Orbtronic vs other brands of NCR18650GA

what's the difference between these cells:

https://www.orbtronic.com/18650-protected-battery-3500mah-lithium-ion

vs

https://www.imrbatteries.com/sanyo-ncr18650ga-3450mah-10a-battery-protected-button-top/

Then there is also this from BatteryJunction, which is also the same "GA" cell inside.

https://www.batteryjunction.com/sanyo-ncr-18650ga-button.html

Lastly here is the KeepPower entry:

https://www.illumn.com/batteries-ch...ah-sanyo-ncr18650ga-protected-button-top.html

and this:

https://liionwholesale.com/collecti...nyo-ncr18650ga-button-top?variant=12534255236

They all have the Sanyo NCR18650GA 3450mAh cell. All are protected. The Orbtronic cell costs about 50% more and has a prettier packaging. What am I missing?
Which one of these cells is the better buy?

I don't think you're missing anything. It's all in the name and branding.

Is imrbatteries.com a reputable site?

Years back, having spoken to Sal via email, he explained specifically some of the battery testing Orbtronic does to ensure satisfied customers. If you are confident you are getting the real deal with quality protection, then if a cheaper price is important, go for a different brand.

I thought the underlying battery was the same

The thing to remember is that none of these are an actual NCR18650GA they are all 18650 cells that happen to use an NCR18650GA. The NCR18650GA is made my Sanyo and only comes as a bare cell with no added parts being PCB or button tops or anything else. These are all 3rd party contraptions that add a PCB and/or button top, additional wrappings, etc.

This is one of those things where it is best to use an unprotected cell as it does not come with all of the failure points associated with "protected cells" including a PCB that can be crushed, a strip of metal that if the kapton tape wears will short the cell positive to negative. Use lights whose electronics properly support LiIon by having a low voltage warning or shutdown.

I use unprotected 3500 or 3600mAh cells in 1x18650 lights. Case in point, Hound Dog 18650.

Lights that demand 2-3 Li-ion cells require protection circuits..

etc said:

Lights that demand 2-3 Li-ion cells require protection circuits..

Click to expand...

Hi etc, my 2 cents. Its up to your experience and danger, but not generally recommended approach. Correct is to use "protected" cells unless manufacturer states that you can use unprotected (= flashlight itself has all protections). When you know all possible dangers, you can use them.

But Im sure, that all EU sold lights shall use only "protected" cells, otherwise these flashlights/headlamps would not receive CE! For CE you must give to an user most protection in all cases, even his own fault. You must account for all possible cases user can do and take appropriate measures to prevent dangerous impacts. Most of them are accomplished by using "protected" cells. Not many flashlights offer all these protections - against reverse polarity, overcurrent, short-circuit, undervoltage and overvoltage!

Imagine normal customer - he doesnt know anything about li-ion cells, so you must give him the highest protection.

staticx57 said:

The NCR18650GA is made my Sanyo

Click to expand...

Both Japanese companies, Panasonic acquired Sanyo in Dec. 2009. Both produce NCR18650GA. Sanyo's version is made in Japan, Panasonic's version is made in China. Besides the superficial differences, they are effectively the same cell, both NCR18650GA.

Options these days (So nice to see size specifications on Orbtronic website, $5 flat rate shipping):

Panasonic-Japan 3400mAh $7.75



2700mAh Sony Murata vtc5d. $8



3500mAh 18650GA (Japan) $9

+

Forget the PCB on cells, totally unnecessary.

$4.99 (six in cart was $9.50 shipping)