Looking for a decent cheap AA

Also i've seen these batteries with the words "PROTECTED" on them what does this mean? why would you want to protect the battery surely the touch wont short itself..

The reason you want to use protected cells especially when it comes to using flashlights is that not all lights have a low voltage cutoff built into the circuit. When the battery reaches a certain voltage the over discharge circuit of the battery will kick in, and the only way to reset that circuit is if you put it back on the charger. I like going this route because i dont carry my DMM with me everywhere i go. Usually if you buy a light make sure that you read the spec's to make sure that you can go this route because if you use a 14500 cell in a light thats not compatible then poof.

Aah rite i get you now thanks

Let us know which light you plan on getting.......as i would like to know.

As long as the light is designed for it there'll be no problem other than heat. AA lights have very limited mass to sink the heat into so can get hot - the worst offender i have is the Ultrafire C3 Q5 stainless steel which will burn my hands after less than 5 minutes on high with a 14500 cell. I will usually check that the light will take lithium cells before I buy it as I enjoy the crazy brightness.

Lithium cells have their issues - never, ever try to take one apart unless you want to find out what hydrogen fluoride smells like (Trust me, you don't as it'll eat your face) and how hard it is to extinguish burning lithium metal. If a lithium cell is over discharged it can go boom the next time you try to charge it. If you manage to charge one past 4.3V you are also about to find out about burning lithium and hydrogen fluoride.

The protected cells have a circuit to prevent the cell from being discharged too far and to prevent their being overcharged. I usually charge my lithium cells to 4.1-4.15V which makes them last more charge/discharge cycles.

The only cell I've had blow on me was by deliberate abuse involving feeding it 12V and lots of amps while outdoors and at a safe distance.

Lights that are designed for them can be way brighter on 14500 cells. Here are the total light output figures for the uniquefire S10 single mode light i just reviewed.

Uniquefire S10

Alkaline 609 lux
NiMH 714
14500 1175
As you can see it is producing nearly twice as much light from a 14500 than it is from an alkaline. That particular light does get pretty warm when run continually with a 14500 but won't set your hands on fire.

I'm thinking of the one that you suggested as it has the osram led which are very good leds.

Here's a review of the Osram LED Light. http://www.jayki.com/6073#16

Thanks for the advice Don, you mentioned you only charge your 14500 cells to 4.1-4.15v do you have a special charger that allows you to set a cut off voltage or are you just taking the batt out after a set period of time and checking it with a meter ?

Wow i like the numbers on that light.....might have to order one myself. So whats the link for the single mode and hows the build quality compared to Romisen lights. I use a wf139 and also a hxy 18650 charger......both do well and stop at 4.12-4.15 but when it comes to lith one needs to make it a habit of using a dmm to check the voltage when it comes off the charger. When the light turns green its best to take the cell off and check the voltage of the cell.

I'm using a charger designed for the radio controlled model crowd. It defaults to 4.1V for lithium ion cells but I tend to run a voltmeter over the cells while charging to see where the voltage actually is. A set time approach would work if the cells were always discharged to the same level. Mine aren't. I also use an Ultrafire WF-139 which seems to go to about 4.1-4.15V which suits me just fine. It is never a good idea to leave lithium cells in the charger unattended though I have fallen asleep more than once. Remove them from the charger when the light goes green is the best bet. And don't keep them fully charged unless you are about to use them - it does shorten their life. It is best to store lithium cells at about 3.6V.

I also have a charger thats capable of charging the lith chemistry but if you were to see my charging station there is not enough room to put that sucker on there. Hey Don what about that link to the light that you recommended for the OP.

oops - thought I had.

DealExtreme links

Akoray K-106 Review (not mine) here

Uniquefire AA-S1 Review here

Uniquefire S10 single mode. Review here

I'd say that all of these are good choices - my personal favourite is the Uniquefire AA-S1

How do you get these 14500 cells to 4 volts i can only find them in 3.6v variety.

You wont it will only be 3.7volts.

This probably belongs in the rechargeable section. The nominal voltage of a cell is normally lower than the fully charged voltage - the nominal voltage of a NiMH cell is 1.2V but may be up to 1.4-1.5V when fully charged. Lithium ion cells are usually described as 3.6 or 3.7 nominal voltage but when fully charged they are at or around 4.2V. It is possible to charge them to 4.3V but they'll only survive about ten charge/discharge cycles at that voltage. At 4.2V fully charged they should survive a couple of hundred cycles, at 4.1V an almost unlimited number of charges though they tend to die after three years anyway.

Lithium ion cells are usually sold as 3.6 or 3.7V cells - both are the same thing normally.

Thanks for the heads up Don :-)

Hi there everyone, thanks for your expert opinions. Very interesting.

From the description of that ebay light, it would appear that it not based off the Dealextreme sku 16607 but rather a cheaper lookalike: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28546

I think this because it's advertised as a 6-mode, wherease the best quality Akoray K-106 is actually a 3-mode version with user-programmable modes. At any rate, I think you might be able to save some money buying from somewhere besides eBay. This would be a good deal if it were a USA seller though.

Hi.
Basic. Well Built. Reliable (so far) and works on Duracell and 14500’s.Decent beam, 3 levels, twisty.
Jetbeam JET-1 MK Pro.
I have several. Keyring. shirt pocket, shorts. wherever.
Nichia 219B chips in there. I saw them for $14ish on Bangood other day.

I really am liking these Jaxman lights off Ali. Check out their Jaxman E3 (link). I picked one up and its very solidly built. Comes on in a nice L-M-H mode order without memory; I’d prefer M-L-H but this is a close second. I ordered one in 5700k CCT but its VERY cool, next time I would go with the warm tint.

I also like my little Sofirn AA (forget the model number). Its a LMH order as well. If you prefer high mode first, the Thrunite is very nice. Its amazing the lights you can get for under $20 these days! I remember when my old Fenix L1Tv2 was something to note!

Talk about a resurrection. Over 9 years and a month old.