These tests below only note my personal ESTIMATED ratings for the batteries I tested at the time I tested them. Any battery that is not a genuine Samsung, Sony, Murata, LG, Panasonic, Molicel, or Sanyo can change at any time! This can be one of the hazards of using “rewrapped” or batteries from other 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, 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 number, 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
This cell performs a little better than the Molicel P28A, which is expected if it is indeed a P28B rewrap. I cannot guarantee that this cell is a Molicel P28B rewrap but due to its appearance, performance, and some other info I cannot discuss, in my opinion this is a rewrap of the Molicel P28B. That cell is the all-around best performing 18650 we can buy in my opinion.
The P28B is not yet in production so these would be sample “pre-production” cells sent to Molicel’s customers for testing and feedback.
This cell’s internal resistance is a bit lower than the P28A so it runs a few degrees cooler at high power levels. At 10A they performed the same in my testing. At 20A the Epoch ran for about 3% longer. At 30A the Epoch ran for about 8% longer.
The Epoch’s delivered an average of 2758mAh. This is well above the P28B’s 2650mAh minimum capacity rating but below the 2800mAh typical capacity rating. This might be due to these cells being pre-production P28B samples and not fully tweaked yet.
The 40A rating of these Epoch cells is not a true continuous rating IMO. The P28B is rated at 40A in the one-page spec sheet but that rating is temperature-limited to 80°C. When the cell gets that hot you must stop. Since the P28B would reach about 100°C at 40A you must stop about 2/3 of the way through the discharge.
So while, technically, the 40A rating for these cells is accurate I am disappointed that there is no mention on the wrap that it’s not a true continuous current rating (which can be used to compare against other cells). Most applications will never run this cell continuously at such high power levels but I believe strongly in accurate, consistently set ratings. 18650BatteryStore contacted me though and said that the wrap will be changed to add a continuous current rating and list the 40A rating as temperature-limited. This is great news!
Since the Epoch 28B reaches about 86°C at 30A (down to 2.5V) I am giving it an estimated 25A continuous and 40A temp-limited rating.
This cell is double-wrapped, a good thing for durability, but Molicels are already a little bit larger than most other cells. That can make this Epoch a tight fit in some devices. I recommend testing their size before committing to a large purchase if other cells are already a snug fit.
18650 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
20700/21700 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
Continuous Current Discharge Graphs
Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic
I want to work for the community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: Battery Mooch | creating battery and device tests | Patreon.
To see how other cells have tested check out this link: Links To All 21700, 26650, 18350, 18500 Battery Tests
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, 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 number, 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
This cell performs a little better than the Molicel P28A, which is expected if it is indeed a P28B rewrap. I cannot guarantee that this cell is a Molicel P28B rewrap but due to its appearance, performance, and some other info I cannot discuss, in my opinion this is a rewrap of the Molicel P28B. That cell is the all-around best performing 18650 we can buy in my opinion.
The P28B is not yet in production so these would be sample “pre-production” cells sent to Molicel’s customers for testing and feedback.
This cell’s internal resistance is a bit lower than the P28A so it runs a few degrees cooler at high power levels. At 10A they performed the same in my testing. At 20A the Epoch ran for about 3% longer. At 30A the Epoch ran for about 8% longer.
The Epoch’s delivered an average of 2758mAh. This is well above the P28B’s 2650mAh minimum capacity rating but below the 2800mAh typical capacity rating. This might be due to these cells being pre-production P28B samples and not fully tweaked yet.
The 40A rating of these Epoch cells is not a true continuous rating IMO. The P28B is rated at 40A in the one-page spec sheet but that rating is temperature-limited to 80°C. When the cell gets that hot you must stop. Since the P28B would reach about 100°C at 40A you must stop about 2/3 of the way through the discharge.
So while, technically, the 40A rating for these cells is accurate I am disappointed that there is no mention on the wrap that it’s not a true continuous current rating (which can be used to compare against other cells). Most applications will never run this cell continuously at such high power levels but I believe strongly in accurate, consistently set ratings. 18650BatteryStore contacted me though and said that the wrap will be changed to add a continuous current rating and list the 40A rating as temperature-limited. This is great news!
Since the Epoch 28B reaches about 86°C at 30A (down to 2.5V) I am giving it an estimated 25A continuous and 40A temp-limited rating.
This cell is double-wrapped, a good thing for durability, but Molicels are already a little bit larger than most other cells. That can make this Epoch a tight fit in some devices. I recommend testing their size before committing to a large purchase if other cells are already a snug fit.
18650 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
18650 Battery Ratings and Performance Table
You are responsible for your own safety! These batteries are designed, manufactured, and sold only for use in a battery pack with the proper protection circuitry and battery management system. They were not designed for vaping (electronic...
www.e-cigarette-forum.com
20700/21700 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
21700 Battery Ratings and Performance Table
You are responsible for your own safety! These batteries are designed, manufactured, and sold only for use in a battery pack with the proper protection circuitry and battery management system. They were not designed for vaping (electronic...
www.e-cigarette-forum.com
Continuous Current Discharge Graphs
Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic
I want to work for the community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: Battery Mooch | creating battery and device tests | Patreon.
To see how other cells have tested check out this link: Links To All 21700, 26650, 18350, 18500 Battery Tests
