Folks,

I've just picked up a Fenix TK35 which I intend to run on 18650's. If I've learnt anything from this forum it's to avoid batteries which have 'fire' in their description. As such I will source either Sanyo or Panasonic batteries and the charger separately.

There lies the quandry, to use either protected or unprotected cells. It was my intention to get protected cells for the additional safety benefits, but I'm now not sure about the charger.

A suitable charger on e**y is the Ultrafire WF-139 which appears to fit the bill nicely. However on reading the specs, one vendor lists it as being unsuitable for batteries with protection board.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181287255805?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 

So now I'm not sure which chargers will work with protected batteries, or should I just go with unprotected cells and be more careful with their care. Any suggestions to relieve my age related confusion would be most appreciated.

John

Its a bit of a minefield isn't it.

Trustfire 2300 mAh LiIon cells regardless of being labeled 2500 mAh are OK, I have used them for about 5 years and have only changed over to genuine Sanyo because the capacity isn't up to what its supposed to be, the Chinese in describing them as "2300 mAh" are being honest, but they are good cells. Even Torchy states this on his website.
But avoid Ultrafire like the plague.

A dedicated LiIon charger, assuming it does what it says on the tin, will not overcharge the cells, so with a decent charger cell protection is not needed.

Overdischarge is a different game and the possibility of this happening depends on the design of the torch. Parallel cells will output up to 4.2V fresh off charge, with the max dischage safe level of about 2.6V. If the torches electronics are such that it utilises parallel cells and does not have a voltage booster the torch will be so dim long before its cells are down to a dangerous level; you will know about it. However, the internals of the torch are an unknown factor, so lets move on.

So bottom line on this is to use decent protected cells and buy a decent charger to go with them. If something offered under the Ultrafire brand label looks iffy, then take your own advice and buy something else.

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For my Fenix TK35 I bought the Nitecore i4 Intellicharger and Nitecore protected 18650 batteries. No problems with either. The batteries give loads of power and last for ages.

For my Fenix TK35 I bought the Nitecore i4 Intellicharger

I have to endorse the same, the Nitecore i4 has proven superb, also helpful that it can charge not only the 18650s for my TK35 and TK75, but also AA's for cameras *and* CR 123s for Fenix PD range... :thumbup:

J

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+1 on the nitecore.
Charges everything I use LiIons for - helmet lamps, flashlights and vaping gear.

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Looks like you have your answers John.
Ultrafire chargers?
An old wise saying, "Penny wise and pound foolish"

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Nitecore is a higher end charger and seems very good.

Saying that I have used the charger you picked out for over 2 years now, once a month on average, both charge bays and no problem. However I did pay twice the price of the one being offered.

With the Chinese stuff being offered, it is very difficult to say if your getting an original or clone.

Another charger is the one made by Fenix and Fenix cells:

http://www.myfenix.co.uk/power/fenix-batteries-and-chargers 

The above company are importers of the Fenix gear.

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With the Chinese stuff being offered, it is very difficult to say if your getting an original or clone.

The same product can have different PCBs in two examples from the same batch!
In extreme examples, the same product can be completely different in two examples from the same batch.
The reason for this is that a popular product may be produced by several different factories.
Working with this sort of thing is a learning curve of 'duck and dive' and not recommended for the inexperienced.

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Batteries-wise I only ever opt for AW-branded, more expensive yes, but reliable and reputable...and not sourced from power-pack of a knackered old laptop! ::)

Their built-in protection also enables them to be cleared for taking, even in quantity, on flights, helpful when you're heading abroad for mine exploring :thumbup:

J

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Good advice, but all be advised that many quality protected cells are OEM Sanyo rebranded.
I believe that Sanyo are the majority laptop manufacturer cell of choice. They are also the choice of Mr Biff who manufactures the Rude Nora lamp, and that guy only uses the best.
Credit where its due.

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A bit more hands on, and expensive for a genuine one, is an Imax B6. Pair with some neodymium ball magnets and a balance tap, (both off fleabay for under a tenner posted), and hey presto, you can charge up to 6 cells at once.

That said, my clones are both within .01v of the genuine one, but that may not be true for all clones out there. Last time I looked, genuine ones were £60ish and the clones £15-£20.

Sanyo, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung all make decent cells. You don't need a particularly high discharge rate for the TK35, 2A continuous, 5A pulse should do it. Buy at a reputable site, as re-wraps & fakes are all over the place. I don't use protected cells in my TK35, but eyeing up the driver on it, there's far too many pins to be a bog standard PWN controller, so it *might* have over-discharge protection built in. Mabye Vanoord can let us know for sure.

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Not a clue...

The TK35s seems to work fine with everything I've put in it so far.

We've been selling the Cytak charger with Cytak cells and not had any problems. I've used them myself and the charger has worked perfectly well.

I've also been using some blue 18650s for a while (could be some flavour of 'fire') which have worked fine, although I've shifted across to using the Fenix 18650s (mostly to see what they're like).

The newer Fenix 18650s are higher capacity so should give longer run-time, but they're also a lot more expensive (more than twice the price, about 50% more capacity. As with anything, you pays your money, you takes your pick.

From my point of view, for £30 you can get a dual bay Cytak charger together with a couple of cells - and that'll do effectively the same job that a (considerably) more expensive set will do.

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Well I thought I'd post the conclusion to my initial question. Many thanks to the useful comments posted in reply.

My initial confusion was finding a charger that stated it did not take protected 18650 batteries. My state of confusion was thinking, they required a specific type of charger which non protected cells did not need. A concept which made little sense to me.

A bit of research revealed that protected 18650's are longer and fatter than non protected ones. So the likelyhood is, they would not physically fit in the charger I was looking at.

Anyway now being back on track and being reassured that protected cells were the way to go, I followed my original instinct and purchased the Sanyo 2600 protected cells. With the advice from the members here, I opted for the Nitecore Intellicharger I4. Result, a perfect fit, a marriage made in heaven.

Hopefully this well help anyone else who gets confused with battery / charger selection.

Now all I need is a hole to try it out in .....

This isn't a shameless plug because I am always describing products I sell but have no stock, should have gone to a business college.

Anyway, I am shortly stocking (yes really) an optional 8V power pack for Trigons ( I have stock) and Lynx X3000 lamps (sorry I have no stock yet) which enable the owner to remove the cells, charge them seperately and also use the same cells in a torch or whatever.
Obvious advantage is that the user can choose his or her batteries as well.
;D

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A bit of research revealed that protected 18650's are longer and fatter than non protected ones. So the likelyhood is, they would not physically fit in the charger I was looking at.

This might well get called 'Chinese Shite' on here but for me its been a good charger, doesn't matter how 'long' your cells are and has two independent channels.

http://www.ledfiretorches.co.uk/xtar-vp1-li-ion-battery-charger.html 

Regularly used to charge a mixture of EagleTac 3400mAh button top and AW 3400mAh flat tops and has shown no inclination to cremate my house yet (still wouldn't leave the house with it on though :tongue: )

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Looks OK to me.
Noticed this though:
"Li-ion batteries should never be left charging unattended under any circumstances"

So what do we do, sit up all night watching it?
Bit daft
:lol:

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