What is An 18650 Lithium Battery?
18650 refers to the appearance specification of the battery, which is a standard battery model determined by SONY in order to save costs. 18 means 18mm in diameter, 65 means 65mm in length, and 0 means cylindrical battery.
The nominal voltage of a 18650 lithium battery is usually 3.6V or 3.7V, the minimum discharge final voltage is 2.75V, and the normal capacity is 1200 ~ 3500mAh.
1.The Best 18650 Lithium Battery Cell
The 18650 battery is the most commonly used battery type in life and industry. No matter which manufacturer produces the 18650 lithium battery, the overall size is certain. The difference is that the maximum capacity and the highest energy density ratio.
Top 18650 Lithium Battery Cell Model Meter
Brand | Model | Nominal Voltage(V) | Nominal Capacity(mAh） | Continuous Discharge Rating(A) | Chemistry | Style | Protected | Approximate Weight(g） | Approximate Dimensions (mm) |
LG | INR18650HG2 | 3.6 | 3000 | 20 | INR | Flat Top | No | 47.0 | 18.4x64.5 |
LG | LG18650HB6 | 3.6 | 1500 | 30 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 48.0 | 18.3x65.0 |
LG | ICR18650HE4 | 3.6 | 2500 | 20 | ICR | Flat Top | No | 47.0 | 18.5x65.2 |
SONY | US18650VTC3 | 3.6 | 1600 | 30 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 45.1 | 18.4x65.1 |
SONY | US18650VT4 | 3.6 | 2100 | 22 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 45.1 | 17.8x64.8 |
SONY | US18650VTC5 | 3.6 | 2600 | 20 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 44.1 | 18.2x65.0 |
SONY | US18650VTC5A | 3.6 | 2600 | 25 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 47.8 | 18.2x65.0 |
SONY | US18650VTC5D | 3.6 | 2800 | 25 | NMC | Flat Top | No | 46.4 | 17.9x64.7 |
SONY | US18650VTC6 | 3.6 | 3000 | 15 | NMC | Button Top | Yes | 47.1 | 18.5x69.5 |
Samsung | INR18650-20S | 3.6 | 2000 | 30 | INR | Flat Top | No | 45.7 | 18.2x 64.8 |
Samsung | INR18650-25R | 3.6 | 2500 | 20 | INR | Flat Top | No | 43.8 | 18.3x64.9 |
Samsung | INR18650-30Q | 3.6 | 3000 | 15 | INR | Flat Top | No | 48.0 | 18.3x64.9 |
Panasonic | NCR18650B | 3.6 | 3400 | 4.9 | NCR | Flat Top | No | 47.5 | 18.6x65.1 |
Panasonic | UR18650RX | 3.6 | 1950 | 20 | NCR | Flat Top | No | 46.2 | 18.5x65.3 |
BAK | N18650CP-33 | 3.6 | 3200 | 0.67 | INR | Flat Top | No | 48.5 | 18.5x65.1 |
BAK | H18650CH | 3.6 | 2600 | 0.52 | INR | Flat Top | No | 48.0 | 18.5x65.1 |
LISHEN | LR1865SK | 3.6 | 2600 | 0.52 | INR | Flat Top | No | 47.0 | 18.5x65.2 |
LISHEN | LR18650LA | 3.6 | 2000 | 0.4 | INR | Flat Top | No | 47.0 | 18.5x65.2 |
LARGE | LA18650-22 | 3.7 | 2200 | 0.44 | INR | Flat Top | No | 45.7 | 18.5x65.2 |
LARGE | LA18650-25 | 3.7 | 2500 | 0.5 | INR | Flat Top | No | 45.7 | 18.5x65.2 |
2.The Best 18650 Battery Brands
Japan: SANYO/Panasonic, SONY, etc.
South Korea: LG, Samsung, etc.
China: BAK, LISHEN, LARGE POWER, etc.
Panasonic
Established: 1918 Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
The Panasonic power battery business belongs to the energy field of the AIS sector, including secondary battery and energy equipment. Secondary battery equipment includes the Panasonic secondary battery business division and Tesla business division, which will greatly affect Panasonic performance growth.
SONY
Established: 1946 Headquarters: Japan
Established in May 1946, this is one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic products and a pioneer of the lithium battery industry. In July 2016, Murata acquired SONY's battery division. Now SONY is gearing up to push into electric car batteries.
