Which one is better - Ultrafire or Trustfire?

[Isthereanybodyoutthere]

When ordering from DX ,,Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire rcr123 ??

 

[Buck91]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

I have a pair of trustfire 14500 (protected) li-ion's I've been driving at 1A for a few months now. Maybe two dozen cycles on each or more. Hit the protection circuit a few times and so far so good.

I've been putting a lot more effort into not hitting the protection though. Mostly it happened when I tried to use them in my UF as a bike light for riding to the bar; guess they aren't even good for 15min runtime at 1A when its below freezing

That said, I plan on replacing them with AW cells when I get the chance.

 

[Anders]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

Hello Isthereanybodyoutthere.

.......fire is not worth the money if you use the searchfunction in this forum.

1+ on AW:s cells.

Anders

 

[Hitthespot]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

You are specifically asking about the rechargeables. Which I have no experiance. I will say I have had very poor luck with the CR123A Ultrafires and will not buy them again.

Bill

 

[generic808]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

Definitely Trustfire over Ultrafire. Been running TF's in a few of my lights for quite some time now with no problems. UF on the other hand :shakehead :thumbsdow Out of 4 RCR's, two have failed in less than a month. Go with TF over UF if these are your only options.

 

[Tubor]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

I have also had some poor battery experiences with Ultrafire. Their torches are generally better.

 

[mdocod]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

flip a coin. MightFire or CouldFire, really doesn't matter.

 

[Illum]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

when dealing with rechargeables, the cell is most dangerous not during discharge but during recharging, forget flashfire or gasfire, safety is the primary concern.

+2 on AW's protected cells

 

[Force Attuned]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

I have 4 x Ultrafire rechargeable 123's. Had them for around 3 weeks - no problems so far. I have heard mixed reports about them and the trustfires though.

 

[LuxLuthor]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

Which is better? IMHO....Neither.

Often times, people pose a question like this, and assume based upon the collective answers what action is best to take. When it comes to Lithium batteries, you must do your research beyond asking the question. Take note of the experience of the posters, and use the google search above to see how much has been previously discussed.

 

[warlord]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

Both are better than nothing but you should probably buy the cells that are being recommended.

I've purchased both the UFs and TFs and the quality isn't any different between the two. At least none that can be observed through ordinary use.

They are however cheap batteries made of cheap materials so there are no guarantees that's they'll work right, well, long, or safely. They are also packaged very poorly for shipping and a third of the ones I've recieved have been faulty...all due to a poorly assembled protection circuit.

I'm going to pick up some AW cells since they are so well regarded. Hopefully then I'll have firsthand experience with some quality cells I can recommend.

 

[yaesumofo]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

I COULDN'T agree more. Cheap clones=crap. IMHO
Yaesumofo

Which is better? IMHO....Neither.

Often times, people pose a question like this, and assume based upon the collective answers what action is best to take. When it comes to Lithium batteries, you must do your research beyond asking the question. Take note of the experience of the posters, and use the google search above to see how much has been previously discussed.

 

[thegeek]

Re: Which one is better ,ultrafire or trustfire

I have 4 ultrafire RCR123s that I am actually testing for runtime right now. So far 2 of them have died after about 6 minutes of ~900mA draw. I'm not sure if I am asking too much of them with this current, but if not they have a capacity of about 100mAh.

EDIT: I just ran a third at ~500mA and it lasted 14 minutes. I think I will be purchasing some AW cells rather soon.

Last Edit: One out of 4 cells ran for 30 minutes at ~500mA draw. The others all cut out at less than 15 minutes. I ordered some AW cells. I don't like the odds on this guessing game.

 

[Raymond]

I hope you're not going to be disappointed. The AW cells might have a good trackrecord from a safety and consistancy point of view, but they have about the smallest capacity of the cells I've tested (I have not tested any ultrafires yet, btw). Their performance also drops quickly under higher loads.

 

[thegeek]

I hope you're not going to be disappointed. The AW cells might have a good trackrecord from a safety and consistancy point of view, but they have about the smallest capacity of the cells I've tested (I have not tested any ultrafires yet, btw). Their performance also drops quickly under higher loads.

Smallest capacity by what margin?

 

[MorePower]

Smallest capacity by what margin?

Have a look at Raymond's post:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=195712

 

[Raymond]

Smallest capacity by what margin?

Depends a bit on what you're comparing: time, mAh, or mWh.
But on average, 10-15% at the higher current rates. If you have a well regulated light, it could mean almost several minutes of extra runtime (36 minutes, instead of 30 for example)

I'm not saying that I think the AW's are bad cells. I think that the information that AW provides on the protection on his cells, makes them easier to trust than a lot of other cells. I've also found very little posts (almost none) that talk about problems with the AW cells, which is a good thing, even though I don't know how much cells are in circulation of the different brands.
Also, their size often make them a better choice than other cells (they have the same dimensions as a primary cell, most other protected cells are larger).
But strictly from a performance point of view, they're not the best.

It's up to you if you want to pay the premium for the AW's. They have a lot better chance of working when you receive them, their safety measures are well documented and they are said to be very consistent between cells.

 

[thegeek]

Have a look at Raymond's post:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=195712

Perfect! Thanks. Very informative thread.

 

[thegeek]

Depends a bit on what you're comparing: time, mAh, or mWh.
But on average, 10-15% at the higher current rates. If you have a well regulated light, it could mean almost several minutes of extra runtime (36 minutes, instead of 30 for example)

I'm not saying that I think the AW's are bad cells. I think that the information that AW provides on the protection on his cells, makes them easier to trust than a lot of other cells. I've also found very little posts (almost none) that talk about problems with the AW cells, which is a good thing, even though I don't know how much cells are in circulation of the different brands.
Also, their size often make them a better choice than other cells (they have the same dimensions as a primary cell, most other protected cells are larger).
But strictly from a performance point of view, they're not the best.

It's up to you if you want to pay the premium for the AW's. They have a lot better chance of working when you receive them, their safety measures are well documented and they are said to be very consistent between cells.

I think there is a lot to be said for uniformity in batteries. It is awfully nice to know how long you can run your light rather than guessing. That being said, it looks like my ultrafire cells were a poor choice, and perhaps I should have tried the trustfire version instead. Thanks for your very informative cell testing. I bookmarked that thread and look forward to any updates.

 

[matrixshaman]

I've got lots of UF, TF, Battery station RCR123's and AW rechargeables. I've had one bad UF and it was the protection circuit - I pulled it off and now use it as an unprotected cell. All seem to work okay but I prefer AW's or battery stations when I think I can afford them. AW's are tops although I have a light that I can only get a TF in - even AW's didn't quite fit right. Treat them all carefully and try not to use 2x RCR's in anything - be aware and you'll likely be fine with any of them. But if budget allows get the AW's.