AW IMR 18350 cells are rated at 800mAh now?

I'm replacing my old Li-Ion batteries and I see the new AW IMR 18350 cells are rated at 800mAh now. Has anything actually changed inside the battery, or were the old ratings more conservative?

Also, I noticed the AW RCR123s have grown in length by about a millimeter. What's changed there? Were they using undersized cells before to accommodate the size of the low-voltage-cutoff circuit board? If so, why did they stop doing that? Do the new RCR123s have any more capacity than the old ones?

You can compare the old and new AW RCR123 in my comparator. I will be testing more AW cells over the next few months.

Well that's no good, your graphs make the 800mAh cells look weaker than the old ones.

HKJ said:

...I will be testing more AW cells over the next few months.

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Will the new 9A AW 14500 battery be in your test queue?

http://www.rtdvapor.com/new-aw-imr-14500-3-7v-650mah/

SubLGT said:

Will the new 9A AW 14500 battery be in your test queue?

http://www.rtdvapor.com/new-aw-imr-14500-3-7v-650mah/

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First batch is the black cells, but the dealer has also promised me all the red cells. I am not sure if the 14500 will be the new version.

Interesting that the ver.2016 of the RCR123s and the IMR16340s have almost exactly the same performance. That makes me regret buying any of the new IMR16340s, because it looks like the RCR123s would do the job just as effectively and with no risk of over-discharging.

Yes, I am utterly flummoxed by the new test. It has always been simple for me to choose batteries. Just ante up for AW and don't worry about nuthin. Not so easy now.

I realize the quandary here, but isn't it great to have a seller/ brand name product that there is never any question about the honest capabilities instead of all the cr**fire claims we all know are fake?

Crazyeddiethefirst said:

I realize the quandary here, but isn't it great to have a seller/ brand name product that there is never any question about the honest capabilities instead of all the cr**fire claims we all know are fake?

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But based on HJK's recent test all of the claims are bogus. It tested the same as a black protected ICR. I anxiously await tests of more new AW batteries to see if this was a fluke or they have slipped.

Just got a AW 800mah 18350 from Oveready yesterday and popped it in the Opus 3100 for a charge test cycle.

Tested at 775mAh. That's about 3% off from the 800mAh rating, which is within the margin of error as far as I'm concerned!

Edit: I don't have an older one handy in the office but I can bring one in tomorrow to test. Won't be apples to apples as my older 700mAh 18350s are at least 2 years old.

Do you have a way to measure max amp output or lets say 5 amps?

recDNA said:

Do you have a way to measure max amp output or lets say 5 amps?

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Nope, sorry. the Opus is as advanced as my equipment gets! Will have to leave that kind of testing to HKJ and similarly knowledgable folk.

recDNA said:

Do you have a way to measure max amp output or lets say 5 amps?

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Read here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?414021-Test-Review-of-AW-IMR18350-800mAh-(Red)

Thanks. I was confusing your imr 16340 results that were terrible with 18350 results that are good.

I just noticed that the charging rate for the new aw imr 18350 is .8 amps whereas the old one (700) is up to 2 amps (not that I would charge that high). From this I deduce the new 800 mAh aw imr 18350 is either icr or inr. Imr can charge at more than 1C. Do you agree?

recDNA said:

I just noticed that the charging rate for the new aw imr 18350 is .8 amps whereas the old one (700) is up to 2 amps (not that I would charge that high). From this I deduce the new 800 mAh aw imr 18350 is either icr or inr. Imr can charge at more than 1C. Do you agree?

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Only partial, all cells today are hybrid chemistry, i.e. no clean ICR, IMR, INR anymore (Except may a few cheap cells from China). The old one may have been a real IMR cell and now it is a hybrid chemistry.

HKJ said:

Only partial, all cells today are hybrid chemistry, i.e. no clean ICR, IMR, INR anymore (Except may a few cheap cells from China). The old one may have been a real IMR cell and now it is a hybrid chemistry.

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I'm guessing the old one is really IMR by the 2 amp max charging current spec. I prefer real IMR and don't need the extra current nor runtime but I literally just ordered the 800. I sent an email to rtd vapor asking if it is too late to add a 700 to my order without another postage charge. If they don't get the message in time I'll use the new one. If I can add a 700 that will be my first choice and the 800 will be backup. OTOH they both show 60C as max temperature so maybe there isn't any difference in safety. I'll be using it in a Manker e14 that will definitely overheat if it is somehow turned on max and left that way so I'll just have to be especially careful. It takes multiple clicks to get to high so if it does get turned on accidentally it is pretty unlikely it will be on high or turbo.

As always thanks for replying so quickly. I don't know where you find the time but it's great to get such well informed advice.

recDNA said:

I'll be using it in a Manker e14 that will definitely overheat if it is somehow turned on max and left that way so I'll just have to be especially careful. It takes multiple clicks to get to high so if it does get turned on accidentally it is pretty unlikely it will be on high or turbo.

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It is possible to reach Turbo in two presses: click on to moonlight, then long half-press to Turbo (which then steps down to High after 45 seconds).

Somebody will manage it sooner or later; hopefully not me

Mind you, the BLF A6 has tailcap lockout, which I use. If the Manker E14 / Astrolux S41 has it, I'll be using it.

Edit: I've just asked on the Manker E14 thread whether it has tailcap lockout.

Absolutely. Thanks

HKJ said:

Only partial, all cells today are hybrid chemistry, i.e. no clean ICR, IMR, INR anymore (Except may a few cheap cells from China). The old one may have been a real IMR cell and now it is a hybrid chemistry.

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Interesting. Well, I don't care what's inside the battery as long as it holds a good charge and doesn't explode.