Test/Review of EagleTac 16340 750mAh (Black)

[HKJ]

[size=+3]EagleTac 16340 750mAh (Black)[/size]

Official specifications:

• 750mAh IC PROTECTED Rechargeable Cell (4.2V hot off charger)
• Measures only 34.4mm in height (+/-0.1mm) and 16.7mm in width
• IC protected for a) over-charge, b) over-discharge, c) short circuit, d) current overflow of 3A+
• True protrude top design, fits all flashlights
• High discharge rate 3A+
• Nominal voltage: 3.7V, charge up to 4.2V, use CC/CV charger to charge
• Reinforced steel plate bottom, highly efficient protective PCB design
• Packaged in individual box and anti-static bag

These 16340 batteries are short for protected batteries, i.e. they are very close to 34 mm long (Same size as CR123 batteries). This battery can only replace a CR123 battery in equipment designed for LiIon, because it has higher voltage than a CR123 battery.

The capacity is slightly below rated value, but that is very common for 16340 batteries. The batteries do not track perfectly.

The protection is at 5.6 ampere, this is a bit high in my opinion.

[size=+3]Conclusion[/size]

This battery has a size very close to CR123 batteries and a construction with a metal plate at the bottom, both are good details. But that the battery uses a cell from an unspecified supplier is a minus and I would also have liked the discharge curves being closer.
I will call this battery acceptable.



[size=+3]Notes and links[/size]

How is the test done and how to read the charts
How is a protected LiIon battery constructed
More about button top and flat top batteries

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

Thanks for pointing me at your review

Can I ask your expert opinion? I want to run 2 x RCR123's in series in my Klarus NT20. Out of these EagleTacs and AW RCR's which would you recommend for safe operation? Or is there another brand you'd recommend more so?

Thanks.

 

[HKJ]

Thanks for pointing me at your review

Can I ask your expert opinion? I want to run 2 x RCR123's in series in my Klarus NT20. Out of these EagleTacs and AW RCR's which would you recommend for safe operation? Or is there another brand you'd recommend more so?

CR123 or RCR123 is not the right battery for the NT20, it will draw around 2A at 6 volt (Se cyan lines in charts).

I have not tested the AW and do not know if they handle it better than EagleTac.

With two batteries in series I would stay with protected batteries, IMR might be better to supply the current, but are way to easy to ruin if you over discharge them (This is easy in this kind of light).

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

Thanks for the reply.

What do you mean by "CR123 or RCR123 is not the right battery for the NT20" What battery should I be using? Cheers.

 

[HKJ]

Thanks for the reply.

What do you mean by "CR123 or RCR123 is not the right battery for the NT20" What battery should I be using? Cheers.

It looks like I got it mixed up with another light, I was thinking about a 800 lumen light.

Two CR123 or RCR123 will handle it without problems, the current draw will not be more than max. 1 ampere (i.e. blue line in chart).
You do need to use protected batteries, because it will discharge down to 3 volt total (i.e. 1.5 volt for each battery) according to the specifications.

 

[LilKevin715]

Thank you for the multiple reviews of the newer ET cells. My wallet is going to be a little bit lighter because of you.:thumbsup:

 

[forserg]

My wallet is going to be a little bit lighter because of you.:thumbsup:

Agree

 

[tobrien]

"The capacity is slightly below rated value, but that is very common for 16340 batteries."

why is that? perhaps 16340 li-ion cells/packs are uncommon and therefore not made by high-quality manufacturers like panasonic, perhaps?

 

[HKJ]

"The capacity is slightly below rated value, but that is very common for 16340 batteries."

Probably because nobody wants to sell the batteries with the lowest rating.

why is that? perhaps 16340 li-ion cells/packs are uncommon and therefore not made by high-quality manufacturers like panasonic, perhaps?

I believe that only Chinese factories makes 16340 size LiIon batteries.

 

[tobrien]

Probably because nobody wants to sell the batteries with the lowest rating.



I believe that only Chinese factories makes 16340 size LiIon batteries.

thank you, your first line does make sense, however, I wouldn't be so quick to write off Chinese factories, because American companies love to outsource to save $$, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're all bad, you know?

 

[Palaeoboy]

Probably because nobody wants to sell the batteries with the lowest rating.



I believe that only Chinese factories makes 16340 size LiIon batteries.

