# Purchased cheap Ebay headlamps, now concerned with safety



## Zuggerton (Sep 23, 2014)

Hello CPF! Newbie here looking for some feedback on some cheap headlamps/batteries I've purchased from ebay. I purchased 4 headlamps complete with 2 18650 batteries each that were around $20 a set (search for the Boruit JR-3000 and Cree XM-L T6 Zoomable to get an idea). I knew they would be cheap quality and figured they would not output the stated 3000 lumen or last the 5000mah (Ultrafire) but at that price I thought they would be worth a look. They do shine quite bright (perhaps 800 lumens) and last about an hour or less. I mountain bike through fast trails at night and would like as much light as possible. I have given a couple of these away as Christmas presents, my concern now (after recently reading about dangers of 18650 batteries) is that the batteries are unprotected and I don't think there's any protection in the lamp itself. Now that I know "a little" about these batteries I was looking at a decent charger and protected batteries like the panasonic or eagletacs but those wont quite fit in the lamp. So now I'm at a loss and unsure about the safety of these lights regarding exploding batteries. If I purchased a decent charger (Nitecore i4?) and unprotected panasonic batteries would they be safe from overcharging and exploding? Would you recommend a different cell chemistry like an IMR battery? Should I contact the recipients of my headlamp gift and tell them that the batteries are dangerous and could explode while wearing them? Other decent mountain bike light systems are about the $300 range which I cannot afford. I'd be happy to hear any other headlamp recommendations that could be more affordable. All feedback is appreciated, thank you!


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## Str8stroke (Sep 23, 2014)

Well, I posted somewhere here the other day about headlamps and this very topic. Stay away from any battery that has "Fire" in the name. Get a quality brand like panasonic and the like. I am surprised that protected cells won't fit. Keep in mind, not all protected cells are the same length. Most of the Fire brands seem to me to be much longer than "real" batteries. I would try Fenix flat tops. If the light requires a button, you can use a neo magnet and super glue around it to make the nipple. 

I run the Fenix in my Nitecore headlamp and I also use unprotected laptop pulls. But, I am very cautious. I am not running it on high, and not going for super long run times with the unprotected cells. I run a few Nitecore chargers. For the money, they work well for me. 

Hope that helps you a bit. Others smarter than me will chime in.
Welcome to the forum.


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## Bob Damon (Oct 1, 2014)

The batteries are the issue. Cheap batteries are a risk, I would suggest you replace the cheap batteries with some Panasonic protected. There are many brands that use Panasonic, do it could be a Nitecore, Eagletac, Olight, Orbotronic, or others. There are good deals to be had on batteries, you just have to keep looking. The Nitecore chargers are inexpensive, have good reviews, and are a popular charger. I think the I2 charger was less than $12. Some stores have a battery and charger bundle.


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## ForrestChump (Dec 8, 2014)

Zuggerton said:


> Hello CPF! Newbie here looking for some feedback on some cheap headlamps/batteries I've purchased from ebay. I purchased 4 headlamps complete with 2 18650 batteries each that were around $20 a set (search for the Boruit JR-3000 and Cree XM-L T6 Zoomable to get an idea). I knew they would be cheap quality and figured they would not output the stated 3000 lumen or last the 5000mah (Ultrafire) but at that price I thought they would be worth a look. They do shine quite bright (perhaps 800 lumens) and last about an hour or less. I mountain bike through fast trails at night and would like as much light as possible. I have given a couple of these away as Christmas presents, my concern now (after recently reading about dangers of 18650 batteries) is that the batteries are unprotected and I don't think there's any protection in the lamp itself. Now that I know "a little" about these batteries I was looking at a decent charger and protected batteries like the panasonic or eagletacs but those wont quite fit in the lamp. So now I'm at a loss and unsure about the safety of these lights regarding exploding batteries. If I purchased a decent charger (Nitecore i4?) and unprotected panasonic batteries would they be safe from overcharging and exploding? Would you recommend a different cell chemistry like an IMR battery? Should I contact the recipients of my headlamp gift and tell them that the batteries are dangerous and could explode while wearing them? Other decent mountain bike light systems are about the $300 range which I cannot afford. I'd be happy to hear any other headlamp recommendations that could be more affordable. All feedback is appreciated, thank you!




Return or recycle. These are not safe. Period.

Try anything from Petzl. Reasonably priced, king of headlamps.

:welcome:


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## skater1on1 (Dec 8, 2014)

ForrestChump said:


> Return or recycle. These are not safe. Period.
> 
> Try anything from Petzl. Reasonably priced, king of headlamps.
> 
> :welcome:



King eh? Zebralight and Armytek seem to be the undisputed kings around these parts. Either way ... all beat no-name ebay crap.


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## ForrestChump (Dec 9, 2014)

King

because Forrest says so.

:welcome:


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