Accidentally, I had dropped one of my protected 16340s down the staircase, two and a half storys to be exact. The outer insulation/ shrink wrapping has been damaged slightly, and there is a tiny bit of deformation. Brand is solarforce, 880 mA. Still, it charged to 3.7 V with no apparent problems.
I have noticed when using those recs with my 4.2 - 7.4V rated (heck, with about any dropin, even the incandescent P60), it cuts out really quick. The light used to run for several minutes before it went dark, but that time has significantly decreased in the last days.
The flashlight will now cut out within seconds.
Uneven discharge has also been noticed (as of last night, when I finally found my misplaced voltmeter again).
No heat buildup, no hissing, no sparks, no fumes (yet!). total runtime of the 16340s was less than 15 minutes since I dropped one of them.
Sooo... just to clarify:
Are we all of one mind that I should properly dispose off those 16340s in question A.S.A.P. and not push my luck any further?
all is well, thank you. Sciatic nerve compression has kept me busy.
That 16340 in question has been discarded properly today, along with another pair of used CR123's showing erratic (fluctuating) voltage readings.
Taped up the contact terminals and brought them to the local battery receycling disposal when I was on my way to see the orthopedist.
By the way, I found some ludicrous videos on youtube. Hard to believe someone would really punch a lithium cell with a screwdriver, without gloves (and therefor presumably no other protection like a face shield and respirator). Hydrofluoric acid poisoning is mighty Eeep!, big time...!