2 Panasonic NCR18650B 18650 3400mAh 3.7v Protected Button Top Batteries

A little background… On Nov 2, 2016 we bought a Tendlite infrared therapy light. This came sourced with two Ultrafire 3000 mAh 18650 rechargeable lithium batteries. I have steadfastly stuck to flashlights that used “standard” (AA, AAA, D) batteries my whole life but alas… Technology advances whether we like it or not.In use the Tendlite would noticeably draw these Ultrafire batteries down with only 20-30 minutes use so I searched for additional batteries and an intelligent charger. The charger I went with was an Opus BT - C3100 V2.2 (see my review of that charger but bottom line, I like it a lot).So with an intelligent charger in hand I tested the Ultrafire 3000 mAh battery, the EBL 3000 mAh battery, and some Panasonic NCR18650B 3400 mAh batteries.The cost on these as of 1/20/17 are as follows:Ultrafire $3.22 eaEBL $3.08 eaPanasonic $10.00 eaThe actual tested capacity for each cell and the $’s per mAh are as follows:Ultrafire 2358 mAh $0.00137/mAh 78.6% of rated capacityEBL 2186 mAh $0.00141/mAh 72.9% of rated capacityPanasonic 3451 mAh $0.00290/mAh 101.5% of rated capacitySo the data shows the Chinese clones are half the cost and provide roughly 3/4 of the stated performance. Now obviously I just bought all of these but if we extrapolate the life span I would guess that at best the Chinese will also have 3/4 of the number of charges in them (although lifespan is as tough as capacity so it wouldn’t surprise me if the number of charges is 1/2 of the name brand Panasonics.To sum my review I REALLY hate inflated claims on products. If the EBL’s and Ultrafire’s were advertised and rated as 2000 mAh batteries and sold as such I would give them 5 stars for coming in at 2200 or 2300 mAh! As such it is deceptive business to claim higher capacity than you can deliver. The Panasonics are just the opposite. They claim 3000 mAh and essentially they mean “3000 mAh minimum”. That is a quality product!

I purchased a set of 4 of these batteries as they seemed highly rated. I've purchased in the past Sunpowo, Orbtronic, and these "Panasonics". I am sick and tired of buying faulty batteries and wasting my time as did with the Sunpowo and it happened once again. I was hoping these would be a great experience based on reviews but either these are fake or fall to bad quality checking, which I don't believe real Panasonics would succumb to. I charged the set of 4 with a Nitecore I4 charger, which normally takes 8-9 hrs. While 3 charged as they should, one would occasionally blink with errors. When it finally said full, I went to put them in the device only to find it not work. When checking the cell with my fluke dmm, it read 0 volts. I tried popping it in the charger again thinking possibly the protection circuit tripped, but it is still giving errors. I don't want to have to waste my time or energy dealing with these cells on the very first use. What more later on? To this date, Orbtronic seems to be reliable so far. Yes they cost an arm and a leg, but they do work every time and deliver the said rating.

These appear to be the real McCoy. My charger will charge them at 750mah, almost To the end of the charge cycle. This tells me internal resistance is low. These far outlast the cheap knock offs that I have been getting. They take longer to charge because they hold more. Most ratings on Chinese batteries are grossly inflated. Many are pulls from old laptops, just plain worn out. Don't be penny wise/ pound foolish...good batteries like these Panasonics or Orbtronics cost more...and they are like far safer to charge.

These turned out to be 'Made in Japan' as hoped. They show the QR code through the outer translucent jacket which is supposed to imply genuine Japanese cells. The batteries are a tad on the long side for protected cells and the final outer jacket (the clear one) is a bit thick which is good for durability but may cause issue with some devices. They fit snug but fine in my Fenix PD35 TAC. I will adjust the rating if necessary after testing them for actual capacity. Most of the other legitimate high cap (3200, 3400, 3500) batteries are, at best, these Panasonics which are quite good. In other words, these are pretty much the best battery quality you need to pay for.

I received flat top batteries that don't fit my light (not long enough) so I sent them back. After reading the other reviews, I wonder if this is a bit of a scam. The case said "protected button top" but they definitely are not. I didn't even try putting them on a charger.

Honest measured capacity of slightly over 3400mAh...refreshing change.The protection board/button adds noticeably to the length, and does so (slightly) inconsistently for each cell (I got 6 of them.)One cell in particular is almost too long to fit my device.Otherwise, perfect!

I have fenix 2300 mAh batteries and they last quite a bit longer than these so called 3400 mAh. I suppose these are either used or counterfeit.

Slightly oversized due to the wrap they used to add the protection circuit and button top. It only just squeezes into my Fenix TK12 flashlight. Orbtronic protected batteries by comparison slide in and out easily.I was impressed the batteries came well charged, they were at 3.9V and took an additional 750 mAh, so I estimate they were 80% charged on arrival.The battery arrived with a sticker over the original markings, this I confirmed via a reliable source is required by international shipping regulations and should not be interpreted as evidence of the batteries being fake.Due to the battery being a tight squeeze for my flashlight, I'll stick to Orbtronic protected cells in the future. They are more expensive than these but are the same Panasonic cells. If these fit your flashlight OK then this is the better deal financially.