18650 Batteries

[Stamp]

Hi all,
I recently bought a UltraFire WF-502B CREE XM-L T6 from amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G9WKRUQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, cost about £15 with postage. It came with 2 18650 batteries and a charger. At first I was very pleased with the torch, its bright (not sure exactly how many lumens it is but its not the 1000 claimed!) and has 5 modes to use.
The trouble is on full power which I am mainly using the run time is down to about 20 mins tops! Hardly much use for a weekend out in the woods! I have found a great website which has tested lots of batteries and rated them, but I don't want to spend more money on batteries if they won't improve the run time. I could could of just bought a better torch with a proven run time if I am to spend loads on batteries.
http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/p/18650-batteries-chargers.html
Does anyone have experience of this torch and which batteries to use? Overall I have been impressed with the torch for the money, the build quality, depth of light and brightness have been what I expected. If I can spend a little more on batteries that will give a better run time on full power I will be happy, there are so many out there its hard know which one to buy.....

Thanks for any help.
Stan

 

[ged]

If you get a lot of light output you will use batteries up fast. That's the laws of physics I'm afraid, nothing you can do about it.

Sales people will alway exaggerate the run time of your torch, and probably the brightness too. That's human nature I'm afraid, nothing you can do about that either.

Some torches are more efficient (more light x time for each ampere-hour of capacity) than others, and the more efficient ones can be more expensive. At fifteen quid I wouldn't expect your torch to be outstandingly efficient.

I use a Zebralight H51 head torch that has six (that I've found at least!) brightness settings, and I use the lowest two most of the time. The lowest one is I think about 1 lumen and it's plenty for looking for your water bottle in the middle of the night. It will run continuously for several weeks (on one AA size cell) at that output which is about what they say in the specifications. At its full output it will drain a single 2.1Ah AA cell in about half an hour, although the specifications talk about nearly an hour which might be because they used a better battery in their tests. Anyway, taken all together that will last me a month of very occasional use on high outputs plus a lot of use on the low settings -- that's the way I use the torch. Since I've had this torch I've never had to change a battery in the field although I do still take spares for other torches which take the same size.

You can look around for better batteries, you'll find that some makes/models give more capacity than others -- some AA NiMH types can be more than double the capacity of others but I don't know much about the 18650.

It's worth looking at reviews of things on sites like Amazon before you spend the cash.

HTH

 

[ateallthepies]

Any brand(apart from Surefire)that has 'fire' in the name, you take a chance on the batteries capacity. What it says on the label is often just a very rough guide.

The maximum standard length 18650 capacity is around 3200mAh in real world conditions, your cheap batteries both could be much lower or one may be a bit duff or both?

I bought a value torch set years ago and it came with 2 blue Ultrafire 18650's and they have been great, performing about right with the bulb used so it is pot luck.

I will always recommend AW brand batteries but they are very pricey.

Can you contact the supplier and explain the batteries are not giving the stated performance in the torches specifications, they may send out another set free?

 

[slowworm]

I think it sounds like a case of you get what you pay for. I've a similar Fenix torch and it cost far more, about £100 if you include the charger and two 18650 batteries. I'm more than happy with the performance of the bats.

Do you really need yours on full power? Mines only rated around 500 lumens and I hardly ever use it on full power.

It does sound like better batteries would improve matters but one thing to note, I gather some LED torches deliberately drop the output to stop overheating. I don't know if yours does this - do they definitely run right down after the 20 mins?

Looking at the link you posted I'd be a little wary of some batteries!

 

[BillyBlade]

Slowworm is right-those batteries and charger have a proven track record of burning your house down. Seriously. There have been a lot of previous recalls about them.

I use panasonic cells in my fenix. The fenix is rated at 850 lumens, yet it blows my cheap work issue 1000 lumen chincon torch into the weeds in terms of brightness, throw and quality of light.

Sometimes in life you find kit that punches well above its price point. Sadly torches and batteries aren't it.

 

[mountainm]

I have an Olight paladin and nitecore batteries. Impressed with both. The paladin is a high and brand torch at an affordable price. £30 for 420 lumens.

 

[woodland mouse]

I have a head torch running the 18650 batteries, swapped them for some nite core battery's and the charger by the same manufacturer. Was expensive option £40, but I have noticed a far better run time when head torch is on main beam before it starts to go down. Feel a bit more confident leaving the charger on and unattended. The charger charges different cell types too so it's not a total waste of money and mine came with a 12v car lead.

 

[ebt.]

I've got 4 of the WF501b's. All burn to 90+ minutes, using similar cells. The 1000LM will be exaggerated as usual.

The reality is that when you're using cheap 18650's and cheap chargers, you're engaged in a lucky dip. You can source chargers and batteries in the UK, which usually improve the situation a lot.

oh and whichever charger/batteries you use, it'd be wise to monitor them and ideally charge inside a lipo safe bag (RC model shops usually sell them cheap).

 

[chrisinhove]

There's loads of stuff on the web about the ****fire batteries - often crudely recycled old laptop batteries, and to be avoided at all cost! I've bought Efest 18650's from UK suppliers and have had no problems in use, although one was DOA and was replaced immediately, however, by the vendor.