18650 Charging Question

[rustlerdudr987]

Well I recently bought a laser that runs on 18650 battery and I wanted to know what rate to charge it at. I have a hobby charger that I charge my 3s lipos with so I know a little on this subject so it might help. The battery is a 18650 2400mah 3.6v so I was thinking about charging it at say 0.5C or 0.6C but in not to sure and needed some extra input.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Usually 1C is the rated max for li-ion.
Anywhere under is most likely fine.

 

[moderator007]

As hellokitty[hk] stated 1C is usually rated max. .7C is usually recommended. Any thing under .7C will most likely extended the life of the battery. If its a cheap china battery such as a fire brand battery its most likely a over rated capacity. The capacity might be closer to 2000mah. Might be better to charge at .5C rated capacity if this is the case.