# Any high quality high capacity 14500 batteries?



## thousandpointsoflight (May 22, 2013)

Hi. I am new to both posting and this forum. Please excuse me if there is a thread with the answer to my question. I spent a considerable time looking and could not find a direct answer.

So, I was looking for a single cell AA light for edc that would work with 14500 li-ion batteries. I found a Crelant V11A on sale. Seemed to be a good deal and I think it will handle a variety of AA type cells including 14500s. So I ordered the light, and now I am looking for batteries.

Are there any high quality, high capactiy, eg 900+mah, 14500 batteries available? Everybody recommends AW, but I can only find 750 mah cells. Eagle Tac makes cells, but again only 750 mah. Tenergy cells are labled as 900 mah, but I cannot find much info on them. There are cells at Amazon labled over 1000 mah, but they do not even have a name.

I have seen threads more than a year old that stated that anything abeled as higher than 750 mah was likely to be junk. Has that changed in the last year or so? Any recommendations or leads to threads with the answer would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Changchung (May 22, 2013)

Check the HKJ's review


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...


----------



## HKJ (May 22, 2013)

thousandpointsoflight said:


> Are there any high quality, high capactiy, eg 900+mah, 14500 batteries available?



The answer to that is no, even batteries marked with higher capacity will not have it.

The best high quality batteries you can get is based on Sanyo UR14500 cells. 
You can compare different 14500 batteries in my comparator.


----------



## Cereal_Killer (May 22, 2013)

There are cells on amazon claiming 1000,1200 even 1500 mAh, when you get them you'll wish you didn't waist your money. 

Just today I was reading a review from some guy on here put a cheap 1200mAh 14500 in his zebralight sc52 and turbo stepped down after 30 seconds and even after unscrewing the cap to "reset" it wouldn't go back into turbo a second time. 

Those cheap overrated Chinese cells arnt even 750mAh, MAYBE ~500. It wouldn't be unheard of, or even uncommon, for those to be a tiny little 200-300mAh battery inside a 50mm long by 14mm diameter metal tube. Just get some good AW's and be done, with AW you'll atleast get the full stated capasity.


----------



## thousandpointsoflight (May 22, 2013)

Changchung said:


> Check the HKJ's review
> 
> 
> Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...



Thanks!


----------



## thousandpointsoflight (May 22, 2013)

HKJ said:


> The answer to that is no, even batteries marked with higher capacity will not have it.
> 
> The best high quality batteries you can get is based on Sanyo UR14500 cells.
> You can compare different 14500 batteries in my comparator.




Thanks. Fantastic tool! Lots of work done to help your fellow enthusiasts!


----------



## bluemax_1 (May 23, 2013)

thousandpointsoflight said:


> Hi. I am new to both posting and this forum. Please excuse me if there is a thread with the answer to my question. I spent a considerable time looking and could not find a direct answer.
> 
> So, I was looking for a single cell AA light for edc that would work with 14500 li-ion batteries. I found a Crelant V11A on sale. Seemed to be a good deal and I think it will handle a variety of AA type cells including 14500s. So I ordered the light, and now I am looking for batteries.
> 
> ...





HKJ said:


> The answer to that is no, even batteries marked with higher capacity will not have it.
> 
> The best high quality batteries you can get is based on Sanyo UR14500 cells.
> You can compare different 14500 batteries in my comparator.



Really? Even the Zebralight 840mAh 14500?

I bought one of those and tested it in my Quark QPA-G2 on Turbo. It produced about 10% longer runtime than both the Nitecore and AW 750 mAh 14500's. The only reason I'm not using the ZL cell is because it doesn't have much of a protruding button top making its operation in the QPA-G2 temperamental (it'll work if you have it just right, but it won't turn on 3-4 times out of 5).


Max


----------



## gopajti (May 23, 2013)

from akkudb, 4.2->3V (2A)

*1. Keeppower 14500: 808mAh (800)*
2. Intl-Outdoor UR14500P: 780mAh (840) 
3. Nitecore NL147: 768mAh (750)
4. AmpMax 14500: 750mAh (800)
5. Efest IMR 14500-700 FlatTop V1: 650mAh (700) 5A: 625mAh
6. AW P14500: 649mAh (750)
7. Eagletac 14500: 607mAh (750)
8. DX-Trustfire 14500: 570mAh (900)
9. Ultrafire LC14500 unprotected (blue): 314mAh (900)


----------



## mccririck (May 24, 2013)

I'm using the Nitecore one from FastTech every day in my Sipik sk68 at work. It's really good, much brighter than NiMH. Some days it cuts out before I'm finished work, depends how much I use it.


