Shops in USA to purchase 18650 batteries and chargers?

Hello, I'm new to the 18650 batteries and have been reading up here on the forums about this battery. I'm going to purchase a headlamp which uses the 18650 and I'm looking for any names of reputable shops in the U.S. where I can purchase from. Thanks!

It's a lot cheaper to just buy direct from Asia.

Some distributors have a US warehouse they can ship from if it's in stock, but the only advantage is faster shipping.

You may have local B&M "hobby shops" nearby, but they will have very limited selection.

Best is to determine exactly what you want, then ask the best source for US members.

If you want effective warranty service you will likely have to pay a premium.

Best not to shop on price anyway, lots of counterfeits, scamming sellers.

eBay is great for buyer protection, but also look for vendors with high volume and ratings.

BatteryJunction for all your battery (and flashlight) needs.

I now buy my 18650's from illumn, in the US. Never had a problem with them. I've had mixed success with Chinese stores.

DO NOT buy from any Chinese sites, and do not buy from Amazon or Ebay. You'll get fakes, and they may even be dangerous. Fakes are way more common than they were even a couple of years ago (when I had some success).

18650batterystore.com is one of my newest places to shop. I have also used imrbatteries.com and rtdvapor.com where I bought my LG chocolates.

I won't say "dont buy from battery junction" because they are bad...but if you follow their pricing long enough you will discover what I did...that they rarely have a true "sale" on anything. Sometimes they really do have good prices on stuff but usually you can find better if you search for it. Many times I have seen that their advertised sales are just their normal price but advertised in BIG BOLD RED letters. I have bought from them, but sometimes you do things you don't want to, to get something you want.

+1 on Illumn.com for me. I trust them and they never let me down.

Many of your local vape shops carry 18650 batteries. I'd check there too if you're having trouble finding them.

Another +1 on illumn.com - always have a good experience with them.

Thanks for avoiding links in this thread.

"Where to buy" threads are discouraged here, as they tend to fill up with spam and advertising links, as well as become outdated relatively quickly. They are also sometimes contentious, as customer experiences vary.

In general, for batteries especially, it is worthwhile and recommended to purchase direct from somewhere along the authorized supply chain.

I have had good success with imrbattery and liionwholesale

Liion in Pennsylvania has a large selection of 18650's and chargers. I got an excellent Vapecell charger from them in only three days USPS. These seem to be their specialty as few other products are sold.

Watch out with batteries from Battery Junction. They sell some good ones but also por quality ones that don't have anywhere near the rated capacity and can't handle high drain lights. Illumn.com is very good.

pc_light said:

BatteryJunction for all your battery (and flashlight) needs.

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The ideal would be a seller that only sold units where the manufacturer was honest and quality consistently high.

The industry does not work that way.

Up to the users to determine what is "good" for their use case and preferences, and research what the truth is with help from experts in forums and other social media.

A "good" reseller is then one that buys fresh cells from honest distributors, and charges enough that they can support the customers properly with warranty issues.

In other words, operates honestly themselves.

They may sell cells that from one POV are crap, but are exactly what another customer wants.

If you want local. Any Vape shop. Vape shops tend not to knowingly sell fakes. Stay away from rewraps though IMO. The problem is these places are expensive. $11 to $18 a battery! They have good chargers for $40 or so. If you order from Asia takes longer but $4-$$5 per battery and $12-$15 for the charger.

Another vote for illumn. Their shop is actually near me in San Jose, CA. I frequently visit and they are good people. Very knowledgeable and helpful

jrgold said:

Another vote for illumn. Their shop is actually near me in San Jose, CA. I frequently visit and they are good people. Very knowledgeable and helpful

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I'd be so broke. Lol

bignc said:

I'd be so broke. Lol

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Tell me about it, I'm stopping by again tomorrow. [emoji389]

My favorites for 18650 rechargeables:

Illumn
ImrBattery
LionWholesale

I have only bought Panasonic, Sanyo, Samsung, Sony and LG batteries for 18650 rechargeables.

MtnElectronics for my 26650s.