Isn’t it funny how we effortlessly opt for the cheapest battery we can find? But this needs to change. What we should be looking for and buying is the best 18650 battery (18mm diameter / 65mm long.)
That’s because the chances of cheaper batteries exploding after overheating are highly likely.
SAFETY is an important factor to take into consideration when it comes to choosing batteries for vaping. Manufacturers have now started incorporating high-tech, top quality chipsets into the batteries. What these do is control the vaping mod’s temperature.
And these are the kind of batteries that I’ve shortlisted for you below. So let’s get to know them better.
Table of Contents
- Best 18650 Battery 2019
- Samsung Li-ion Battery for Electric Tools – Best Battery for Continuous Current
- LG HE4 18650 – Best for Moderate High-Drain Purposes
- Panasonic NCR18650BD 18650 – Best High-Quality Battery
- M&A BD 6-Pack 30Q, 3000mAh 15A 3.7V
- Nitecore NL189 2014 Universal – Best Durable Battery
- Panasonic NCR18650B – Best Affordable Battery
- EBL 18650 – For General Applications
- Streamlight 22102 USB Rechargeable 18650
- 4 LG HG2 – Best 18650 Battery for Consistent Power
- Fenix ARB-L18-2600 Protected 18650
- 18650 Battery Buyer’s Guide
- And That’s About It!
Best 18650 Battery 2019
And this is something I learned after spending several hours researching about and examining the best picks on the market.The OUTPUT is also another important characteristic of a 18650 battery. It is as crucial as safety.
So here are the ten batteries that we know you can rely on without a shadow of a doubt.
Samsung Li-ion Battery for Electric Tools – Best Battery for Continuous Current
The problem with most batteries is that they struggle to deliver a constant flow. But that’s not something you need to worry about with the Samsung INR18650-25R 18650 2500mAh 3.7v Rechargeable Flat Top Batteries. They offer maximum 20A continuous current.
The continuous current, when paired with the high drain quality of the battery, provides reliability and consistency. And the best part about the batteries is that they come with an outer layer coating. What this does is offer added protection.
So it comes as a surprise when you find out that the battery drains quickly. But the high-performance level makes up for this drawback.
The batteries don’t take too long to charge.
Excellent performance even at a higher wattage.
They produce punchy, solid bass.
Charge holding capacity is weak.
LG HE4 18650 – Best for Moderate High-Drain Purposes
Now here’s a model that you can use for cloud chasing and moderate high-drain purposes. The LG HE4 18650 Rechargeable Flat Top Batteries offer maximum current discharge of 25A. And the continuous current it can provide is 20A. Both values are above average, which means competitive performance.
You’ll be glad to know that the LG HE4 work exceptionally well when mods drain increased amperage. Another thing to keep in mind is that their performance level is commendable. Especially in triple and dual settings!
Isn’t it fantastic when batteries have the ability to last for many days while also charging fast? If you agree with me, then there’s no reason to not opt for this pick. On a lower wattage, they can remain active for as long as three whole days. And on a higher wattage, the LG HE4 batteries offer power for over a day. And that too for intense vaping applications!
The materials used for construction are of the highest quality. And the proof of that is seen in the form of multiple cycles of discharge and charge. So don’t expect the performance level to deteriorate any time before at least 12-18 months.
The LG HE4 is excellent vaping batteries. The supply of current they deliver is quite hefty. Despite heavy-duty usage! And when batteries like these have the capacity to last, you can feel free to make them your default option.
The only negative feedback here is associated with the charge holding capacity. The LG HE4 18650 Rechargeable Flat Top Batteries lose charge rather quickly as time goes by. But to be fair, that’s the case with most batteries currently available.
The LG batteries offer a longer runtime.
The outer wrapping is tough and durable.
They produce punchy, solid bass.
Charge holding capacity diminishes with time.
Panasonic NCR18650BD 18650 – Best High-Quality Battery
Panasonic is a Japanese commercial giant company that dominates one of the top spots in the field of home and professional electronics. In their early days, they started in manufacturing lightbulb sockets and had grown as one of the biggest electronics companies in the world.
Aside from producing electronics, they also built means to operate these electronics without wall-socket power sources. To power portable devices, they also manufactured different types of batteries for a range of applications.
