# New ultrafire 18650 2600mah (protected)



## hazna (Jun 30, 2009)

Just came across it under new products for dx. I know a lot of people are dubious about ultrafire/trustfire batteries, but they ARE a lot cheaper.

Comparable to other 2600mah batteries? Will be wait for the reviews

I won't post the link, incase it gets deleted but dx sku: 26247


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## hazna (Jun 30, 2009)

whoops, just realised theres already a review... that was quick

http://light-reviews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=513

seems to offer good runtime!


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## Black Rose (Jun 30, 2009)

I wonder what the XSL stands for?


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## The Dane (Jun 30, 2009)

I just ordered the 3 new types on DX homepage.
When they arrive I'll prepare and post a discharge chart.
What loads du You want to see?


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## Black Rose (Jun 30, 2009)

Definitely would like to see 500 mA and 1A tests on the others.

EDIT: Didn't realize the 3000 mAh cell was unprotected.


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## hazna (Jul 1, 2009)

there are both protected and unprotected ultrafire 3000mah. They look the same though.

Protected, dx sku: 21474
Unprotected, dx sku: 26249


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## Creecher (Jul 7, 2009)

Look, bear with me here, I'm well out of my depth but I have at least used the search function rather than start a new thread about all these new batteries.

I want to run my 2 X CR123A led lights on 18650. Is there going to be a difference between the silver 2400mAh and the double the price 3000mAh. Or should I get the 2600mAh inbetweeners. 

What does it all mean? :shrug:


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## Mjolnir (Jul 7, 2009)

I personally would stay away from the ultrafire cells; they seem to not be as reliable as the Trustfire cells. Also, the 3000 Mah ultrafire cells seem to have higher internal resistance than the black trustfire 2400 Mah cells, which means an unregulated light will dim more (they probably won't handle loads as well). 
I would suggest the black 2400 Mah trustfires, which seem to really be about 2400 Mah.


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## phantom23 (Jul 7, 2009)

'Mjolnir', you probably missed post number 2, there's a link to some review that clearly shows these cells perform great (low internal resistance, high capacity), which allows to assume they found new supplier with high quality cells.


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## Creecher (Jul 8, 2009)

So, which ones are most suitable to replace 2 x CR123A? What's the difference between a 2400mAh and a 3000mAh apart from price?

I've read the review in post 2 and one of the new UF batteries seems to last a lot longer, but how relevant this is I don't know.


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## 1 what (Jul 8, 2009)

Hi Creecher,
It's my impression that apart from anything else the 3000 cells have a slightly larger diameter than the 2400 cells. How do I know...While the 2400's fit into my JetPro3 the 3000's dont!


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## Creecher (Jul 8, 2009)

1 what said:


> Hi Creecher,
> It's my impression that apart from anything else the 3000 cells have a slightly larger diameter than the 2400 cells. How do I know...While the 2400's fit into my JetPro3 the 3000's dont!


 
That's a bit of a cheaty way to gain capacity, or doesn't it work like that? They may not fit my Eagletac aswell.

I wonder whether to just get the 2600 pink ones and hope they're good batteries.


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## lolzertank (Jul 8, 2009)

Creecher said:


> So, which ones are most suitable to replace 2 x CR123A? What's the difference between a 2400mAh and a 3000mAh apart from price?
> 
> I've read the review in post 2 and one of the new UF batteries seems to last a lot longer, but how relevant this is I don't know.



The 3000mAh 18650 won't perform well in high current applications thanks to its high internal resistance. Not only that, they're bigger and might not fit. I would just get the 2400mAh cells for their (more) correct size and better capacity at higher currents.


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## Wiggle (Jul 8, 2009)

Looks like best bet right now is Trustfire 2400 black, Ultrafire pink or AW 2600s. Those three are pretty close performance wise.


