Li-ion Battery Safety and Shopping Guide

scaru · December 28, 2012, 1:40pm

First of all, 99% of the graphs below are from HKJ. These were done by him, I am simply placing them in this thread for easy reference.

16340

A 16340 is a battery the same size as a CR123 battery. They are also sometimes called RCR123. As described above some are 4.2 volts fully charged while others are 3.5 fully charged. Make sure your flashlight can support the type you choose.

AW IMR 16340 (LiMn)

This battery is good for lights that need high amounts of current from a 16340.

Obviously due to the size it can only supply a maximum of 2 amps without losing a large amount of capacity.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell

AW 16340 750 mah Protected (LiCo)

This battery has a high capacity, but only at loads below 1 amp. In general, the IMR battery will be better.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell.

AW LiFePo4 500 mah 16340

These are very safe batteries, but have a much lower capacity and a lower voltage. For this reason they are not very popular.

18350

The 18350 is used in lights such as the L2M. It is 2mm thicker than a CR123 cell so it will most likely not fit in lights meant for CR123 batteries.

AW 18350 IMR

The 18350 IMR is a great battery and can handle loads up to 5 amps while still having a 700 mah capacity.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell.

Trustfire Protected 18350 1200 mah-LiCo

These are protected LiCo batteries, while they do have a higher capacity than the IMR version they most likely do not do as well at higher currents. No tests have been done on them so far.

14500

The 14500 is used to replace AA batteries, it has a much higher voltage than AA batteries so do not use a 14500 unless it is specified that it will work.

AW 600 mah 14500 IMR-LiMn

This battery handles loads up to 3 amps very well.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell.

AW 14500 750 mah-LiCo

This cell does well up until the 2 amp point, at 3 amp loads the IMR cell would most likely perform better.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell.

Intl-Outdoor Protected 840 mah 14500

This is the highest capacity 14500 at an approximate 800 mah capacity. Like the above battery it will do well up to the 2 amp point, but much above that and an IMR cell may be better.

Full review here.

Internal cell is UR14500P, datasheet is here.

10440

These cells are the size of a AAA battery. As is to be expected they have a higher voltage. Do not use these in your AAA light unless it is specified that it will work.

AW 10440 LiCo Unprotected 350 mah

This battery has a tiny 350 mah capacity, which is less at any significant current draw. It can only handle draws up to .5 amps.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell.

Efest IMR 10440 350 mah

Like all 10440 batteries it has a tiny capacity, about equal to the above one. But it can handle currents up to 2 amps.

Full review here.

Unspecified internal cell

16650/17650

The 16650 is meant to be a replacement for lights that run on 2 CR123 batteries. It has a lower voltage at 4.2 volts versus the 6 volts of the CR123s. Some lights are compatible but not all are.

Keeppower Protected LiCo 16650 2000 mah

This battery can handle currents up to 2 amps reliably, but due to the protection tripping in between 2 and 3 amps it is not as capable as it could be. It also has to be charged up to 4.3 volts to get full capacity.