How trustworthy are Sofirn batteries?

Interesting, thanks Funtastic. . :+1:

That is more voltage sag than I expected. So not quite as good as a 30Q. I wonder if it is still the same battery that DB Custom tested almost a year ago.

I have 4 of the Sofirn 21700’s and although they seem to be decent cells, they under perform. Fully charged, I put one in my FF E07 and turbo mode didn’t seem that great. Put a Samsung 30Q in, and turbo was noticeably brighter. In other words, they can’t handle the amp draw. Tried with all 4 of the 21700’s, same result. They act like a 10A cell. Ordered some Samsung 30T’s for the E07 instead.

In my next order of Sofirn lights I’ll get some 21700’s and 26650’s for testing and upload the graphs.

I may just start my own thread showing results for

14500 900mAh
18650 2800mAh PCB
18650 3000mAh
21700
26650

That should help those who are on the fence about getting them bundled with their lights.

I use the 14500 batteries of Sofirn and never had a problem. Capacity is as advertised (900mAh, measured several times), but I guess they are not High-drain cells (at least not as EFEST)! Also note that they are shorter than other 14500s!

Have you got a link to your thread, I can’t find it. My bad, I misread. :person_facepalming:

That is a great idea!! Keep us posted if you do start your own thread.

Some actual numbers might help.

They blew away the 30Q in my C8F. 11.5A and 3330lm compared to the 30Q’s 9A and 2900lm. The 30T performed about the same as the Sofirn 4000mah with 11.5A and 1160lm. (The 30T should show its extra muscle at higher amp draws)

I just don’t see how it’s possible a 30Q could actually outperform the Sofirn 21700.

What is the amperage range of the E07?

Also, what is a “10A cell”?

They are good to me…tested like 4 of the 3000mAh ones, and they ALL came to 3,000mAh or a tad more.

Capacity is just one aspect of the battery. The black 18650 3000mah have always been accurate for capacity. It seems to be a bit lacking as far as internal resistance and voltage sag, though. It looks like the 30Q definitely beats it in those regards.

Back when DB tested them the performance was so close to a 30Q he thought that’s what they were, just rewrapped. Their amp draw and output matched the 30Q exactly. The one tested above shows a bit below the 30Q at least as far as a 5A load is concerned. I’m wondering if Sofirn switched to a different battery or a different chemical mix in the last 6 months or so.

I found one interesting thing when charging the 21700. If I use a Samsung Quick Charger (micro USB), then the cell charges to more than 4.5v!!! I tried it with the supplied kit charger and also with an Xstar MC1 ANT. However if I use a non quick charge (slower) microusb charger, then the cell charges correctly to 4.2v. I hope thee is no major damage done to my battery with one off excess charge!

Whaaaat? The chargers are supposed to be designed to terminate at 4.2 volts. I’m not sure how a battery can cause an overcharge. Undercharge, yeah, but not overcharge. Sounds freaky. :stuck_out_tongue:

Yes, even I was a bit puzzled by that. I dont think its an issue with the battery, probably these MC1 types chargers are not smart enough and the Samsung Quick Charge Adapter messes up their calculations and it overcharges the battery. I could replicate it but I dont want to do that as I am afraid that it’ll damage the cell.

And also longevity. Just about any cell can perform well for the first 10 cycles. Come back after 30, 50, even 100 cycles and see what’s up?

Chris

All cells loose capacity the more you recharge it. It varies from cell to cell. This info is usually found in the battery documentation.

Here’s the info on the Samsung 35E as an example.

So you lose 40% of the capacity after 500 recharge cycles. Even the batteries I charge the most are still only once a week. It would take me 9.6 years to get to this.

I don’t really pay this much attention. If I wear out a battery I’ll replace it. I’m sure we will have all kinds of better batteries in the coming years. The batteries that I very seldom use and recharge might last me decades. I guess that’s a good thing? I don’t really care. Just my opinion.

I’m not talking about proper lifespan, from a good cell, I’m talking about inferior cells getting nowhere near that 500, 300, or 100 cycles that the Big 5 test to.

I could rattle off well regarded cells that I’ve used over the past 7 years, Soshine being one brand, that died quick (<1 year/30 cycle) deaths with proper handling and charging.

Sure, I’m only out a few bucks and I don’t care about cells dying from a long, hard life, but there are cells out there that initially test well, that have no longevity within their stated parameters, so that’s a component to be considered and unfortunately people like HKJ and Mooch can’t go back 2 years later and retest their ‘patients,’ so we’re left with a big ‘?’ for anything other than the Big 5, who have a proven track record.

Personally, I treat cells/batteries like I do gun my barrels, in that the more I shoot, the closer I am to having to rebarrel the weapon, so I’m not some miser looking to stretch things out for decades.

Chris

Well, you won’t get any actual numbers, just my eyesight. In the Fireflies E07, the Samsung 30Q and 25r’s, blew away the Sofirn 21700. Very noticeable brightness difference in Turbo mode.

I believe the E07 draws around 20A. I also think you already know what I mean by “10A cell”.

The life cycle also depends a lot on the current you draw from a cell
at 3C it ages a lot quicker than the test 0.2 or 0.5C

so you can expect batteries in triples and quads to age a lot fater per cycle than a conservative light with just 1.5A LED current

The 20A range is higher than any 3v lights I currently have (except the S43S, but it’s 18650 only). Maybe they perform differently at these higher levels and the Sofirn cell falls flat on its face? I dont know, as I can’t test it. I know that at lower levels it whips the 30Q. I can only hypothesize that it does the same at higher levels, but who knows.

As far as I’m aware of there is no such thing as a “10A cell”. Are you using it as a slang word? Since both cells are capable of well over 30A, you must not be refering to their upper limit. Are you refering to their max continous output that is under 80°C? (Some cells use 70°C as their limit)
The 30Q is rated by HKJ for 15A continous. Are you thinking the Sofirn 4000mah 21700 would exceed 80°C if discharged at more than 10A continous? It’s possible. I don’t have a way to test this.

Continous amperage ratings are kind of a meaningless spec. It gives you a little insight about the battery, but that is all. None of our flashlights can run continuously at these high amperages. I don’t know of anyone who categories batteries by this spec. Maybe Vapers do? I don’t.

It’s not meaningless. It’s not meaningless because for ‘pulse discharge’ tests, there is a specific duty cycle to be adhered to and those can be all over the map.

5 seconds on, 30 seconds off, or is it 7 seconds on and 45 seconds off?

That might be problematic for somebody in the middle of a Vape Bender, don’t you think?

Hell, even my stock D4 can handle 20+ seconds on Turbo, before stepping down. Who’s going to remember 60A Pulse at 7 seconds on and 30 seconds off?

It’s just easier to use the continuous number and stick below that, for any given light’s max current draw.

Chris

You lost me Chris. I don’t know anything about vaping.