This is a fun topic for those very few of us who 'get into' such stuff. First, forget the first two, they don't make any......they 'relabel' from the only four real makers in the whole world? That would be LG, Sanyo, Panasonic and Sony. And none of them make cells for this market. Yes, none of them (including Panasonic) intend to sell/support single users like us. They only sell to folks making up packs that will include protections. Everything we can get access to is 'gray market', somewhere along the line the chain gets broken which is why
you can find counterfeits even from the best of sellers from time to time.
Then, don't trust ratings claimed by folks looking for your money. A very common ploy is to quote current ratings that aren't continuous. The major customers (e-cig users) never run more than a few seconds at a time and rarely 'chain hit' enough to really tax self heating. PEAK current capacity is claimed instead as are widely crazy capacities. Some over 4000mAh?
There's a very knowledgeable and driven fellow working in this very area going by the 'handle' of "Battery Mooch" or some such. When I got interested in the details, I found his profuse writings and independent TESTING invaluable. Those really interested should seek him out, not take it from me 'second hand'?
Perhaps you should ask yourself 'if those cells are better, why doesn't Arizer use them instead? When Air first came out it used a very obscure cell which our very own Centizen (no longer an active member?) who researched it and told us the details. He then bought a 'batch' from the bulk seller (somewhere in the EU IIRC) and sold them to us at a reduced price. There were two similar colors. Now the Panasonic cell is available and has been approved for use in older Airs as well by Airzer (in theory using any other voids the warranty. FWIW, these same cells, with tabs welded on (never solder directly to the bodies) are used in pairs to make the battery pack (correct term, battery here, since it has two or more cells working together) for Solo II.
Anyway, it's your money, buy what you want. The OP asked advice, I've given mine and the reasons behind it. 'Battery Mooch' is the guy best 'in the know' IMO. And also IMO Airzer knows very well what they're doing here.
Based on the battery display bar (on the argo) the Panasonic’s show the best duration of battery life when out and about with the argo
If you are confident that the cells are authentic(remember the word on the street is that manufacturers don’t actually retail these to the vendors who we buy from) then I’d say go ahead and grab them
Good points, thanks very much for the confirmation of 'best life per charge'. It's a bit of a risk under the best conditions. Buying the 'factory battery' (really a cell.....) from an approved Arizer dealer is safest I guess, but fakes are easy enough to spot when you start using them.
For sure avoid deep discharges, and surprisingly total charges if you want maximum lifespan? Makers love to cram the last bit of charge in for maximum run time (sells vapes) and some might even want to sell you replacements? The 'industry standard' is to aim for 300 "cycles" (recharges) before replacement. This can be DOUBLED (to 600) if you stop 10% early, that is only charge to 4.1 Volts. Doubled. Drop another 10% (stop at 4.0) and it doubles again! Yup, 1200 cycles, not 300. Check out BU:
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries
Look at the stuff around table 4.
And for sure heed GSDs timely and important warning and treat these guys with all due respect, there's a HUGE amount of energy 'on tap' to do mischief. A short at the top between shell and center with change, car keys, whatever and for sure "the sun is going to come up in your pocket"....... Perhaps another reason legitimate makers would prefer them available only is well designed (and protected) packs?
Fun stuff, for sure.
Regards to all.
OF