18650 Battery Selection for no name Headlamp

[BrassCat]

Hello the Forum, Just purchased a No name headlamp. shame on me perhaps. It is plenty bright, came with two cheap (impossible overrated amp hour rated junk) 18650 button top batteries. They are wired in a parallel circuit. Useful battery use time is terrible. Looking to replace with quality batteries. I am reading I should use protected cells. These are not protected. Battery pack certainly looks like it needs to be button top to connect. Protected cell length is too long to fit, at least the ones I checked at Orbtronics. I have a Xtar VC4 charger, which terminates charge at 4.2 volts. So, I should not be overcharging them. Seems I am limited to button top unprotected batteries.

So, what is the draw back then in using unprotected good quality cells with this head light? Or other option?

Thanks, Stan

 

[BrassCat]

Lets narrow the question. How about who makes the shortest quality 18650 protected cell, as I read the protection circuit can be 2 to 5+mm in size?
Thanks for any recommendation.

 

[GregP507]

Good quality is possible at a low price if you do a bit of homework. I researched some battery performance reviews for 18650 cells, and one brand came up consistently to perform as advertised. It was the PKCell brand. I searched AliExpress for this brand, filtering for free shipping and the lowest prices. I came up with a few possible suppliers. Always mindful of fakes, I read the reviews until I was confident enough to take a chance on a few of them. I ordered the cells in lots of 8 at a time for the best price, and so far they have all lived up to their claims. I recently went through my stockpile of batteries, and some that have been sitting idle for over a year are still holding the 50% charge they were shipped with. I'm very happy with my purchase so far.

 

[sirpetr]

We are using Keeppower 3500mAh, which are the shortest from all protected batteries I used, however I have had in my hands just few brands and types. These are 68.5mm long, genuine bought directly from Keeppower.

 

[Afraid.of.dark]

I am a newbie when it comes to flashlights too so I am in a similar train..
But when I started looking at the batteries I became even more overwhelmed.. different capacities, voltages and etc seems still quite confusing..
One thing I learned is that those weird fake batteries can actually be dangerous! Thats why you shouldn't use them or at least be on caution if you do.
I found this guide on Reddit /r/18650masterrace and /r/batteries that is listed in the top of all times https://techmoment.net/best-18650-battery/ so it should be a good source to learn more about them.
It also recommends a few brands. I checked out the Nitecore battery but it just seems way to expensive.

Upon further research on my own I concluded that the Samsung's 30Q is an excellent choice for a flashlight. I will probably be using that battery once I decide which "real" flashlight to get.
I am currently using a no name brand too but it is not really good. I am thinking of Convoy S2+ that I was suggested in another topic here. It seems to be a great EDC for me.

That's what I can share as a beginner to a beginner. Be careful of those fakes and maybe you should find a 30Q in an unprotected button top variant. Maybe some of the bigger battery brand stores have them. Like liionwholesale or others

 

[sirpetr]

So, what is the draw back then in using unprotected good quality cells with this head light? Or other option?

You can overdischarge unprotected cells easily if you do not know details about your headlamp electronics. If its electronics circuit fails, batteries can short circuit, vent, heat, catch a fire.
When charging, any charger (even quality one) can fail, overcharge battery and it can start a fire.

 

[Afraid.of.dark]

You can overdischarge unprotected cells easily if you do not know details about your headlamp electronics. If its electronics circuit fails, batteries can short circuit, vent, heat, catch a fire.
When charging, any charger (even quality one) can fail, overcharge battery and it can start a fire.

Wow.. so it cannot be safe to charge the non protected cells?
Why are there then so many unprotected batteries for sale? Should we only use protected 18650 batteries?

 

[sirpetr]

Unprotected cells are produced by big companies like Panasonic,Sanyo,Sony,LG,Samsung and are meant to be used only by companies who weld them into packs and put there protection circuits. Without such protection, they could not sell it to the end consumer. Products must be safe and this is basic safety approach.

People sometimes use unprotected cells because they are generally cheaper. If you know what you are doing, know your headlamp, have good charger and take some precautions, you can live with that. But for most consumers protected cells are the must. They come from many brands as each such manufacturer take unprotected cell and weld it together with protection IC, which is not difficult. However quality of the protection can differ.