Xtar CR123

I recently purchased a SWM T20CS, which is fantastic, and got a batch of XTAR CR123's with it. I normally carry the light in my in my bag where ever I go, so it does get knocked around a bit. Nothing major tho, just walking around or geocaching. I went to use it yesterday and to my surprise it did not come on at all. I have only had this light for a couple of weeks, and not put a lot of usage on these batteries yet. So I don't think they ran dry from my usage. I opened up the light and found this.



I tested the batteries with a multimeter and they read 1.7 volts. Yikes. What I think may have happened is that the light was accidentally turned on in my bag and ran it dead. (yes, next time I will unscrew the cap a turn to disconnect the batteries.)

Is it normal for primaries to either heat up or expand, the only two things I can think that would do this to the plastic, when they are run down? (I'm leaning towards the heat more than expansion as the metal does not appear to have expanded.) Or is it possible that there is something wrong with these batteries?

They indeed can get quite hot, esp. if your light was in closed space (bag) and had no airflow cooling it down.

Ok, thanks for that confirmation of what I thought probably happened.

Those are also older model batteries. The wrapping has been changed to a black and gold. They are probably the same battery in the new wrapper but having the older wrapper may mean they are very old.

I guess that's why they were a good deal. Its a good thing I didn't buy very many of them either. Thanks.

Lt_Dan said:

I guess that's why they were a good deal. Its a good thing I didn't buy very many of them either. Thanks.

Click to expand...

The formula for saving money on CR123:

1) Buy online from a reputable dealer.
2) Buy in bulk.
3) Buy quality cells. (Made in America or Made in Japan.)

What NOT to do:

Buying cheap cells sold at cheap prices from any old place online.

(Granted, those who are new to the hobby often make that very mistake. This is why there is a sub-forum attached to this one about mainly cheap, crappy, cells nearly burning down houses after venting with flame inside flashlights.)

I've got some of the latest batch of Xtar CR123s on test at the moment. I've been running some discharge tests and at a 1A load, the cell does become pretty hot. This is normal for CR123s which do get much hotter than Li-ions for the same power output.

The T20CS is a high power light and if accidentally switched onto high in a bag (especially if you were just using the side switch for on and off), it will have got very hot, and the cells will also have got extremely hot, hot enough to affect the shrink wrap. I wouldn't be surprised to see this result on any cell if the same circumstances were replicated.

So far the results I have found with the Xtar cells are good, so I'd be careful about linking this to the cell, when the cells themselves may have been accidentally abused.

Xtar is a pretty reputable company overall. They seem to want to grow and if they get a reputation for crap they would be dead in the water.

lets see what the review actually comes up with before passing judgement. Obviously they feel confident if they supplied batteries for a review

madecov said:

lets see what the review actually comes up with before passing judgement. Obviously they feel confident if they supplied batteries for a review

Click to expand...

What review? Nothing in this topic about Xtar supplying any cells for testing or review purposes. I see a recent member who made the very common mistake of trying to save some money by buying cheap CR123 cells at cheap prices. Thankfully, nothing unfortunate took place. While there are plenty of ways to save money regarding this hobby, buying cheap CR123 cells definitely isn't one of them.

Monocrom said:

What review? Nothing in this topic about Xtar supplying any cells for testing or review purposes. I see a recent member who made the very common mistake of trying to save some money by buying cheap CR123 cells at cheap prices. Thankfully, nothing unfortunate took place. While there are plenty of ways to save money regarding this hobby, buying cheap CR123 cells definitely isn't one of them.

Click to expand...

Fanboys of everything expensive and USA-made aren't very good at reading, are they?

subwoofer said:

I've got some of the latest batch of Xtar CR123s on test at the moment.

Click to expand...

subwoofer said:

I've got some of the latest batch of Xtar CR123s on test at the moment. I've been running some discharge tests and at a 1A load, the cell does become pretty hot. This is normal for CR123s which do get much hotter than Li-ions for the same power output.

The T20CS is a high power light and if accidentally switched onto high in a bag (especially if you were just using the side switch for on and off), it will have got very hot, and the cells will also have got extremely hot, hot enough to affect the shrink wrap. I wouldn't be surprised to see this result on any cell if the same circumstances were replicated.

So far the results I have found with the Xtar cells are good, so I'd be careful about linking this to the cell, when the cells themselves may have been accidentally abused.

Click to expand...

Thankfully my accidental abuse didn't cause a nasty failure.... I now remind myself to loosen the tail cap a couple of turns before I put it away.

Shadowww said:

Fanboys of everything expensive and USA-made aren't very good at reading, are they?

Click to expand...

