18650's vs LiPo's? Voltage drop?

[footbag]

I have a question... I know that the mah rating of each has to take the voltage into account, but when the battery runs low, shouldn't the LiPo's have less voltage drop? So you are getting more vape time and also improved vape when the batteries are low?

I recharge my 18650 batteries when the indicator is about 50%. The vape isn't as good at that point. Will the LiPo's be better in that regard?

 

[Mooch]

It depends on the LiPo.

Many of the better ones have a lower internal resistance than the 18650's we would normally use. This means less of a voltage drop at the same current level. But there's nothing inherent with the chemistry (lithium-cobalt, same as ICR) that means a lower voltage drop versus an IMR 18650 of the same capacity.

Some LiPo's and ICR batteries have a very flat discharge curve, like the Aspire 1800mAh. This can help keep the voltage up higher than an IMR/INR battery when the battery gets near empty. But it also means that those LiPo's and ICR's will drop in voltage faster at the start (to reach the "flat" part of the discharge).

But, having said that, there are a lot of very good LiPo's out there that can give you a higher voltage all through their discharge than most of the IMR/INR batteries.