With the help of other more experienced users, like @Tim292stro in this forum, some of you may now be thinking of, or transitioning to 21700 batteries over the standard 18650 batteries. As others have reported a 21700 battery gives the same voltage as an 18650 but offers up to 5,000mAh vs the 3,500mAh max for an 18650. Some users who create 3D printed enclosures for devices like the T-Beam v1.1 are even adding larger back plates to accommodate the larger 21700 battery (which requires a removal of the stock 18650 battery holder on the T-Beam, and a re-solder of a larger 21700 battery holder, but the gain is about 40% in run-time capacity over a 18650.
For Canadian users, depending on where you live in Canada, sourcing QUALITY 18650 batteries (ie. non-Chinese made) in the 3,500mAh variant is very difficult, if not impossible to find domestically. Even stand-alone “Battery Stores” in Canada don’t carry Japanese, South Korea or Malaysia made 18650’s and 21700’s are almost non-existent and if you can find either most will be non-name Chinese made batteries.
Recently I searched everywhere in Canada for just a 3,500mAh 18650 battery, and all I was able to find locally at an All Battery store was a Samsung 30Q which is only 3,000mAh for $15CND each. Not even an option for a 3,500mAh battery of ANY brand, and they don’t even carry ANY 21700 battery.
So, again, listening to other more experienced users here, I took their advice and checked out the US based 18650batterystore.com people. It’s shocking to see the price difference with most quality 3,500mAh 18650’s and 5,000mAh 21700 batteries being between $4.99 and $5.99US vs $15CND for a single 3,000mAh battery. Disgusting I know, but that’s another topic for another day.
So I ordered 2 18650 batteries from them, both in 3,500mAh with one from Samsung (35E) at $4.99US and one from Sanyo (NCR18650GA) at $5.99US, and also 2 21700 batteries, both being the Samsung (50E) for $4.99US each. So a total of 4 batteries and a total battery cost of $22.96US + $24.15US for shipping (OUCH!!) for a total of $47.11US or about $63.60CND based on a 35% exchange rate. $63.60 divided by 4 batteries works out to about $15.90 per battery. So around the same price I could get a lower end 3,000mAh battery for locally.
But here’s the kicker! I ordered these on-line exactly 7 days ago, on October 28, 2022 (a Friday night, so no expected action until to the following Monday, October 31, 2022). They wonderfully shipped them to me via USPS (postal) which few businesses who ship to Canada understand is the absolute BEST method to send anything to Canada from the USA as it seldom, if ever, incurs any Customs, Duty, or Taxes, whereas ANY courier company will ALWAYS charge you all 3 AND a BS “brokerage fee” on top of everything else. So any US based company that ships to Canada who ships via USPS (postal) is a friend indeed!!! All 4 batteries arrived in my mailbox this morning, 7 days after ordering them and they came from Georgia which is clear across the continent and about as far away diagonally on a map that I could possibly get. Yet it arrived in 4 business days to my friggin’ door!!! Holy Sheep Shit Margaret!!! I could not be happier! Sure it sucks that no matter who I get these batteries from they cost us Canadians $15CND, but I’m super impressed with 18650batterystore.com and THANK YOU to the other members here who recommended them to me! The package was bomb proof, well packed and the batteries in proper containers to protect them from touching and shorting etc. So THANK YOU again for the recommendation and THANK YOU to 18650batterystore!