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## LEDAdd1ct (Jul 8, 2009)

The other factor here is unit-to-unit variability. AW has a reputation for consistency, such that there is a very good chance that the discharge graph for one AW cell of a given capacity will be similar to another. However, that is decidedly *not* the case with many Ultrafire cells. I would not feel comfortable purchasing the Ultrafire 2600 until I've seen discharge curves/general reports on *several* of those cells.


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## The Dane (Jul 10, 2009)

DX shipped today so by mid next week I'll be back with some discharge charts.


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## Loomy (Jul 12, 2009)

hazna said:


> whoops, just realised theres already a review... that was quick
> 
> http://light-reviews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=513
> 
> seems to offer good runtime!



In that he says the AW cells protection doesn't seem to trigger, only the EagleTac does :<


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## Wattnot (Jul 12, 2009)

Black Rose said:


> I wonder what the XSL stands for?


 

eXtra Scortched Livingroom


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## The Dane (Jul 13, 2009)

Here’s some facts I found out when the cells arrived:
The Green Ultrafire XLS is simply the pink one without the protection circuit, so no need for a double test.

The contestants are as follows:
Trustfire 2400mA Black (protected)
Ultrafire XLS 2600mA Green (not protected)
Ultrafire BRC 3000mA (not protected)
Ultrafire TR 2400mA (not protected)
Trustfire TR 2500mA (not protected)









First a 1A discharge test, then a 2.5A test to simulate a MCE/P-7 load.

All charging is done on a Hyperion EOS 1210 charger one cell at a time to minimize differences.

Doing the 1A test now but no results in another 10 hours (tomorrow! Its 4.30PM here).

As per usual the protected cells are stretching the term 18x65mm a bit. 18.9mm x 68.3mm for the pink protected Ultrafire XLS cells.


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## Wattnot (Jul 13, 2009)

The blue Trustfire 2500ma are sold as protected cells here.

Is there a way to test for that to be sure?


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## mdocod (Jul 13, 2009)

The Dane said:


>



Well... we know the PCB is capable of preventing short circuit... For now....


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## thezman (Jul 13, 2009)

mdocod said:


> Well... we know the PCB is capable of preventing short circuit... For now....



Piece of paper over the + terminal, maybe.


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## mdocod (Jul 13, 2009)

AHHA, didn't notice that... hehe....


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## Black Rose (Jul 13, 2009)

mdocod said:


> Well... we know the PCB is capable of preventing short circuit... For now....


At least with my calipers, you can do that because the wrapper is thick enough at the base of the battery plus the flat part of the caliper is wide enough that it does not make contact with the metal plate at the negative end of the battery.

Of course, all it takes is one slip


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## The Dane (Jul 14, 2009)

First test is in.






To follow is a 2.5A discharge and then what, 5A?
What is the most/worst abuse modders do to this type of cells?


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## lctorana (Jul 14, 2009)

I'd really love to see 0.3A (300mA).


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## mdocod (Jul 14, 2009)

ROP high (over 4 amps) is usually about the cutoff for use with LiCo 18650s, and not all of the PCBs available on them will even fire up an ROP from a cold start so it's kind of a crap shoot trying to decide which would be the best maximum current to test at.... I'd say do a 3.5A test as the maximum realistic useable current for the majority of the 18650s out there, that would be the 1111/64250/1185/IMR-M3T/ category of current demand, and there are a lot of people running these lamps.


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## old4570 (Jul 14, 2009)

For the money ... There good . Better than what came before ..


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## The Dane (Jul 14, 2009)

Heres 2.5Amps






So next test will be 3.5A

CULATR


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## The Dane (Jul 15, 2009)

3.5A is in:


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## lctorana (Jul 15, 2009)

lctorana said:


> I'd really love to see 0.3A (300mA).


 Pretty-please with a cherry on top?


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## The Dane (Jul 15, 2009)

Will do right away, back in a day or two


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## lctorana (Jul 15, 2009)

Thank you so much. I am aware that a low-current draw test will be tedious, slow and drawn out. Thanks for indulging me!


