Anyone test these ultra-cheap CR123s?

[CompFreak247]

Found some amazingly cheap CR123's online at http://www.cfrlights.com/servlet/the-83/cr123a,-Lithium,-batteries,-tenergy,/Detail
Anyone tried/tested these batteries? $1.00 per battery, with 2.49 flat shipping per order is by far the cheapest I've found cr123's anywhere online. I would like it if someone could post a graph comparing runtimes of these with name brand 123's, like Energizer and Duracell. I want to order a couple of these to throw in my X5, so they won't be under a huge load. If these are junk, what is the cheapest CR123's I can order in a very small quantity (2-4), with shipping included?

Thanks, all
Newbie CPF member CompFreak247

 

[Marduke]

Not sure how those work, but one of the better ultra-cheap primary CR123's used around here are the Titanium brand sold from Amondo Tech at $1, and they are proven to compare favorably with name brand.

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=241

And for the comparison charts:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/titanium_123a.htm

 

[Lighthouse one]

I second what Marduke says! I used these plenty. You could spend a bit more and get the panasonic brand for $1.50 each from Battery Junction...with shipping they cost me around $1.75 each. Decent for a top quality 123.

 

[CompFreak247]

Only problem with Amondotech is that shipping is $6-7. For my ideal quantity (2-4), that makes the cost a little higher. I'll check out Battery Junction, though... EDIT: Shipping for 4 batteries is $8.60, along with $4 for the batteries. That's $12.60, at an overall price of $3.15, for the "cheap" cells. I might just try the CFR Light cells ($6.49 for 4, $1.62 per cell). Still, I'd like to see a performance chart comparison...

 

[CompFreak247]

Ouch, shipping at BatteryJunction is $7.79. I might have to pay $13.75 for 4 batteries ($3.43 per battery, kind of steep...) Any other suggestions for good but cheap batteries?

 

[Bullzeyebill]

It sometimes really pays to buy CR123's in bulk, at least 24 at a time, then shipping gets spread out.

Bill

 

[Marduke]

These are ok in low-current applications.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5639

 

[CompFreak247]

It sometimes really pays to buy CR123's in bulk, at least 24 at a time, then shipping gets spread out.

Bill

Only problem with that is that I don't use the flashlight much (~1 hour a month), so a set of 2 batteries can last me nearly a year.

 

[Marduke]

Good thing that lithium primaries have a shelf life of around 20 years then...

Simple CPF solution is to get another flashlight to use up spare batteries. Then get more batteries to go with more flashlights. Then get more flashlights to go with your increasing stockpile of batteries.....

It never ends... Welcome to the addiction.... :welcome:

 

[CompFreak247]

Sounds awesome, but my budget is so limited I can't afford that right now... (Just wait 10 years)

 

[CompFreak247]

I ended up buying 4 Panasonic 1500 mah batteries from BatteryJunction.com. $ 1.49 ea for the batteries, + $7.79 for shipping gave me a total price of $13.75 (I just hope they're fresh). Thanks for the help, everyone.

 

[Marduke]

Lithium batteries don't die in storage like alkaline batteries do. They loose about 1% per year, which gives them a shelf life of around 20 years, compared to an alkaline shelf life of around 5, where alkaline are also prone to leakage.

 

[CompFreak247]

Lithium batteries don't die in storage like alkaline batteries do. They loose about 1% per year, which gives them a shelf life of around 20 years, compared to an alkaline shelf life of around 5, where alkaline are also prone to leakage.

Are you sure? I've heard from other sources that the maximum shelf life of lithium batteries is 10 years. However, I'm no flashlight expert

 

[Marduke]

It's a conservative estimate. The shelf life of alkalines are typically measured to 80% initial capacity. Lithium primaries loose about 1% per year, but their shelf life is often measured to only 10-15% of initial capacity, which is 10-15 years, depending on the brand. If you want to compare apple to apples, you have to use the same scale. Using 80% initial capacity as a general rule of thumb for when a battery is still useful/reliable in storage, a decent lithium primary will usually easily last 20 years. At a storage temp of 20[SIZE=-1]°C, that means 20 years for lithium manganese dioxide batteries (ie. e2 Energizer lithiums), and 7 years for quality alkaline, if it doesn't leak due to a multitude of other reasons.
[/SIZE]

 

[greenLED]

Marduke, where are you getting the 20 yr figure from? AFAIK, it's 10 yr shelf life because of how some of the internal components degrade. Just like any other batt, I'm sure you could use "expired" cells in an emergency, but what do I know?

Compfreak, again and again people have come to realize that buying those über-cheap cells only bring headaches. Usually they come from manufacturers abroad without the type of quality control these cells must have to prevent accidental venting. For about $1 you can get good quality cells from BatteryStation (US made, from what I'm hearing these days) these days.

 

[Marduke]

Self-discharge is linear. Lithium manganese dioxide discharges to 90% in 10 years, hence 80% in 20.

Source:
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/temperat.pdf

 

[Trashman]

Only problem with that is that I don't use the flashlight much (~1 hour a month), so a set of 2 batteries can last me nearly a year.

Well, then, obviously, you need a 2 x CR123 high(er) powered incandescent light, like a Surefire E2E, or P6, G2, or a Streamlight Scorpion (incan), all of which provide very nice bright light for approximately 1 hour per set of batteries! Then, you'll need 20 batteries to last you a year, and you be able to experience the joy of purchasing large amounts of batteries and getting them much more cheaply (per piece)!

 

[Wassernaut]

I've used the batteries in question in the original post, and found them fine for low drain uses. Many of my LED lights love them. Also I've found Battery Junction good folks to order from. For all my high drain and heavy duty (or critical use) lights I use nothing but AW. Some consider them expensive, but over the long run they are worth every penny and very cost effective. If my life depends on it, or I need a "can't fail" light, it's going to be AW's, nothing else.

 

[DM51]

Beware of using cheap batteries in multi-cell lights.