AW vs Ultrafire 14500?

[fields_mj]

Okay, I've seen the charts with all the data and I'm still not sure that I can make heads or tails of them so I'm just going to ask. I'm thinking about getting some 14500 batteries and it looks like the AW and Ultrafire brands are the easiest to find. From what I've read, the AW brand is really good, but I've seen a few posts that indicate that in the real world (vs on paper) the ultrafire is pretty close to the same. Is this true? Is there much of a difference between the two?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[45/70]

The biggest difference between AW's Li-Ion cells and the various xxxxxFire cells, is consistency. With AW's cells you can pretty much depend on each of the cells from the same batch performing in a similar fashion. With xxxxxFire cells, some will likely perform similarly to AW's, but others will not.

As for the 14500 cells that I have, my 8 or so AW cells all perform identically, provided they are from the same batch and have been used in similar applications the same amount etc. As for the dozen, or so 14500 xxxxxFire type cells I have, they are like playing the lottery. Even among cells that were purchased at the same time, performance varies quite a bit. I might add that in my case, none of the xxxxxFire cells have come close to the current capability, or capacity of my AW cells.

In summary, I always recommend AW's cells when someone asks "What's the best". That doesn't mean I don't buy other cells, just that AW's cells are more consistent in performance and more predictable in behavior. I'd rather have someone happy with their purchase that I recommended than disappointed. Of course if you're into playing the lottery......:)

Dave

 

[xxllmm4]

The problem with the xxxFIRE cells is their junk, yes you may get a good one now and then. But they cant be trusted. About 6 months ago I bought some ULTRAFIRE 3000mah cells and they where ok. More like 2500mah but I figured for $4 each its still a pretty good deal.

Fast forward to about 3 months ago I bought another 4 off ebay from the same vendor and 2 are junk. 1 took a single charge and died. The other only charged to 4.1v. 12 Hours later it dropped to like 3.89v.

So yeah you are playing the lottery with these BUT, what if you really need your flashlight and it dies in the middle of what your doing? Even if they don't explode they could pose a serious safety issue if you actually NEED you flashlight.

Jordon

 

[fields_mj]

Thanks guys, that's exactly what I was wanting to know. I noticed that I could get the Ultrafires pretty cheap on e-bay, but I figured there was a good reason for that and you guys have confirmed it. AW it is :)

 

[TranceAddict]

i am very surprised to see you have a big gut to use ultrafire battery

ebay isn't the cheapest place to buy if you really want to know check this out
http://s.taobao.com/search?q=ultrafire+18650

the cheapest seller is merely selling them for USD$ 1.50/pc including shipping fee in mainland china.

please consider Redilast (better IMHO) or AW instead, don't be silly to expose yourself to risk

 

[Obalux]

My only experience about 14500 lithium rechargeables is about these:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustf...h-rechargeable-lithium-batteries-2-pack-26124

I bought only two of them and I have charged them with this charger:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafire-3-6-3-7v-battery-charger-1251

I have never had any problems with them. They don't even get hot when charging, maybe just a little warm. But maybe I have had just good luck? :)

 

[HKJ]

I have never had any problems with them. They don't even get hot when charging, maybe just a little warm. But maybe I have had just good luck? :)

That is the way they usual work. I have also charged and discharged many LiIon batteries on many different chargers without any problems (Some of all these charges/discharges are published on my website as battery tests and charger tests).
But once in a while a battery goes :poof: it might be a 1 in a million risk, but the cheap batteries (and mistreated) has a greater risk of going :poof:.
For cautious people I will recommend a LiIon sack:

It is cheap and will reduce any risk with a battery that goes :poof:.

 

[fields_mj]

That is the way they usual work. I have also charged and discharged many LiIon batteries on many different chargers without any problems (Some of all these charges/discharges are published on my website as battery tests and charger tests).
But once in a while a battery goes :poof: it might be a 1 in a million risk, but the cheap batteries (and mistreated) has a greater risk of going :poof:.
For cautious people I will recommend a LiIon sack:

It is cheap and will reduce any risk with a battery that goes :poof:.

I have a Thunder B6AC hobby charger on the way from Hobbypartz. When I went to the check out page, their system had automatically added one of these bags to my shopping cart. I could have removed it from my cart, but I remembered a few people talking about them her on CPF, so I left it in there. How, exactly, am I supposed to use this bag? What does it do?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[HKJ]

I have a Thunder B6AC hobby charger on the way from Hobbypartz. When I went to the check out page, their system had automatically added one of these bags to my shopping cart. I could have removed it from my cart, but I remembered a few people talking about them her on CPF, so I left it in there. How, exactly, am I supposed to use this bag? What does it do?

Thanks,
Mark

You put the battery (including the cradle) inside the bag. if the battery explodes the bag will contain any flying parts and can also contain any fires. I would place it on a fire safe support to be sure to contain the fire (In the unlikely case that the battery goes :poof:).

 

[mitro]

Not all XXXXfires are alike. If you search around you'll find there are some very worthy cells in with the crap.

 

[DimmerD]

Not all XXXXfires are alike. If you search around you'll find there are some very worthy cells in with the crap.

I find it difficult to believe that reputable dealers like the ones you find here on CPF would even sell them at all if they were total crap. Now from Ebay...that's a whole different story.

 

[45/70]

I find it difficult to believe that reputable dealers like the ones you find here on CPF would even sell them at all if they were total crap. Now from Ebay...that's a whole different story.

I don't think it has much to do with reputation, but rather what sells best. I agree the CPF dealers have an excellent reputation, but they're going to sell what sells, not limit their offerings to only what's best. If the later were true, the selection of lights and battery cells to chose from would be quite narrow, not to mention very controversial, as well.:)

Dave

 

[RedForest UK]

Not all XXXXfires are alike. If you search around you'll find there are some very worthy cells in with the crap.

A big +1, AW and Redilast are better quality, more reliable and more consistent in general. But not all xxxxfire are crap, a few are actually very good cells at a very good price. Unfortunately with such cheap cells the main issue is you can never guarantee that a cell in the same wrapper is genuinely the same as before.

For example, up until now the Trustfire True 2400mah Red and Black cells have been up there performing with the best, very consistent and reliable etc. However, if they decide to change the cell inside for some reason, you aren't going to find out until either you or someone else eventually has a bad experience with them and posts it up here..

 

[black_ice_pc]

Not all whateverfires are gonna go boom. Most will not. However there's no doubt that QC is not as dependable, and there's probably a higher risk of them going boom. Whether you take that risk or not is your choice. I personally have only had ****fire batteries so far, and haven't had any problems. I've bought about 12 RCR123s, and only one has died so far in about 2-3 years. However, I would most likely buy some AW or IMR cells if I were to buy more.

Side note: it seems that the Trustfire cells with the fire on the label are usually good budget cells. They can handle decent current draw and are close to rated capacity. At least that's what I drew from the graphs I've seen here on CPF.

 

[mitro]

I only have a pair of the Trustfire red and black "flame" 14500s so I can't make any claims as to their consistency, but they both are over 820mAh @ 0.5A and both were 739 mAh @ 1.5A the last time I tested them. My AW 14500s (of which I have 4) aren't even in that ballpark, especially at 1.5A (~400mAh). The AWs are about a year older, but have never been abused. For the $6.12 a pair shipped that I paid, I'm happy with the Trustfires.