LOL so the 4300mAh protected cells that cost $4 LESS should proportionately be 25% more crap? Hahahah.
I have a Defiant 850 Lumens flashlight (mdl# HD15BF01) that uses x3 “C” (1.5v) primary batteries.
I was asking around BLF to see if that light could safely use Li-ions and I was told yes.
It was stated that I should use x1 26650 Protected Li-ion cell to replace the x3 “C” primary cells.
The protected cell is so as not to blow/burn stuff up, meaning cell, driver , circuit board , etc.
You know , I can’t remember who gave me the info of how to properly set up the x1-26650 in
the Defiant , so I’ll look for it or ask again how to do it correctly.
Bummer 
not good at all! I ordered the xtar 26650 4300 mah batteries for $8 and $3.40 shipping and mine tested at 3.79V and 3.78V ,maybe I got lucky, will be interested to see what others report.
Say eebowler , I got a message from eBay that the Xtar (x2) 26650-4300mAh sale is over.
You’ve contacted Xtar and did you hear back from them yet , about what they’re going to do
about the (x2)–4000mAh) NO good cells they sent you AND the (x2)—4300mAh cells that
you’re waiting on delivery from them that are possibly no good ? Let us know !
I’ll edit the post above: Xtar refunded me the money for the 2x 4000mA cells!! After some prodding with the nitecore i4 charger (NiMH compatible) the 0.4V cell started charging! Now, I’m not sure which one I used but, after a full charge, I discharged one and recharged it in a icharger, 106B hobby charger and got a first capacity rating of 4400mAh! (of course, that number is always a little high due to heat etc.) Internal resistance was measured three times with an average value of 70miliohms. <—-Is this ok for a 26650 cell?
The Keeppower, Basen, Liitokala & Thorfire 26650”s I have test at under 25 IR when charging & lower again when discharging.
Other people have reported similar IR readings for the same cells so 70 is a bit high for a new cell.
I would expect that sort figure from a fairly well used cell.
Thanks. 
Given that they are old enough to self discharge below 1V, I’d suspect that age may have affected internal resistance.
4300mAh, protected cells have arrived! 3.77V and 3.76 V :D :D
I like these ones: Evva icr26650 3.7v 5200mah Gold Überzug der geschützten Li-Ionsbatterie Sale - Banggood Deutschland sold out-arrival notice-arrival notice
Good , that’s great to hear. Are you going to check to see what the actual mAh’s are on these 4300 cells ?
Not that it’s needed , but if you do , let us know if they’re up to speed so to speak and are they worth what
the factory claims about them.
The one I listed is true 5200mah at 1A verified with Opus.
I’ve only did one cycle on one cell and got 4443mAh charging at 1A. Didn’t get a chance to check IR as yet. The protection circuit tripped quick, without a spark, when testing with the 10A settings on the DMM. lol
How do they seem to you , ok ?
Banggoods' EVVA ICR26650 3.7v 5200mAh Gold Plating Protected Li-ion Battery comes in at 69.6mm in length-
EVVA-TECHs' EVVA Li-ion Rechargeable 3.7V Protected 26650 5200mAh Battery comes in at 70.20mm in length-
Same battery?
That is interesting. Maybe somebody’s measurements are a little off.—-WHO ?
Could it be older vs. newer stock with different manufacturing specs , or does
both have the same or different type/style of + tips ?
Mike, capacity is ariund 4550mAh and internal resistance 80-90 mOhms. Not great. I tried discharging at 4 A and voltage of a freshly charged cell DROPPED TO 3.79V . It could not output any more current!
XTAR 5000mAh 26650 are one of the best protected 26650 I ever tested. Low resistance, high voltage under load.
I bought 8 x XTAR 26650 protected 4300mAh from xtarshop (eBay) for my ThorFire S70 and Convoy L6. The only issue I had was after I completed the purchase, the seller (xtarlight) advised that were only 7 available from their US distributor and promptly refunded the price of one battery. The 4300mAh are discontinued and have been replaced by 5000mAh.
So , what’s your total opinion of these batteries ?
that discounted batteries are likely old cells with relatively high internal resistances and would not be great for high current applications (FET mods) but are fine for other uses. I’m honestly content with these cells. The 4000mAh cells perform as well as my Efest, red 3500mAh cells in a MTG2, FET, mag mod and that’s more than good enough for now They will also be used in a standard 3A output flashlight and would be more than sufficient for my needs. (The second, protected 4300mAh cell gave me capacity readings of 4400ish mAh so it’s around 100mAh less than the other cell.)
I’ve read good things about the orange thorfire, protected, 26650s on amazon. Check those out if you’re still looking. I’ll surely consider them if the desire for more, and fresher 26650 cells popp up. lol.