These tests below only note my personal opinion for the 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, EVE, Ampace, Sinowatt, Lishen, BAK, 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 to help lower the risks and extend cell life, 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 is a great performing power cell, about equal to the EVE 40PL. In my opinion these are pre-production samples because they do not have the CCC*** logo. A few observations…
Continuous Current Discharge Graphs
Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic
18650 Ratings & Performance Table:
21700 Ratings & Performance Table:
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: Get more from Battery Mooch on Patreon.
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 to help lower the risks and extend cell life, 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 is a great performing power cell, about equal to the EVE 40PL. In my opinion these are pre-production samples because they do not have the CCC*** logo. A few observations…
- It can’t compete with cells like the RS50 and 50PL but if priced lower than those this is a good cell to consider (along with the 40PL and BAK45D) if the absolute top performance isn’t needed.
- Its DC internal resistance (IR) was incredibly consistent between cells and the lowest I’ve ever seen in a small round cell (21700 and smaller), 4.7-4.8mOhms. The other top performers were in the 5.5-6.6mOhm range.
- The effect of the RS40’s lower DC IR can be seen in my 40A and 100A “shootouts” between the top cells (Patreon only). The RS40 had the highest starting voltage of all the cells. Not by much, might not even noticeable, but that backs up the DC IR measurement and shows its “real world” effect.
- The datasheet only has a 70A temp-limited max continuous current rating. Reliance says you can run it at up to 70A but you must never let it go over 80°C. This includes after a discharge stops! Like all cells, at very high current levels it can easily rise another 10°C or more after stopping.
- I estimate its true continuous current rating to be about 40A as that would bring the cell up to almost 80°C at 2.5V.
- The datasheet charge ratings are confusing and I’m interpreting some terms that seems to have been lost in translation: 2A standard, 8A rated, 14A max continuous. To help extend cell life I recommend staying near 2A.
- In my opinion 8A will probably shorten cycle life some and 14A will definitely shorten life if done regularly. Occasional fast charging won’t impact the cell much.
- If fast charging a lot then I recommend active cooling to keep the cell below 45°C.
- Two of the four cells I tested delivered 4025mAh and 4035mAh, great consistency but only a bit above the 4000mAh rating. I like to see cells deliver at least 100mAh more than the rating so we can be sure that none of the others in the batch will be below the rating.
Continuous Current Discharge Graphs
Ratings and Performance Specs Graphic
18650 Ratings & Performance Table:
21700 Ratings & Performance Table:
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: Get more from Battery Mooch on Patreon.