I was just doing a search on this very topic, so there really is no one outside China that makes 16340 or RCR123a Batteries? There are so many bad reviiews about Chinese made batteries that I was looking for someone outside of China that made them.

 

[tobrien]

I was just doing a search on this very topic, so there really is no one outside China that makes 16340 or RCR123a Batteries? There are so many bad reviiews about Chinese made batteries that I was looking for someone outside of China that made them.

i see it this way:

a chinese battery can be either good or bad (or mediocre of course)

just because it's chinese doesn't mean it's inherently 'bad'. it's just like with cigars. just because it's a Cuban cigar doesn't make it good.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Not to dig up and old thread - but this seemed like the best place to ask my question. Has anyone had issues with their Eagletac RCR123 batteries? I just got two of them about a month back after seeing that they got favorable discharge curves in a test against the AW RCR123 and IMR16340 cells - figured I'd give them a try.

My results have not been very promising or comforting.

- They do not fit in about 50% of my light - especially the Spy007s.
- They will not read accurately on my ZTS tester. I can take 5 readings in a row and it may show: 60%, 80%, 20%, 100%, 10%. Very inconsistent and makes me wonder if the protection circuit is having problems. But this is completely consistent across the two cells I got.
- The discharge seems inconsistent - like odd energy delivery. I'll see some flashes or dips in flashlight output as I go towards higher levels. Usually it'll just be a couple and then clear up. Again - this seems like it might point more towards the protection pcb.

Anyone else seen this. It's concerning me and I may just toss them and go back to my AW Black cells.

 

[välineurheilija]

I use these in a Surefire 6p with a Solarforce XM-L dropin and no problems or odd behaviour.Usually they read about 3.8 open voltage when i charge them.I havent tried the protection yet because i usually charge them quite often

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

See what I mean - a RCR123 should read at least 4.1-4.2V when fully charged - I think the protection is messing something up.

 

[välineurheilija]

No i meant i use them to about 3.8 volts before charging. They charge to 4.16-4.2 on a cytac charger.sorry for the unclear post

 

[EngrPaul]

I bought two from GoingGear last week and am very disappointed in these cells.

They do not fit in ANY of my many CR123 lights, with the exception of a EagleTac P100C2. Too big in diameter. They fit as a pair in my 18650 lights, but what's the point of doing that?

One was received with 0V. I put it on the charger and took it off after one minute, read about 2.2V. While this one took hours to charge, the other one charged to full in about 10 minutes. The next day, both fell to 4.1V. My experience is that most of my cells hold 4.2V the next day.

So I'm giving them a full run in my P100C2 just to see what happens. No problems with the protection circuit early in the run.

I also regret not buying good old dependable AW cells, even if they are twice the cost. I thought with a name like EagleTac they would be a step above most "budget" batteries, if you know what I mean.

Not to dig up and old thread - but this seemed like the best place to ask my question. Has anyone had issues with their Eagletac RCR123 batteries? I just got two of them about a month back after seeing that they got favorable discharge curves in a test against the AW RCR123 and IMR16340 cells - figured I'd give them a try.

My results have not been very promising or comforting.

- They do not fit in about 50% of my light - especially the Spy007s.
- They will not read accurately on my ZTS tester. I can take 5 readings in a row and it may show: 60%, 80%, 20%, 100%, 10%. Very inconsistent and makes me wonder if the protection circuit is having problems. But this is completely consistent across the two cells I got.
- The discharge seems inconsistent - like odd energy delivery. I'll see some flashes or dips in flashlight output as I go towards higher levels. Usually it'll just be a couple and then clear up. Again - this seems like it might point more towards the protection pcb.

Anyone else seen this. It's concerning me and I may just toss them and go back to my AW Black cells.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Back in May of '12, I bought a pair of Soshine 700s from Orbtronics and one pretty much died on me two months later. The second one lasts about 12-15 minutes on high in a SWM V11R, so not great. For $10 shipped, I wouldn't buy them again.

Soon thereafter, I bought a pair of AW 750 protecteds and a pair of AW IMR cells and they've been fine, although they might be aging slightly after 17-18 months of regular use.

Chris

 

[torukmakto4]

It's interesting to me that the discharge curve of these cells is very different from what would be expected from LiCo. It reminds me of what you recorded in the Sony US26650VT test. Based on that I am going to guess this is a hybrid chemistry cell.