Test / Review: UltraFire BRC18650 3000mAh (Red-silver) from 3 shops

UltraFire BRC18650 3000mAh (Red-silver)

These batteries are sold from many China shops, I have tested from 3 different shops and there is wide differences and none of the batteries are good.



Official specifications:

  • Model : 18650 (Protected)
  • Voltage: 3.7V
  • Capacity : 3000mAh
  • Size : 65mmx Ø18mm Weight: 35g
  • Recharge up to 800 times
  • Xenon bulbs are not suitable




These batteries are from the UltraFire shop that insists that they sell genuine UltraFire with good quality.











The two batteries has a huge difference in capacity, especially at low currents.











It does not look like this battery has a over current protection or maybe it is at a higher current than the battery can supply. The A battery failed after one test.






UltraFire BRC18650 3000mAh (Red-silver) cnq



Official specifications:

  • Genuine Ultrafire 3000mAh 18650
  • Real capacity: 2900mAh (-100mAh / + 100mAh)
  • Internal PCB protection prevents under-voltage at 2.5V and over-voltage at 4.25V. UNIQUE INTERNAL PCB!
  • Diameter 18.6+/-0.2 mm (Note: Diameter may not fit all flashlights)
  • Height 66.5+/- 0.2mm
  • Weight (Typical) Approx. 46 g
  • Nominal Voltage: Average 3.7V
  • Cut-off Voltage: 2.5V
  • Internal Impedance: less or equal to 180 milli-ohm (with PTC)
  • Cycle Performance: 90% of initial capacity at 400 cycles
  • Cycle life: > 500 cycles
  • Charge: Current = 0.5C mA Voltage = 4.2 V End Current = 0.01 mA
  • Discharge: Current = 0.5C mA End Voltage = 3.0V




This is the most expensive UltraFire 3000mAh than cnq has, these are supposed to genuine UltraFire.










The two batteries has a huge difference in capacity, especially at low currents.











It does not look like this battery has a over current protection or maybe it is at a higher current than the battery can supply. The A battery failed after one test.






UltraFire BRC18650 3000mAh (Red-silver) DX



Official specifications:

  • UltraFire Protected 18650 3.7V 3000mAh Lithium Batteries




These UltraFire does not have the same performance as the two other pairs.










There is a fairly good match between the batteries.











On these UltraFire the protection works.





Conclusion

The genuine UltraFire batteries are not very good with very different capacity and problems with the protection circuit, the DX version is better (At least the ones I got). None of the batteries are close to the rated capacity.
The internal resistance is also way to high for the genuine batteries.
I will rate these batteries as BAD, the DX ones are acceptable for a cheap battery, but because there is many different UltraFire 3000mAh on the market, I would not trust them.



Notes and links

Due to the wide difference between batteries from the same dealer, I have not included them in the charts, but only in the comparator.

How is the test done and how to read the charts
How is a protected LiIon battery constructed
More about button top and flat top batteries

You're a brave man for testing these indoors. :bigsmile:

Look at the DX version's logo on the bottom of the cell - it looks to have been engraved by hand...

Thanks again for the test - this should be a perma-sticky at the top of the sub-forum !!!

Thanks for the test HKJ. Confirms what I had always thought.

I believe that it is very a good idea to include some of the cheap/bad batteries in my test, this makes it easier to see what the differences are.

I plan on a few more (But I do not plan to test all the cheap brands).

Any chance of a test of the 5000 mah battery?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280742341594#ht_500wt_1287

It probably has less than 2000 mAh. I will think about it, but remember that it will probably be between one and two months from I order it, until I can publish the test.

I guess it’s 5000mAh for the 4-pack, so 1250 mAh per battery. :smiley:

I had ordered one and I seriously doubt it was even 1250 mah.

Thanks so much for another detailed review! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.

Thanks, HKJ. I stopped buying these long ago and am glad for that. I still use a few of them when they actually work. Some of my lights (like Balder BD-2) will not even function on high using these cells. They should come with a big Avoid label on them.

i just did a rundown test on a pair i bought off amazon a little over 1/2 year ago, put em in my bc40, till the light shut off. when i measured them, one was 3.4v, the other had the protection tripped :bigsmile: , went under 2.8, great batteries they are, needless to say i am going to get some good cells soon and retire them asap

Bid at an auction on ebay and won four of these for ridicilous money and 1 is a complete dud, it doesnt work. Multimeter says 3,8v but it can only produce a dimly glowing LED (what you call halo?) that you can look straight into. Charging it with my WP2 II produced the interesting effect of voltage dropping the more I charged it. Put it in the WF-188 and it made it happier (but maxed out at 3,85). I dropped one on the floor when I unpacked them, don’t know if it’s that particular battery though.

The rest charges to 4,10-4,15v and two of them works OK, one flickers in my HD2010 on high.

Conclusion: If you pay less for four 18650’s and shipping costs from China than you do for a coffee at 7-Eleven, chances are the cells aren’t very good. But I didnt expect anything else. And two of them work just fine (for now).

I have 4 of these of the DX kind. So they are rated 2000mah? not bad considering the unprotected ones I have are rated at 850mah.

I made some discharge test with the cheap “Ultrafire” 18650 “3000” mAh batteries I have.
Since I can’t discharge these to 2.8V but only to 3.0V (1A), can I determine the full capacity of the battery?
The results of the discharge to 3.0V 1A, was around 1200 mAh.

That depends on the battery. Some batteries can easily be discharge above 3 volts, some other cannot. Look at the curve, if it is nearly vertical at the end, the battery is fully discharged.

In my test the batteries are not always fully discharged, especially not at 5A current.

I have an original imax B6 charger, I can’t export the results.
According to the battery life in flashlight usage, it must be around 2000 mAh.
Not bad for a “3000 mAh” cell???

iMax B6 can discharge down to 2.8V (or any other voltage, really) in NiMH mode.

Didn’t know that, I will try to 2.8V.
Safe for Li-ion?

Can anyone confirm that it is safe for li-ion too?

You won't get much capacity left discharging from 3V to 2.8V. I'd say your test is quite accurate. I only get 900mAh on mine.

But it is normally ok to go down to 2.7V, because even then at rest the voltage will bounce back to 3.3V or so after some minutes.