Best value? XTAR 18650-18700 ?

[xxllmm4]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a good value in the 18650-18700 battery range. It needs to be

1 reliable and safe
2 good MAH rating
3 reasonably priced
4 protected

I have checked out some reviews and the XTAR looks like a good value on a quality cell. Their inst a lot of info on it compared to some other brands so I would like some more input.

Please don't recommend anything with "Fire" in the title I learned my lesson :scowl: The last 4 pack of Ultrafire 3000's I ordered 2 where bad! One of them charged 1 time then read .4v I took off the protection circit, tried charging it went to .45v after about an hour. The other cell would only charge to 4.09. 12 hours later it reads 3.89

Anyway I'm looking for some decent batteries without spending a ton of money. I can get the XTAR 2600 for about $11ea shipped. Lets hear your thoughts. This is actually for a low draw flashlight 200mah.

Thanks!

 

[old4570]

Yeah , I think there are enough warnings on the 3000's

But there are some decent Fire*.* out there .. You just need to know what your buying ...

So before anyone else chimes in , Buy AW !!!! :devil:

If you want to risk it , ? The Xtar are a Good Battery , which ever one you chose .
Flame Trustfires [ again beware - counterfeit's are out there ]
Candy apple Red Ultrafire [ Dont buy the counterfeits ]
Himax 2600
Fireworm [ lousy name - good battery ]

If you decide on non protected ?
Sanyo - Samsung - Panasonic - LG

+ There are a lot more to chose from , almost every week , there is a new 18650 available .
Unfortunately there is very little interest in sorting them out . [ Factually ]

 

[xxllmm4]

Thanks for the info. I will defiantly look into the other brands. I know the AW's are great but their pretty pricey! I am hoping to find a good mid-range priced battery.

Not to change the subject but has anyone actually determined that the fake's are really fake? I know some of the fakes can be verified like fake Sony batteries ect. But how do you determine if its a fake or just lousy quality control? Made in different plants or made on different machines?

The main reason I bring this up is because we import LED off road lights. There is so much variation between lights that I actually have to check every single light before it goes out the door, and this is buying DIRECTLY from the manufacturer.

 

[old4570]

The fakes are built around 1400mAh to 1800mAh cells ...
Might be a few million of those in China looking for a new home in a Counterfeit wrapper .

Your average good cell , will be 2400 to 2600mAh ...