Product Features
Panasonic’s 18650 batteries are intended for flashlights, vapes, laptops, and power banks. These batteries are expertly manufactured in Japan and exported throughout the world. They are covered in green PVC insulation accented with black trims at the top that protects the battery from discharging when in contact with metals.
These 18650s are designed with top and bottom board protection to prevent shorting when you accidentally place them on the reverse. It has a total capacity of 3400mAh that roughly converts to three continuous hours of running your 300 lumens LED flashlight.
It has a high discharge capacity rate, 4.2votls when fully charged that allows it to be ideal for your vape and other types of e-cigarettes. It would easily heat up your vape coils consistently. It comes in a paper box and sealed with tight plastic to protect them in transit. However, they don’t come with free battery cases.
This battery has a high discharge rate that is suitable for high power applications like vape assemblies
High charge capacity at 3400mAh
This can power up a 300 lumen LED flashlight for three hours straight
These batteries are manufactured in Japan
It has a built-in circuit protection
It doesn’t come with a battery enclosure
M&A BD 6-Pack 30Q, 3000mAh 15A 3.7V
The great part about these batteries is that you can use them with electrical cigarettes, vapers, laser pointers, LED flashlights, etc. So now you know why the 3500mAh 18650 High Drain 3.7V Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries are ranked as the most versatile.
These are lithium-ion versions that offer an excellent lifespan and storage life. They deliver high-density energy despite being light in weight. And you will be ecstatic to know that the batteries have a 3500mAh capacity.
So what’s the problem with them? The part that’s slightly disappointing is that these batteries don’t have a protective coating. And this means minimum safety and durability.
Rechargeable and powerful with high grain quality.
Highly functional and compatible with most electrical devices.
They don’t come with a protective coating to prevent leakage.
Nitecore NL189 2014 Universal – Best Durable Battery
When it comes to buying batteries with maximum durability, these are it. The Nitecore NL189 2014 Universal 18650 Li-ion Recharger Battery is also powerful in nature. It has a protective coating and an increased level of capacity.
The impressive part about these batteries is that they come with an inbuilt discharge and overcharge protection (temperature trends during charge and discharge).
And to make things even better, the manufacturer has given importance to its recharging capacity as well. You can recharge them as and when you like without having to worry about the charge wearing off quickly.
The only gripe with the batteries is the size. They might be too large to jam into different kinds of devices. So struggling to fit them it might give rise to scratches on the sides.
The batteries offer large capacity.
Maximum durability with minimum wear.
They are not small enough to fit into various devices.
Panasonic NCR18650B – Best Affordable Battery
When a brand like Panasonic offers a budget-friendly option, you know you can trust its quality. And that’s what you should expect with the Panasonic 18650 NCR18650B Rechargeable Li-ion Battery.
They charge safely and efficiently without overheating. Plus, the hard plastic outer casing offers additional benefits regarding protection and durability.
The most impressive aspects are heat insulation and high electric resistance. So now you know why they don’t overheat too quickly and deliver an extended lifespan.
Another thing that you might love is the plastic case that comes with it. This adds more convenience to the whole experience. The only part that lets you down is the lack of protective coating. But despite that, the batteries are pretty safe to use.
Low operating temperature, which means minimum overheating.
The insulation performance and electric resistance are valuable features.
They have no protective layers.
EBL 18650 – For General Applications
Let me tell you a little bit about EBL before I review its 18650 3.7V 3000mAh Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries. The certified company produces batteries for all types of general uses. They manufacture AAA/AA/C/D/9V/D18650 batteries; and all rechargeable. So the level of reliability and performance is quite high in this case.
The EBL 18650 Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries are perfect for household devices. Like a remote control, digital camera, flashlight, toothbrush, and more. They have the ability to deliver dependable power so you can maximize all kinds of experiences.
They arrive pre-charged. That means the batteries deliver high performance right from the beginning itself. You can recharge them as many as 1200 times at the time of partial or complete drain. This makes the batteries incredibly economical. And they provide an unexpected shelf life too. The self-discharge capacity has been subjected to considerable improvement. So expect them to maintain 75 percent of their capacity over a long period of time.
