Bottom Line: This tested out as a poor performing 19A 2500mAh cell. The 20A 2500mAh Samsung 25R delivers about 1300mAh at 20A down to 3.2V. The 20A 2600mAh Sony VTC5 delivers about 1250mAh. This Gpower only delivers about 750mAh. And that was only after two cycles at moderate current levels to “break it in”, something that should never be required. When discharged at its 25A continuous rating it became almost hot enough to boil water.
This cell doesn’t match the appearance or performance and of any Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, or Sanyo battery I have seen. It appears to be a China-manufactured cell and not a rewrap. It has “ICR” on the wrap but I don’t know which battery chemistry they’re using. “ICR” is used for both the chemistry that is in LiPo’s, lithium-cobalt (LCO), and for the “hybrid” chemistry that is in 25R’s, HE2/4’s, VTC’s, and other batteries, nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC).
While the cell does list the continuous current rating in very small print on the “back” of the wrap it has its useless “pulse” rating in huge print on the “front” of the wrap. I feel this is misleading and I encourage all battery companies that sell to the vaping community to only use the continuous current rating in large print or to use both, e.g., “25A/40A” for this cell.
The 18650 ratings table has been updated to include this cell.
Test results, discharge graph, photos: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/gpower-yellow-black-25a-2600mah-18650-bench-test-results-a-poor-performing-19a-2500mah-battery.776965/
All my test results to date: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/list-of-battery-tests.7436/
18650 current ratings and safety grades: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/18650-safety-grades-picking-a-safe-battery-to-vape-with.7447
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