Help checking new batterys

[dewie]

Got 4 Ultrafire batterys BRC 18650-4000mah-3.7 volt.Got 2 chargers with them.There 2 slot chargers no name on them.After charging here's what i got.
BATTERY1. BEFORE CHARGE-3.98 1 HR-4.11 2 HR-4.18 12 HR-4.05 16 HR-4.05
BATTERY2. BEFORE CHARGE-3.97 1 HR-4.11 2 HR-4.18 12 HR-4.07 16 HR-4.05
BATTERY3. BEFORE CHARGE-3.96 1 HR-4.11 2 HR-4.18 12 HR-4.05 16 HR-4.05
BATTERY4. BEFORE CHARGE-3.97 1 HR-4.11 2 HR-4.05 12 HR-4.07 16 HR-4.05
Are these readings about right for these batterys? They havent been used in anything yet.I'm waiting on flashlight in the mail. THANKS

 

[mattheww50]

What it is telling you is that your batteries probably are not new. There is no such thing as a 4000 mAh 18650. Any battery claiming that capacity is by definition suspect. The largest capacity in volume production is 3400mAh, with 3600mAh cells being essentially 'sampled'. It is very likely your batteries were in fact salvaged from discarded or rejected battery packs. You batteries should get close to 4.20 volts if they are relatively new. Safe yourself some grief, and avoid anything that says ***fire.

Li-Ion batteries are not what I would refer to as intrinisically safe. Overcharging and Overdischarging both can cause very bad things to happen. So my advice is toss the Ultrafires, and buy batteries from a better source, preferable from people who use Panasonic cells. As for the no-name charger, I'd pitch it as well. There are plenty of high quality chargers out there that don't involve potential risks.

Any product the manufacturer isn't willing to put their name on is a product to be avoided. The I4 charger is fairly good value for money, although slow when all 4 slots are in use with high capacity 18650's, the SP2 and VP1 chargers are outstanding two slot chargers.

In general you get what you pay for, and there are somethings that buy as if your life might depend on it. A catastrophic failure of any reasonably sized Li-Ion battery could cause a major fire. The risk/reward value isn't there in the products you have today.