Bench Test Results: Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GA - 10A 3300mAh 18650

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 is 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. They should never be used 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
It’s been over five years since I tested the NCR18650GA. This was a great performer back in 2016 but it has a lot of competition now and I wanted to see how they compare.

The cells I just tested didn’t perform quite as well as the ones tested in 2016 but I don’t think anyone would notice the difference.

The NCR18650GA performs almost as well as the EVE 33P and LG MJ1 but the Molicel M35A is still a bit better at both 5A and 10A. The Samsung 35E3 (not the 35E) is also better at 5A. This doesn’t mean the NCR18650GA is a crappy cell! It it still a decent performer and could be a great choice if available at a lower price or those other cells are not available.

It has some confusing capacity ratings:

• 3300mAh “Rated Capacity”
• 3350mAh “Minimum Capacity”
• 3450mAh “Typical Capacity”

There are ambient temperature differences for the first two ratings and notes and “fine print” for all of them. I picked 3300mAh since it’s the Rated capacity and that’s what I use for all cells but these cells delivered over 3500mAh in my testing. What matters though is how long they run compared to other cells, that is, what their E-Score is. Check my 18650 Ratings Table (link below) for that.

While you can run this cell at 10A I recommend staying below about 5A-7A to help reduce voltage sag, improve performance, extend cell life, and reduce risk. Especially if the cells are in a battery pack where they heat each other up.

The two cells I tested delivered 3507mAh and 3520mAh. This is great consistency and is typical of cells from the big manufacturers. The cells I tested exceeded all three capacity ratings.

Check my 18650 Ratings and E-Scores table (link below) to see how this cell performed against others. Two cells were purchased by me for testing from 18650BatteryStore (18650 Battery Store - Lithium Ion Batteries, Chargers and Accessories).


18650 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
18650 Battery Ratings Table | E-Cigarette Forum


20700/21700 Ratings and E-Scores Table:
20700/21700 Battery Ratings | E-Cigarette Forum


Continuous Current Discharge Graphs



Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic


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To see how other cells have tested check out this link: List of Battery Tests | E-Cigarette Forum