Source of 18650 batteries

slowbike
slowbike Posts: 8,498
edited September 2018 in Commuting general
Well - here we are heading to dark evenings and grey commutes ...

My trusty Cateye Nanoshot+ is finally giving up - well, the battery is - it still works, just not for so long.

My cheapo Cree Torch is worse though - not surprising given I paid next to nothing for the battery some years ago ... so qq before I go and find one on ebay or amazon - does anyone have a suggestion for a good place to get a 18650 battery from - a quick look at amazon this morning suggests that they are varying capacity (for the same size) - anywhere from 2000mAh to 3400mAh - obviously, the bigger the better, but the numbers need to be reliable too...

and just in case - has anyone replaced a battery on a nanoshot+ ? the light is still excellent - it's just the battery that's failing.

Comments

  • CitizenLee
    CitizenLee Posts: 2,227
    Do you have a vape shop nearby? If so pop in and ask what 18650s they recommend, as that's the most common battery type for the more advances vape kits. Vapers tend very picky about quality and weeding out fakes as they generally don't want to blow their faces off, so you should get something of decent quality. Probably a Sony VT6 or Samsung 30Q.
    Current:
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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Ah - thanks ... er dunno - not something I particularly like - clouds of whatever billowing around - and I don't smoke/vape - so never looked! Best have a nose around ... ;)
  • CitizenLee
    CitizenLee Posts: 2,227
    Yeah they can be quite annoying when they insist on blowing huge plumes of custard flavoured vapor everywhere, but at least it's getting people off the cigs. My mate is massively into it, hence I know a wee bit about it too.

    Anyway, your city/tow/village will most likely have at least 2 or three vape shops, new ones seem to be popping up all the time.

    If not look for Samsung 30Q or Sony VT5 or VTC6 ;)
    Current:
    NukeProof Mega FR 2012
    Cube NuRoad 2018
    Previous:
    2015 Genesis CdF 10, 2014 Cube Hyde Race, 2012 NS Traffic, 2007 Specialized SX Trail, 2005 Specialized Demo 8
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Pretty much what CL said.

    I do vape, have since the early days. Batteries are crucial, and loads on Ebay etc are re wraps of crap batteries in good battery wraps. Avoid anything with fire in the name for a start. Most Chinese battery companies totally lie about capacity.

    For a torch you don't need high amps, so go for capacity. Like the Samsung 30Q or Sony VTC6. The Fogstar brand batteries are also supposed to be excellent. The 3500 would suit. High capacity, low (but genuine amps)

    As a rule, genuine Samsung, Sony and LG batteries tend to be honest about specs.

    I only use these guys, legit, their prices are competitive. and they send free stuff with orders.

    https://www.fogstar.co.uk/

    This guy tests for actual ratings over claimed ratings. He updates monthly, so this link will only work until the end of the month.

    https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/attac ... eg.761345/
    I don't do smileys.

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  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    I always got mine from Deal Extreme. I used to get my bike lights from here too but ebay prices are similar - I suspect there are plenty of ebay sellers of 18650s?

    https://www.dx.com/
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    They do seem to have every variation of 'fire' under the sun. (See what i did there?)

    Including Uranusfire.

    Hardly seems much point when the prices are no better than reputable local seller.

    Lithium batteries can be dangerous. Not worth penny pinching on batteries and decent chargers.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    thanks chaps - ended up buying 2 samsung 30q's for £15 as it had 4* reviews on Amazon - now I'll have to go and find another handlebar mount ... :)
  • wolfsbane2k
    wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
    Good shout on the vape recommendation, hadn't considered that but bro's into his vaping.

    I've previously used torchy on ebay for my Samsung 18650s, but will check out fogstar in future!

    Don't ever go on amazon reviews; they are played to death.
    Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
    Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Wolfsbane2k wrote:
    Don't ever go on amazon reviews; they are played to death.
    you need to know how to read them ... ;)

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