BigBlue Battery questions

[Lizard Leg]

My wife and I have 4 BigBLue video lights that utilize the 26650 battery. I have 4 of these from a project at work for some lab equipment that are brand new. Can these be used as backup batteries for the BigBlue Lights?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QKFSPH4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3EG3OPYXTLMZ2&psc=1

Thanks.

 

[WetLens]

I've not had much luck using alternate batteries in my BigBlues. Others have, but the ones I picked up would not charge in their chargers. Specs were identical.

 

[tbone1004]

they'll be fine. Of note it doesn't seem that these are protected, so make sure to use them on a smart charger and try not to let the lights run until they shut off because I am unsure what their low voltage cutoff is, if they even have one.

for both @Lizard Leg and @WetLens I would seriously consider getting a new charger. I am a fan of this one as it can also do burn testing on your lights to let you know the capacity of your batteries. I use the one below and use it for my 18650's and all of my AA/AAA form factor rechargeables as it will do nimh as well as li-ion
Opus BT-C3100 Charger/Battery Tester

@stuartv has a lot of experience with 26650 batteries and may be able to lend some more insight

 

[Lizard Leg]

Thanks for the reply and the info. We have 3 smart chargers now for the various batteries.

 

[stuartv]

I have not tried the KeepPower batteries, but I've heard good things about them. I would think they would be just fine in a BigBlue light.

I have bought a couple of 4-packs of Soshine 26650 batteries off eBay (always from a seller in the U.S.). Like these that are 4 for $25 (Disclaimer: I have not bought from this particular seller):

4Pcs Soshine 5500mAh Rechargeable 26650 Li-ion Battery 3.7V For Flashlight R2N8 | eBay

The ones I have gotten are labeled as 5500mAh. I have tested them all on my Opus charger/tester (what tbone linked) and they all test around 5300, which I consider to be just fine. My oldest ones are a bit over a year old and still seem fine. But, now that I looked up when I bought them, I guess it is time to put them through another test cycle and see how they're holding up!

Before I bought my first Soshines, I did get a 4 pack of plain blue (no name) 26650s from an eBay seller that claimed to be something like 5500mAh. Those all tested at around 2200mAh. Good thing I had the Opus tester! I complained to the seller and got a full refund. It cost me a bit of time, but no money.

 

[stuartv]

Thanks for the reply and the info. We have 3 smart chargers now for the various batteries.

A smart charger is one thing. A tester, like what the Opus will do that actually measures real battery capacity, is really nice to have, so you can know (with strong confidence) that your battery is not just "Full" but how much juice it is actually packing. A "Full" 26650 that only holds 2200mAh of power is a waste.

 

[WetLens]

The Opus charger/tester looks good, but no way I could travel with that - weight and size are prohibitive with all the other "stuff" I carry.

 

[fmerkel]

You needn't travel with it. It's invaluable for diagnostic testing. It's also REALLY valuable for validating the proper function of those really simple red/green light "smart" chargers (like the basic one's from Big Blue and all kinds of other sources). They don't make 'em, they just buy 'em from China, same as everyone else. Generally they are OK, but I've found a couple that were lemons and overcharged the batteries. Not good. You don't know unless you check. Frankly most people don't check.

 

[tbone1004]

The Opus charger/tester looks good, but no way I could travel with that - weight and size are prohibitive with all the other "stuff" I carry.

how many of the single slot chargers do you travel with? It's about the same size and weight as 3 of them. Since all of your batteries have to be carried on anyway, I usually just throw the charger in that bag

 

[1000RR]

I don't believe the IMR's are protected as mentioned above. KeepPower does have some protected ones --> HERE They get very good reviews and actually the tests I saw put their power slightly ahead of the Soshines (also good batteries) when the draw gets a little bigger. Both are very close according to the tests I saw and the KeepPower just edges out the Soshine but barely. I did the same as Stuart and bought some Soshines off eBay.