Rechargeable D batteries from ebay

[holdthat1]

I tried searching around the forum a bit before creating this thread.

Does anyone have experience with these batteries?

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-x-size-D-Rech...556777383?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item2a0a05c7a7


Richard

 

[Mr Happy]

If you search around the forum using the keyword "ebay" you will find plenty of experience. Some people (maybe) get good items; other people buy 2900 mAh cells and find they deliver only 300 mAh when tested.

Given the price (10,000 mAh D cell at $3 per piece?) you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky? Well, do you?

Really, at that price you have very little to lose. Buy some, test some, tell us what you find.

 

[KiwiMark]

Really, at that price you have very little to lose. Buy some, test some, tell us what you find.

My 11 year old 4,000mAh NiMH cells in my Mag 6D are really not performing at their best any more, but I don't want to pay ~$70 + shipping for some more Accupower LSD NiMH cells at the moment. For ~$20 with free shipping I'll take a chance on these NiMH cells from ebay - when I get them I'll run a couple of cycles on my hobby chargers and let you guys know how well they work and what capacity they really have. Hopefully they will be able to deliver enough power to run my 3854-H bulb well enough.

 

[Mr Happy]

From the picture, it looks like these cells may have flat tops, not button tops. That would require some improvisation if using them loose instead of building a pack from them.

 

[JWP_EE]

I bought some Radio Shack 4500 mAh Ni-MH D cells today (# 23-519). They are on clearance and can only be found locally in the stores. I found them on their web page listed at $3.49 for a package of two. I did a search for local stores that still had them and called to verify - they still had three packages left.

I went to the store on my lunch break expecting to pay $3.49 per package but they rang up for $1.07. I bought all they had left. At $0.55 each (if you are as lucky as I was) you can't go wrong.

 

[45/70]

Given the price (10,000 mAh D cell at $3 per piece?) you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky? Well, do you?

Japanese cells from Hong Kong? I suppose it's possible. I don't mean to sink this seller's boat, but he is also offering "1800mAh" AAA NiMH cells. Sounds like a real "wiener" to me!:twothumbs

Seriously, fleabay generally isn't a good place to buy batteries. You would do better to buy from a respectable local, or online dealer. As already suggested, if you guys do purchase some, let us know how they work out. You never know.

I bought some Radio Shack 4500 mAh Ni-MH D cells today (# 23-519).

Sounds like those are "sub C" cells stuck in a in a "D" size container, from the capacity rating. This is pretty common for "D" size rechargeable cells. If they aren't too old, they may be OK. Hopefully the voltage of each cell is better than 1.00 Volt out of the package, otherwise they likely won't hold a charge, or perform very well. Still, that is a good price.

Dave

 

[JWP_EE]

I just measured them. Six Cells range from 1.06V to 1.12V. I haven't tried charging them yet.

 

[goa604]

ive found this under feedback

4x Rechargeable CR123A CR123 Battery 3.6V 2000mAh GTL (#180552658000)

Fake! Real capacity less then 800mah

i guess all of their batteries are underspec just like the
cr123 ones ...

 

[Mr Happy]

ive found this under feedback

4x Rechargeable CR123A CR123 Battery 3.6V 2000mAh GTL (#180552658000)

Fake! Real capacity less then 800mah

i guess all of their batteries are underspec just like the
cr123 ones ...

They can't really be fake, since RCR123 batteries have a normal capacity of about 800 mAh and apparently these ones fall right into line. The worst that can be said is the description is wildly unrealistic.

 

[KiwiMark]

Japanese cells from Hong Kong? I suppose it's possible. I don't mean to sink this seller's boat, but he is also offering "1800mAh" AAA NiMH cells.

If the capacity of the D cells turns out to be 4000mAh then I'll still be happy enough as long as they run my 6D ROP OK. These may or may not be what they claim, but at less money for 6 than what I have previously paid for 2 I consider it worth the risk.

The lack of button top means that I may need to use some magnets, but that is no biggie.

 

[goa604]

They can't really be fake, since RCR123 batteries have a normal capacity of about 800 mAh and apparently these ones fall right into line. The worst that can be said is the description is wildly unrealistic.

hmm . ive bought varta cr123 some time ago . they were rated 1800 mAh and they really were 1800 mAh.
i dont know ... i even if i pay them a few bucks and they are not up to spec , they are fake . if those D cells are even
5000mAh i think its a good buy

 

[Mitica]

I have 4 of those green 10000000 mah I don;t have a smart charger to measure them but I run 3 of them is s, with a P7, max 1.4 A and it last enough for me
I've cut the green shield because it seems to be a fake battery inside but it is not.. I did not go any further with disassemble because I still need that battery

 

[KiwiMark]

I have noticed that the same brand of batteries are available in C size with 9,000mAh. It does seem that the manufacturer is rather optimistic on their capacity ratings. Mine have been sent already, so in a week or so I should have them and can start testing - it shouldn't take long before my first full charge & discharge which will give me a good ballpark figure for real capacity.

I could buy some 9,000mAh D cell batteries locally, but they cost over US$60 for 6 - so I'm willing to chance these cheap batteries from Ebay for under 1/3rd the price. If they are 4.000mAh or better then I wont have wasted my money.

If these D cells do turn out to be 10,000mAh I'll be pretty surprised, but will have gotten REALLY good value for my money.

 

[KiwiMark]

My 6 batteries arrived today and I have 2 charging at 3A. I am pretty sure that they are not going to be 10Ah cells though - they are noticeably lighter than my Accupower 10Ah LSD cells, that's usually a sign of not being a true D cell inside the casing. Once the first 2 finish charging I'll drain them and see what capacity comes out, then I'll charge all 6 and test them in my Mag 6D ROP High and see how well it runs.

If I could afford to then I would have just bought 6 Accupower cells - true 10Ah and LSD, you can't beat that. Unfortunately at 3 x the price to power a light that is really big, which I don't use all that much because of the size & weight, well I guess there is just so much else for me to spend my money on right now.

I'll post in a few hours with the real capacity of these batteries for anyone interested.

 

[KiwiMark]

My initial test has shown these cells to be worse than I thought - both cells are within a few mAh of each other at around 2.5Ah - pretty much AA NiMH cells in D cell sized containers. I guess I should be charging them a bit slower than 3A then.

Based on my tests I would say that these cells are well worth ~$10, but not the ~$20 they are selling for.

Bottom line:
Don't buy 'em.

 

[Mr Happy]

I guess they are the standard "sub-C in a shell" consumer design...

 

[GrnXnham]

Bottom line:
Don't buy 'em.

Don't forget to give them a GREAT ebay review!

 

[KiwiMark]

I guess they are the standard "sub-C in a shell" consumer design...

I would have thought that sub-c NiMH capacity would have been a bit higher (I was hoping for ~4Ah).

Don't forget to give them a GREAT ebay review!

Well, I'll go for a fair & honest review - probably not quite the same as 'great' in this particular case.

 

[Chodes]

It was worth a try. I'm in Australia and have come to accept D NiMh are just never going to be economical. I think the weight and small market means it will never change.

At least if you have a 4D body you could remove the D shells and have a smaller light.

 

[Mitica]

No way.. only 2500 mAh? 3A however is too much for them, maybe 1A would make them accept more