Disassembly of some UltraFire batteries

[HKJ]

HKJ, have you tested the EBL 3000mAh 18650 batteries?

No, I have not been looking at EBL batteries.

 

[thebolt]

I'm new to the forum and appreciate the information on these. These are the batteries in one of my lights and I clearly need to upgrade.

Thank you

 

[PaladinNO]

I looked this up on eBay for fun, just to see what's out there...
Am I allowed to post eBay links here, even as a warning?

The scam - sorry, I mean advertisement, was as follows:

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2X 18650 9800mAh Li-ion 3.7V Rechargeable Battery For Flashlight Torch Laser RC

"Battery Features:

Manufactured by Hi-Capacity power products.
100% brand new yellow color 18650 3.7V Li-ion 9800mAh rechargeable batteries
100% quality Japanese battery cells
100% Q.C. of every battery
Capacity: 9800mAh
Voltage: 3.7V
Chemistry: Li-ion
Recharge up to 1000 cycles
Size: Approx. 6.6 * 1.8cm / 2.6 * 0.7in (Height * diameter)
No memory effect(Do not run it to out of power, or it would not be charged again)
Widely used on torch, laser pointer, as emergency lighting and other portable devices
For appliances like Flashlight Torch Light,Cameras,RC Toys, Remote Controls, MP3 Players etc.

Package included:

2 x 18650 9800mAh 3.7V li-ion rechargeable battery

Price:
US $4.50

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How...as such people even allowed to do this, when these are obviously fakes - and dangerous at worst?

I hear the voice of an old, wise man in my head, saying "welcome to the real world, son!".
I'm sorry, but I just got a huge problem with scammers and liars, and needed to vent a bit.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

Ok, I think I understand what you are getting at. You said that the red wrapper cell appears to have MORE internal 'battery stuff',. Therefore, it seems clear that since the cell with less battery stuff is rated at 6000mah, then the red wrapper one must have at least 9,000-12,000mah! I'm ordering 100 of them right now!

**Seriously, I am being facetious there.^
I always suspected lower quality with Ultrafire and Trustfire batteries, due to inconsistent manufacturing. But I thought that, at least they would be new. Two of these appear to be previously used, then repackaged and sold as new. The first one just seems cheap and potentially dangerous, not to mention the lie relating to the claim that it's "protected". Just more reason NOT to buy these things.

I'll bookmark this thread and refer people to it if and when I see them in vape shops etc.

**This could be one of the most helpful threads on the forum. Thanks.**

 

[HighlanderNorth]

Plenty of places to buy authentic grade A batteries. The people getting burned are the ones constantly looking for that unbelievable deal. At the end of the day one usually gets what they asked for. Buy cheap, get cheap,

Yeah, I can understand saving money by buying off brand paper towels, but it's not worth the potential burns or housefires that are possible with cheap Li-Ion batteries.

 

[Overmind]

I am yet to find an Ultrafire 18650 cell able to provide more than 400mAh @ 1A. I had about 100 overall, coming with various lasers and flashlights. I donated them, used them in destructive experiments or for low power tests.

 

[hugodrax]

I avoid batteries that advertise Ultra Fires and it looks like they deliver. 18650s that are high quality can be had for a few dollars more.

 

[azzido]

When I bought my first flash light with T6 LED I received it with a red UltraFire 18650 Li-Ion 4800mAh accumulator. I have tested it with my OPUS BT-3400 and the real capacity was around 380mAh