Best price/performance 18650 and best place to buy (USA for starters)?

[CaptClaude]

Smack me upside the head if my fruitless searches for a FAQ or pinned thread missed the obvious answer to my question.

Simple (to me) question: I am tired of dealing with salvaged (from battery packs) 18650s and would like to buy some new ones for critical applications (bike lighting mostly). What are some good ones and what are some good online sellers? I am likewise tired of trying to sort through the mass of off-brand batteries that an Amazon search returns. I want protected, button top batteries because they work best in the 4x battery holders I use cycling.

For instance: This website recommends the Samsung INR18650 2500mAh and is nice enough to provide a dead link to Amazon.
The forum has a pretty glowing review of the Molicel INR18650-P28A which Batteryworldonline has available for $5.00. Is this reasonable? A scam? are those guys reliable?

Thanks.

Preparing to be flamed,

CC

 

[SYZYGY]

you neglected to say where you live, so it's hard to recommend sellers.

step 1: determine the max current you need
step 2: use http://batteries.parametrek.com/index.html?size=18650 and look for the most capacity you can get while still providing enough current for your application
step 3: read reviews of promising looking batteries https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650IndividualTest UK.html
step 4: buy from the cheapest reputable source (again, use parametrek tool) that ships to where you live

i'm in usa and usually buy from liionwholesale.com
and this is the only cell i buy

Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GA Flat Top 10A 3500mAh 18650 Battery - Genuine - Wholesale Discount

This is an authentic Panasonic NCR18650GA (also marketed as a Sanyo NCR18650GA). It is a 3500 mAh 10 A battery and is one of the best mid-power, high-capacity batteries we offer. It competes with the LG MJ1, and is a popular choice for things like e-bike batteries and electric vehicle...

liionwholesale.com

i buy it because i only need to drain at up to 10A, and it's basically the highest capacity 18650 (3500 mAh).

 

[Charlie Hustle]

Smack me upside the head if my fruitless searches for a FAQ or pinned thread missed the obvious answer to my question.

Simple (to me) question: I am tired of dealing with salvaged (from battery packs) 18650s and would like to buy some new ones for critical applications (bike lighting mostly). What are some good ones and what are some good online sellers? I am likewise tired of trying to sort through the mass of off-brand batteries that an Amazon search returns. I want protected, button top batteries because they work best in the 4x battery holders I use cycling.

For instance: This website recommends the Samsung INR18650 2500mAh and is nice enough to provide a dead link to Amazon.
The forum has a pretty glowing review of the Molicel INR18650-P28A which Batteryworldonline has available for $5.00. Is this reasonable? A scam? are those guys reliable?

Thanks.

Preparing to be flamed,

CC

The links you posted are for high-drain unprotected batteries that are flat tops. Here is a list of dealers you can most likely trust:
https://www.imrbatteries.com
https://www.illumn.com
https://www.batteryjunction.com
https://www.18650batterystore.com

 

[bridgman]

It makes a big difference where you live - I'll assume you are in the USA for now.

I have been buying Keeppower batteries from illumn and looking for cell + IC made in Japan. I feel a bit bad about that because there are some good cells starting to come out of China, but not bad enough to change my buying habits yet. Something like:

18650 KeepPower 3120mAh Sony US18650VTC6 Protected High Discharge Button Top P1831R (R Series)

18650 KeepPower 3120mAh Sony US18650VTC6 Protected High Discharge Button Top P1831R (R Series)

www.illumn.com

18650 KeepPower P1835J 3500mAh Sanyo NCR18650GA Protected Button Top

18650 KeepPower P1835J 3500mAh Sanyo NCR18650GA Protected Button Top

www.illumn.com

If you are outside the US Kaidomain has KDLight batteries which at first glance seem to be coming out of the same factory as Keeppower, but that is totally unconfirmed. The Keeppower batteries explicitly say that the protection IC comes from Japan as well as the cell, but the KDLight batteries only mention the cell.