Test/Review of GTL LS16340 2300mAh (Gray)

[HKJ]

[size=+3]GTL LS16340 2300mAh (Gray)[/size]

Very cheap, very high capacity, can they be anything but a winner? (See conclusion)

Official specifications:

• 100% brand new 4x 16340 3.7v 2300mAh rechargeable batteries
• Perfect for Flashlight, Photo camera ........
• Model : 16340 ( Replace for CR123A, CR17345, K123A, VL123A, DL123A,5018LC, SF123A and EL123AP ) This is wrong
• Capacity: 2300mAh
• Voltage: 3.7v
• Chemistry: Li-ion
• Recharge: up to 1000 cycles

The rated capacity is about 7 times to high.

The battery can handle up to about 1A load, above that the capacity goes down very fast. The curver tracks fairly well.

[size=+3]Conclusion[/size]

The battery does not deliver what it promises, very far from, it is a low capacity 16340 battery without high current capabilities (This was as I expected, cheap high capacity LiIon does not exist).

The battery is useable, for some stuff, but it is very easy to find better batteries.

Generally speaking I will call this battery a looser



[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
Comparison to other LiIon batteries

 

[TEEJ]

Great review!

Rooting out the fakes is something you do so well!

So, GTL, "The LED Flashlight Expert", is NOT?!?!

Shocking.

 

[ven]

Thank you for the review:thumbsup:,i am sure it will help save a good few people money:twothumbs

 

[yoyoman]

Thank you for taking the time to test this cell. Never heard of GTL and won't look for them.

 

[candle lamp]

Thanks for your excellent test review. HKJ! :thumbsup:
It's very hard to understand the hightest capacity with 16340 sized cell in the world. Maybe from space. :shakehead

 

[matrixshaman]

Thanks for the extensive review. I just bought a dozen of the GTL 2300mah batteries for about a buck a piece and fully expected the mah rating was way off. I was actually very happy with these despite the low mah (as I expected) it is one of the very few PCB protected 16340's that actually fit nearly all my lights. Most of the protected batteries are too big (too big by far in some cases) other than AW's which are the best but at about 6 times the price of these I think these are fine for some of the lesser used and lower power lights I've got.