Tested at 10A-35A constant current. This cell was purchased from RTDVapor and donated for testing. To prevent any confusion with the eGo-type "batteries", I use the term "cell" here to refer to a single 18650, 26650, etc.
Disclaimer
The conclusions and recommendations I make based on these tests are only my personal opinion. Carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.
Testing batteries at their limits is dangerous and should never, ever, be attempted by anyone who has not thoroughly studied the dangers involved and how to minimize them. My safety precautions are the ones I have selected to take and you should not assume they will protect you if you attempt to do any testing. Do the research and create your own testing methods and safety precautions.
Bottom Line
A true 30A continuous discharge current (CDR) cell that runs a few degrees hotter than the LG HB6, the only other true 30A cell. The HB6 beats it for voltage but the HB2 lasts slightly longer.
Test Results
Shootout at 20A-35A with the HB6
Comments
Disclaimer
The conclusions and recommendations I make based on these tests are only my personal opinion. Carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.
Testing batteries at their limits is dangerous and should never, ever, be attempted by anyone who has not thoroughly studied the dangers involved and how to minimize them. My safety precautions are the ones I have selected to take and you should not assume they will protect you if you attempt to do any testing. Do the research and create your own testing methods and safety precautions.
Bottom Line
A true 30A continuous discharge current (CDR) cell that runs a few degrees hotter than the LG HB6, the only other true 30A cell. The HB6 beats it for voltage but the HB2 lasts slightly longer.
Test Results
Shootout at 20A-35A with the HB6
Comments
- At 10A it reached about 1350mAh. This is decent performance for a 1500mAh-rated cell.
- At 20A the maximum temperature reached 66°C. This is low and indicates that the cell is not yet operating at its CDR.
- At 25A the temperature rose to 74°. This is just below the average temperature for a cell operating at its CDR.
- At 30A the temperature rose to 81°C. This is similar to other LG cells at their CDR.
- At 35A the temperature rose to 88°C, too high to operate a cell at. But indicates that the cell could go to 40A before hitting my 100°C safety limit. In my opinion, this would damage the cell though.
- Five additional cycles at 30A showed essentially no loss in capacity but there was some voltage sag for most of the discharge. However, this sag was present in the second 30A discharge and did not get worse as 30A cycles #3-#6 were done. I think the damage that caused the voltage sag was done during the 35A discharge.
- I am setting a CDR of 30A for this cell. Its temperature at 30A was moderate and there were no signs of additional damage after the additional five cycles at 30A. While operating any cell near its rated maximum current causes damage to the cell, I would expect decent cycle life from this cell at 30A. I would not recommend operating this cell above 30A due to the damage it causes.
- The HB2 has a slightly greater capacity and higher voltage at the start than the HB6. But as the shootout graph shows, the HB2 voltage sags below the HB6 for most of the discharge. The HB2 also operates about 5°C hotter than the HB6. This could accelerate aging of the HB2 compared to the HB6.
- Both the HB2 and HB6 are true 30A cells though.
- To see how other cells have tested and how hard you can safely push them, check out the links in my signature.