BATTERY BRANDS RANKED FROM WORST TO BEST

14. Most 14500 Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Brands

At a glance, 14500 batteries look similar to AA batteries---they're about the same size (14mm by 50mm)---but they're not interchangeable. 14500 cells typically output 3.7 volts, while AA batteries usually deliver 1.5 volts or 1.2 volts in rechargeable form.

Unfortunately, most 14500 brands are either poorly made or frequently counterfeited. That makes finding a good one almost impossible. Instead of listing every problematic name (like UltraFire), we'll group them together. Many of them perform far below their rated capacity and drop off quickly, even under light loads.

Brands like GTF, GTL, TrustFire, and Efest are often seen in this category. While some of these companies make decent batteries in other formats, their 14500 offerings are consistently poor. Many also falsely claim their batteries are protected, which increases the risk of overheating or fire. This is why Amazon eventually banned the sale of loose 14500 and similar Li-ion cells altogether.