MNKE Orange 30A 3500mAh 26650 Bench Test Results...a 25A+, 3500mAh battery

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Mooch

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    Tested at 10A-35A constant current and 60A pulsed. These cells were purchased by me and used only for testing. To prevent any confusion with the eGo-type "batteries", I use the term "cell" here to refer to a single 18650, 26650, etc.

    These are safety-oriented tests, not for performance. Though you can get a lot of performance information from them they are primarily done to check the manufacturer's/rewrapper's ratings and to establish safe continuous discharge limits.


    Disclaimer
    The conclusions and recommendations I make based on these tests are only my personal opinion. Carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.

    Testing batteries at their limits is dangerous and should never, ever, be attempted by anyone who has not thoroughly studied the dangers involved and how to minimize them. My safety precautions are the ones I have elected to take and you should not assume they will protect you if you attempt to do any testing. Do the research and create your own testing methods and safety precautions.

    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg


    Bottom Line
    In my opinion, this is a 25A+ continuous discharge current (CDR) cell with good capacity for its rating. It really shines at around 20A


    Continuous-Current Test Results
    image.jpg


    Pulsed-Current Test Results
    These pulsed-current tests are only done to show the performance of the cell at its pulse or maximum discharge rating. Do not set your coils or power levels to draw this much current!
    image.jpg


    Comments
    • There are multiple versions of this orange cell available, with almost identical markings. Interestingly, none of the ones on the MNKE web site are 30A/3500mAh. I am thus unable to give you a particular part number to look for when buying these. The only thing I can recommend is to buy yours from IMRBatteries to get the same ones I tested,
    • At 10A it reached about 3300mAh. This is average performance for a 3500mAh-rated cell at 10A. I am giving this cell a capacity rating of 3500mAh.
    • At 15A the maximum temperature reached 58°C. This is way below the average temperature of a cell operating at its CDR.
    • At 20A the maximum temperature reached 65°C. This is too low for a cell operating at its CDR.
    • At 25A the temperature rose to 76°C. This is almost the average for a cell operating at its CDR.
    • At 30A the temperature rose to 80°C. This is just above the average for a cell operating at its CDR. Some additional voltage sag is seen near the start, indicating that the cell is starting to be driven past its rating.
    • A discharge at 35A was done to determine if the cell can be run past its rating. While the temperature did not rise much more over the 30A discharge's temp, the voltage sag was considerable. This is not a 35A cell.
    • Five additional cycles at 30A clearly showed signs of damage to the cell. However, all five of these discharges were essentially the same, indicating that damage was not occurring at 30A. In my opinion it occurred during the one 35A discharge. I do not recommend running this cell above 30A.
    • I am setting a CDR of 25A+ for this cell. While operating any cell near its rated maximum current causes damage to the cell, I would expect good cycle life from this cell at 25A+.
    • A single pulsed-current discharge at 60A (4 secs on/30 secs off) was done to test the cell at its rating. The first pulse dropped the voltage down to about 3.4V. Its temperature rose to 81°C max before the voltage eventually dropped to 2.50V.

    To see how other cells have tested and how hard you can safely push them, check out these links:
    https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/list-of-battery-tests.7436/
    https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/f...des-picking-a-safe-battery-to-vape-with.7447/
     
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    Mooch

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    I think thats a pretty good result no?

    Considering the lousy the 18650 test results I have been getting lately, it's remarkable. :)
    I can easily see MNKE just having a slightly higher temperature limit, or higher allowance for damage at high amps, and giving it a 30A rating

    Or, it's one of the 15A or 20A orange MNKE's (they look exactly the same) and this thingi s incredible. But, IMRBatteries lists it as 30A so I went with that. The MNKE web site is incredibly confusing, with three current ratings for each battery. All three of the orange 26650's have 30A max and 60A pulse ratings but the continuous ratings are 15A ans 20A. But, I don't know of this battery is one of those three on the site. Lots of conflicting info across the web.
     

    Baditude

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    I've always considered this battery to be a 20 amp continuous. I've seen both 20 and 30 amp ratings for this model, so I always went with the more conservative rating. So, your tests reveal its a better battery than I originally thought.

    Lets hope IMREN continues to keep the quality of this battery at this level since they recently bought out MNKE.
     
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    Eric Auer

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    I've always considered this battery to be a 20 amp continuous (I've seen both 20 and 30 amp ratings for this model, so I always went with the more conservative rating.). So, your tests reveal its a better battery than I originally thought.

    Lets hope IMREN continues to keep the quality of this battery at this level since they recently bought out MNKE.

    Bought out? Hmmm....

    Think I will buy a few more MNKE 26650's while there is still "Old" stock around.

    Eric
     
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    Baditude

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    Bought out? Hmmm....
    My source:

    "IMREN (formerly MNKE)- Top 10% are available to consumers, their top 5% are reserved for car companies only. Since IREN bought out MNKE can no longer call them a top cell manufacturer. Not because they are no longer making good batteries, but because the bare cells sold to the public are grossly over inflated when it comes to their amp ratings." -- Beginner's Guide to Lithium Batteries Rev 3

    He's speaking specifically to IMREN's reputation for over-rating their other batteries.
     
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    Eric Auer

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    My source:

    "IMREN (formerly MNKE)- Top 10% are available to consumers, their top 5% are reserved for car companies only. Since IREN bought out MNKE can no longer call them a top cell manufacturer. Not because they are no longer making good batteries, but because the bare cells sold to the public are grossly over inflated when it comes to their amp ratings." -- Beginner's Guide to Lithium Batteries Rev 3

    He's speaking specifically to IMREN's reputation for over-rating their other batteries.

    Bummer :(

    Eric
     
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