah?

right now im looking at a set of olight protected 3400mah batts (4 of them for about 50 bucks)

are there other GOOD 18650 batts with higher then 3400mah OR OR OR the same 3400mah but cheaper and just as good

i will be using the batts in a nitecore tm26 and would like to use the built in charger on the flashlight all the time. or is it better to charge the batts outside the light?

point is, the tm26 is picky regarding battery length it accepts:
unprotected 18650 are 65mm, they are too short.
protected 18650 may be as long as 71mm, they are too long.

i am not familiar with olight. you could check nitcore price?
http://charger.nitecore.com/product/18650-li-ion-battery-nl189

well olight has a prtected 3600mah 18650 cell that is listed at 68.5mm +/-.5mm so im sure that would fit fine.

the 3400mah nitecores are roughly 70 for 4 of them (36 per pair)

Andrew Storlie said:

well olight has a prtected 3600mah 18650 cell that is listed at 68.5mm +/-.5mm so im sure that would fit fine.

the 3400mah nitecores are roughly 70 for 4 of them (36 per pair)

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Where are you seeing 3600mAh Olights?

http://olightworld.us/store/accessories.html?limit=36

I see this on BatteryJunction, but they don't mention which cells they're using in their 3200/3600 offerings.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-18650-box-opt.html

My buddy got some Olight 3400s to run in his Vinh modified TK-61 v4 light and they seem to work well, but it's not a huge load on them.

Chris

Orbtronic has a 3600 that they say is Panasonic, but they're always out of them. Their cells seem to be as highly rated as any, but their web site makes me wonder - I've been watching for them to have 3400s and VP2 chargers in stock for a couple of weeks now.

Olight's are good, they use Panasonic cells. Looks like the newer 3600mAh ones are a 0.8mm shorter and have a higher discharge current rating.

[h=3]Specifications:[/h]

• Type: 18500-3600mAh
• Chemistry: Li-Ion
• Nominal Capacity: 3450mAh
• Maximum Capacity: 3600mAh
• Nominal Voltage: 3.6V
• Maximum Discharge Current: 6000mA
• Charging Current: 1800mA (0.5C)
• Charging Cycle: 500 Times
• Weight: 50.2g
• Dimensions: Dial 18.5 ± 0.1mm
• Length: 68.7 ± 0.5mm

• Type: 18650-3400mAh
• Model No: ORB-186P34
• Chemistry: Li-ion
• Capacity (mAh): 3400
• Voltage: 3.7V (labeled as 3.6V, will be 4.2V fresh off a charger)
• Maximum Charge: 3600mA (1C)
• Maximum Discharge Current: 4200mA
• Charge Current: 1700mA (0.5C)
• Charging Cycle: 500 times
• Weight: 49g
• Dimensions: Dia18.6mm,
• Length 69.5mm(D x H)

http://goinggear.com/featured-products/olight-protected-3600mah-3-6-volt-18650-battery.html very pricy though... 100 buck for 4 of them, and only 800mah more (4 in parallel)

Andrew Storlie said:

http://goinggear.com/featured-products/olight-protected-3600mah-3-6-volt-18650-battery.html very pricy though... 100 buck for 4 of them, and only 800mah more (4 in parallel)

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If they're truly 3600mAh Panasonic NCR18650Gs, which is somewhat doubtful to me and you have the cash, then why not?

Personally, I'd go with some Orbtronic Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GAs (or KeepPowers) and have that 10A capability, for less money, but what the hell...

Chris

ChrisGarrett said:

Personally, I'd go with some Orbtronic Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GAs (or KeepPowers) and have that 10A capability, for less money, but what the hell...

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Same here. Chasing a couple hundred mAh is silly IMO. I doulbt anyone consistently drains their cells to 2.5-2.8v to suck every last bit of juice out. And if they are, it's not so good for the cell. Better to carry spares if you're such a heavy user and stop to swap before they are completely drained.

And price is always a big deal for me whether I have the money or not.

Lately, for batteries that are readily available, it seems that 3400mAh is the limit.

In an 18650 sized cell, yes.

JasonJ said:

In an 18650 sized cell, yes.

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What 18650s are you suggesting that are quality and readily available. When I look for higher capacity, the 3400mAh are the best I can readily find available for purchase. Everything else is over priced and of questionable heritage. One company needs two or three days to get back to your e-mails because they have so many e-mails.

Here's the best deal I've found in protected 18650s with a 3400mAh capacity.

Disclaimer: I've yet to buy from this company.

I like the 3500mAh NCR18650GA. Not for the 100mAh increase but rather the 10A discharge rate. Perfect cell!

BTW, minimum capacity is 3350mAh and typical is 3450mAh so don't get caught up by such small differences. IMO anything over 3000 is pretty good. More important to focus on max discharge, max cycles and IR especially if you're using some more demanding lights.

Parrot, I was agreeing with your statement in post #10. In an 18650 sized cell, about 3400 is about the best capacity there is right now. There are a few 3500s and even fewer 3600mAh cells but the extra 1-200mAh capacity isn't worth getting hung up on.

Very few of us run our cells down low enough to realize the full capacity anyhow. As mark mentioned, max discharge current and max cycles matter more.

I must have read your comment fifty times and when I decided to choose, of course, I went the wrong direction.

Agreed, for the extra little bit one gets (up to 200 mAh/battery) it's hardly worth the additional charge and of course, after using the light (battery), once home, it's right back onto the charger. On turbo, my floody, at best, is a 3A draw, yet the battery is capable of handling a more demanding draw-down that I never use. It's hard to wrap my think around this point.

Kirk to Scottie: what do you mean I've got more power and I don't need it!

Thanks for straightening me up.

I'm beginning to "HATE" batteries. In ignorance, I have to write, I have no idea why one can't mix and match similar batteries. I went with Orbtronic 3400mAh to go into a Nitecore TM16 because the batteries are high drain with what I think to be the best reviews and now I'm stuck with adding to the pile rather than being able to go with a less expensive mix. Whine!

The point, beware what you buy because unless changing to a different battery style down the road, you'll be stuck with that price point/battery configuration should you want to add more batteries to the wood pile. Currently, I don't need a swap-out set which, for my needs, that's a good thing but I'm still stuck with adding additional expensive batteries to the wood pile.

To address your original question, if you want/need more than 3400mAh, these Orbtronics will get you where you want to go. Check out the price of the 3600mAh 18650s compared to the price of the 3400mAh 18650s.

As to your question regarding the use of the built in charger, not a good idea because according to what I've read, the user is restricted as to how much energy can be pumped back into the battery (takes forever to charge the battery) so one is better served using an outside charging unit like a Nitecore D4.

you people should read HKJ's review on the NCR18650G "3600mah" it's such a small improvement over the "B"

most people are better off buying the NCR18650BE 3200mah. low cost. 10A capable. low internal resistance.

G: meh. GA: yes please!