Possibly good deal on black Trustfire 18650

[quote=midieval10]

Looks real to me. In for 10x @ $20.64.

[/quote]

Thanks for the tip! In for 10. $2.06 each battery is a complete steal. If they aren't legit, I'll file a complaint through PayPal.

I purchased some of these from DX in 4/2009 when they first came out and all of them are still going strong. I have no less than 50 of these out in the wild that I've purchased for others and have yet to received a report of a single failure or "low' cell. True that I don't have a hobby charger/analyzer to compare stock, but in my 18650 lights, they all seem to perform with minimum resistance delivering maximum output for typical run times. These have long been the high performer in budget 18650's. Some of my cells have well over 100 abused cycles on them (driven hard till the LED dims to 50%) and they keep on producing approximately the same run times. I long gave up on trying to baby these cells, and I don't pull them off the charger till the green light comes on at 4.19-4.20V

Beyond a few reports of failed PCB's (typical), a Google search didn't reveal any catastrophic failures amongst users for this particular battery. I would imagine that for every IMR/AW 18650 that's sold, 100 or more of these find their way into flashlights.

I've read reports of several leaking batteries with high internal resistance in this particular model. My advice is to use them only in low drain devices pulling less than 1A (nothing with P7/MC-e/SST50, etc). also don't run them down to far before recharging. At the first sign of degradation, Id recycle them immediately.

Tempted to get the 8 pack for 16 usd. But i believe they are getting rid of old stock as the price is ridiculous.

I wouldn't let that dissuade you. I have several early production batteries (purchased when they first came out with the flame trustfire model) with several hard discharge cycles on them and they are still going strong. PayPal will protect you if the worse happens so there's nothing to lose.

Fair enough.

Yes, the offer is quite tempting but after seeing this I wonder what will paypal do when its DOA or circuit is burned out, which are cropping up of late.

Thanks! I think I'll have to check where those cells actually ended up tomorrow. I think one is in a red or green K2 light somewhere that I hardly ever use because it's waaaay to bright for NV use and I really don't have any other use for those two. The other cell is... uh, somewhere. I know it's not in any light we use frequently because I got in the habit of checking those regularly and worrying about good battery hygiene (I should probably trademark that term ;)) when we got multiple TR-1200s. Since there's the potential of them turning into well, essentially, pipe bombs, I sort of starting babying the 18650s that go into multi-battery lights and labeling every cell I buy (date of purchase, purchased from, etc). Geeky, yeah, I know but it works for me.

I'm not in the least bit worried. These batteries are sold by the tens of thousands with only a few occurrences of failures (and none of them catastrophic that I could find). The seller has a good rating and ALL of my PayPal purchases are guaranteed by my credit card. Its a process but I've filed chargebacks a number of times and have always gotten my money returned through my credit card company (American Express). Like many, I will pursue a refund until it is returned just based upon principle and I have NEVER lost. PayPal, on the other hand, is a total scam that follows the same trashy evasive practices of its parent company (eBay) when filing disputes. NEVER have your PayPal account paid for by your bank account. PayPal offers an incentive to do this because they know you will lose any recourse through laws that govern credit card purchases if you do. So always pay your PayPal through your credit card to have maximum protection.

I always keep a balance in my PayPal account and have never had a problem. PayPal still honors their terms.

The 3000mAh cells should work well in low drain devices up to 1A and might actually exceed the run times of typical 2400-2650mAh cells under these circumstances. Your TR-1200 (if one with a good driver) when ran in 3 x 18650 configuration is a demanding light of its batteries, pulling hard on them while the light blazes away in full regulation till the protection PCB disengages the current at the time of cell depletion. Damn I LOVE THAT LIGHT, especially when showing off in front of others with very expensive P7's/ MCE's or SST-50's! Definitely don't use your 3000ma cells in your 1200. Nothing at all geeky about tracking your batteries, and Id call that a very good responsible practice. Most flashaholics measure voltage before and after each usage and carefully monitor their performance and health. Kudos to you for doing this.

I've received 6 emails so far from americanstorexx reassuring me of a positive transaction. The latest message states that the items were already shipped today.

Mine also has shipped today.

I've sent a message to the seller twice asking about PCB and dimension. They didn't respond in a almost two days now.

I'm worried about them being low quality batteries.

2buy or not 2buy / or it's better 2buy 2beers

I've sent a message to the seller twice asking about PCB and dimension. They didn't respond in a almost two days now.

I'm worried about them being low quality batteries.

2buy or not 2buy / or it's better 2buy 2beers

Yes, I have not purchased them because probably I will get different ones, or fake ones. Paypal someday will stop protecting the buyer as normal. Too much money spent in protecting customers or not? If all chinese sellers starts lying and paypal will have to protect all the customers....... paypal will stop protecting.... so I will not purchase them

There is something strange in that product, I can feel it but can not say what exactly......

These ones are fakes as far as I know... There are also fake Ultrafire 3000 out there. This is what happened to Paul who used these fake Ultrafire 3000: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?280909-Ultrafire-18650-3000mA-exploded


These cells are of a different chemistry. The Ultrafire ones are limn hybrid cells. They offer a higher discharge rate (due to the chemistry) and lower capacity -> 1200-1600mAh.

I do not think these are fake as they also sell the GTL 18650 for $18.80 for 10. These are rubbish, Seller's don't know much about batteries, they just buy and sell them.

Don't forget the cheaper items are usually marked up the greatest. Like for exmaple 18650 plastic cases are sold for $1 when the wholesale price is $0.19 each. Maybe this seller is not marking up as high. Maybe he has purchased in bulk and wants to sell quickly to make a profit.

I bought 4 for the sake of not missing a good deal. If they turns out to be total junk, then paypal dispute...

illl wait til someone gets theres lol

i need to know they are legit first

Would these cells be ok to use in a laptop battery?