3.6/3.7 18650 Batts and Charger

• 

  scrimshaw on 14/11/2014 - 23:19

  +2

  Way too expensive. I'm sure they are of genuine capacity but if you source your batteries from Fasttech.com you can get legitimate 18650 batteries for as little as $13~16 AUD for a pack of two.

  Try these Sanyo's if you want a cost effective option.
  https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001901/1143804-sanyo-u…

  As for charger I'd recommend a Nitecore i2 2014 version which you can buy from, well, lots of different places including eBay.

  Also noob question any difference with the nipple versions?

  The nipple is the protection circuit. It prevents the cell from overchaging, and exploding as a result.

  Quote

  A "protected" Li-Ion has a small electronic circuit integrated into the cell packaging. It protects against common dangers, such as overcharge, overdischarge, short-circuit (overcurrent), and temperature.

  These cells are safer to use, both individually and in batteries. They are less likely to ignite and cause personal or property damage, a phenomenon known as "venting with flame." Unprotected cells do not have this protection circuit, so they can have more capacity and current capability than protected cells.

  If you are purchasing these cells for use in a flashlight, make sure you buy protected cells (unless you want to turn your flashlight into an incendiary frag grenade)

  If you are purchasing these cells to put them into a battery (e.g you are trying to assemble a DIY Power bank) then you should buy unprotected cells. This is because battery enclosures already have a protection circuit in them.

  • 

    elusive on 15/11/2014 - 00:10

    +1

    I mostly agree, but note:

    • The nipple simply refers to the bump. That is not the protection circuit - 18650 battery protection circuits are typically on a PCB the same diameter as the battery itself and on the negative (flat) end. The positive end, whether nipple or flat, is separate from the protection PCB and is just a bit of metal. For a torch, you would usually want nipple - especially if you want to stack them.

    • FastTech is cheaper, yes, but they have had issues shipping (most shipping companies don't like Li-ion batteries). A couple months ago, a large number of orders were returned. They do refund, but that means you're out a month of time. This is pretty much how lucky you are. That said, I'm not sure if supersports600 uses proper local shipping that officially accepts batteries - but they're less likely to check.

    That particular eBay seller is quite well regarded, so you're unlikely to have issues there.

    This is a great site for charger comparisons: http://lygte-info.dk/

    I'm happily using a Soshine S1-max V3 from FastTech at the moment. The Nitecore i2 is a decent charger, but do note that it has a rather low charging current (0.5 A per cell) and will take a while longer than some others.

    ---

    I have to disagree with you on the necessity of protected cells. Specifically, I think it's even more important if you'll be connecting multiple cells together, but charging them separately (or they're different ages, etc.). While devices that use multiple cells may have protection circuitry for the entire battery, it won't do much to stop individual unbalanced cells from discharging into each other, potentially catastrophically. Multiple cells is when per-cell protection is most important. Of course, if they'll be permanently connected together then it's somewhat different.