I’m not looking for the Ferrari or the Roll Royce of the pack but more the Seat / VW of 14500 batteries …. not junk but something half decent that’s protected, if anyone has any suggestions would be much appreciated and don’t mind buying from China if it’s a well known seller.
These two use the very good Sanyo UR14500P
or
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1420/10000523/1084200-trustfire-14500-3-7v-900mah-protected
I get my batteries here. Company is based out of phoenixville pa.
I have a pair of the 700mAh EFest. Not bad at under $4 a pop.
I love the efest imr 14500. They are not protected, but imr is a safer chemistry.
I buy them $5 ea from eBay seller: r-lsales
Usually get them 2-3 days after payment. And every one has verified authentic so far.
You can search on this website: eBay, Alibaba, Amazon, made in china, and other wholesale website in the world.
These are very good: Sanyo 14500
The problem is that with Fasttech now you got to pay 4$ for “Additional services
Protective packet - shipping safety guaranteed” 
Are you in the UK?
Personally I’d search for Efest on ebay and buy either the Red or Purple IMR ones. Just make sure you buy a button topped one if required or flattop other wise.
These aren’t protected, but tbh are much better for it. You really don’t need protection circuits on these.
The main benefit is they won’t suddenly crap out on you and stop completely, which is very easily done with protected 14500’s. Which means no light at all. It’s really obvious when the voltage is getting low when on high output, but with non protected bats you can still run on a low mode, rather than no light at all.
IMR’s also perform way better than any ICR 14500.
I bought these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182019551200?\_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
A week back. And they are fine.
£6.95 for two with free delivery. Buying from China is unlikely to be much cheaper tbh.
I also have some red Efests, not so much choice at the moment for these and they seem a bit more pricey
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-EFEST-IMR-14500-Li-Mn-700maH-Rechargeable-Battery-3-7V-BUTTON-TOP-/291283097703?var=&hash=item43d1d35867:m:mcqM96tVhbkJh_fSKfF66wg
I didn’t buy from that listing, but I have no concerns if I was to buy them. Only the purples seemed better value for money, so I went with them.
This is a good & reputable UK Ebay battery seller http://stores.ebay.co.uk/ECOLUXSHOP/14500-BATTERIES-/\_i.html?\_fsub=6613122013&\_sid=641059803&\_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
Very well aware of that and so’s everybody else but there are so many people selling counterfeit junk on all the sites you’ve mentioned hence why it’s wise to ask other people’s opinions to see what’s been decent quality and reliable rather than just throwing your money away but thank you for your suggestion.
I keep wanting to buy from Mountain Electronics but their postage cost to the UK is a deal breaker which is a real shame!!!
I’ll have a look at all the other suggestions made so a big thank you to everyone for their input … it’s always appreciated !!!
I have a group Buy going at the moment with IMRbatterires,com Group Buy Code Now Public///20% off any Cells on entire site (any size)///Nitecore D4 Charger for $24 with minimum (4) cells
Any size, any brand on their site for 20% off. Not limited to the US but shipping outside the US is pretty high unless you are wanting a large number of cells.
I like the 14500’s I bought from mtnelectronics; some protected and some not. RMM seems to only carry a quality cell which is as important, maybe more so, than purely the price. I also am happy with the efest unprotected purples from Illumn.
FWIW, with small cells and their relatively small cost I see no point in going with less than the best- you don’t have a lot of energy reserves to start with versus larger cells where most of the time any decent one will offer good enough performance. Plus the best cells should last longer helping amortize their extra cost and extend time between replacement if shipping cost is the larger issue.
My small cells are Efest but I have 4 10440 Trustfires that I really don’t use anymore which seemed to be pretty good.
Phil
The TrustFire 14500 3.7v 900mah falls under your requirements, (cheap, decent, protected) I bought a 2 pack from tomtop.mall on ebay (US warehouse) and they were authentic. Fasttech also sells them cheaper, but can’t vouch for their authenticity. Good luck with your purchase!
I don’t know the exact cost differences but I have used the Fenix 14500 from
Fenix-store.com and the Olight 14500 from goinggear.com. I think each one runs about $5 US and you get ten percent off your first order at Fenix Store (or, oddly, 15% off if you go through their sister store Fenix Outfitters). At going gear you can use the code ggyt10 for a 10% discount.
The 14500 powered lights are becoming my favorites. They’re small, have nice run times, and excellent power/light output.
+1