Off brand CR123 question

[Elduke]

I use a no name brand CR123 batteries and I placed two of them into a Surefire G2 flashlight. My father took it to work because there is no power since they are upgrading/renovating his building. He tells me that the light isn't working and I went to swap out the batteries. It turns out the cells burnt out somehow since the plastic melted and I noticed a burn mark where the lamp assembly is. It smelled like something burnt out as well. I placed two more cells into the flashlight and it works but I am not sure if that was a wise decision. I use the same exact batteries for my lights and I never had any problems but I am a bit leery now. Should I purchase brand name batteries such as Surefire or Duracell? Will this happen again or should I chock it up to user mistake?

P.S. Should I send the light back to Surefire or is it still safe to use the G2?

 

[conor]

you need to match the cells

if one was low and one was fully charged it will casue one of the cells to and cause at minimum damage to the light (burns etc) and it could hurt whoever is using the light at the time....(this can happen with brand name or non brand name)

you should test your cells if u are using them in multi cell lights with a ZTS battery tester

 

[Black Rose]

If you want quality cells that are known to work well in flashlights, stick to SureFire, Streamlight, Panasonic, and Rayovac.

There are some store brand CR123s that are also good.

 

[Elduke]

Is it safe to continue using the light or should I send it back to Surefire/purchase a new one?

 

[GeorgePaul]

Is it safe to continue using the light or should I send it back to Surefire/purchase a new one?

If the light looks clean inside, I bet you're fine.

 

[DM51]

I think it should be fairly obvious to you by now that the cheap cells were a false economy. You should certainly not use them in this (or any other) 2-cell light, as the next failure could be a more serious one and lead to injury.

You could use them in single-cell lights, but that is all.

As to the G2, you voided SF's warranty by using cheapo cells, and if it is damaged you will not be able to claim for that.

 

[speshow]

I'm just wondering? What brand CR123's were these?

 

[Niconical]

In the longer term you could save money by using a 3.7v lamp, such as the ones from Lumens factory, and a protected 17670 rechargeable from AW.

Depending on which 3.7v lamp you choose, you can have roughly the same output as the stock P60 Surefire lamp with the HO-4, or slightly more if you go for the EO-4.

http://www.lumensfactory.com/cart.php?cat_id=2&sub_cat_id=1

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=184670


It does depend on how the lights are used though.
If it's just for occasional use, better stick to primaries.

 

[mdocod]

Actually, you are sort of lucky.

many reports here on the forum of exploding CR123s are far more violent. Like sending the tailcap for a supersonic trip through a few layers of dense material, completely stripping the threads. Or blowing out the glass in the front with a great deal of oomf.

Get better quality cells, or if saving money is really important switch to a rechargeable li-ion option like Niconical said. And don't cheap out on the charger and cells!

Eric

 

[Patriot]

If you want quality cells that are known to work well in flashlights, stick to SureFire, Streamlight, Panasonic, and Rayovac.

Elduke,
In addition to the above, Energizer, Duracell and Sanyo are all quality cells. You may want to avoid purchasing them at retail stores since they'll be pretty expensive. There are many dealers who support CPF and sell quality batteries.

 

[foxtrot29]

Elduke,
In addition to the above, Energizer, Duracell and Sanyo are all quality cells. You may want to avoid purchasing them at retail stores since they'll be pretty expensive. There are many dealers who support CPF and sell quality batteries.

I find the battery station brand are very high quality. Never, ever have I had a problem with these cells. I believe they are also made in the USA...

 

[Hitthespot]

I once purchased 50 no name batteries. Of those 50 two were almost dead and one was completely dead. All of the batteries except those three gave me only 50-60 percent of the runtime of SureFire and Streamlight batteries. Now I only purchase name brand CR123 batteries. As DM51 said in his post, in a two cell light the next mishap could be much more serious. In my opinion, no name's are not worth it even if they are free.

Bill

 

[greenLED]

I find the battery station brand are very high quality. Never, ever have I had a problem with these cells. I believe they are also made in the USA...

They are indeed!

 

[Elduke]

I'm just wondering? What brand CR123's were these?

Powerizer is the name of the cells.

DM51,

There was no physical damage to the light except for the burn mark near the lamp assembly and the melted plastic from the batteries. I should be able to clean that out from the aluminum body. I dropped in two new cells and it works fine but I am going to stop using those cells and getting brand name ones from now on. I think I should get my dad a G2 LED model instead since it doesn't heat up quite as much as a incadescent light. I would like to thank everyone who responded to this thread and I apologize for buying off brand batteries.

 

[etc]

That's a good learning experience. You are lucky it didn't set your car on fire, or your house.

I understand why people want cheap stuff... the state of the economy is a good reason.

If you want to get good stuff but still pay about $1/cell, try Ebay. You have to buy in bulk like 80 cells but the way I use them, they should last a long time. Years maybe. (I use Li-Ion or NiMH for the most part with Lithiums as backup)

The good stuff is:

Surefire, Duracell, Panasonic, Energizer, Kodak, Sanyo,Rayovac, Streamlight, Battery Station.

 

[cheetokhan]

Another vote for Battery Station.:thumbsup:

 

[Elduke]

I am definitely looking at Battery Station brand cells then the other brands. Thank you for the recommendations. :thumbsup:

 

[greenLED]

If you want to get good stuff but still pay about $1/cell, try Ebay.

I, OTOH, would stay as far away as possible from eBay-sourced 123's. Too many reports of fake batteries.

Check out the "CPF Specials" thread for vendors selling good quality 123's at low prices.

 

[DM51]

I apologize for buying off brand batteries.

You have nothing to apologise for - it's a mistake anyone could make until they find out the risks involved, as you now have. I'm glad the light still works, and more importantly, that you're OK.

try Ebay

etc…. greenLED is right, and your recommendation of eBay is irresponsible. eBay is OK for many items, but one of the things you should NEVER buy from eBay is batteries - you have the highest possible chance of getting counterfeit cells.

 

[paintballdad]

but one of the things you should NEVER buy from eBay is batteries

That also isn't entirely true. Battery Station has and eBay store and wouldn't hesitate ordering those. I picked up 20 Battery Station branded CR123s from his eBay store for $26.95 shipped. Pretty good deal at about $1.35/cell.