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## The Dane (Jul 18, 2009)

And the final results are in.
0.3A discharge:
I have no explanation for the 0.1V jump in the Ultrafire XSL graph!


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## lctorana (Jul 18, 2009)

Thank you!

I was honestly expecting the 3000mAH cell to be way out in front at this current. It isn't, and you can throw a blanket over the whole field at this current.

Now we know. Thanks again!


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## The Dane (Jul 18, 2009)

My pleasure 

Here's all four measurements:


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## Linger (Jul 18, 2009)

The Dane,
Any chance you can pop in the data from an AW 18650? (and an AW IMR would be sweet!) just for comparison's sake.


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## The Dane (Jul 18, 2009)

linger said:


> The Dane,
> Any chance you can pop in the data from an AW 18650? (and an AW IMR would be sweet!) just for comparison's sake.



I dont have any AW's, I'm a cheapskate 

I'll make any test You want with donations though :naughty:


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## Mjolnir (Jul 18, 2009)

Any chance of higher drain tests, say around 4 or 5 amps? That should bring the cells to their knees...


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## The Dane (Jul 19, 2009)

3.5A is close to 4A but I'll do a 5A test.
Be back later!


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## The Dane (Jul 19, 2009)

Chuck (Mjolnir) Jaeger said: The beast lives beyond mach 1
And heres the proof:







PS. Thor's hammer is named Mjölner


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## Creecher (Jul 19, 2009)

Creecher said:


> I want to run my 2 X CR123A led lights on 18650. Is there going to be a difference between the silver 2400mAh and the double the price 3000mAh. Or should I get the 2600mAh inbetweeners.
> 
> What does it all mean? :shrug:


 
Thanks for that! Excellent work.


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## phantom23 (Jul 19, 2009)

Interesting. Previous tests showed that Ultrafire 3000mAh cells have high internal resistance so they're good for low current (>1,5A) applications. Now they're the beat @5A discharge. Truly interesting...


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## Black Rose (Jul 19, 2009)

Wow, did that Blue Ultrafire 2400 ever fall flat.


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## The Dane (Jul 20, 2009)

Interesting is the notch early in the curves, wich is caused by internal resistense and heating. When temperature rises the chemical reaction runs faster and Voltage rises.


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## Mjolnir (Jul 20, 2009)

I had been using 2 black trustfires in my ROP, but now I have switched them out for a pair of blue 2500 Mah trustfires that I already had. If your graphs are accurate, I should get more runtime and output with them.


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## lctorana (Jul 20, 2009)

Mjolnir said:


> I had been using 2 black trustfires in my ROP, but now I have switched them out for a pair of blue 2500 Mah trustfires that I already had. If your graphs are accurate, I should get more runtime and output with them.


It's not the accuracy of The Dane's graphs where the uncertainty lies.

It's more a question of batch-to-batch consistency. If you buy blue Trustfires right now from this vendor, you're likely on a winner.

But which battery will be wrapped in which label in the next job lot is another question entirely...


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## Mjolnir (Jul 22, 2009)

There must be differences between cells that are sold as the same, since all other tests seem to indicate that the 2400 Mah black trustfires have less sag than the 3000 Mah ultrafires. However, this shows that it is the other way round... It is pretty puzzling, since the ultrafires would have to have gotten better, and the trustfires would have to have gotten worse.


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## flasohollic (Jul 23, 2009)

Those other test are not accurat at all, they just test the amp pulling from the battery during use in flashlight.. like a digital controlled flashlight will pull 2 amp at 3,9v and maybe 3amp at 3,4v becouse some batterys will have a voltage drop. so it doesnt meen the 3 amp is better it may be other way around.


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## Marduke (Jul 23, 2009)

flasohollic said:


> Those other test are not accurat at all, they just test the amp pulling from the battery during use in flashlight.. like a digital controlled flashlight will pull 2 amp at 3,9v and maybe 3amp at 3,4v becouse some batterys will have a voltage drop. so it doesnt meen the 3 amp is better it may be other way around.



the lower the voltage drop, the lower the internal resistance, the better the cell.


