14500's and AA's - same size but different purposes?

I’m trying to understand 14500’s, have searched and read the flashlightwiki and still a little confused :Sp .

Are they interchangeable? I see the 14500 is at 3.7v which is a lot higher than 1.2/1.5 so I am thinking not…yet I see them referenced together in a lot of threads.

I have a Romisen RC-G2 and specs only say AA….can I use a 14500 in it? If not, why do some threads seem to suggest folks are using 14500 interchangeably in their AA lights :~ ?

Some lights have drivers that can take either voltage, some do not…if you try a 14500 in a light designed for AA only, you will promptly fry your driver :open_mouth: You might be better off asking here if you have a question on a specific light. Not sure about the Romisen, though I think it’s AA only…but I could be wrong.

"This new light doesn't support 14500, don't use it." from shiningbeam authorized dealer (link). I guess you would need a CPF marketplace acct to view link.

No don’t use a 14500 in it, I read another thread where I think it was match used a 14500 in one and it pulled 10 amps and burnt his hand if I remember correctly.

Only use the batteries the Manufacturer suggests.

If the manufacturer clearly states that you can use either AA or 14500, then you can.

If the manufacturer states only AA, then only use AA (which means 1.2-1.5 volt dc).

I like the idea of no leak, rechargeable 14500s in utility lights.

What I don’t know is if using a 3.0 to 4.2 V cell to replace the 2 1.6 V alky’s is hard on the driver. I could use a series diode to drop the voltage a notch. Should I worry that the driver will over discharge the cell?

The minimags that I’m talking about are the multimode ones that aren’t quite as bright as the PRO.

Thanks!

Nimh AAs would be what you want.

Do they have any leakage problems? Are eneloops NiMH?

I guess I had written them off years ago since they are rather dim in incan lights (1.2 v vs 1.6). The drivers should solve that. They do have rather nice capacity specs. Will the driver destroy the cells by overdischarge?

Thanks!