The biggest difference between AW's Li-Ion cells and the various xxxxxFire cells, is consistency. With AW's cells you can pretty much depend on each of the cells from the same batch performing in a similar fashion. With xxxxxFire cells, some will likely perform similarly to AW's, but others will not.
As for the 14500 cells that I have, my 8 or so AW cells all perform identically, provided they are from the same batch and have been used in similar applications the same amount etc. As for the dozen, or so 14500 xxxxxFire type cells I have, they are like playing the lottery. Even among cells that were purchased at the same time, performance varies quite a bit. I might add that in my case, none of the xxxxxFire cells have come close to the current capability, or capacity of my AW cells.
In summary, I always recommend AW's cells when someone asks "What's the best". That doesn't mean I don't buy other cells, just that AW's cells are more consistent in performance and more predictable in behavior. I'd rather have someone happy with their purchase that I recommended than disappointed. Of course if you're into playing the lottery......
Dave