There was a time when protected batteries were recommended for mechanical mods, but current wisdom is that IMR or hybrid batteries are safer than protected now.
Basically, not all batteries are created equal. All batteries are manufactured either in Japan or China by only several manufacturers. From what I understand, quality consistancy varies a great deal during the manufacturing process, and the major name-brand companies like Panasonic, Sanyo, Sony, and Samsung sell the higher quality batteries under their name brand, and sell their lesser quality batteries to other distributors who re-wrap those rejects and sell them under a different brand name (ie. Trustfire, Surefire, Ultrafire).
AW (Andrew Wan) is an independent Chinese distributor who individually tests for the best batteries that he can purchase from the major battery manufacturers and then sells the best of the best under his own brand name. The consistancy of the quality of AW's batteries have earned the distinction of being the best batteries you can purchase for several years, and more manufacturers of mods recommend using his batteries than any other name brand.
Provape, the manufacturer of the Provari, strongly recommends using only AW IMR batteries for the Provari. They conducted their own internal testing of several manufacturer's batteries and determined that AW was the best, and then designed the Provari specifically around that battery.
"
Our advice is that the best and the safer choice of battery for APVs is the AW IMR Li-Mn rechargeable."
"We now advise that Li-Mn
or top-quality Li-FePo4 rechargeables are used in APVs, in preference to rechargeable Li-ions. We suggest the best option, in order, is:
1.) AW IMR Li-Mn rechargeables.
2.) Panasonic hybrid cells. (Sony spinel cells are new on the market at the date of edit [2013-09-01] and it is likely they will also prove acceptable, they are an Li-Mn type). You must ensure that Panasonic and Sony cells are sourced from an authorised distributor, as they will become extensively counterfeited.
3.) AW Li-FePo4 rechargeables [Li-FePo4's mostly NEED A SPECIAL CHARGER]. Note that these batteries are mostly 3 volt nominal so the system voltage will be lower than normal. They are the best choice for stacking as long as they are not counterfeits.
4.) Good quality (such as AW or Pila) protected Li-ion rechargeables.
5.) Branded protected Li-ions come next - such as *fire Li-ion rechargeables (for *, insert Trust / Sure / Ultra-).
6.) The least-preferable option is a generic protected Li-ion.
7.) Unprotected rechargeable Li-ion cells should not be used.
8.) Standard cells (non-rechargeable) MUST NOT be used." -
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html ECF Reference Library
Protected vs Unprotected
Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected Battery?
Mechanical Mod Usage Guide