To sum it up, if you’re searching for 18650 batteries for electronic devices, this is what you should consider buying.
Here’s the best part about the current pick. The EBL 18650 3.7V 3000mAh Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries are equipped with minimal self-discharge. That means they can preserve more than half of their capacity even after 3 years of sitting idle.
Now here’s the part that might talk you out of buying the EBL 18650 Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries. The length is slightly shorter than the other units. So this might be a problem for some devices.
The EBL batteries charge quickly.
The highly functional LED meters are simple to read.
More suitable for flashlights than vaporizers.
They are smaller than most 18650 batteries.
Streamlight 22102 USB Rechargeable 18650
Streamlight is an American company known for its tactical flashlights and different types of batteries. They take pride in their mountable flashlights that are specially designed to fit pistols and rifles. Aside from being known for tactical lights and flashlights, they also manufacture laser illuminators that are also mountable on weapons.
To make sure that their gadgets operate at its top level, they also manufacture batteries that can supply long-lasting power.
Product Features
This Lithium-Ion battery is designed with silver and black stripe insulation. One unique innovation that Streamlight included is the micro USB slot that allows you to recharge the batteries individually using a micro USB charger. In case you left your battery charger, you can directly use your micro USB charger. There are two light indicators at the top of the battery, near the button, showing the charging state and fully charged state of the battery.
To protect the battery from overcharging and discharging, Streamlight integrated a safety circuit. It takes approximately 5 hours to charge these batteries fully. For vape applications, these 18650 batteries are rated with 6 volts which translates to a high discharge rate that quickly heats up vape coils.
Lastly, it has a decent capacity at 2600mAh that could light up a 300-lumen flashlight for a continuous two hours approximately.
It comes with a built-in circuit protection
Streamlight designed this battery with a micro USB charging port near the button
It has a light indicator at the top that tells when the battery is fully charged or needs to be recharged
This battery has a high discharge capacity
Does not have a remarkable charge capacity
4 LG HG2 – Best 18650 Battery for Consistent Power
There’s some comfort in knowing that the batteries offer consistent power. This means that the ratings of the LG HG2 18650 3000mAh Flat Top Rechargeable Batteries are accurate. So you can rest assured that you’re buying one of the most reliable models on the market.
The batteries do more than just deliver consistent power. They also excel at charging quickly and holding that charge for a very long time. Over time, you will also be quite impressed with the excellent lifespan of the batteries.
Coated batteries like these go a long way in adding additional benefits like safety and durability. So that’s a huge plus when it comes to the LG HG2 18650 3000mAh Flat Top Rechargeable Batteries. The only negative aspect is the poor quality of the plastic wrap.
The batteries last for a long time between charges.
They have high drain resistance.
They produce punchy, solid bass.
The outer plastic wrap is susceptible to peeling easily.
Fenix ARB-L18-2600 Protected 18650
When Fenix introduced their flashlights in 2005, they planned to be the best and brightest flashlight you will ever need. Top brand flashlights are insanely high priced, and Fenix wants to offer the market a reasonable alternative that would not cost as much. One of the keys to their success was brought about the affordable price and astounding quality.
Today, they offer different types of lights for bicycles, hunting, fishing, headlamps, camping, and tactical illuminating companies. To make things easy for their consumers, they also offer compatible and high-quality batteries for their gadgets.
Product Features
Fenix 18650s are the prescribed battery for your Fenix accessories. The batteries are insulated with yellow PVC wraps that protect you from accidental shorting. These rechargeable batteries have a capacity of 2600mAh each. This battery can last an hour at its maximum discharge capacity of 2.6amp hour.
Fenix designed their 18650 batteries with a conspicuous pressure relief vent that allows gas to come out and prevent batteries from bulging. It’s built with circuit protection on the anode that protects you from an explosion. The durable steel shell enclosure ensures that the battery is protected from collision and impact explosion.
Fenix designed these batteries with three safety features. They incorporated overcharge and over discharge protection, overheat protection, and short-circuit protection. Fenix rates these 18650s to have a 500-charge cycle.
Every pack you get comes with a plastic enclosure that protects the batteries when not in use. A single piece of Fenix’s 18650 battery can run your 300 lumens led flashlight for about two hours.