I saw that post. I've done quite a bit of testing myself when it comes to CR123 cells. All were privately purchased by me, and tested in my own lights. When I tested Streamlight CR123 cells, Streamlight didn't supply me with the cells for free. I bought them with my own money. The Streamlight TL-2 LED model, inca. Scorpion, and inca. NightFighter lights I used for testing were also private purchase items. Streamlight supplied me with nothing for free. Yet, I still tested their cells in their lights.

Once again, nothing mentioned in this topic about Xtar itself supplying cells for testing and review purposes.

As for being a fanboy of everything USA-made, every regular on CPF would get a good laugh at that one. I give credit, and criticism, where its due. I refuse to buy M@glite products because the owner of the company is a sue-happy jerk who it seems genuinely believes that he's the only one who has ever come up with any innovative idea for flashlights. And that includes past, present, and future innovations. While SureFire makes excellent lights, their business practices are odorous at best. While I have little confidence that any of my Fenix lights (all made in China) are as tough and durable as my SureFires, I still often EDC them because Fenix makes some excellent models as far as innovation goes.

My recommendation to stick with American-made CR123 cells or those from Japan, has nothing to do with Patriotism. It's no secret that No-name, Made in China, CR123 cells are dangerous junk with spotty quality control standards, at best.

Re: 18650 Battery Power Box, USB, 4 Cells, No Protection - Thoughts?

I found the same sort device on DX. http://dx.com/p/128889
Though without any specifications. Has anyone bought the one from dx and want to post their findings?

Re: 18650 Cell Phone Charger

Hey, I bought this one a while back: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-8-1-...36807?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item43ac7327c7 Has adjustable voltage past 5v up to 24v? Should probably charge my old Asus eee 701, would love to charge my Dell Latitude D610 with it aswell.. but there is not a jack connecter big enough for it.. at least with the ones they provided. Emailed seller, think they played it safe by telling me its not compatible. If I get a connecter or cable that will fit, is it likely to work? This is the charger I am using: http://www.laptop-battery-shop.com.au/laptop-chargers/dell/dell-latitude-d610-charger Thanks

Re: 18650 Battery Power Box, USB, 4 Cells, No Protection - Thoughts?

If you like the 4x 18650 cell charger that's been mentioned in this thread, I carry the 2x version around with me, no battery level indicator, but it seems very efficient. Charge it via mini-usb and light goes green when done. Very slim and polished, fits nicely in my pocket. See ebay.

Re: 18650 Cell Phone Charger

alex21 said:

Hey, I bought this one a while back: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-8-1-...36807?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item43ac7327c7 Has adjustable voltage past 5v up to 24v? Should probably charge my old Asus eee 701, would love to charge my Dell Latitude D610 with it aswell.. but there is not a jack connecter big enough for it.. at least with the ones they provided. Emailed seller, think they played it safe by telling me its not compatible. If I get a connecter or cable that will fit, is it likely to work? This is the charger I am using: http://www.laptop-battery-shop.com.au/laptop-chargers/dell/dell-latitude-d610-charger Thanks

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's not compatible.
You have a charger that puts out 19.5v at 4.62A and that Ebay charger can put out 19V (close enough) at 2A max (less than half of the required current).

subwoofer said:

I've got some of the latest batch of Xtar CR123s on test at the moment. I've been running some discharge tests and at a 1A load, the cell does become pretty hot. This is normal for CR123s which do get much hotter than Li-ions for the same power output.

The T20CS is a high power light and if accidentally switched onto high in a bag (especially if you were just using the side switch for on and off), it will have got very hot, and the cells will also have got extremely hot, hot enough to affect the shrink wrap. I wouldn't be surprised to see this result on any cell if the same circumstances were replicated.

So far the results I have found with the Xtar cells are good, so I'd be careful about linking this to the cell, when the cells themselves may have been accidentally abused.

Click to expand...

have you reached to any new conclusions on these batteries?
thank you

Re: 18650 cell phone charger

Has anyone received their torchlight/charger yet? Does this model feature low voltage cutoff?

kosPap said:

have you reached to any new conclusions on these batteries?
thank you

Click to expand...

I've been using these cells daily and performance has been good. The detailed technical testing is still on my to-do-list, but with several major personal commitments in the next few months, this will have to wait a while.

At a 1A test current draw, the test logged 1300mAh capacity which seems about average performance if you take a look at Silverfox's 123 battery shoot out:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?67078-123-Battery-Shoot-Out

Once I get time to do further testing I will post the discharge graphs.

Thanks Subwoofer,
These cells can be found at very reasonable prices. I have not purchased any yet while waiting for someone to analyze them.
Do they appear to have proper safety features ?