Efest 2100mah "30A" a battery other than VTC4 found under the wrapper.

[Froth]

If you're like me you like a good deal, so when I came across 2100mah/30A Efest batteries(what I previously assumed to always be VTC4's) for $8 each shipped I figured I would buy a backup pair. They were purchased from a source I completely trust and have purchased batteries from before.

About four months ago I purchased a single 2100mah/30A Efest just to pull the wrapper off of, it was a VTC4 indeed. So, thinking I was ordering some VTC4's in a purple wrapper I just waited until they arrived. The positive pole was a dead give away to me.

Well, they arrived today and I wasn't initially going to rip the wrapper off but to my shock the top positive post of the cell had four legs going to the positive pad, not 3 like a VTC battery would. So, off came the wrapper...and what do I find? Suprise, it's an LG18650HE2...in a wrapper rated 2100mah? This makes me cautious, I wonder if Efest is using "B-grade" cells that don't hold their full capacity, or they simply re-wrapped the wrong battery with their shrink wrap.

Long story short? Check your Efest batteries over with a fine tooth comb, just because something was one way a month or two ago doesn't mean it's the same now apparently...

 

[anumber1]

This is what I fear with efest branded batteries. They could (and apparently do) put anything under a wrapper and since the VTC4 is getting expensive, they now just wrap a 20A battery and call it a 30A. They were already calling it a 35A so this is actually more accurate? Nice...

 

[nyiddle]

I have 2x "2500 mAh/35a" Efests.

Are these probably not legit?

 

[Froth]

This is what I fear with efest branded batteries. They could (and apparently do) put anything under a wrapper and since the VTC4 is getting expensive, they now just wrap a 20A battery and call it a 30A. They were already calling it a 35A so this is actually more accurate? Nice...

This purchase marked my last Efest battery cell purchase ever.

I have 2x "2500 mAh/35a" Efests.

Are these probably not legit?

They are most likely an LG18650HE2, which is rated for 20A continuous and 35A pulse. However, as I've recently discovered things change quickly over at Efest so that may or may not still be the case.

 

[dopamine1]

Wow, Efest is a joke. Never buying anything from that company.

 

[jwbnyc]

Xtar now has a deal with Sony to sell the VTC4 with an Xtar wrap.

Prices are pretty reasonable atm.

 

[Ryedan]

Xtar now has a deal with Sony to sell the VTC4 with an Xtar wrap.

Prices are pretty reasonable atm.

Yup. They're back in stock at Battery Junction for $7.95

 

[pnyc]

Another bad business practice by Efest. Do they know they can endanger the safety of an unsuspecting user? Too irresponsible

 

[Stosh]

Yup. They're back in stock at Battery Junction for $7.95

Not so sure about those, check the features.....

Features:
Specially designed for high-performance flashlights and electronic cigarettes
Built-in over-charge and over-discharge protection circuit
Short-circuit protection ensures safety
Environmentally friendly

IMR usually don't have protection circuit, but 30 amp ICR don't make sense. Don't know what to make of these....

 

[Ryedan]

Not so sure about those, check the features.....

Features:
Specially designed for high-performance flashlights and electronic cigarettes
Built-in over-charge and over-discharge protection circuit
Short-circuit protection ensures safety
Environmentally friendly

IMR usually don't have protection circuit, but 30 amp ICR don't make sense. Don't know what to make of these....

Good catch Stosh! They are button top also. Agree about the 30A vs protected issue, but they are supposedly 67mm long so I doubt they have a protection board on them. I would email them for clarification though before buying these to make sure.