What is the best 18650 cell and charger for it?

[lonmcc]

I'm going to order a Lumapower M1-R shortly. I thought I would also pop for a pair of 18650's and a charger for them. Anyone had any good or bad luck with any brand's out there? A source with pricing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

[led flashlight]

led flashlight,

Your quote deleted
please see http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/ann....php?f=12&a=15

[sysadmn]

AW's 18650 are considered the best. They're also one of the few that will power high current incandescents. Let me know if you can't find the thread.

AW sells a charger, the Ultrafire WF-139, that is ok. From what I have read, the new style Pila charger is considered the best of the under $100 chargers. I have used the DSD charger - you just have to pull the cells as soon as they are done charging, and to check their voltage to see if your charger properly terminates at 4.2v.

[DM51]

As sysadmn says, AW’s protected Li-Ion cells are the best. His WF-139 charger is OK for these, but it should not be used for unprotected cells.

Welcome to CPF and CPFMP – take a bit of time to look around the different sections and do some reading. Battery and charger questions like yours are usually addressed in the Flashlight Electronics – Batteries Included forum on CPF.

[LuxLuthor]

AW's are the best cells, and have made many improvements in design and cell protection circuit.

The best relatively affordable charger is the Pila charger, although with AW's protection circuits, you can use cheaper chargers that may not terminate charging when cell is full.

[Burgess]

Glad that i found this thread.



_

[javafool]

How does the new Pila charger compare to the original Pila charger that shipped with the LionHeart flashlights? Would I be better using the older Pila or the AW charger, or bite the bullet and buy the new Pila? You may have guessed that I have both, but not the new Pila.

javafool

[cat]

How does the new Pila charger compare to the original Pila charger that shipped with the LionHeart flashlights? Would I be better using the older Pila or the AW charger, or biye the bulley and buy the new Pila? You may have guessed that I have both, but not the new Pila.

javafool

...ok, the Y is next to the T, but

[javafool]

...ok, the Y is next to the T, but

Thanks for the spellcheck! NOW, which is really the best charger for 18650 batteries please?

[Steve L]

I've been getting good results using the AW charger(Ultrafire WF-139).

[DM51]

Thanks for the spellcheck! NOW, which is really the best charger for 18650 batteries please?

The Pila IBC is the best of the small automatic smart chargers.

[Zenster]

The Pila IBC is the best of the small automatic smart chargers.

I note where Pila sets themselves apart by using their own proprietary batteries. This includes the IBC charger itself that is only advertised to charge their own 600P/S or 300P/S batteries.

So how does this play out with using the Pila IBC to charge other types and sizes of batteries? Is there a definitive list somewhere of ALL of the sizes and types of batteries (made by other companies) that the Pila IBC will charge correctly an safely?

[TITAN1833]

I've been getting good results using the AW charger(Ultrafire WF-139).

+1

[DM51]

I note where Pila sets themselves apart by using their own proprietary batteries. This includes the IBC charger itself that is only advertised to charge their own 600P/S or 300P/S batteries.

So how does this play out with using the Pila IBC to charge other types and sizes of batteries? Is there a definitive list somewhere of ALL of the sizes and types of batteries (made by other companies) that the Pila IBC will charge correctly an safely?

The Pila IBC will charge any 3.7V Li-Ion of any make as long as it has a capacity of at least 600mAh. That means it is fine for 14500s and R123s upwards to 18650s. It should not be used with smaller cells such as RCR2s or 10440s.

[Zenster]

The Pila IBC will charge any 3.7V Li-Ion of any make as long as it has a capacity of at least 600mAh. That means it is fine for 14500s and R123s upwards to 18650s. It should not be used with smaller cells such as RCR2s or 10440s.

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for!

[DM51]

Glad to be of help.

If you have any other battery-related queries, the best place to look for answers is CPF's Flashlight Electronics - Batteries Included section.

[javafool]

The Pila IBC is the best of the small automatic smart chargers.

Thanks DM51, I did order a Pila IBC charger after reading all I could in the other forum about batteries and chargers. I have been using a Ultrafire WF-139 and the original version of the Pila for quite some time with no problems, but I have seen first hand what can go wrong when using Lithium-ion batteries. I love the batteries and the power to size/weight ratio they offer. I am also willing to pay a little more for the safest charger I can find, and it looks like the new Pila is currently the best out there.

Thanks again,
Terry