Tag Archives: 18650 3.7v battery

Wanted: Quality 18650 3.7V rechargeable cells

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen, who recently mentioned that he’s on the hunt for quality 18650 Li-Ion cells.

Like Mike, I’ve a number of shortwave portables that use 18650 cells, so I understand where he’s coming from: he’d like 18650 cells that are both safe and have a long life. Even though most radios that use 18650 cells have internal chargers, I also assume he’d welcome quality external charger recommendations.

Mike said he’s willing to pay a premium for quality cells but frankly, I’m not sure what to suggest because it seems most of the ones I find are the average eBay and Amazon variety (ie. pretty darn cheap).

I know there are some here in the SWLing Post community who are flashlight enthusiasts and others who are well-versed in the world of rechargeable batteries.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in a comment! Thank you in advance as I’m also keen to hear your comments!

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Adi notes that some new 18650 cells are longer with added protection circuit

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes:

Hi Thomas,

Recently I received from AliExp two 18650 3000mAh batteries to replace the aging original XHDATA for my D-808.

As you can see they are ~3mm longer than the original.

They still fit, but the spring is crushed to its minimum and the cover will not fit nicely unless I trim its inning a bit, with a knife .

A shorter one was on the page pictures when I order on AliEx, but I did not have the option to select it and I didn’t ask the seller.

The added 3mm is a new protection circuit

I charged them in the D-808 and, so far, they preform very well.

In order not to damage the spring, I decided to use these batteries only on long listening sessions and then put the original 18650s in, when the D-808 is at rest.

So when one is out there shopping for 18650s, it’s important to take note of their size.

Regards, Adi

Many thanks, Adi. I do see where the seller is noting the increased length of each cell to accommodate the protection circuit. It might be difficult to judge in advance, however, if a particular radio or device can cope with these slightly larger cells. Thank you for sharing this, Adi!

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An inexpensive battery charger for the Tecsun PL-880

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Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Steven, for sharing this very affordable battery charger for the Tecsun PL-880 batteries. Steven writes:

“I never purchased a stand-alone 18650 battery charger for my Tecsun PL880 radio because I felt the in-radio on wasn’t good enough. With several batteries it became a bit more of a problem keeping track and setting time aside to use the radio as a charger. Anyway, I came across amazing deal from Amazon that I just purchased.

For $9.68 out of pocket including slow shipping you get a super bright flashlight claimed to be 1000 lumens, which is probably a bit overrated. It also includes a double cell 18650 charger and one 3000ma 18650 battery – probably overrated too but all for under $10. I couldn’t pass it up.”

Click here to purchase from Amazon

I will pick up one of these chargers, too. Like you, I find that sometimes I would like to be listening to the radio instead of using it as a charger. I especially love the size of this charger–might just fit in my radio go bag.

Thanks again, Steven!

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