Efest 18650 or AW IMR 18650?

[D4rk50ul]

Depends on the device. If you are on a mech batteries you should use are:

Samsung INR18650-20R
AW IMR 18650 1600mah (not 2000mah)
MNKE IMR 18650

All of those batteries handle over 20amp continuous draw and over 30amp spikes. I listed them in order of personal preference.

Panasonic CGR18650CH should never go in a mech. Also the AW IMR 2000mah has a much lower amperage output than the 1600 I wouldn't recommend it. Efests haven't had a ton of testing done yet so you are kind of being the guinea pig.

I'd recommend visiting some of the flashlight forums for better information on cells and safe operating conditions.

Edit: For regulated devices the Panasonic is nice as well as the LG 3100mah. Just make sure they can handle more than the amp limit on your device.

 

[tj99959]

Fresh off the charger with 1.7ohm load
3.73v

3.58v

I'll say no more.

 

[440BB]

Even though they may have a somewhat lower amperage output than the 1600mah version, in my normal use (1.5 ohm delivery device) the 2000mah AW IMR batteries have given me good service.

 

[Rader2146]

Panasonic CGR18650CH should never go in a mech. Also the AW IMR 2000mah has a much lower amperage output than the 1600 I wouldn't recommend it.

I'd imagine that the vast majority of Mech/RBA users would have no need for batteries that outperform the CGR/CH and AW 2000mAh. Really, how many are using coils less than .5Ω? Are there better batteries for high current, absolutely. But if someone has a 10amp battery already, why would they need to buy a >20amp battery if they're only going to use 6-7 amps?

My CGR/CH's are working great in my mech mods with a .5Ω coil, lasting all day+ on a charge and holding excellent voltage under load.

 

[Red_Bird]

I've used the Pannys in my CCTS (mech mod) on low ohm coils without incident, there may be higher performing 18650's with output but the difference is minimal. They are completely safe to use, anyone saying different is wrong.

 

[tj99959]

There really is a difference. AW does not make batteries ... they test batteries. Only a small % of the batteries meet AW specks. The rest end up in electric shavers or ......... well ........ get a EFest labels stuck on them.

We can each decide for ourselves if the difference is worth the cost.
For me it depends on which PV I'm going to put them in.

 

[Intruder]

Practically, I would say Efest are doing their job very well for their money. I also use to use the green Panasonic and I m too happy with this too. As already said in here I would prefer to invest more money in a good charger, in order to keep all the batteries in good condition.

 

[mgmrick]

Knock efest all you want.... They preform just as well and cost less. Real use proves it

There really is a difference. AW does not make batteries ... they test batteries. Only a small % of the batteries meet AW specks. The rest end up in electric shavers or ......... well ........ get a EFest labels stuck on them.

We can each decide for ourselves if the difference is worth the cost.
For me it depends on which PV I'm going to put them in.

 

[tj99959]

Knock efest all you want.... They preform just as well and cost less. Real use proves it

I use both, and like both, but in a mechanical mod I can tell the difference with the ones I have.
In reality, they are usually the same cells, it's just that one meets AW specs and the other doesn't. How much each cell misses AW specs by is what is in question, and is just the luck of the draw.
In other words QC is the only difference.

 

[D4rk50ul]

I'd imagine that the vast majority of Mech/RBA users would have no need for batteries that outperform the CGR/CH and AW 2000mAh. Really, how many are using coils less than .5Ω? Are there better batteries for high current, absolutely. But if someone has a 10amp battery already, why would they need to buy a >20amp battery if they're only going to use 6-7 amps?

My CGR/CH's are working great in my mech mods with a .5Ω coil, lasting all day+ on a charge and holding excellent voltage under load.

Well you are pushing 7+ amps on that coil at operating voltages of 3.7v, higher at full charge. It's not a safe chemistry battery it's a hybrid, if you get a hard short and pull a huge amount of amps from it you could have an issue. The thing is it is always better to be safe and get something that exceeds your requirements rather than just barely meets it.

 

[Satava]

I use the pannies in my Natural @ 0.8 ohms which is 5.75 amps at full charge.

Well you are pushing 7+ amps on that coil at operating voltages of 3.7v, higher at full charge. It's not a safe chemistry battery it's a hybrid, if you get a hard short and pull a huge amount of amps from it you could have an issue. The thing is it is always better to be safe and get something that exceeds your requirements rather than just barely meets it.

There's no such thing as being safe when dealing with ANY Lithium based battery. They're all dangerous. If you look around a bit on ECF you can see what an EGO has done on bad chargers or just overheating. Button assemblies shooting through oak doors and whatnot. If anything should be considered "Safe" it would definitely be a pre-packaged device intended for use near the face and recharging regularly as opposed to stainless steel tubes with ultra high powered batteries stuffed in them. This is simply not the case 100% of the time.

