Sanyo 2600 Mah is one of the best 18650 sized lithium batteries out there, and one of the best places to shop for them is Fasttech.com.
A pack of two is under 10 USD. The downside is batteries are not eligible for free shipping, and you are normally charged additional 5 USD at checkout. This is not a problem is you get them in bulk like a pack at a time. But I only needed two and didn’t want to pay for three. If the added shipping costs do not bother you, click this link to go to Fasttech. You may stop reading this right now. For free shipping, there is this huge Aliexpress venue, which also offers Sanyo 18650 2600 batteries. I had a coupon for a relatively big total cost, at least for Aliexpress, so I threw in a couple of those batteries for around 10 USD a pair, without the coupon discount. Some people are afraid to order batteries via postal shipping. So do I, and I normally place separate orders for liquids or batteries, so that liquids or batteries are shipped in a separate parcel. If the parcel with liquids or batteries gets busted by the customs, at least the rest of the items are not in the same parcel. No trouble this time though. I payed for the item, and in just 43 days it was at my doorstep. A breeze. Unboxing! Well, it’s obvious Aliexpress Sanyo 18650 are different from Fasttech Sanyo 18650. The coating color is different, the isolator color, the markings are different and the weight is different – Aliexpress battery is about 5g heavier than Fasttech. That’s all I can check, and can only confirm the battery works. I don’t have the expensive equipment to check capacity at various currents, sorry. I don’t even know which of the batteries is really authentic Sanyo, if any at all. Aliexpress sellers try to encourage you their goods are authentic by showcasing the batteries weight and discharge graphs from those expensive battery testers. All of that is bullshit. There have been numerous reports that disassembling Chinese lithium batteries reveals powdered plaster they use to increase the weight up to the nominal – exactly 45.5g Marty! – or cast around a smaller and less powerful cell to fit it into 18650 dimensions. I’m not even sure the Fasttech batteries are authentic, but somehow, I have more trust in them. I would really like to pinpoint a 100% authentic Sanyo for you to buy, but I just don’t know where to get one. Since you watched up to this point, as a bonus I’ll explain why everyone is after Sanyo 2600 and not Panasonic 3400, which has a 1/3 increase in capacity. Batteries with larger than normal capacity are covered under the same rule as males with larger than normal dicks. Remember what your mom told you? “It not the size that matters, it’s how you use it!” Same thing here, it’s not the capacity that matters, it’s how the battery discharges that capacity. Panasonic can fully release their 3400 Mah capacity in really mild conditions only: the device can’t draw over 2.5 volts and 2 Amps. Well, maybe such devices exist, but my Vamo for instance shuts down when the voltage drops to 3v, which is way higher than 2.5. So yes, the more expensive Panasonic will work for some time, but they won’t release the full capacity, which renders them pointless economically. In the end of the day, Sanyo 2600 are cheaper and have a working discharge of 3v and 2.5 Amps or higher. Well if they are authentic of course. That’s why so many people want to buy authentic Sanyo 18650.