Thanks for Good Advice on batteries and chargers!

[noj3333]

I'm suprised @DiveGearExpress or @Dive Right In Scuba doesn't offer quality batteries and chargers... it seems like there's a need in the market.

 

[fmerkel]

They would have to figure out a reliable source, and know what they are doing. I have seen Ultrafire batteries being sold in high end tech sites. That would seem to indicate that multiple layers of personnel didn't have a grasp on a common problem.

 

[soamelt]

Any advice on the best 32650 to use in a Big Blue light? I need to purchase a new one (already have a charger that it came with) and as interesting as this thread is, it has me more lost than I was prior to reading it.

I also have another light that takes 3 C's which I'm currently using disposables in, any recommendations for those?

Thanks in advance!

 

[fmerkel]

You don't have a lot of options for 32650. Trustfire, if you get an authentic one (likely in this case, not enough sales for profitable counterfeits) may be your best bet.

For C-cells I'd get Tenergy Centura 4000mA. This particular cell is decent and is LSD, which is important if you are using it as a backup light. If you are using it as a regular dive light you can try the Premium 5000mA ones. I've used Centura and they are good. No experience with the Premium. You do NOT want the Tenergy blue colored ones. Quality control issues, some are not good.
Cannot comment or recommend EBL or Odec, no experience with them.

The only way you are really going to learn much is get a good analyzing charger. Without it everything is anecdotal, and you don't know what your own batteries, or that stock 32650 charger, are doing. Unless reviewers have such a charger and uses it properly the battery reviews you find on Amazon or other similar sites are mostly useless.

 

[soamelt]

Thank you, I will pick up a a good charger as well, I saw a link for a recommended one as few pages back.

Thanks again!

 

[fmerkel]

Thank you, I will pick up a a good charger as well, I saw a link for a recommended one as few pages back.
Thanks again!

Make sure it can do 32650 if that's important to you. That's an unusual size and not all chargers will handle it. The Liitokal 500 will not. I don't think the Opus BT-3200 will either. The Charger Xtar VP4 Plus Dragon will, appears to be excellent, but is expensive.
I don't have or use 32650 so I don't have any personal experience with chargers to handle this size.

In post #27 I list some battery sources. These are also potential charger sources. You could probably contact them for specific info about chargers of interest. What you want is an 'analyzing charger' that will do quantitative discharge tests. Tests measuring capacity during charging are not accurate, especially for NiMh.

 

[Hatul]

Any advice on the best 32650 to use in a Big Blue light? I need to purchase a new one (already have a charger that it came with) and as interesting as this thread is, it has me more lost than I was prior to reading it.

I also have another light that takes 3 C's which I'm currently using disposables in, any recommendations for those?

Thanks in advance!

I also have a BigBlue light that takes the 32650. A couple of years ago I ordered a Trustfire from China and it just would not work in my light. Then I bought two Archon batteries (being a cheapskate to avoid paying big bucks for the BigBlue battery) and these do work, though not as good as the BigBlue battery ( does not hold as much charge). So based on this if you can splurge, buy the BigBlue battery, if not, the Archon work OK.

 

[fmerkel]

There are very few 32650 battery makers. Something like the stock Big Blue is just a shrink wrap on something else, likely the Trustfire I linked to. The actual seller is [Far Cloud] so is probably in China. Could be awhile in coming.

If you understand and are OK with a non-protected battery this would be another option. You would get this sooner I suspect.
IMREN 32650 5000mAh 15A Flat Top Battery

Those 32650 are kind of pathetic for the size, topping out at ~6000mA. You can get 26650 that are a reliable 5000mA+.

 

[stuartv]

Make sure it can do 32650 if that's important to you. That's an unusual size and not all chargers will handle it. The Liitokal 500 will not. I don't think the Opus BT-3200 will either. The Charger Xtar VP4 Plus Dragon will, appears to be excellent, but is expensive.
I don't have or use 32650 so I don't have any personal experience with chargers to handle this size.

In post #27 I list some battery sources. These are also potential charger sources. You could probably contact them for specific info about chargers of interest. What you want is an 'analyzing charger' that will do quantitative discharge tests. Tests measuring capacity during charging are not accurate, especially for NiMh.

The Opus won't do 4 at a time, but I think it might be able to do 2 x 32650. I don't own any 32650 batteries, so I can't try it.

 

[dberry]

Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery distributor

+1 for Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery distributor; I exchanged several emails before buying cells and a charger from him, and he shared good advice, the specifically steered me away from a batch he thought might be counterfeit. The cells and charger have worked well for >2 years now.