Beware of Trustfire 3000Mah from Ebay

[Vaptor]

Got two in heat shrinked pack a week ego from Ebay. Protected 3000mAh but only charges to 1700mAh
using moderate 500mAh charging current.
.
Not only that but if you put them in Lavatube the battery protection circuit cuts in and power goes out
even at only 3V using 2 2.ohm atty. They only work in my low drain non-VV mods.

 

[Vaptor]

I did two cycles on this battery, on the third charge it only took 933mAh. The gold battery you see is the Trusfire with the top heat shrink removed. The gold covering is stuck on blue heat shrink that covers the whole battery. I've also removed the protection chip.

 

[Switched]

Sorry to hear your woes Vaptor. I personally would never buy batteries off Fleebay

 

[BuGlen]

I'm sorry you got stuck with batteries that aren't as advertised, or are QC factory rejects, but it could have been a lot worse. When you don't purchase batteries from known and trusted resources, then you run not only a risk of getting inferior product, but also batteries that could cause physical damage to you and your property.

As a rule of thumb, it's always best to buy Li-ion batteries from trusted resources and pay the extra to get the brands that are known to be safe and perform well.

 

[haiqu]

This data has been well known since mid-2011.

Fake Ultrafire 18650 battery warning

 

[WillyB]

View attachment 147982
I did two cycles on this battery, on the third charge it only took 933mAh. The gold battery you see is the Trusfire with the top heat shrink removed. The gold covering is stuck on blue heat shrink that covers the whole battery. I've also removed the protection chip.

Forget what they took, do a discharge test.

Did they come like this with the holo on the shrink?

They may not be 3000mAh, but they look pretty good here.

Here is a direct comparison to the considerably more expensive AW2600 Li-Ion at a rather hefty 3A drain.

Pretty damn good I'd say.


If you spend some time at the flashlight forums you'll note that there are a number of China vendors that they work with.

Those batteries came from Manafont.

 

[haiqu]

I bought UltraFire 4200mAh batteries off ebay for an insanely cheap price. Like four for $6.30 or something. Had trouble charging them using a standard XTAR charger so the vendor gave me a refund.

Turns out the problem was in the USB adapter, the 500mAh units (car or mains, I tried both) won't charge such a high capacity battery. Using the USB outlet on a 150W inverter in the car they charge up fine. Traps for the unwary ...

 

[WillyB]

I bought UltraFire 4200mAh batteries off ebay for an insanely cheap price. Like four for $6.30 or something. Had trouble charging them using a standard XTAR charger so the vendor gave me a refund.

Turns out the problem was in the USB adapter, the 500mAh units (car or mains, I tried both) won't charge such a high capacity battery. Using the USB outlet on a 150W inverter in the car they charge up fine. Traps for the unwary ...

First off no one can squeeze 4200mAh out of an 18650, especially UltraFire.

Here's a 2A test of an UF4000mAh (they didn't have a 4200 test) vs. the Trustfire 3000mAh Flame.

Even if given to me I would not use such pathetic cells.

Here's a measly 1A test with the UF3600mAh.

You'll note that these 2 sites that claim to be 'official' UF, don't even list an 18650 higher than their Red 3000mAh cell, which is probably one of the most counterfeited cells out there.

WhaFat Technological Co.,Ltd

Official UltraFire-Shop - Rechargeable battery

 

[haiqu]

Wasn't claiming they met claimed spec, just informing on difficulty charging them. My estimate is that they're about 1000mAh.

 

[WillyB]

I guess I miss-read your post,

Turns out the problem was in the USB adapter, the 500mAh units (car or mains, I tried both) won't charge such a high capacity battery.

 

[haiqu]

Yeah good point, that was a bit ambiguous. Truth is that buying batteries like this from HK can be a bit of a crapshoot, no idea what it actually is under that label or whether it's already run down. I'm suspecting low internal battery resistance as the issue with the charger, requiring a high source current to get the Xtar to work properly. But as you say, they don't make a 4200mAh unit according to the product list. Could be a recovered 3000mAh unit or anything.

They're not bad for the money anyhow, once I found out how to charge them. Certainly better than $9.00 each for the eGo 1100mAh units.

 

[Switched]

Yeah good point, that was a bit ambiguous. Truth is that buying batteries like this from HK can be a bit of a crapshoot, no idea what it actually is under that label or whether it's already run down. I'm suspecting low internal battery resistance as the issue with the charger, requiring a high source current to get the Xtar to work properly. But as you say, they don't make a 4200mAh unit according to the product list. Could be a recovered 3000mAh unit or anything.

They're not bad for the money anyhow, once I found out how to charge them. Certainly better than $9.00 each for the eGo 1100mAh units.

??? Ya spent your money on a quality charger, but then skimped on batteries??? I am not sure where your mindset is.

 

[iowajosh]

Good point.

I've used some cheap batteries. They often don't last long.

 

[Nubbie]

Depending on what channel you paid, you should have protection against incorrectly advertised products. As a consumer you are protected if your using a MC or Visa.

Thats why I link my paypal to the cc to ensure if paypal doesn't want to help, my MC company will fight on my behalf.