Best CR123 & 18650?

[Expired]

Looking at getting a Fenix PD31 and TK35.
I was wondering what the best primary CR123 is? A lot of people seem to buy surefire. I also need a couple of good 18650 rechargeable batteries. I've read that AW 2600 are the best. How many charges can 18650 batteries go through, before a significant decrease in power?

I can't find anything in search, since the terms are used so often.
Thanks.

 

[RepProdigious]

Here's a shootout on cr123's... not the most up-to date but should give you a feel for things.

And about the 'best' 18650, as long as money isn't an issue you could check out Redilast and AW's 2900. Pretty decent cells and should give you many many charges if you do not top em up over 4.2v. If however you'd also like to know what you options are budget-wise check out this thread. I love the red/black trustfire for their value for money (and i also have some AWs).

 

[rich297]

AW is a quality brand of 18650 cells. They cost a bit more than some other brands but are worth it IMO.

Li-ion cells should be good for 500+ discharge cycles, depending on how you use them. Routinely recharging before the cell is fully discharged will give you more discharge cycles and longer overall cell life. Keeping a cell fully charged for extended periods will shorten its life. Storing an unused cell in a cool, dry place at about 50% discharge will extend it.

 

[Expired]

Thanks for the info.
What charger would you recommend for the AW 18650s?
PILA, or can I use something smaller and less expensive, with the same results?

 

[RepProdigious]

Pila is a pretty fool-proof 2-bay charger, the only thing that could top it price-wise is a proper budget hobby charger but it will be way more complex to set the thing to charge the cells especially if you wanna do two at the same time.

You could also read a bit into an Xtar WP2 charger if you want a simple bay charger, not as good as the pila but not as horrible as most others.