LG Chem
Established: 1947 Headquarters: South Korea
This is a subsidiary of LG group, which is a leading chemical enterprise in South Korea mainly engaged in the production of petroleum chemistry, batteries, advanced materials and life science products. It dominates the global market in the fields of automobile battery, ESS battery and mobile device battery.
Samsung SDI
Established: 2011 Headquarters: South Korea
This is a subsidiary of South Korea's Samsung group, which is mainly engaged in the display and lithium battery production. Samsung SDI R&D center is located in South Korea, Japan, Russia and other countries, and has offices in Taiwan, Germany, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, etc. It is one of the top 100 lithium battery manufacturers in the world.
LISHEN
Established: 1997 Headquarters: Tianjin, China
Tianjin Lishen Battery Co., Ltd., a representative brand of lithium battery in China, it is one of the professional manufacturers of lithium battery with large investment and the highest technical level in China.
BAK
Established: 2001 Headquarters: Shenzhen, China
Shenzhen BAK Technology Co., Ltd., a well-known brand of lithium battery, a battery supplier of HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc. It is a world-renowned manufacturer of lithium battery, integrating research, development, production and sales.
LARGE
Established: 2001 Headquarter: Dongguan, China
Dongguan Large Electronics Co., Ltd is a provider of customized solutions and products for special lithium power systems. It is mainly engaged in the research, development, production and sale of special lithium batteries, low-temperature batteries, explosion-proof batteries, military lithium batteries and medical lithium batteries.
3.The Best 18650 Lithium Battery Charger
An 18650 lithium battery charger is specially used to charge an 18650 battery. Lithium battery has high demand on charger. It needs a protection circuit, so the lithium battery charger usually has higher more precise of control. It can charge athe lithium battery with a constant current and constant voltage.
The working state of lithium battery charger is consistent with the battery. If the charger works in the state of lithium battery and charges a NI-MH battery or nickel-cadmium battery, the battery will be charged insufficiently and the working time will be greatly reduced. If the charger works in the state of nickel battery to charge lithium battery, the lithium battery will be overcharged. It will seriously affect the battery cycle life.
Make sure the battery is fully charged,when the lithium battery charger is fully chargedd. You can remove it. The lithium battery can be removed from some chargers when the fully charge indicator light is on, while with some chargers you cannot remove the battery until all the indicator lights are on.
4.18650 Lithium Battery Type
According to Anode Chemical Materials
Lithium cobalt 18650, lithium manganate 18650, ternary 18650, lithium iron phosphate 18650, Ni-Mh 18650 (uncommon)
According to Discharge Performance
Capacity battery and power battery
Capacity 18650 Battery Cell
A capacity battery is a battery that pursues maximum capacity as far as possible in a small volume. The capacity of this kind of battery is relatively large, and tends to be more than 3000mah, while the discharge current is relatively small. It is suitable for a power bank, a flashlight, security, a mine lamp, an alarm, medical equipment, etc. They consume power at a sustained rate for a long period of time without requiring high current.
Power 18650 Battery Cell
A power battery does not have a high capacity. It is 2000-2400mah, but the discharge rate is large. It can reach more than 3C discharge, or even more than 10C. It is suitable for equipment that needs high current, such as power tools, vacuum cleaners, vaping, model airplane, swing cars, unicycles, etc.
5.18650 Lithium Battery Chemical Material and Naming
Common Battery Chemical Materials
LCO - Lithium Cobalt Oxide(LiCoO2)
LMO - Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4)
NMC - Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2)
NCA - Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2)
LFP - Lithium Iron Phosphate(LiFePO4)
Common 18650 Cell Prefixes
LCO - Lithium Cobalt Oxide(LiCoO2)
LMO - Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4)
NMC - Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2)
NCA - Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2)
LFP - Lithium Iron Phosphate(LiFePO4)
6.18650 Lithium Battery Shrink Wrap
There are two kinds of heat shrinkable tubes for an 18650 lithium battery: PVC and PE. Most manufacturers will choose PVC heat shrinkable tubes because of their low cost and easy shrinkage.
PVC heat shrinkable tubes are cheap, but are easy to break, so their operational period is not long, and they are difficult to repair if they are broken.
A PE heat shrinkable tube is not easy not easy to be cut. It has high temperature resistance, and won’t scald because a battery has overheated.
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