Fenix is a known brand that manufactures tactical lights and batteries
These 18650 batteries are designed with a pressure release valve that prevents it from bulging
It has a built-in circuit protection
These batteries are rated with 500-charge cycle lifespan
Each pair comes with a free plastic enclosure
May not have enough discharge rate for high power consuming vape assemblies
Decent, but not notable charge capacity
18650 Battery Buyer’s Guide
The 18650 has now become the standard battery for vapers.
The chances of coming across this rechargeable battery in the tiniest box mod or the most complicated mechanical mod are pretty high.
You might think that these lithium-ion batteries are just like the regular consumer ones, but that’s not true. They differ regarding quality, voltage, capacity, and price. And that means finding the best 18650 battery can be quite a challenge.
Lithium-Ion Batteries: Why They Explode?
But you don’t need to worry about that anymore because I’ve created a useful guide for you. By going through it, you’ll realize how it’s wrong to believe that one size fits all.
Choosing the most reliable pick in the industry requires you to take several IMPORTANT factors into account. These include:
- Operating temperature
- Voltage
- Current rating
- Capacity
So let’s discuss each one of them below, shall we?
Capacity of an 18650 battery
The charge holding power of a battery is known as its capacity. The capacity also refers to how long you can use the battery before you need to recharge it. The best ones on the market are those that have a high capacity tag.
And the only way to determine if the high capacity label is genuine or not is to look for mAh. It stands for Milliampere-hours, and it refers to the amount of milliamps the battery draws per hour. This gives you an idea as to how long the battery will last.
Current of an 18650 battery
To prevent accidents from taking place, you need to give the safety factor its due importance. Determining the box mod’s current is a simple task as it comes with the specifications. Most of the traditional box mod kits fall between 1 to 45 amps of output current.
So keeping this in mind, an 18650 battery with 20A current rating seems like an ideal choice.
These batteries have a sufficiently high Milliampere-hours (mAh) level of 3000. Since the majority of the box mods require two of these kinds of cells, the total current rating becomes 40A.
Voltage of an 18650 battery
Voltage does the job of transferring the much-needed current of the box mod to its coil. This is why you need to know and understand your device’s specific requirements.
When using a mechanical version, this process is even more important. That’s because of the voltage, in this case, tends to deliver everything to the coil. So if the voltage is higher, you might get a stronger hit.
The current of batteries doesn’t decide the voltage capacity because there are batteries with different voltage but similar current ratings. So what you need is a battery with a higher voltage that runs for a longer time. And this applies to both regulated and mechanical devices.
The most efficient way to go about this is to select the 18650 battery that offers a decent capacity and high current rating. These are the ones that perform well at low-temperature levels, which means higher voltage.
Operating temperature of an 18650 battery
Many of us don’t take this factor into account whereas it’s considered to be a crucial one. The temperature that the battery runs at is a huge safety concern.
On top of that, overheated batteries also tend to cause damage to its charging cells. And this messes with the battery’s durability.
Batteries that overheat too often require replacement. You should take this as a warning sign. More often than not, overheating is the battery’s way of telling you that it’s either become too old or damaged.
Lower operating temperatures are suitable for advanced vapers. Because you obviously don’t want to go through the trouble of using high resistance coils or lowering the level of power.
And these are things that you might have to do if you opt for anything other than low operating temperature.
Vaping Batteries Explained: What to Buy? What is the Best Battery?
And That’s About It!
So What’s the Final Recommendation?
Editor’s Choice: Sam Sung INR18650-25R
Now that we’ve covered all important aspects of an 18650 battery, it’s time to announce the winner. When it comes to electronics, Samsung is a brand that we can trust without a shadow of a doubt.
And its INR18650-25R 18650 2500mAh 3.7v Rechargeable Flat Top Batteries are no exception.
The batteries come with a 20A power output, which means you can rely on their performance. On top of that, the shelf life of the Samsung INR18650-25R 18650 2500mAh 3.7v Rechargeable Flat Top Batteries is excellent. They have the ability to maintain high capacity despite frequent usage and charging. And that’s an impressive quality, isn’t it?
So you’ll find nothing better than Samsung when it comes to buying the best high-quality and long-lasting 18650 battery.
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