BTECH, BaoFeng BL-5 Battery Eliminator for for BF-F8HP, UV-5X3, and UV-5R Radios

BTech/Baofeng are one of the few Chinese manufacturers that I can trust, and that’s saying a lot. This product is great. LiPo battery exactly as described, with 0 cycles. Everything matching 1:1 with product specs, no bait and switch which can be common with custom battery adapters. Crazy how long this battery lasts compared to the stock Baofeng 7.4V 1800mAh. I’ve had it idling for three days now and I still have 3/3 battery bars. Low SWR + this battery = will it ever run out??? Quality is excellent, I abuse the bajeezus out of my radio kit so if anyone can break it, it’ll be me, and if I do – I’ll update this review with. So far, it feels extremely sturdy. Another user mentioned that it’s easy for the battery pins to short out. I also noticed that but realized it’s the same on Baofeng’s stock batteries too, so would be unfair to critique this product in particular over Baofeng’s entire design ideology.

Im in a remote location, and had to study to find out that the supplied antenna was inadequate. The battery charging system is antiquated; once the battery is charged, you must remove it from the docking station or you will eventually damage the battery. The large battery you can buy separately has a plug to link it to a usb port (cable also extra), but no such luck with the supplied standard battery.

Works just fine but didnt exactly fit the radio. Theres a thin plastic lip that has to be trimmed off along the bottom of the cavity where the radio fits in that has to be trimmed off. Why they couldnt just make it to fit the radio to begin with I dont know. Once this is trimmed off, it fits perfectly.

Got exactly what I ordered. It arrived before the delivery time.

Great replacement and a plus that you dont have to worry about conventual charger.

I purchased three of the BL-5L batteries for my UV-5R8W and stock UV-5R. All three I have stopped using within two months: - Battery #1. Failed to charge on the CH-5 stock charger. Returned and exchanged for a new one. That one stopped charging after two months entirely and I stopped using it when smelling smoke when the battery was in the charging cradle. - Battery #2. Stopped charging to full capacity and the charge cradle stuck on red/green alternating LED. Immediately stopped using it when smelling a burn odor from the battery and feeling heat from the enclosure. - Battery #3. Stopped charging to full capacity also, radio reads 2 of 3 bars charge max, and below the 7.4V nominal printed on the battery. If youre looking for a battery and kit for amateur radio, spend the extra to get a higher quality radio from any number of other manufacturers. All-in, the cost of replacing faulty Baofeng parts and ongoing maintenance to keep your UV-5R in working order is higher than getting a better quality radio with a safe battery.

At this price, a responsible radio user should have a few charged spares available for each of their radios, for any contingency/operation/emergency.

Great extra battery life.

I literally had to shave some plastic off to get this to work on my UV5RA....but it works so Im happy

Not much to say about this. Its a perfect fit for my F8HP. It means I have a way to get power to the radio even if the power is gone. Im not planning to use this instead of the regular battery, but in addition to it for any sort of emergency (or while traveling with the radio so I dont have to carry the charger too, Im lazy). Im quite pleased with the fit and the ease of replacing the batteries. This is a great addition to a great radio. ADDITION: I also got the car charger recently. It works really well. Fits precisely and generates exactly the right power. It does feel a little cheap and fragile. That makes me worry about it banging around in the car. Overall, Im quite pleased. I added this to the review because Amazon thinks these are the same product.