Is it true the 16650 format is discontinued by Sanyo?

michaelmcgo · Nov 29, 2017

The 2500mAh 16650 battery by Sanyo is one of the best things to happen to Surefire/Foursevens/ any 2x123 format flashlights this decade. It gives a genuine replacement for the CR123 without messing with terrible 16340 cells.

I've read in several places that Sanyo discontinued their cell and you can only buy old cells now. Is there any truth to this? It would seem strange as there has been a lot of development on the 16650 format bringing it close to the capacity of some 18650 cells in a smaller package.

stephenk · Nov 29, 2017

None of the major Li-ion manufacturers make batteries primarily for flashlights. If there is no reason to produce 16650 en masse, then I can't see production resuming. The flashlight market tends to follow battery trends rather than the other way around.

InvisibleFrodo · Nov 29, 2017

michaelmcgo said:
The 2500mAh 16650 battery by Sanyo is one of the best things to happen to Surefire/Foursevens/ any 2x123 format flashlights this decade. It gives a genuine replacement for the CR123 without messing with terrible 16340 cells.

I've read in several places that Sanyo discontinued their cell and you can only buy old cells now. Is there any truth to this? It would seem strange as there has been a lot of development on the 16650 format bringing it close to the capacity of some 18650 cells in a smaller package.

What's wrong with 16340's? I'm not asking sarcastically, I'm serious. I have a Haiku and a Spy 007, which both use 16340's. I've not had any issues so far, but if there's something I need to be aware of... 🤔[emoji363][emoji378]

slumber · Nov 29, 2017

InvisibleFrodo said:
What's wrong with 16340's? I'm not asking sarcastically, I'm serious. I have a Haiku and a Spy 007, which both use 16340's. I've not had any issues so far, but if there's something I need to be aware of... [emoji848][emoji363][emoji378]

In lights designed around the 2x123 format, runtime time is much better on a single 16650 vs 2x16340. Also, it eliminates the need to match voltage.

Is it true the 16650 format is discontinued by Sanyo?

michaelmcgo

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stephenk

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InvisibleFrodo

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slumber

Flashlight Enthusiast

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