Been playing around with my new OPUS BT-C3100 charger. Thought I would test 5 UltraFire BRC 18650 3000mAh (cough…cough) batteries I had laying around. I have never used them. They came with some C8s I received a few months ago. Figured they were crap, and decided to throw them on the charger and confirm. Here are a couple pics of the batteries:
Capacity test results:
Battery #1: Null (completely dead)
Battery #2: 185mAh
Battery #3: 290mAh
Battery #4: 293mAh
Battery #5: 302mAh
I took the wrapping off of the “Null” battery, just to see if there were any markings underneath. Didn’t find any.
Edit: So…I’m looking at my pellet gun over in the corner. Hmmm…
Kapow!
Well…not really. 
Sorta looked that way. There was a small white powder cloud enveloping the battery as the pellet slammed home. Pics coming up…
“08400” printed on battery.
OK…that is as far as I want to tear this apart. Looks like an 08400 Li-Po battery?
So…the batteries are crap…call me Captain Obvious.
Edit: You’ll notice that the UF wrappers claim “…with Re/Discharging protection circuit”. Uh…nope. Zero protection circuit at all. At least on the outside…could very well be some sort of protection on the “08400” battery itself.
Edit: Teardown photos also added above.
krono
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
I have some older red Ultrafire "3000 mAh" cells that I bought a few years ago from a seller on Amazon (before I knew better) and they test at about 700mAh. My new favorite are some red 5600mAh Ultrafires I received with a light I bought. They weigh about half as much as a Panasonic, and are only about 400mAh.
I get e-mails from people almost every week who have bought some drivers saying "my light is blinking and stepping down power after only a few minutes--what is wrong?" I then ask them what batteries they're using. Almost always it is something like this they bought off of eBay or Amazon.
There are lots of good budget items out there, but no-name batteries aren't one of them. Much better to buy NOS laptop packs or power tool packs with good cells if you want to go budget.
Mountain Electronics : batteries, Noctigon, and much more! What's new?
No kidding, Richard. My used laptop batteries avg. about 2000mAh so far. And so many choices for quality batteries ~$5.
Another thing. You’ll notice that the wrappers claim “…with Re/Discharging protection circuit”. Uh…nope. Zero protection circuit at all. OP updated with this info.
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
Cocaine?
My general rule is if you see three black bars on the wrapper, throw it away. Stick with genuine Japanese/Korean cells if possible. If you have to go Chinese, the appropriately named Trustfire brand is your best bet.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/fake-ultrafire-18650-s-72833.html
This is what I suspect is inside…but not brave enough to open it up though.
Maybe I’ll chunk it on some concrete and see what happens J)
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
Would you trust this “TrustFire”?
Any label can be duplicated. Here is a TrustFire “flame” label with another name.
These were supposed to be 900mAh 16340’s
I buy my Trustfires from this eBay seller, so far I’ve bought 2 sets of four ($18.73 per set of 4 batteries) 18650 3000mAh and they test on my Opus BT-C3400 to almost 3000mAh capacity each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141383193685?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPage...
So…I’m looking at my pellet gun over in the corner. Hmmm…
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
Kapow!
Well…not really.
Sorta looked that way. There was a small white powder cloud enveloping the battery as the pellet slammed home. Pics coming up…
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
“08400” printed on battery.
OK…that is as far as I want to tear this apart. Looks like an 08400 Li-Po battery?
Edit: I’ll add this info to the OP.
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
Tacoboy, you sure have purchased a lot of cells lately!
8 here, 20 there and on and on. What are you doing with so many?
You may even have more than I do.
I’ve bought 9 “Sky Ray King” type flashlights, so far having given away 4 of them (all with batteries included).
“Trust” is a relative term. They seem to be the most trustworthy of a questionable bunch. Personally, I’ve only bought the “True 2400” black and red Trustfires on Dealextreme, and they only tested out to 2000mAh. This was a few years ago, so the situation might have changed. Regardless, I always tell my friends to spend the extra dollar or two and get 2600-2800mAh Japanese/Korean cells over those “3000+mAh” Chinese cells. The capacity will probably be the same, but qualitatively the Japanese/Korean cells are superior. They will have superior leak resistance, self discharge, lower impedance, higher discharge voltage, etc.
All Ultrafire batteries are craps no matter what types they are. And extremely dangerous as well!
Nice work guys. You really have to wonder what the powder really is. The manufacturers obviously have no respect for anyones health.
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
I think it maybe Dragon Sand J)
Link
I only trust RMM if I were to buy new cells. The Chinese can put whatever wrapper they want on their crap cells and claim that they are “Genuine” LG, Samsung, Sanyo, Panasonic or Sony.
https://www.fasttech.com/product/2157400
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1425/10012801/2155701-18650-battery-sleeve-pvc-heat-shrinkable-tube
I still want some NiteCorn wrappers for my laptop pulls.
Which gets really boring. – Tuomas Holopainen, 2015
I can't believe Fasttech is selling those sleeves.
Mountain Electronics : batteries, Noctigon, and much more! What's new?
Proof positive that even laptop pulls are better than ****fire batteries
Good on you for tearing it down…more evidence of flim flammery
I have a few of those old ones I got a looooong time ago…maybe I will tear into mine to see if they are as bad as these
Great post…thanks a bunch
These wrappers work just as well on a non working cell as they do on a top of the line Panasonic cell. Hard to believe but its true. If used on a 14500 cell you will have a 18650 wrapper on a 14500 battery. How neat would that be.
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
You just never know what you are going to get from these sellers. The same shipment I received some headlights with SingFire batteries. Thought they would be total crap also…but they tested well over 2000mAh.
So now I only buy my new batteries from Richard or Illumn…or scavenge laptop packs. But my local Best Buy isn’t playing nice with the laptop packs anymore. :~
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
I remember when FastTech had the UltraFire sleeves for sale, and they pulled them off the market after we complained. Wonder if they will do the same now?
No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
My Reviews: Ma
I sure hope you guys are being careful about that mysterious white powder.
What better way to get rid of toxic waste than to sell it on Ebay, huh?
We know China has a few problems with lead, asbestos, and persistent organic chemicals laying around they need to dispose of.
You can find a testing lab — for lead and asbestos — in most any city, because builders and remodelers are supposed to get old paint and flooring checked before tearing out the old stuff.
Cost varies but isn’t terrible.
Tell ya what, if you’ll get your crap powder stuff tested I’ll donate $10 toward the cost.
It’d be reassuring to see the report posted here if it’s just, oh, cremains or talcum powder or concrete dust or something relatively innocuous.
Maybe the powder is melamine. Now that the Chinese have stopped putting it in milk, they have other uses for it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal
OMG!
Thanks guys, Krono that is awesome to see beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a small cell inside the bigger casing. I am SO glad I have always bought the good ones!