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## flasohollic (Jul 23, 2009)

Not true,, so you think a cell dropping to 3v at 4 amp is better than battery dropping to 3,5v at 4 amp?


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## Mjolnir (Jul 23, 2009)

No, he said the exact opposite of that, that a SMALLER voltage drop means that the cell is better, not a larger one.


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## Marduke (Jul 23, 2009)

flasohollic said:


> Not true,, so you think a cell dropping to 3v at 4 amp is better than battery dropping to 3,5v at 4 amp?



I said the exact opposite. Lower voltage sag is better, and is typically indicative of lower internal resistance. 

But the current draw would not be the same as your example. 

But in that example, the lower voltage cell is crapping out, delivering less power.


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## flasohollic (Jul 23, 2009)

Marduke said:


> I said the exact opposite. Lower voltage sag is better, and is typically indicative of lower internal resistance.
> 
> But the current draw would not be the same as your example.
> 
> But in that example, the lower voltage cell is crapping out, delivering less power.


 

Sorry i did misunderstand.


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## hazna (Aug 13, 2009)

Another new 18650 offering from DX:

sku: 28678

Soshine Protected 2800mAh 18650.

Anyone want to run a test on these?


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## The Dane (Aug 13, 2009)

Your wish is my command 

I'll test them in the previous charts, when they arrive.


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## hazna (Aug 13, 2009)

Thanks a heap!


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## LEDAdd1ct (Aug 14, 2009)

I look forward to the results!


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## jirik_cz (Aug 18, 2009)

hazna said:


> Soshine Protected 2800mAh 18650.
> 
> Anyone want to run a test on these?



The soshine 2800 protected cells are little bit longer than most of my 18650 cells. The positive nipple is not fixed, it moved when I tried to put them in my WF-139 charger.





Scored around 2550mAh at 0.5A and 1A discharge. So the performance is good, but not as good as advertised...


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## lctorana (Aug 18, 2009)

jirik_cz said:


> The positive nipple is not fixed, it moved when I tried to put them in my WF-139 charger...


OK - lost me on these - right there. I don't care how well they perform.

Still happy with my "3000mAh" red ones, though. Perfect in my 300mA incan daily usage.


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## M.S (Aug 18, 2009)

It seems that the 2600mah Ultrafires are best protected cells for 1331 bulb... Or should I wait for the results on the soshines? Or maybe just buy the AW:s... I can't decide 

edit: I forced myself to buy the AW:s


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## 45/70 (Aug 18, 2009)

lctorana said:


> OK - lost me on these - right there. I don't care how well they perform.



Um, lctorana, you're not suggesting that this new cell is a POS, are you? 

Personally, I'm impressed how Soshine has apparently devoted enough resources to their R&D department (as seems to be reflected in the price) to keep up with today's "bleeding edge" technology. If it weren't for the "adjustable nipple", how would you _dependably_, power up high tech lights such as this? Huh? Huh? 

Dave


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## lctorana (Aug 18, 2009)

:laughing:


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## fishx65 (Aug 19, 2009)

O.K. boys, I'm about to order my 1st 18650s. These will be used to run an L2 and a bored 6P with dropins. DX has a lot to choose from. Am I pretty cool with the Black/Red 2400 Trustfires?


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## lctorana (Aug 19, 2009)

Maybe, maybe not. They vary from batch to batch, according to the subcontracing factory tht makes them.


Buy from AW, and get a far higher guarantee of quality.


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## The Dane (Aug 25, 2009)

So the new Soshine 2800mA protected cell has gone through the tests.


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## The Dane (Aug 25, 2009)

Errrrrrr no! I'm not buying the new Uniquefire 2500mA cells from DX to test
But donations will be tested as the giver wants.


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## 45/70 (Aug 25, 2009)

Nice job. They do seem to do well compared to rest of the contenders. I'm still with lctorana though. The "adjustable nipple" just doesn't sit well with me. Now, if I could find lights like in the pic I linked to....... eh, don't think so. 

