Frustrated with my new P3 in 18350 mode! :(

[Drewps5co0tt]

A year or so ago I was still using a V2.5 mini and I was running obviously 18350's using Aerotank Mega & Nautilus tanks running 1.6 or 1.8ohm coil heads. I got decent life before having to swap batteries out...I'm guessing 2-3 hours of regular vaping.

Then I jumped into the sub-ohm world, sold all my ProVari stuff and tanks and never looked back...until lately.

I decided I needed to stop sub-ohming because my juice budget was just being bombarded and I couldn't really afford it anymore. So last week I ordered a P3 with a couple AW IMR 18350's, using Subtank's with 1.2ohm coil heads. I asked ProVape before I ordered this if there would be a huge difference in battery life using a 1.2ohm coil head vs. what I had been using on my V2.5 mini and they said not really.

I have tested this thing out and it's just not measuring up. I put in a freshly charged 18350 using a 1.2ohm coil head and after about 10 drags @ 15 watts I'm already down to 75% battery life! This is definitely not matching up to what ProVape told me. I do not want to use the device in any larger battery mode, I like the mini mode and that's why I bought it to use it only that mode.

Then even more interesting, I read somewhere on here recently where some guy claims he gets about 3 hours of battery life on a 18350 using a .56 build...I'm sorry but I don't buy that at all! I have used one of my Subtanks on my new P3 that has a .5 ohm coil head in it...within about 10 minutes my battery was down to like 50% life left.

I'm kind of frustrated and don't really know what to do here and I'm not sure if this setup is going to work for me (battery wise.) I'll be swapping batteries out like every 30 minutes and that's just not realistic for me.

 

[HBcorpse]

The battery percentage may drop immediately, but will recover some between vapes.

Just like a person doing chores may feel like they're about to break down, but after a lunch and a rest, they're ready for more.

I'm also an 18350 guy.
I get VERY good performance and vaping from a 1.2 ohm coil on a Kayfun at 10 watts.
Have you tried the vape at 10 watts?

One thing I always have to remember: People vape VERY differently. They "3-hour" guy may only take like 4-5 puffs an hour, whereas you may take 6-10 per hour. Not to mention the length of each puff.

My recommendation will always be to find a good tank that you can build your own coils on...but I also know that is not feasible for some folks.
I mean, I use pre-made coils in all of my Billet Boxes, so I am by no means a build-only guy.

 

[gin828]

Did you let your 18350s rest a couple of hours after you charged them?

 

[Foggy Road]

Hmmmm. Guess I'm lucky or something. Vaping 1.01 ohm in my Lemo mounted on a Vamo 25w 18350 box mod @14w and 4-5 second pulls, two 18350s get me thru a 14 hour trucker day with no problem? But then maybe I'm just a wimpy Vaper? Or maybe my 20mg nic at 1 ohm is so satisfying that I'm not hitting as often as you. Who knows?

Edit: just checked my puff counter. Says 32 pulls and still showing 3 of 4 battery bars?

 

[HBcorpse]

Hmmmm. Guess I'm lucky or something. Vaping 1.01 ohm in my Lemo mounted on a Vamo 25w 18350 box mod @14w and 4-5 second pulls, two 18350s get me thru a 14 hour trucker day with no problem? But then maybe I'm just a wimpy Vaper? Or maybe my 20mg nic at 1 ohm is so satisfying that I'm not hitting as often as you. Who knows?

Edit: just checked my puff counter. Says 32 pulls and still showing 3 of 4 battery bars?

Apples to oranges, I guess...cuz we're talking about the P3 here.

But I see what you mean. YOUR device works great for YOU.
The strength of your e-liquid definitely sounds like it's lasting you between puffs.

 

[Foggy Road]

Never mind. Inappropriate. I'll bow out

 

[sawlight]

Never mind. Inappropriate. I'll bow out

Different boards, different effacy, different batteries, just too many variables to compare them fairly. I do get your point and I got/get great run times from my 2.5 p-thingy using 18350's, but again, we have the same variables.

 

[gin828]

I have a 2.5mini which I use AW 18490s, My vape time on my Provari is almost double of that on my ZNA-lite with the same nautilus tank and same batteries.

I know apples to oranges.... But Provape is known for power management. I would clean the threads and contacts. Make sure to clean your atty up really good and don't forget coil threads. I would charge up my 18350 batteries at .25A charge rate and let them rest for 4 hours. Vape it and see how much runtime you get.... Hope this helps

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

I get about 25 to 50% more vape time on my p3 than any of my 2.5s vaping kayfuns 1.3'at 11 watts.. part of that is the 2.5 shuts off at 3.5 or so and the p3 shuts down at 3.3.

 

[h00ligan]

The inky way to discuss vape duration is ml of liquid

Gauge that and get back to us You should get over 2ml use with mtl style

 

[Baditude]

I've got the same problem as the original poster with my P3. It's battery life sucks no matter what size battery (18350, 18490, 18650) I use. I use a 1.5ohm single coil in a KFL+. I've used "new" AW (in all three sizes), and 18650 Samsung 25R, Sony VTC4, and LG HG2 batteries --- same disappointing results.

I'm pretty sure its the regulator's battery management. When I remove any "spent" battery from the P3, it reads out around 3.6 - 3.7 volts on my voltage meter. There should still be enough voltage left to fire a 1.5 ohm coil.

I forget what version my P3 is; its one of the first. It was given to me as a gift. I know there are software upgrades available which allegedly help with the battery management issue, I just haven't gotten around to sending it back to Provape to get the latest. I'm nowhere near a Provape supplier.

