Review: 4 way 16340 Test

Batteries and Chargers Rechargeable Batteries
10

I contacted Solarforce , and they told me there wont be any more :

Seems that after the first batch there may have been some negativity about there size .

So Solarforce has decided not to produce the V2 16340 ..

I did suggest that the cells were too good not to bring to market , and maybe they should be marked as 17360 so that folks dont think they are a direct replacement for CR123A and to give buyers a idea of there true size ..

The ones I have wont fit every light [ 1x16340 ] , but they will fit ones with a little extra wiggle room for a 16340 .

Oh well , I hope Solarforce will reconsider ..

11

Thanks for your hard work Matt!

12

marketed at 17360 would work. Theres a known market for 18340s, which we know are longer with protection. Oh well.

Im still using my trustfire flames, which i havent done a discharge test on yet. But i do put in 500-550 mA back, so it cant be more than 500mA capacity...

13

That's a shame, I have 4pcs of the V1 and they are pretty good. V2 would fit L2m really nicely.

14

Thanks for the test. Pretty disappointed in the XTAR which i had great expectations. Did you had only 1 sample? Anyway not looking good for cosistency in any case... :/

Still pretty hard to find a good 16340...

15

Just tested 2 unprotected "flame" Trustfire. Discarge current 0.5 A, cut off at 3 V. One cell returned 619 mAh, another 597 mAh. Not bad, I think these batteries are still the best value for money.

16

I need to buy some Flame trustfires , I have a pair , but there getting old now .

17

I know they aren't exactly budget, but how do the AW ones compare? I need to either get a pair or 17670 for my unbored 6P.

18

I’ll have to verify it later, but I remember them being ~550mAh when I tested the pair I have @ 0.5A.

19

http://www.jayki.com/index.php?mid=flashlight_review_board&page=3&document_srl=11905

In this run time test , I have a AW for comparison .

20

Most 16340s are junk. I speak from bitter experience.

But a few aren't. Matt (old4570) is the guy to ask about which ones aren't garbage.

21

Don is right , finding a good 16340 is like finding gold ...

Even I have a few AW16340 ....

There on about 2 years old , so finding something newer ?

22

I'm starting to wonder why people bother with 16340 lights (particularly single cell ones). Is it more of a primary thing (the cr123 @ 3v is more efficient/brighter than a single lithium AA) or is it that people don't realize how weak most 16340's are?

It seems that at best a great 16340 is equivalent to a run of the mill 14500. Besides that, you have a lot more primary options/availability in the AA size.

That Solarforce, while being the best of the bunch, is also the biggest. I could see there being issues with it fitting some lights. If you are using them in an 18mm light you going to get more capacity from an 18350.

23

I think it's mostly a historical thing. Traditionally, the only way to get "lithium power" was with cr123a's. That's why you see big lights that only fit 2x 16mm, instead of the safer and larger 18650.

I personally prefer 14500/aa's, too.

The really hard thing though is getting a cheaper light that is well regulated for both. The only one I have is the ITP c7t, only 0.6A on 14500 and quite bright, and like 1.5-2A (forget which) on AA, instead of 1A+ on DD xr-e's, and 1.5A on xp-e's (which I don't even use w/ lithiums for fear of burning them up). An xp-g DD on a good boost regulator might be good though.

24

That was my first thought: legacy. I agree that most drivers leave a lot to be desired when using more than one chemistry (especially in the budget realm).

25

There not that bad , the thing is , folks like power , and the 16340 is not the best option if you want power ..

How many are happy with a 350mA to 500mA RCR123A light that would offer over one hour on high ?

100Lumen is plenty of light , but many of us want all we can get , and for that the little 16340 is limited .

We are starting to push the envelope with the 18650 as well , so it looks like battery technology needs to catch up .

26

Well, I guess some really need the smallest size they can get, stuff like Tank007 M10. Such 16340 lights linger in the size realm of 65mm-75mm length, and 20-21mm dia. For close up work, 100 lumens is more than enough, if its XP-G 200+ lumens is good for fun though. 14500 would make it 95mm length and also significantly heavier.

27

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to post that Solarforce is once again offering batteries 18650, 16340 and CR123’s for sale to the U.S. Currently they are offering the old White 16340’s plus the Green & white 16340’s (I assume the V2 as tested above).

I had another Hong Kong vendor ship me batteries via air mail and I received the order including the batteries in 11 days. So I asked Solarforce if they would consider shipping batteries to the U.S. again and now they are. I asked Solarforce to consider shipping batteries to the U.S. again because of how well the Solarforce V2 did in this test. I normally use the Xtars and have no complaints with their 16340 or the 18350’s. But if the Solarforce are as good as they tested here then I want the Solarforce 16340 880’s.

Thanks for doing this review.

28

Thanks again for this test. I just received my first order of Solarforce Green & White 16340’s (really 17360’s) 3.7v 880mAh.They charge slower than a 16340 600mAh, more like my 18350 850mAh’s but seem to work fine. They also have some of the older only white 16340’s available.Plus some old and new 18650’s.

It took 12 calendar days from they time I received the order confirmation email until they arrived at my door on the East Coast of the U.S. Solarforce non battery orders usually arrive in 8 calendar days. Non battery orders usually fly to JFK in NYC and then to me via USPS. The battery order came via Singapore Post and flew into San Francisco and then to me via USPS. No additional charge for the battery shipping just the normal $2 tracking fee.

29

Oh yeah? Did you buy direct fro solarforce? I’m interested but there could be fitment issues at 17mm.