These tests below only note my personal opinion for the ESTIMATED ratings for the batteries I tested at the time I tested them. Any battery that is not genuine and in the original plastic wrap from a known and trusted manufacturer can change at any time! This can be one of the hazards of using “rewrapped” batteries or ones from smaller manufacturers so carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.

Misusing or mishandling lithium-ion batteries can pose a SERIOUS RISK of property damage, personal injury, or even death. Never use them outside of a fully protected battery pack and you use them at your own risk. Never exceed the battery’s true continuous discharge rating (CDR), never let it get colder than 0°C or hotter than 60°C to help lower the risks and extend cell life, and keep the plastic wrap and top insulating ring in perfect condition. Never use a battery that is physically damaged in any way.

Testing batteries at their limits is dangerous and should never be attempted by anyone who has not thoroughly studied the dangers involved, understands the risks, has the proper equipment, and takes all appropriate safety precautions.

If the battery has only one current rating, or if it only says "max", then I have to assume the battery is rated at that current level for any type of discharge, including continuous.




Test Results
One of the overall best performing 21700’s we can buy. It’s getting harder and harder to identify the “best” though since most of the new 6Ah-6.5Ah cells perform incredibly well. But here are a few thoughts…

• The Tenpower 60XG samples I tested did not have CCC*** or CE marks.
• I was very surprised to see that the cells I tested had self-adhesive top insulating rings. This can indicate that these cells were not wrapped on one of Tenpower’s main production lines, which makes sense. Since the 60XG isn’t expected to go into production until Q1 of 2027 (or later) these cells are probably early samples and might have been made on a smaller (lower speed) production line.
• The cells I tested appear to have been made in May 2026, ZExxx date batch code (where xxx can be different letter or numbers).
• Another tester reported worse performance results from one 60XG with the same date/batch code but his other cells tested out great. This isn’t unheard of for pre-production (PP) samples, especially early ones, where the cell-to-cell consistency and production yields can be lower. The formulation/chemistry and production lines are probably still being tweaked for this cell.
• But the two cells I tested had very consistent performance at 40A down to 2.8V (see attached graph).
• At 1A the 60XG is a great performer but it can’t compete with the top performing higher capacity cells like the BAK 65E, Amprius SA112, Linkdata 65P, and FEB 68E.
• At 5A-10A the 60XG equals the Reliance RS60 but is still beaten, by a little, by the higher capacity Linkdata 65P and BAK 65E. It’s “crowded” at these power levels though, in terms of who performs best, and several cells perform essentially the same. My Patreon supporters can check the 5A/10A Shootouts for more detailed information on how their voltages under load and run times compare.
• At 20A the 60XG performs a tiny bit better than the RS60 but the same or a touch worse than the 65E. The 65P performs a bit better than the 60XG at 20A but it’s not noticeable in my opinion.
• At 30A the 60XG performs a touch worse (not noticeable) than the RS60. The 65P also performs a little better than the 60XG and it might be noticeable. Test all three of these cells in your application if the last tiny bit of performance at this level is critical.
• Datasheet capacity is 5850mAh min/6000mAh nominal. My two samples tested out to 6126mAh and 6042mAh. This is terrible consistency but is above the nominal spec and I’m sure won’t be seen when this cell is in mass production (MP).
• This capacity inconsistency isn’t seen until below 2.8V or so and disappears at all voltages when at high power levels since the effects of voltage sag are so much greater.
• Datasheet “max continuous discharge current” spec is 40A and 60A when temp-limited to 75°C. Tenpower says you can run this cell at up to 60A but to never let it go over 75°C.
• For discharges at 40A and lower the max cell temp is 80°C. The 60A temp limit is lower, presumably, because a lot more heat is being created internally and that takes time to get to the surface and be measured. The cell ages faster as a result of this higher internal temp. Stopping at 75°C helps reduce risk and accelerated cell aging (reduced cycle life).
• The 60XG PP samples I tested went a bit over 80°C at 40A down to 2.5V so I’ll be rating these samples at 35A true continuous (80°C max limit) and 60A temp-limited (to 75°C).
• The datasheet lists a 160A pulse (3sec) discharge current rating but this will definitely reduce cycle life. I’ve tested these at 100A continuous, my Patreon supporters can check the 100A Shootout to see how the top ten cells directly compare.
• Datasheet standard charge is 3A, max is 16A (which will definitely shorten cycle life). I recommend 3A or lower to help extend cell life.
• Datasheet AC IR is <=5mOhms. I measured 3.03mOhms and 2.83mOhms, okay consistency (especially for PP samples).
• For DC IR I measured 5.40mOhms and 5.32mOhms, very low (which is good) and astoundingly consistent.
• Datasheet max weight is 76.0g. I measured 71.68g max for my two cells.
• Datasheet max size is <=21.50mm diameter x <=70.50mm long. I measured 21.49mm x 70.35mm max for my two cells. As expected for ultra-high capacity cells, it’s big. But not the biggest.
• Cycle life is listed twice, with two different numbers. It lasts at least 200 or 300 cycles at +6A/-40A (75°C cutoff) down to 2.5V before dropping to 70% of the original capacity. The 200 cycle number would be a short guaranteed minimum life but this is VEEY abusive cycling and these cells are no where near production. That number will, in my opinion, go up as more cycle life testing is done in-house and by Tenpower’s big customers who are evaluating these (and later) samples. Or the 200 number is a typo and the minimum is actually 300. Hopefully the next version of the datasheet sorts this out,
• The welding “keep out” area on the bottom of the cell is smaller than most other cells, a centered 3.5mm diameter circle. Most other full-tab cells have a 4mm or 6mm keepout circle.

Thank you CHAmp-X ( CHAMP-X ) for donating cells for testing!

***China Compulsory Certification, additional testing now required for all cells made or sold in China after August 1, 2024. The logo and certain information must be put on all cells once they are certified. This typically won’t be done by a manufacturer until the cell is ready to go into full production. A manufacturer can apply for an export-only exemption from CCC testing though if the cells will only be sold outside of China (or for engineering/evaluation samples) so lack of a CCC logo does not guarantee that the cells are pre-production. They could be production-ready cells that were CCC tested and have passed and newer cells will have the new CCC marked wraps.


Continuous Current Discharge Graphs



Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic



18650/21700 Ratings & E-Scores Tables and Recommended Batteries Tables:
The links are in my public Patreon pinned post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pinned-post-137974946

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