Supposively the new battery cap for the Procyon helps with battery management on a P3, too; but I'm poor and $30 is too much money for something that should come stock with the original product. Really, Provape? You're making it harder and harder for me to recommend a Provari.

"The ProVape High Performance Tube Mod End Cap provides a high integrity connection from the battery to the device electronics. This improvement extends battery life between charges by allowing the device access to more usable battery energy prior to reaching “End of Charge”.

This end cap can be used on any P3, ProVari Classic, or Procyon to improve battery performance.

Some button top batteries may take up more room inside the tube and not allow you to tighten the cap all the way. Works best with flat top batteries."​

High-Performance-End-Cap

 

[sawlight]

Yeah, I hear ya Bad, they seem to be getting further and further behind the curve.

 

[h00ligan]

Hey guys remember that in 18650 a W is not recommended because of a low internal resistance it screws everything up I'm not sure if that applies to 500 series batteries and 350 or just 650 but AW batteries and 650 for sure are not good to use and they remove the recommendation and I believe posted about it some somewhere in support


That said I have huge problems with 350 series batteries the strange things that happen with me are like an 87 IQ but a freshly charged battery shows up at 53% available and then I've a bit for 10 seconds and it's down to 10% I leave it on fire for two seconds ago is up to 20 and then maybe half a milliliter later it's dead and this is a battery that supposedly has a very high IQ is pretty new


I don't think it's coincidental that they removed the battery stuff from the radius it clearly doesn't work very well to be honest. I have the latest software on my PIII and it did improve battery life substantially but it's still lower than other mods with 350. 500 is about on par with the DNA 30. 660 I don't use in p3 , too big , and therefore can't comment on it.


I did see a pretty big improvement with the fest batteries after the update and of all the 350 batteries the MX JO that I've had for ages last forever. I think they rewrap something but I don't know what. They aren't expensive and they work very well in the PIII. Strangely they were the first 350 batteries I ever bought therefore are the oldest and most used and yet they outlast by a significant margin any of the new E fests I bought version two I definitely will be buying more MX JO there a dollar or two more expensive per pair and I do understand that they rewrap another battery but until my rap tears and I can deduce what exactly it is and by the source. I will pay the extra dollar or two especially since you can get them via prime shipping on Amazon

Honestly I think if you contacted them and told them how to satisfied you were and asked to have a Sent to you for five dollar shipping or whatever they probably would why don't you reach out and see what the responses are though I think they'll ask you to send it in for a software update first

Just remember their support is top notch so take advantage of that

Sorry guys I have to dictate posts today I cut both of my thumbs and I'm limited to a phone for posting if something doesn't make sense say it out loud and it will sound right LOL

I've tried a ton of batteries and for those who are fans of 350 try mxjo

 

[GeekyGeezer]

A year or so ago I was still using a V2.5 mini and I was running obviously 18350's using Aerotank Mega & Nautilus tanks running 1.6 or 1.8ohm coil heads. I got decent life before having to swap batteries out...I'm guessing 2-3 hours of regular vaping.

Then I jumped into the sub-ohm world, sold all my ProVari stuff and tanks and never looked back...until lately.

I decided I needed to stop sub-ohming because my juice budget was just being bombarded and I couldn't really afford it anymore. So last week I ordered a P3 with a couple AW IMR 18350's, using Subtank's with 1.2ohm coil heads. I asked ProVape before I ordered this if there would be a huge difference in battery life using a 1.2ohm coil head vs. what I had been using on my V2.5 mini and they said not really.

I have tested this thing out and it's just not measuring up. I put in a freshly charged 18350 using a 1.2ohm coil head and after about 10 drags @ 15 watts I'm already down to 75% battery life! This is definitely not matching up to what ProVape told me. I do not want to use the device in any larger battery mode, I like the mini mode and that's why I bought it to use it only that mode.

Then even more interesting, I read somewhere on here recently where some guy claims he gets about 3 hours of battery life on a 18350 using a .56 build...I'm sorry but I don't buy that at all! I have used one of my Subtanks on my new P3 that has a .5 ohm coil head in it...within about 10 minutes my battery was down to like 50% life left.

I'm kind of frustrated and don't really know what to do here and I'm not sure if this setup is going to work for me (battery wise.) I'll be swapping batteries out like every 30 minutes and that's just not realistic for me.

Just catching up on the threads and apologize for the lateness of this reply.

I have 3 P3 and they all have a 18350 AW installed. Of course the battery life is less than using an 18650 but for me the convenience of the small mod overcomes that drawback.

This might not be a good solution for you, but I never look at the battery meter. First, it's a moving number which can and will change from minute to minute. I simply vape until it shuts off and then put in a fresh one.

The only time I do check the meter is if I'm leaving the house to run errands. If it's on the low side I'll just change the battery and be done with it. For longer trips, I don't consider the 350 battery mods to be an acceptable choice even as good as the Provaris are. I take something with more power if I'm going to be gone for any length of time.

I guess this has turned into personal anecdotes which probably aren't much use to very many people. But as I approach my third year anniversary of being smoke free, one thing that is becoming fixed in my mind is to stop fixating on numbers. In TC, I'll start at 400 and set it to where it's a good vape. I don't really care if that number is 401 or 560. Same for the power output. I'll raise it or lower it until I get something I like. Amps, volts, or joules the actual number no longer matters to me.

So I suppose the battery thing is the same for me. I vape until it quits. I've yet to find any battery that wouldn't last for at least a full Kabuki or Kayfun tank.

Again, this approach may not work for you but it has made my vaping life much more enjoyable.