Dave


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## hazna (Aug 25, 2009)

the soshine seem to do pretty well for currents above 1Amp


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## flasohollic (Aug 30, 2009)

Strange,, my two blue trustfire 2500 performs very bad compare to yours:thinking:


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## The Dane (Aug 30, 2009)

Different batch? :shrug:


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## SunFire900 (Aug 30, 2009)

Uh, when are you gonna test the new "*Fireworm*" 2600mAh 18650 cells??

Just kidding.



They are for real, though.

New brands just keep coming.....and maybe, just maybe that's a _good_ thing.

Just like to mention that I put a couple fully charged 3000 UF protected cells in my M2XC4 a couple months ago and after a short run-time I checked the cells and found that one of them had apparently vented! The cell wrap had turned yellowish along the strip-side. It left a slight coating of silvery residue on the inside of the battery tube, but no real damage at all. The voltage was 3.35v when I checked. I did not try to recharge it, of course. After a couple weeks I checked the voltage again and it was (0) zero!

Defects in the cheaper cells are probably quite a bit more common than with say AW's cells. But they are sooo much cheaper that we will continue to buy them anyway because they're not that bad.


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## jirik_cz (Aug 30, 2009)

Looks like leaking of Ultrafire BRC18650 is a common problem...


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## The Dane (Aug 30, 2009)

SunFire900 said:


> Uh, when are you gonna test the new "*Fireworm*" 2600mAh 18650 cells??
> 
> Just kidding.
> 
> ...



As i said: Donations are most welcome!

As for the "Wormfire" bats i'll bet they're rebadged Ultrafires because both cells says XSL :shrug:


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## richardcpf (Aug 30, 2009)

Very intyeresting how does two different batches of batteries makes such a huge difference.

Other CPFer tested ultrafires and trusfires batteries, and from what his charts tells the black 2.4A TF have the overall highest capacity, while the red 3A UF failed to reach 2.3A at a current higher than 1.5A.

Now I'm looking through Dane's charts and I'm just amazed how these red UF are performing so well, while the black TF are left behind. So confusing... jackpot batteries.:thinking:


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## old4570 (Aug 31, 2009)

Expect quality to vary from cell to cell , there is always some variation , even with Aw's , but the cheaper the cells , most likely the greater the variation . 

GTL / XTar / Fireworm :thinking:

I do like the new Ultrafires though , The unprotected green ones seem to be very nice , currently have 3 of them , and all 3 impress . 

The redish/pink protected one is also good , these two new ones are better than the old Ultrafires . [ Green + Redish/pink ] 

And yes , one suspects the new fireworms could be re badged Ultrafires .


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## jirik_cz (Aug 31, 2009)

richardcpf said:


> Very intyeresting how does two different batches of batteries makes such a huge difference.
> 
> Other CPFer tested ultrafires and trusfires batteries, and from what his charts tells the black 2.4A TF have the overall highest capacity, while the red 3A UF failed to reach 2.3A at a current higher than 1.5A.
> 
> Now I'm looking through Dane's charts and I'm just amazed how these red UF are performing so well, while the black TF are left behind. So confusing... jackpot batteries.:thinking:



Yes, this is interesting. My UF BRC18650 3000mAh have completely different discharge curves than Dane's samples.


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## Tohuwabohu (Aug 31, 2009)

jirik_cz said:


> Yes, this is interesting. My UF BRC18650 3000mAh have completely different discharge curves than Dane's samples.


The Dane tested the unprotected version of the 3000mAh Ultrafires.
All other discharge graphs that I have seen (including my own) were done with the protected version.
Perhaps there is more difference than just the protection curcuit between the two versions.


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## SunFire900 (Aug 31, 2009)

jirik_cz said:


> Looks like leaking of Ultrafire BRC18650 is a common problem...



