I bought a new AA light for edc and decided to go with 14500s from mtn. I charged them up and put one in. I was so excited with my new toy I wasn’t paying attention. Then I finally realized, hey this is getting a little dim maybe I should check the voltage in the charger… Wait for it… 2.54v. Went to HKJs review to double check the discharge voltage. I was hoping it was 2.5 and I’d just be safe. Nope, 3v. I can’t believe it, I have plenty of unprotected 18650s but you have a bit more time to play with compared to a 14500. Tried to save it, but no. On the bright side, I love my new light and At least I can give Richard some more business. I do feel pretty stupid, total amateur move.
Based on some posts here, or maybe not, it is safe to charge that as long as you charge it right after the discharge. The problem is with prolonged discharged
State.
I used some red efest 700mah 14500s for the first time this week in a Nitecore ea11. Did the same as you,ran them below 3 volts,although i cant remember the exact voltage they had dropped to,but definitely above 2.5 volts.Anyway, i popped them in the charger and kept feeling them to make sure they didn’t warm up,and they were fine! mind you, these are imr batteries if that makes a difference.