Should I ditch this battery?

[reeso]

I bought a Solarforce L2 from ebay (cracking light for the price) and it came with an Ultrafire 18650 unprotected battery.

Are these batteries really that bad?

I have a couple of AW 18650's so don't particularly need the Ultrafire - shall I dispose of it or am I worrying about nothing?

 

[worldedit]

I have about 10 Ultrafire batteries. They are not as good as advertised but work ok.

 

[Oddjob]

Is the battery new or used? I would probably ditch it for safety sake. I prefer protected cells and if it was used by someone else I wouldn't know how it was treated previouly.

 

[reeso]

Is the battery new or used? I would probably ditch it for safety sake. I prefer protected cells and if it was used by someone else I wouldn't know how it was treated previouly.

It is new.

 

[Black Rose]

If it's from the same place I got my L2s from, check the voltage of the cell to see what condition it was in when you got it.

Charge the cell, take note of the voltage, and then put it aside and check the voltage every day for about a week. If it maintains it's voltage, keep it as a backup.

The reason I say to do that test is because I received one that had low voltage when I received it and is permanently damaged and doesn't hold a charge - basically unsafe.

 

[frank13]

There are lots of fake UltraFire 18650 batteries in market. So if it's too cheap, be cautious!

 

[tabetha]

Now I'm worried, have just received 2 x ultrafire 18650 cells, with wf 139 charger, prior to this I had some unbranded 18650, but they keep going flat totally if not used for 2-3 weeks, is that normal for these ?
The ultrafire on the other hand hold thier charge perfectly and lights seem brighter on these.
I have read on here of AW being recommended, are they that much better in performance terms ?
Thanks
tabetha

 

[Black Rose]

, prior to this I had some unbranded 18650, but they keep going flat totally if not used for 2-3 weeks, is that normal for these ?

No, that is not normal. Those cells are damaged and should be disposed of.

 

[tabetha]

Thanks, they are now binned, thanks for the advice, it is appreciated.
tabetha