Panasonic NCR18650B authenticity and side metal strip

4.2 volts…ok sounds good. I guess I’ll use it a bit and then recharge full and see what I get. I just got it it the mail today. I hope it’s not a dud. Funny thing is my fully charged GTF measures 4volts.

That is for protection, you can check some of my articles:

https://lygte-info.dk/info/battery%20protection%20UK.html

https://lygte-info.dk/info/isMyBatteryProtected%20UK.html

Thanks for the site.

If you bought it on ebay, then yeah you probably got ripped off. It’s most likely a fake, or a poor quality C grade cell that might have been sent from the factory for recycling but was intercepted by a 3rd party to re-sell as a good cell. Or a used cell that they re-wrap and sell as new. Basically, there’s way more ways for them to sell you a bad cell than a good one.

And 3.5v ??? Even a crap cell should charge to the normal 4.2v max, even if it doesn’t have much capacity or power. Are you sure your charger is okay? If it’s the cell, there’s something seriously wrong with it. IMO, I wouldn’t use it.

As far as the strip goes, as others have said, it might be an added protection strip. Or a fake strip… you won’t know.

You’ll have better luck on Ali, but there are still tons of fakes there. You’ll probably get a Chinese cell re-wrapped as a Samsung or something. The cell might still be okay, though.

Buy from a reputable shop to have the best chance of getting something real. I like Illumn, but there are a few others depending where you live.

Yep. It’s really not, Not, NOT worth risking your and your family’s life and property with suspicious li-ion cells bought from eBay or overseas.

And don’t put your trash haulers at risk of toxic fire either. Google will help you find a recycler in your area. Use it properly.

Ask an economist about “sunk costs” —- the monkey puzzle trap. You got fooled and didn’t pay too much for an important lesson there.

Go to illuminationsupply.com, mtnelectronics, or

—- folks, is there a comprehensive list of trusted US/Canadian suppliers posted somewhere?
There are ample threads about which sites are sketchy: Search results for '' - BudgetLightForum.com

You should ask here first before buying on fleabay or anywhere else your weary of.

Yes I'll definitely ask here next time. Oh I just happen to charge first time my Panasonic. It had around 25% left. Its been 6 hrs and charger still red. I read online that that's normal. Some users charge overnight! I'm using this charger

I'll try this one next. Its a TP4056 module. Some members here might be using it. Just give it 5v and it'll charge any 3.7v batt.

Brother, your charger too - I honestly dont know which one I’d be more terrified of, your ultrafire charger or battery of unknown origin :slight_smile:

Get an opus charger or something decent, I have Amazon.com. And it works beautifully. It doesnt drain batteries one they are fully charged which is awesome.

Those little charger boards are fine.
Dedicated Li-Ion charger chip does all it needs to, including termination of the charging.

Oh okay, glad to hear something with “ultrafire” has some decency

I don’t know that Ultrafire charger, but i do know those little blue micro USB charger boards are okay, even on a piece of wood. :partying_face:
I assume that Ultrafire has similar electronics as that little charger board, i assume it’s okay too.

“We put the fire in Ultrafire!!”

The EBAY seller has mostly all positive reviews, and sold a lot of batteries.
I would just keep an eye on them for awhile to see how they perform, then decide if you think they are real.
I would definitely look into a better battery charger as they have improved over the years, and it is worth it.

For a long time I used an Ultrafire WF-139 to charge the old Ultrafire TR18650 2400mAh (blue) without PCB. I never had any problem.

I left it when I bought a Nitecore TM11, I needed faster charging speed. The substitute was a Nitecore I4.

Okay, I’m not sure if we’re being trolled. Ultrafire charger? After the ebay battery? For now, I’ll assume he’s serious.

Yeah, get a better and safer charger. You can get a very simple Xtar MC1 for about $5. Or a more complex charger (google HKJ charger reviews) for around $25 or $30. I wouldn’t spend more than that to start.

So, first, get some real batteries. Second, get a decent charger. Neither of those things are expensive, it just means staying off places like ebay and ali. Third, get a good flashlight, and here, you’re in the right place! (And that can get expensive!)

Maybe some people here are being a bit doomsayers with eBay and AliExpress, just maybe. For sure there is crap being sold out there, but also good stuff. Of course one of the main problems probably is that most people don't know.

Panasonic is just one of many, and I say many, industrial battery manufacturers; a well-known one. However, lots of not so well known li-ion cell original equipment manufacturers produce li-ion cells of quite decent quality and performance, li-ion cells whose cost is just a fraction of what their equivalent 1st OEM cells cost. Some of these cells are being bought in bulk by third party societies (?) who are aware of nowadays' consumer demand for li-ion cells and batteries, a demand which most li-ion OEMs do not pay attention to other than to submit certain announcements rebuking/dressing down retailers of their cells to consumers. This is because li-ion cells need a level of care, knowledge and responsibility which ordinary people don't necessarily have. There are many examples, and while there have been certain mishaps in the media fortunately the consciousness of people is increasing. People needs to believe in their right to use these products, bearing the aforementioned minimum levels of knowledge, care and responsibility, to stop media scaremongering.

The cell you bought is, very likely, some high capacity cell from a chinese manufacturer with a spurious rewrap and protection circuit added by some third party. The price you paid, given the bulk cost, is outrageous. Look, for example, at the following advertisement's pricing:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32960738521.html

Given the geometric shape of the top in the above cells, BAK manufactures them. Quite likely very decent high capacity, standard discharge cells, at less than US $2 a pop everything included. This is how these cells look when they come from its OEM factory:

Since manufacturers have many different cell models and I neither speak chinese nor live in China I won't say the Colaier G35 is a BAK 18650-34T with 100% certainty, but close.

Yeah tru so I'm instead going to Aliexpress and recently checking out Banggood more. In fact after helpfull tips from members, I also got this Samsung INR18650-30Q.

I also picked this charger Opus bt-c3100. The Samsung's are already button top. Are those batteries ok? There're unprotected too

About the charger I ordered, looks like I can adjust the current when charging. How do I know how much current juice to give her? This charger seems complicated

I believe BG does sell genuine cells. I’ve had good luck with their flat-top 30Q’s. However, I haven’t had a lot of luck with their button-top 30Q’s. Out of 9 cells, 3 suddenly went bad after very little use. I think their supplier of button-tops is using low-grade cells. This was about 2 years ago, so I can’t be sure whether things are better or worse now.

Unless you need button-top cells, stick with flat tops, wherever you get them.

Look for HKJ’s charger reviews. Here for example:

https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20Xtar%20MC1Plus%20UK.html

Banggood probably doesn't have what it takes to test products like batteries. A button top in a cell, added by some third party, is a way to conceal one of the most characteristics traits of cells: their top pole shape. From my point of view it is very likely they're selling fakes.

The last 30Q cells I got, way more than a year ago or so already, came marked SDIEM (Malaysia factories). Since Samsung has a lot of newer cells under production, this probably means no single genuine 30Q cell is now being made in Korea (SDI).

It is no surprise to me what WalkIntoTheLight is reporting.

https://memeshappen.com/meme/donald-trump/fake--98724