Confusion On The Rating Of A 14500 1200mAh 3.7V Battery

[kenwood850]

I have been looking for an additional battery for my OxyLED MD22 that came with a 14500 battery. The information on that battery indicates it is rated 1200mAh 3.7V. Looking at various images on the web of the MD22, and what comes with it, it appears the 1200mAh battery that came with mine is the one that came with most, if not all, MD22 lights.

After reading a good number of posts on this forum and elsewhere, it also appears the standard output for a 14500 battery, if the vendor is truthful, is a nominal 800mAh and that the output on the high end based on the latest and greatest from Orbtonic and KeepPower is 1100mAh.

I find it hard to believe that OxyLED would use batteries that were not honestly rated, but that would seem to be the case, or am I misunderstanding something? If they are in fact overrated, does anyone have a feel for what correct rating would be?

I am perfectly happy with the performance of the battery that came with mine, and simply duplicating it would be fine, but if the 1200mAh is correct, I would probably opt for the Orbtronic battery based on its physical dimensions.

 

[kerneldrop]

Battery capacity is like the MPG # vehicle manufacturers print on the window sticker…

General rule of thumb: 14500 = 1,000mah

Also keep in mind as you compare…The higher the continuous drain the less capacity as more room will be needed for the stuff required to handle higher drain. So that's one way to kinda read thru the bs

Stick to big name brand batteries

 

[aznsx]

The numbers you've come up with sound about right, and the 1200 number is probably exaggerated. Also keep in mind that the maximum continuous output current rating of a cell (nominally in Amps) usually trades off against the maximum capacity rating (nominally in mAh) inversely. I don't know about your light, but some higher output lights require higher "drain" cells (with higher output current ratings) to support those high outputs, and those won't typically be those with the highest capacity rating; with the latter achieving that at somewhat lower output current rating. Given the lofty capacity rating of the supplied cell, your light likely doesn't require a "high-drain" cell (with higher output current rating), so you're probably shopping for capacity (in mAh). Most of the 14500s I use are in that 7-800 mAh capacity range you mentioned.

 

[raggie33]

best 14500s i got was from the 18650 battery store

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Stick with Orbtronic 1100 mAh cells if under 2.2 amp load for protected cells. Go with name brands rated 4 amps at 750-800 mAh for higher current protected cells. For unprotected, Epoch 10 amp rated 1000 mAh cells from 18650batterystore.com is probably around the highest rated.

 

[kenwood850]

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. It is really appreciated. I measured the current flow with a fully charged battery and it was .83 amps so probably any name brand will do. I will have to do some looking around. Thanks again.

 

[aznsx]

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. It is really appreciated. I measured the current flow with a fully charged battery and it was .83 amps so probably any name brand will do. I will have to do some looking around. Thanks again.

Sounds like you'll have no need to shop specifically for 'high drain' / 'high current' cells, and thus it wouldn't be a good tradeoff to sacrifice capacity to get that. In addition to higher capacity (generally), that also means you'll likely have more choices for the option of getting 'protected' cells (which I personally prefer to use in most such applications that are not high current demands), or cells with built-in USB charging (which I also have some of for times when easy recharging is an asset). Those two features are far less common in 'high drain' cells. Otherwise, just go with a reputable cell supplier from a reputable distributor.

One other potentialy important factor is to ensure that the cells you buy are of a length that your light will accommodate properly, as length varies and some cells can be too long for some lights. Length is more often a factor with cells having protection circuits &/or charging capability, as those can add some length. If uncertain, I'd use the length of the supplied cell you have as a guide for what works when shopping. Also, if your light requires a 'button-top' cell as most of mine do, be sure to check for that when shopping, as not all cells have that feature.

 

[kenwood850]

@aznsx

Thanks. I did consider the dimensions which is why I passed on the KeepPower and went with the button top Orbronic. That being said, I am not sure buying batteries instead of a new flashlight was the best move. The MD22 flashlight was a gift, but if the cost of the MD50 is any indication, the two battery minimum and shipping probably cost more than the flashlight with one battery and charger did originally.

Perhaps that is the reason why the 3.7V 14500 battery appears to be out of favor. Other than the Sanyo 14500, which seems to be only available from old stock, there doesn't appear to be many quality brands of 14500 batteries listed in the 3.7V 800 mAh range . Even Orbtronic does not have their 840 mAh battery in stock at the moment, and its price lists for more than their 1100 mAH battery. I wouldn't be surprised if they are only selling their existing inventory of 1100 mAh and will drop both the 840 and 1100 when the inventory is depleted. Even if this is not the case, if I was looking for a new flashlight, I would first look to see which batteries seem to be the most available and then consider flashlights that used those batteries.

 

[raggie33]

i use these zero issues and cheap there very high drain https://www.18650batterystore.com/collections/14500-batteries/products/ydl-14500-battery

 

[kenwood850]

@raggie33 No offense, but I have done a lot of reading in the last few days and inexpensive, high current drain, and high capacity seems like a contradiction of terms. Perhaps I am wrong, but the description certainly doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence. It also isn't a button top.

 

[raggie33]

im very sure these are vapacell 14500 different label . i have a fwaa from lumitiop and these are super bright in it

 

[kenwood850]

@raggie33
Thanks for the information. If the ones I ordered do not work out, perhaps I will give them a try.

 

[aznsx]

I give up. Now I do not even see your third post that I responded to. I do not think I imagined it.

I may have inadvertently created an issue which caused a problem for you, and if so, I certainly apologize. I did in fact enter a post which I deleted shortly after posting it, because I realized it was essentially irrelevant to the matter of selecting cells for your existing light, and thus didn't really advance the topic and would probably be a waste of your time. It's possible that doing that caused an issue with a 'reply' post you entered during the interim. I wasn't aware that deleting that post might cause such an issue, but in the future will take a different approach (using 'edit' or entering an additional clarification post) in such situations without using 'delete'. Anyway, I'm sorry for the inconvenience I probably caused for you, as in trying to avoid wasting your time, it appears I may have wasted some unintentionally. "My bad", as they say!