Update 8/3/2018

We no longer carry the Aspire 18350 as they don't make it any longer, but we do carry the Vapcell 18350 which is the same cell as the Aspire.  So these also work as Vapcell 1100mAh 18350 test results.

Aspire/Vapcell 18350 Test compared to Efest 18350

Hello again friends, Jon here from the engineering department at Liion Wholesale.  We got a real gem of a 18350 battery in from Aspire and I want to show you the data we've seen from this powerful little guy.  We are often asked which 18350 is the best 18350 battery and as you will see...this is it.

Aspire 1100mAh 18350 Overview

The Aspire 18350 was released a few months ago as a Aspire 1300mAh 18350 battery.  As every person knowledgeable about batteries knows, you can generally have either an increase in capacity (mAh) or discharge amps, but not both.  Well this battery decided to make everyone wrong with a chemistry that is just so far beyond current 18350 technology.  They improved everything, releasing it as a 1300mAh 15A battery, exceeding every 18350 size battery on the market in every way.  Here's a pic of the old 1300mAh labeling (thanks to HKJ's page for the pic):

Well, turns out 1300mAh and 15A was a little bit optimistic.  We quickly found that the battery tested out to more like 1150-1200mAh, and while it could handle 15A, it really dropped voltage a lot so you can only really quickly pulse at that current, and 10A would be a better realistic rating.  Not too crazy though, as China battery manufacturers tend to be "optimistic" with their ratings and this really wasn't too bad.  And even either 1150mAh or 10A would both be really great for an 18350.  The best before was really more like 700mAh and 5A.  Exceeding both of those together in one battery would be nuts.  As you will see....it manages to do it.

But wait!  After feedback to the manufacturer they re-rated the battery, and actually rated it very conservatively!  They changed it to 1100mAh, and a split 10A continuous 15A pulse.  So the Aspire 1100mAh and Aspire 1300mAh battery are the same cell, but with revised ratings.  Here are the updated Aspire 18350 specifications:

• Size: 18350
• Diameter:  18.3mm
• Length:  35.0mm
• Brand: Aspire
• Rated Capacity: 1100mAh
• Max Discharge Current:  10A continuous, 15A pulse (see chart)
• Nominal Voltage: 3.7V
• Peak Voltage: 4.2V
• Protected: No
• Style: Flat Top
• Weight:  24.8g
• Color: Black and Gold
• Origin:  China

Let's look at how the cell performs.

Aspire 18350 Battery Tests

Well, here's the data (with all plots you can right click and open in a new tab/window to see full size)

As you can see, this cell is an awesome 18350, running well over 1100mAh all the way up to it's continuous discharge rating (CDR) of 10A.  Here's a comparison with one of the reigning best 18350 batteries, the Efest 700mAh 18350.

You can see immediately that the Aspire not only has more capacity, it also has far lower internal resistance and therefore capability to run at high amps.  At 5A the Efest only gets around 550mAh and gets up to almost 40 degrees C which is pretty warm.  The Aspire, despite running more than twice as long at about 1150mAh, only gets up to about 30 degrees C.

Trying to run the Efest at 10A was pathetic enough that I don't even show it on the plot.  It was completely useless.  But the Aspire eeks out around 1100mAh at 10A and while it gets a bit warm at 45-50 degrees C this is still a low temperature for a battery run at its max continuous rating.

Aspire 18350 Pulse Rating Testing

The Aspire 1100mAh battery also comes with a chart that shows the ability to pulse at 15A (shown earlier in this article).  Not only that, but Aspire actually defines the pulse duty cycle which is unheard of in the industry.  They define it as 10 seconds on, then 5 seconds off, then repeat.  The most obvious market to use a pulse rating would be those trying to use this as the best 18350 for vaping, and this is a pretty conservative test for that as taking a 10 second puff followed by only a 5 second break is pretty....let's say hardcore.  So let's test.  Here's the Aspire 1100mAh Pulse Test Plot:

As you can see in the plot, it handles the 15A pulses admirably for such a little guy.  It manages to get 27 pulses before being drained.  It also ends the test at a respectable 50 degrees C.  While using it all the time at 15A is probably too much, it's good to know that it can handle it if necessary.

Is the Aspire 18350 a rewrap?

Chinese battery manufacturers get a bad rap for rewrapping other company's batteries as their own.  This one is really made in China though, as the major manufacturers outside China have really ignored the 18350 form factor.  The company that manufactures these is YDL (Shenzhen Yongdeli New Energy Co., LTD), which is a company in mainland China.  They are a sister company of Aspire, so these really are Aspire batteries.

Conclusions

The Aspire 18350 blows away all the other 18350s on the market and is the clear winner for the best 18350 li-ion battery as of September 2017.  It is the best both in capacity, as well as in discharge amps/internal resistance.  So even if you just need the best flashlight 18350 or if you're making a high capacity 18350 battery pack, this is the best 18350 battery for you.  Alternately if you have a high power application in a small package...this is still the best 18350 for you.  Simple.

You can buy the Aspire 18350 battery here, or if you're looking for something cheap we're doing an Efest 18350 clearance sale to make room for the Aspire instead.