Edit- Flights have had issues mid-air with iPhones spontaneously combusting too btw

 

[D4rk50ul]

I use the pannies in my Natural @ 0.8 ohms which is 5.75 amps at full charge.



There's no such thing as being safe when dealing with ANY Lithium based battery. They're all dangerous. If you look around a bit on ECF you can see what an EGO has done on bad chargers or just overheating. Button assemblies shooting through oak doors and whatnot. If anything should be considered "Safe" it would definitely be a pre-packaged device intended for use near the face and recharging regularly as opposed to stainless steel tubes with ultra high powered batteries stuffed in them. This is simply not the case 100% of the time.

Edit- Flights have had issues mid-air with iPhones spontaneously combusting too btw

There is absolutely such a thing as being safe and maintaining your equipment and cells. If you are not aware then yes, you are simply holding a metal tube with a huge power supply in it.

The recent ego explosion was due to the wrong charger being used. User error or straight up lack of care/knowledge/correct equipment accounts for most incidents.

 

[danzac]

im asking about efest batts because i have two aw imr and after 1 month of daily usage, one of the aw imr is not working anymore, the other one loses its volts very fast.

For the real AW batteries, buy from AW. You should go through CPF market place,
Fresh authorized AW batteries.
AW's LiIon Batteries Sales Thread *Part 12*

 

[Ryedan]

Well you are pushing 7+ amps on that coil at operating voltages of 3.7v, higher at full charge. It's not a safe chemistry battery it's a hybrid, if you get a hard short and pull a huge amount of amps from it you could have an issue. The thing is it is always better to be safe and get something that exceeds your requirements rather than just barely meets it.

Panasonic hybrids are safe chemistry. They are Li-Mn and high drain.

 

[Rader2146]

Well you are pushing 7+ amps on that coil at operating voltages of 3.7v, higher at full charge. It's not a safe chemistry battery it's a hybrid,

Well...I am drawing 7.98A at full charge...on a 10amp battery. So what is the problem and why should a CGR/CH "never go in a mech" (your words)? Also, please define safe chemistry and state the basis of your claim that the CGR/CH is not safe.

if you get a hard short and pull a huge amount of amps from it you could have an issue.

Is that not true for any and all batteries? How is this an argument against the CGR/CH if it is true for all?

The thing is it is always better to be safe and get something that exceeds your requirements rather than just barely meets it.

I understand your logic, but the words are all wrong. Is it better to get something that far exceeds requirements...I'll admit, that's usually true. Is it more safe to get something that far exceeds requirements? How do you measure safety when reported failures is exactly zero and track record for withstanding abuse is excellent? I could also assume that a 20A battery is more safe than a 10A battery, but I wont. Mainly because I know that battery safety is so much more than Max Discharge current. There is also a pretty convincing argument against that assumption, but it's not for this thread (hint: If one manufacturer can get 20A+ and 2000mAh out of an 18650, why isn't everyone doing it? )

 

[Rader2146]

Panasonic hybrids are safe chemistry. They are Li-Mn and high drain.

In the traditional sense of LiMN = LiMn₂O₄ = IMR.....the CGR/CH is not LiMn. Panasonic doesnt like to disclose the chemistry, but if I were a betting man my money would be on LiNiMnCoO₂. That is of course based on the performance characteristics and the fact that LiNiMnCoO₂ is a literal hybrid of ICR and IMR chemistry.

But they are high drain and safe.

 

[pcrescue]

Personally I have a couple of both AW and eFest and have not been able to determine if one lasts longer than the other over a couple months of daily use, although I'm leaning toward the eFest. The Trustfires I bought I consider to be a learning mistake. And I agree the charger is VERY important - I too own the Nitecore i4. The best imho.

I've used the gray Pansonic CGR18650's for months.....they last longer then my AW 18650's or my Efest 18650's, all 3 own my 3100 mah Trustfire 18650's.

You must have a cheap battery charger or a bad battery. Pannys seem the best among the 18650's for battery life here.

All of my 18650's are at least 3 months old (have 7).....none have died.

You need a battery recharger. Nitecore Intellicharger i4

 

[Hello World]

Received a week ago and been using the High Drain 18650 2900mAh NCR18650PD Hybrid Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Panasonic-Button Top.

Hands down the most powerful and longest lasting battery.

Many supposed heat sink issues are merely batteries not kicking up lots of power fast enough most notable on mechanical mods.

 

[Shaberanks]

I'm a fan of the AW

 

[Ryedan]

Wow, 2900 mAh! Things are changing

It's definitely the highest mAh 18650 high drain battery out there. But what makes you say it's the most powerful one? It's rated at 10 amps continuous and 18 pulse. MNKE advertise much higher than that. I think AW are higher also.