----------



## vodanh (Mar 12, 2014)

Noob here. Sorry to ressurect the thread. Just getting into flashlights. Just jumped in on some single cell that takes 14500. I have plenty of 18650 I salvage so I didn't have to buy any of questionable quality. But I know very little about 14500. Since the original posts, and I am price concious, how do these look : 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10Pcs-3-7V-...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item2c6e937dc6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot10-Ultra...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item3a865c9025

Looks like they're selling the same battery, at amazing prices. Are the ratings accurate, or are these fake?

I'm planning to put them in these :
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006E0QAFY/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Would be willing to pay a little more like $2 a cell if someone can recommend better cells. Thanks


----------



## Norm (Mar 12, 2014)

vodanh said:


> Would be willing to pay a little more like $2 a cell if someone can recommend better cells. Thanks



The cells you linked to are junk, you need to raise your budget if you want to buy quality cells.

Aw Protected 14500 ( 750 mAH ) ----- $ 9.00 each 

Norm


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Mar 12, 2014)

If you're careful, you can look for the Sanyo unprotected 840mAh cells and just run those. They're probably at the top of the 14500 heap. People like Keeppower and Orbtronic are adding protection PCBs to them, but you need to be careful regarding length.

I bought a pair of EVVA (???) protected 14500s using the Sanyo base 840mAh cells and man...they're really really long. So long that they don't fit my Icon Rogue 1 without jamming in there, they don't really fit my Xeno E03 at all and I can just get a thread, or two's, worth of rotation on my L3 L10 and get it to work.

They don't even fit into your typical 4xAA plastic snap case, they're that long.

Chris


----------



## mzil (Dec 9, 2016)

After reading HKJ's reviews I know I want a protected version of the Sanyo 14500 but brands like Keeppower aren't all that easy to find in the US, at least with free or low shipping and without having to wait weeks for it to get here from Asia. 

I usually buy from Amazon because their system and deliveries work well for me. What equivalents are there that are easier to come by from US distributers? Illumn and Mtn. Electronics seem to have Keeppowers but the shipping charge is almost as much as the battery itself.

Is it true these are all also using protected Sanyo [now actually owned by Panasonic, I believe] 14500's?: Intl-outdoors, Orbtronic, EVVA, Zebralight

Any others?

Thanks all.


----------



## iamlucky13 (Dec 9, 2016)

Zebralight claims on their own webpage their 14500 contains a Sanyo cell, so unless they're flagrantly lying, it is confirmed. I don't know about the others.

However, Zebralight charges more than Illumn does for shipping, so I think you can get the Keeppower for about $3 cheaper in the US than the Zebralight, unless you're buying something else from Zebralight and reach their $50 free shipping minimum.


----------



## mzil (Jan 4, 2017)

These tick all my boxes. Anyone have any experience with such no-name Sanyo 14500's with added PCB button tops? They say they are 52.9mm long and I think that will do for my flashlights.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pc-SANYO-...-Battery-3-7v-BUTTON-TOPS-w-PCB-/391472368312


----------



## StandardBattery (Jan 4, 2017)

mzil said:


> These tick all my boxes. Anyone have any experience with such no-name Sanyo 14500's with added PCB button tops? They say they are 52.9mm long and I think that will do for my flashlights.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pc-SANYO-...-Battery-3-7v-BUTTON-TOPS-w-PCB-/391472368312


I've bought other batteries from that seller. I think they are good.


----------



## 5S8Zh5 (Jan 13, 2020)

Vapcell ICR14500 1000mAh (Gold) 2018 HKJ review.


----------



## LED Monkey (Jan 13, 2020)

I'm running one of these Vapcell Gold cells in an Olight S1A that's in my pocket as I type this. So far so good, and it holds turbo just fine too. If there is a better 14500 that has the same amp/capacity rating let me know.


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Jan 13, 2020)

LED Monkey said:


> I'm running one of these Vapcell Gold cells in an Olight S1A that's in my pocket as I type this. So far so good, and it holds turbo just fine too. If there is a better 14500 that has the same amp/capacity rating let me know.



The main issue, to me at least, is how long do these cells last us?

Lots of cells might have good short term effectiveness, but they don’t have stamina.

Chris


----------



## LED Monkey (Jan 13, 2020)

ChrisGarrett said:


> The main issue, to me at least, is how long do these cells last us?
> 
> Lots of cells might have good short term effectiveness, but they don’t have stamina.
> 
> Chris


Totally agree, that is the question Chris. I guess I'll just have to see how they work over time, they looked like the best I could find at the time so I grabbed a couple. I have noticed HJK's review after I bought them seemed to be a positive one for these cells. So far so good.


----------



## BobbyRS (Jan 21, 2020)

Just posted about this in another thread.


----------

