Good battery for a new light

[RIHappyDiver]

I just got a new light that came with a flattop 18650 rated at 2600mAh, 3.7V. I want to buy another battery for swapping out, so am looking for advise on a good brand. I also vaguely remember reading that button tops are better than flats, so want to verify that. Lastly, any recommendations on a good charger/analyzer to replace the basic charger that came with the package?

Thanks in advance,

Erik

 

[tbone1004]

Protected Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAh Li-Ion 18650 Button Top Battery

both of these will do lithium and nimh
Nitecore D4 4-bay Digital Lithium Ion Battery Charger
if you want testing capability for your batteries
Opus BT-C3100 Charger/Battery Tester

 

[fmerkel]

What tbone said. Button top vs. flat top is 'kind of' irrelevant. But.....button top often have an attribute called [protection], which is not a bad thing for a Li-on newbie to have. It keeps the battery from over charge (which a decent charger should do anyway) and under discharge, which should be the operator responsibility, but until you have a decent grasp of how these batteries work the protected battery is probably safer. Ignore [button top} and make sure you get [protected]. tbone's link is fine. Go for it.

You want a better and basic charger, the Nitecore will be fine. If you want more information about your batteries the Opus will be superior. I have the Opus and think it's great. I had a similar Nitecore and went to the Opus.

The Zanflare C4 Smart Charger is almost as good and at bit easier to use. It's become one of my favorites.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Thanks for the quick reply, tbone. For $16 dollars more, why not test!? Just curious, what's the advantage of button top over flat top?

 

[RIHappyDiver]

@fmerkel, I must have been typing when your post hit. Thanks for answering the button v flat question. By the way, how are things in Seattle? Lived there for 12 years (89-01) and miss it a lot!

 

[guruboy]

Both button and flat top batteries can have a protection circuit in it. Just depends on what kind of cap they use (button or flat).

All they do is sandwich a circuit board between the battery and the cap, so the cap can be any style.

If for some reason you want to remove the protection circuit, just unwrap the battery and pull it off.

 

[fmerkel]

Seattle used to be great. Now as one of the fastest growing cities in the US, it is frankly starting to suck big time. Traffic is gawd-awful....ALL the time. Parking anywhere is highly competitive. I could go on and on...... If it weren't for some family issues I'd be out of here.

Protected:
+ safer (under & over voltage protection, short circuit protection)
- longer (doesn't fit to all lights), this is from the protection placed on the end.

Unprotected:
+ shorter (fits most lights)
+ light doesn't shut off abruptly (can be better for divers etc.)
- not as safe

If in doubt: Buy protected

 

[RayfromTX]

One issue to consider with 18650s when you are looking for the higher capacity cells is that they vary in size and length. Some of the higher capacity protected cells are too long to work in some of the light bodies. I use candlepowerforums.com to learn about the latest and greatest but there are other sources of info.

18650 is not your father's AA but bigger. There are things to learn in order to use this superior technology safely and with the best lifespan. These include not storing them fully charged and understanding multi cell balancing and over-draining potentials and dangers. It's not complicated but it is important to give it it's due.

 

[tbone1004]

@fmerkel the light may well shut off abruptly since most of the lights have low voltage protection build into them.

@RIHappyDiver if your light came with button top, stay with button top, the contacts may be designed for them and may not contact the flat tops. I use protected batteries in everything and haven't found anything that hasn't fit so far. The ones I linked are a bit larger in diameter and are a snug fit in a couple of my lights, but they fit with no issues

 

[kelemvor]

Re: button top vs flat

I've got a couple lights that won't make contact with flat top cells. I fixed it by adding a bead of solder to the cell. So far, I've never encountered a device that won't work with a button top therefore I would always buy button top cells.

edit: oops.. tbone beat me to it