26650 Batteries: Why Are There Only Off Brands?

[UlkaHuren]

Last year when I bought an Aegis mod and went 26650 battery shopping I was puzzled that none of them are sold by real battery manufacturers such as Sony or LG, but I assume are all rewraps. On researching this I came up with nothing. I got a deal on a pair of MXJOs so I went with them and they work better than the supplied Golisi in sustaining current at low charge. I’m just baffled by why they are all only off brand names. Why is that?

 

[Baditude]

Lg, Samsung, and Sony make 18650 batteries almost exclusively for the auto industry and portable power tool trade. When those batteries become overstocked, they are made available to middleman battery suppliers, and then made available to us consumers. Lg and Samsung headquarters are located in South Korea. Sony (now Murata) headquarters are in Japan.

Those 3 major companies do not make larger battery sizes at all. The larger batteries are made by Chinese battery manufacturers and sold to the usual companies that re-wrap 18650 batteries.

 

[puffon]

Lg is located in North Korea.

South Korea ?

 

[Baditude]

South Korea ?

My bad. I meant SOUTH Korea. North Korea has been in the news so much I typed in the wrong country. Good pickup. I've made the correct edits.

 

[Beamslider]

None of the Battery makers are selling batteries for vaping and most if not all don't sell single batteries as they are made for battery packs mostly

 

[Baditude]

None of the Battery makers are selling batteries for vaping and most if not all don't sell single batteries as they are made for battery packs mostly

That used to be true, especially where 18650 batteries were concerned, but nowadays the China manufacturers are trying to corner the vaping market by offering batteries advertised specifically for vaping. According to Mooch, a quarter of the world's batteries are made by China manufacturers.

If you haven't viewed Mooch's above video, please watch.

 

[TrollDragon]

I was puzzled that none of them are sold by real battery manufacturers such as Sony or LG, but I assume are all rewraps.

All batteries are made by real battery manufacturers, you would be hard pressed to find a backyard operation making cells.

 

[Barkuti]

26650 Battery & Batteries Pack Manufacturers and Suppliers | PLB Technology
Shenzhen Yongde Lixin Energy Co. Ltd.

These two probably are the only two 26650 manufacturers worth mentioning: LiitoKala Lii-50A (INR26650-50A), Shockli IMR26650 5500mAh (Power Long Battery), Golisi IMR26650 4300mAh and others (Yongdeli).

Cheers my dears

 

[UlkaHuren]

Lg, Samsung, and Sony make 18650 batteries for the auto industry and portable power tool trade. When those batteries become overstocked, they are made available to middleman battery suppliers, and then made available to us consumers. Lg is located in North Korea. Samsung and Sony (now Murata) headquarters are in Japan.

Those 3 companies do not make larger battery sizes. The larger batteries are made by Chinese battery manufacturers and sold to the usual companies that re-wrap 18650 batteries.

You’re confirming pretty much what my assumption was. I never really came across anything much about it though.

 

[Baditude]

You’re confirming pretty much what my assumption was. I never really came across anything much about it though.

Most of the "insider" information I've learned is from watching Mooch's You Tube videos and reading his blog here on ECF. He has contacts with nearly every major battery supplier and many send him batteries to test for performance and accurate specifications.

 

[BillW50]

None of the Battery makers are selling batteries for vaping and most if not all don't sell single batteries as they are made for battery packs mostly

Actually Aspire/Yongdeli are the only ones I know of that sell batteries specifically for vaping. They even mention vaping in their datasheets. Virtually everyone else warns not for use in electronic cigarettes.

 

[UlkaHuren]

That used to be true, especially where 18650 batteries were concerned, but nowadays the China manufacturers are trying to corner the vaping market by offering batteries advertised specifically for vaping. According to Mooch, a quarter of the world's batteries are made by China manufacturers.

If you haven't viewed Mooch's above video, please watch.

I remember about 15 years ago I wanted to rebuild laptop batteries. I had done that with NiMH batteries, but these were Li-Ion and the thing I found out was that you could not buy the cells anywhere. I also came across info saying at the time that you were only allowed to buy L-Ion batteries in packs with regulating electronics in them for safety reasons. At the time vaping came in then buying cells was no problem. I still have that old PowerBook packed away. Rebuilding the battery pack is probably the only way to have a battery for that now. Oh boy, I could play all the retro games!

 

[UlkaHuren]

Most of the "insider" information I've learned is from watching Mooch's You Tube videos and reading his blog here on ECF. He has contacts with nearly every major battery supplier and many send him batteries to test for performance and accurate specifications.

I’ve come across him at times. Good stuff.

 

[Baditude]

I’ve come across him at times. Good stuff.

• Minding Your mAhs Mooch's You Tube channel

Mooch's Battery Blog on ECF​

 

[Rossum]

Samsung and Sony (now Murata) headquarters are in Japan.

Pedantic mode ON:

Samsung is also a Korean company, not Japanese.
Samsung - Wikipedia

 

[Mooch]

Last year when I bought an Aegis mod and went 26650 battery shopping I was puzzled that none of them are sold by real battery manufacturers such as Sony or LG, but I assume are all rewraps. On researching this I came up with nothing. I got a deal on a pair of MXJOs so I went with them and they work better than the supplied Golisi in sustaining current at low charge. I’m just baffled by why they are all only off brand names. Why is that?

The 26650 market is tiny and not worth the investment by the larger companies versus the market for 18650’s and the 20700’s and 21700’s.

 

[tailland]

The 26650 market is tiny and not worth the investment by the larger companies versus the market for 18650’s and the 20700’s and 21700’s.

I don't know anything about the production of batteries, but the technology in a 26650 is, as I'd like to think, the exact same as in a 18650, 20700, or 21700, no? So all they would have to do is create a different sized enclosure and fill in in the same stuff, no?

 

[Robin Becker]

26650 Battery & Batteries Pack Manufacturers and Suppliers | PLB Technology
Shenzhen Yongde Lixin Energy Co. Ltd.

These two probably are the only two 26650 manufacturers worth mentioning: LiitoKala Lii-50A (INR26650-50A), Shockli IMR26650 5500mAh (Power Long Battery), Golisi IMR26650 4300mAh and others (Yongdeli).

Cheers my dears

Unfortunately I have to disagree with you. This manufacturer (Yongdeli) does not even have any UL file and I daubt, if those batteries can hold a reasonable cycle life, that any battery with quality will do.
It is not hard to extend Anode and Cathode, in order to get more power from the battery, how ever it reduces cycle-life enormously and I would even guess, that this might be a reason for the big difference on performance between different batteries on a batch.

 

[AstroTurf]

How about 18650 to 26650 Adapter?

 

[BillW50]

Unfortunately I have to disagree with you. This manufacturer (Yongdeli) does not even have any UL file and I daubt, if those batteries can hold a reasonable cycle life, that any battery with quality will do.
It is not hard to extend Anode and Cathode, in order to get more power from the battery, how ever it reduces cycle-life enormously and I would even guess, that this might be a reason for the big difference on performance between different batteries on a batch.

It might be UL listed under the Aspire name. And my Aspire 26650 cycle life is far better than my LG HE2 18650 cells (they really suck for life cycle). After dozens of recharges of my Aspire cells, my charger is still putting in about 4000mah from 3.2v. Mooch rates them as 30A cells, while Aspire rates them as 20A continuous. Mine doesn't get warm vaping with them all day at 75 watts.