New ET 14500s only charge to 4.13v??

I recently purchased a two pack of ET 14500s from an authorized dealer. Neither one will come off the charger any higher than 4.13 volts. I've tried two different Xtar chargers at the .5A charge rate with the same results. Is this acceptable? All my other cells (old and new) come off at at least 4.18.

Not going to fuss with returning them or anything, but I was just wondering if the "battery people" have any thoughts on this.

That's a little low IMO, if the chargers are working properly.

4.18v, or 4.19v, with properly functioning Xtar chargers should be where you're at.

It's probably not cost effective to ship them back, but I'd contact the seller and see what he/she can do for you.

Chris

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too. The seller says they are "within spec", but has also kindly offered the option to return them. The two pack was only around 13$, so I guess I got what I paid for. Kind of disappointing quality from ET though...

jonnyfgroove said:

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too. The seller says they are "within spec", but has also kindly offered the option to return them. The two pack was only around 13$, so I guess I got what I payed for. Kind of disappointing quality from ET though...

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My first Li-Ions were ET 3100s Pannies and they came in at about 4.18v for the most part, but at $12 ea. for a pair, I wasn't too concerned since I was using an Xtar WP2 II, which somewhat undercharges cells as a rule.

4.13v would bother me.

Get some unprotected Sanyo 840mAh 14500s if you're running them in single cell lights and learn your runtimes and charge accordingly, never looking back.

Chris

jonnyfgroove said:

I recently purchased a two pack of ET 14500s from an authorized dealer. Neither one will come off the charger any higher than 4.13 volts. I've tried two different Xtar chargers at the .5A charge rate with the same results. Is this acceptable? All my other cells (old and new) come off at at least 4.18. Not going to fuss with returning them or anything, but I was just wondering if the "battery people" have any thoughts on this.

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What are you using to measure it?

I had the same problem with ET 14500s I bought last year. One charges to 4.20 the other tops out at 4.13. Tried several chargers with same result. Never had this problem before (or since) with "quality" batteries...

18650 said:

What are you using to measure it?

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An inexpensive Craftsman digital multimeter. All my other cells will come off the charger at 4.18 to 4.21 when checked with the same multimeter.

SCEMan said:

I had the same problem with ET 14500s I bought last year. One charges to 4.20 the other tops out at 4.13. Tried several chargers with same result. Never had this problem before (or since) with "quality" batteries...

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Well, at least you got one good one, lol. I think I'll stick with good old AW from now on.

ChrisGarrett said:

My first Li-Ions were ET 3100s Pannies and they came in at about 4.18v for the most part, but at $12 ea. for a pair, I wasn't too concerned since I was using an Xtar WP2 II, which somewhat undercharges cells as a rule.

4.13v would bother me.

Get some unprotected Sanyo 840mAh 14500s if you're running them in single cell lights and learn your runtimes and charge accordingly, never looking back.

Chris

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I also have one ET 18650, and it has performed fine. I figured the 14500s would be decent. :thinking:

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if I'm ready for unprotected cells.

jonnyfgroove said:

I also have one ET 18650, and it has performed fine. I figured the 14500s would be decent. :thinking:

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if I'm ready for unprotected cells.

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Naked cells are fine if you're paying attention and checking voltages.

Pretty much all that I use now and I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

Chris

jonnyfgroove said:

I recently purchased a two pack of ET 14500s from an authorized dealer. Neither one will come off the charger any higher than 4.13 volts. I've tried two different Xtar chargers at the .5A charge rate with the same results. Is this acceptable? All my other cells (old and new) come off at at least 4.18.

Not going to fuss with returning them or anything, but I was just wondering if the "battery people" have any thoughts on this.

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It sounds like the cells have a higher internal resistance than they should. My bet is that you will read near 4.20v at the tail end of the charge cycle (means the charger is working correct) but afterwards the sitting voltage of the cell drops down dramatically if it has a high internal resistance.

jonnyfgroove said:

An inexpensive Craftsman digital multimeter. All my other cells will come off the charger at 4.18 to 4.21 when checked with the same multimeter. Well, at least you got one good one, lol. I think I'll stick with good old AW from now on.

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If your other cells measure out higher then the ET's must have more age to them. TBH depending on how ET and other light makers source their cells, there's no guarantee they're getting new ones unless Panasonic (or other cell makers) sell to them directly.

I have 16340's from Eagletac and they also only charge to ~4.13 volts. I charge them with a hobby chager at 0.3A. My 18650's from Eagletac charge to ~4.19 volts at .7A though.

I have two ET 3100 18650s from about 2 years ago. Never had a problem with them. I don't know what cells they are using in their 14500s and have never looked into them as I don't have any AA lights, but I would say to cycle them a few times and see if it goes up. If not it sounds like you possibly got some older or used cells. Can you check their voltage under a load, say 1Amp, and see if their voltage is below that of better performing cells with that same load.

Thanks for everyone's input, I'll update the thread if anything changes with the charging.

joebob4501 -:welcome:

ChrisGarrett said:

Naked cells are fine if you're paying attention and checking voltages.

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I should also note that using unprotected cells is little different from using protected cells if you are using them in a light that is protected. I don't know what you are running these in. But if it's a Zebralight SC52 (probably the most popular light to run a 14500 in), then the light is protected. Unprotected batteries are actually better in this light since they are shorter, and there is less chance of spring bind.