Crushed/bad RCR123s?

[nanomu]

I just picked up a few RCR123s today. Two came angled (crushed?) so much that they don't fit inside any of my flashlights, regardless of if they're safe or not. A third won't charge higher than 3.75V (in a WF-138).

So the question. Are these angled and dead batteries worth attempting to use, or should I toss/return them?

Not very impressed with my first foray into rechargeable CR123s.. :shakehead

 

[Ragiska]

Not very impressed with my first foray into rechargeable CR123s.. :shakehead

what exactly did you expect for the cheapest pieces of junk cells on the market?

 

[fishinfool]

I just picked up a few RCR123s today. Two came angled (crushed?) so much that they don't fit inside any of my flashlights, regardless of if they're safe or not. A third won't charge higher than 3.75V (in a WF-138).

So the question. Are these angled and dead batteries worth attempting to use, or should I toss/return them?

Not very impressed with my first foray into rechargeable CR123s.. :shakehead

I would try to return them if they were mine. I wouldn't be using or charging them either.

Where did you buy them from?

.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Go easy here on OP. That is an usual mess of cells, and must have been damaged in transport, or an unethical seller. Don't mess with them, except maybe one of them is ok?

Bill

 

[Illum]

Ultrafire's QC has never been the most ideal...in fact the addition of their protection PCB lengthens the cell by alot...making it potentially hazardous to use in any light that does not have a fully collapsible spring.

Why do many people continue buying them I don't know...but I would not recommend them on accounts of such matters, unless you decide to use them for plinking targets then maybe :shrug:

 

[nanomu]

*shrug* I had a recommendation from a friend that UF cells were "very good". I understand that these sort of defects can occur in almost any company. I got them from a reputable CPF-friendly dealer. To be fair, they looked just fine in the shrink wrap, so this is really an ultrafire QC issue. Yes, one of the cells is fine (right shape/size, charges up with no problems).

I should note that out of the hundreds of CR123s I've been through, these are my first duds. The odds were adding up..

Maybe I'm a little paranoid when it comes to "it looks like this cell was crushed or damaged, so I'm not going to use it", but I've read enough here to know not to take any risks with lithiums.

I know the next inevitable question could be "so what is the best brand of RCR123s?", but I'm not going to ask that, because I know that's inviting some serious fire.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Ultrafire LiCo Li-Ion cells are being sold by some reputable sellers, and are not deemed a "bad" RCR123. I've been using different brand LiCo Li-Ions for several years now, and very few of the different brands that I use had had any problems. This includes generic 18650's, and 17500's. Pila 18650's and 17500's. AW RCR123 protected, AW 18500 protected, and DLG 17500, and 18500, sold by AW. Ultrafire 17670's protected. LG18650's (awesome cells), Ultrafire 18350 RCR123's unprotected, and lastly but not lowly, the wonderful Powerizer RCR123's, unprotected.

Bill

 

[zer0ne]

I might be wrong but it could be due to the PCB placement that makes them slanted.

 

[45/70]

I might be wrong but it could be due to the PCB placement that makes them slanted.

Good point, zer0ne. It's hard from the picture to be certain, but that likely is the problem. I think sometimes when distributors, like UltraFire, buy up these cells from the manufacturers, they're in such a hurry to get them to market that the folks who shrink wrap and add the PCB's to the cells don't pay much attention to what they're doing.

While I still purchase cells from this general group of distributors (ShoFire, UltraTrust, et al) once in a while, just to see what's up with them, I prefer to buy cells from distributors that have a bit better QC program. It may cost more, but it's worth it, to me anyway.

Dave

 

[Illum]

Maybe I'm a little paranoid when it comes to "it looks like this cell was crushed or damaged, so I'm not going to use it", but I've read enough here to know not to take any risks with lithiums.

you have every right to be paranoid when it comes to questionable cells, no one will hold that against you...by the doctrine of caveat emptor the risk of product defect sits on the shoulders of the buyer, who could have known or should have known the risks prior to purchase.

I might be wrong but it could be due to the PCB placement that makes them slanted.

Thats certainly the case for many, I know AW slaps their circuit on the cathode end, I'm not sure for the case of these cells.
By examining the PCB on AWs and pilas following this thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=169200
Could an easy fix have been as simple as a spacer ring?

 

[jasonck08]

The cell isn't crushed, they just put on the PCB in a very poor manner. No spacer between the IC and circuit board and the contact of the battery.

 

[VidPro]

The cell isn't crushed, they just put on the PCB in a very poor manner. No spacer between the IC and circuit board and the contact of the battery.

yup many of the ultrafire bats i have are a crooked mess, not as bad as the worst one pictured, but its guess and hope.
i would test them thouroughly including a pressure test in a safe location, and use em, wouldnt bother me much unless something is leaking, dented or corroding or shorted.
its just slopped together stuff, whad ya spect.

you have to define the difference between a protection crooked and any crushed cell items itself. those look like the protection bottom ones, so the circuit being slopped on the bottom is not a big deal, the top or edges of the container for the actual cell is most important. well that and if the metal strip is going to short out on you.

so mentally seperate the cell from the added junk on the cell, and think about what is damaged or what is just poorly slopped together.
is the container dented? are the edges of the container dented or crushed? i think some of them shown might qualify.

the picture is a little dark looking here, but if there is a DENT in on the top "ring" around the container of the first one pictured, it could be a very bad sign, that is where the main seal and pct and anode protection thing is.

 

[mrartillery]

Trash em and pick you up some AW's, you will be pleased! Ive also used a set of these for over 2 years now in my EDC with never any issues.

 

[Milan]

OMG, trash a perfectly functional cells - what an advices...
It's really just a PCB not being perfectly aligned. One of the reasons why it's not worth paying more for these cheap 'protected' cells.