Sorry I didn't see your other post, Jirik. The gas release in my M2X was enough to cause me to avoid the 3000's and go to the Black/Red label Trustfires. They are performing well. It was possibly a bad production run, but I have lost my trust in them for now.


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## old4570 (Aug 31, 2009)

+ The other thing to watch out for is counterfeit cells ...

Just check out DX , there selling 2 different versions of each new Ultrafire cell , if you buy the cheaper ones ??? 

Same with flea bay , watch out .. 
dx/sku.28676 ??
dx/sku.26248 ........


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## Tohuwabohu (Sep 6, 2009)

old4570 said:


> + The other thing to watch out for is counterfeit cells ...
> 
> Just check out DX , there selling 2 different versions of each new Ultrafire cell , if you buy the cheaper ones ???
> 
> ...


sku.28677, the cheaper protected version, is 1.5mm longer than the more expensive sku.26247.
With a length of 69.5mm it is too long for my Jetbeam Jet-III Pro.
The capacity of the cheaper batteries is significantly lower, I measured 2Ah and 2.1Ah at 1A discharge.
With sku.26247 or the black Trustfires I'm getting 2.3 to 2.4Ah.
You can find size comparison photos and a discharge graph here.


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## richardcpf (Sep 6, 2009)

jirik_cz said:


> Yes, this is interesting. My UF BRC18650 3000mAh have completely different discharge curves than Dane's samples.


 
Whichever the reason, I'm trying out the 3000mah unprotected and the 2600 green unprotected ones. Both "expensive version". And will take some time to do a runtime test with my T100C2.


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## rizky_p (Sep 8, 2009)

My blue trustfire 2500 came at 2100ish, not bad IMO. 

I am in need of 4 18650s for my triple P7, but with different batches likely resulting in different capacity and performance all together choosing one is more of a lottery than an exact science for Chinese made lithiums 
But i found trustfire to be more consistent over any other brands.

Man which one to choose.  i

I'll post discharge graph on my blue Trustfire 2500 when i get the time.




flasohollic said:


> Strange,, my two blue trustfire 2500 performs very bad compare to yours:thinking:


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## flasohollic (Sep 8, 2009)

I have to say it may be to high resistance in my battery stand so the graph is wrong... im gonna make a very low resistance stand and try again later and se if the cell perform better.


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## lctorana (Sep 8, 2009)

rizky_p said:


> Man which one to choose.


No, nothing easier.

AW.


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## rizky_p (Sep 9, 2009)

when money is tight not that easy, 4 AW 2600 will cost 60usd + shipping. while trustfire and the like are only 20usd for 4 batteries. Where most people here(indonesia) earn 60-120usd/months you can imagine how AW is sometimes not an option.

Other than that i agree with you 100%. I might consider buying AW when i saves enough money. Panasonic, LG and Sanyo 18650 only cost 9usd each locally but unfortunately came unprotected. 

Here is my rather "old" Trustfire 2500(blue) as i don't have a newer one. Probably around 40-50 cycles, bought on 2/13/2009. I have 2 Trustfire 2500 blue this one has higher resistance compared to the other probably because this one is being used the most. Nice for 6 months old cheap lithium.







2.5A discharge to follow.



lctorana said:


> No, nothing easier.
> 
> AW.


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## rizky_p (Sep 9, 2009)

Here goes the @2.5A result: *1921mAH*. Again not bad.


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## brjones (Jun 19, 2010)

In the 5 amp test in post #66: why does the Soshine 2600mAh 18650 not show an immediate dip in voltage like all the others do? Is there something extraordinary about this cell?

It's great to see a 5-amp chart to see how batteries perform while they're stressed.. belatedly, thank you! Still very relevant!! (if the batches are consistent!) Maybe high capacity equaling "high internal resistance" is becoming a thing of the past.


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## jirik_cz (Jun 19, 2010)

I had a chance to test a few blue Trustfire 2500mAh bought this year from DX. And they were very very bad. High internal resistance and low capacity. Buyers beware


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