Not sure if you're still looking but thought I'd suggest a few options. I'm new here but have a lot of experience with 18650's. I'll limit my suggestions to
batteries with protection circuits - these shut the cell down if pushed too hard or discharged too far, limiting the risk of explosive venting.
The cheap options from DealExtreme:
TrustFire Grey
TrustFire Blue
UltraFire Grey
UltraFire Grey, slightly fatter
I no longer
buy these cheap cells and wouldn't really recommend them. However, they are so cheap that you may be willing to put up with the downsides. Order an extra two because you may get a dud. For cells that arrive healthy, capacity should be in the ballpark, say 90%-ish, of the rated value if you're not pulling high current. The major downfall of these cells is terrible capacity at higher loads; if you don't need the 3+ amps they could be a reasonable choice.
Dealextreme has free shipping on all orders but it takes a looooooong time to arrive. These are all available elsewhere, you'll pay a bit more but get them sooner.
Ultrafire now has a
3000mAH battery. No experience with these, but I tend to shy away from the "whatever-Fire" brands especially at a premium price.
High quality 18650 cells from "leading manufacturers" tend to be unprotected and not sold to end users. They are used in LiIon packs, e.g. for laptops and cordless drills, in packs with their own separate analysis and protection circuits.
By far the best offering I've found is the "AW" brand protected 18650's. These are high quality unprotected cells that are packaged with protection circuits and sold by an individual. Currently offered are 2200, 2600, and 2900mAH versions, all of which are very honest ratings.
The sales thread for these is
here. You can browse around a bit over there to see some of the feedback. I've owned about 30 of these without a single problem or dissatisfaction. One thing to notice is that the 2600 and 2900 versions do not have a nipple on the positive end which may cause connection problems on applications designed for nippled batteries.
You can also order AW batteries from a variety of sources if the forum-based service is uncomfortable. EG:
here,
here, and even a vape-related supplier
here.
Cheers!
