Best 18650 out now??

It's been several years since I've had to buy some batteries for my lights but I've had a few of them go bad recently. I was just curious what the best 18650 batteries are out right now. They would need to fit a zebra light. I currently have Eagletac 3500mAh




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Since the Zebralights aren't hotrods I'd go for maximum capacity. You can get the Samsung 35E or Sanyo GA which are both rated at 3500 mAh and 8 A and 10 A respectively. You'll need to get the unprotected flat top variant of the cell you choose.

I have seen tests that place both the Sanyo NCR-GA (particularly the Japanese-made ones) and the LG MJ1 as some of the best 18650s out there. 10A max current and 3500mAh+, they are very resilient and reliable. I've treated both cells extremely hard (temperatures, lots of charging/ discharging) and I have yet to notice any of my cells lessen in capacity.

Both of these (unprotected flat top versions) would be ideal for a Zebralight, IMO.

The ones I have now are protected and they fit my zebralight fine. ( except the one that went bad and swelled up a little.)Are the newer ones bigger?
Are unprotected cells dangerous? I don't want one blowing up while it's strapped to my forehead.

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Depends on what Zebralight you are talking about, now it seems like you are talking about the headlamps, where the bigger cells aren't an issue. With the SC6x series, the cell size matters, I incorrectly assumed you were referring to an SC6x series light.

Unprotected and protected cells are for all intents and purposes as safe as each other- provided they are produced by a reputable brand (Sony, Panasonic/ Sanyo, LG, Samsung.....) Not to worry here.

Zebralights are very advanced, and have lots of built in protections WRT the battery. Provided you handle the cell well outside of the light, you should be very well taken care of.

Where's the best place to buy the Sanyo NCR-GA online?


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Ace12 said:

Where's the best place to buy the Sanyo NCR-GA online?


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18650BatteryStore is one. There are several others, but probably that will be least expensive. I always buy 5-10 at a time to optimize shipping ratio of cost.

Seems most places are out of stock right now


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Illumn, mountain electronics & imrbatteries are some other reliable shops

I forgot about my Eagletac flashlight. Does anyone know if Eagletac has protection built in? T20C2 MKII


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JimIslander said:

18650BatteryStore is one. There are several others, but probably that will be least expensive. I always buy 5-10 at a time to optimize shipping ratio of cost.

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Yes, 18650BatteryStore is a good choice. I recently purchased a couple of Sanyo 18650 3500mAH, and I believe they processed and shipped my order the day the order was placed. I recall getting my order in just a couple of days.

Ace12 said:

I forgot about my Eagletac flashlight. Does anyone know if Eagletac has protection built in? T20C2 MKII


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Reading their product page it suggests using a cell with a protection circuit so by that I would guess that it does not have its own built in voltage monitoring.

I notice some brands use the Sanyo battery and add their own protection and rebrand it. Are they good? Like Keepower and EVVA


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It could be time to put the old Eagletac to rest and get a new handheld thrower that will work on the unprotected cells. [emoji848]


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