I've read a few threads on the difference between certain batteries, and for whatever reason it just doesn't click for me. My standard vape style is single or dual builds measuring .5ohms give or take a little, usually somewhere between 25-35 watts. Mods are Reo grands and RDAs for home and a Kanger kbox and subbox mini topped with kanger subtanks for work. I purchased 18650 AW IMR batteries from RTD in the beginning. I have a couple of the 2000mah, and a couple of the 2200mah. Problem is I'm not getting a lot of battery life. I work 12hr shifts and during a typical work day have to change batteries out in both work devices. I purchased some 18650 2200 batteries from the classifieds a few days ago and they won't even fit in any of my mods. I need new batteries yesterday, and don't want to throw anymore money away without some suggestions. I'm looking for the max life between charges I can get, that is safe for my builds in both the mechs and protected devices. Not worried about what they cost at this point. Tried to save on price last week, and might as well have thrown twenty bucks in the trash. Any help is appreciated
Stacy, I don't know if you have any experience with reading battery discharge curves, but if you do you'll get some good information from this:
Comparison of AW IMR 18650-2200 (2015), Panasonic NCR18650PF, LG ICR18650HE2, Samsung SDI INR18650-25R, Sony VTC4, Sony VTC5.
You're interested in vape time on a charge as opposed to maximum amps. These charts show voltage under load, so battery voltage when you fire the mod for a few seconds. I believe most regulated mods will fire down to around 3.0V under load. For mech mods, if you replace the battery at say 3.6V on your meter, that is probably between 3.2-3.3V under load for you.
First off, make sure the graph is set to 5 amps. I think my link will take you to that but I'm not sure. This website doesn't allow more than 5A to be displayed or I would have preferred to use around 10A for your combined applications (mech and regulated).
Hover your mouse over any point on any curve and you'll see which battery that refers to, the voltage and the number of hits the battery has achieved. IMO the best bets for you between these batteries are the Sony VTC5 and the Samsung 25R with the LG HE2 in a real close third position. The 2900 mAh Panasonic does surprisingly well specially at the end, but it is a low amp battery and may not last as many charge cycles as the rest (but don't quote me on that, I have not tested them
). IMO the AW and the VTC4 come in last for your two applications.
OTOH, you're not going to get a huge difference in time per charge from any of these batteries, specially if you combine mech mod use with regulated appcliations. If I were in your situation I would chose between the VTC5 and the 25R.
You can get the VTC5's for $10 each
at Illumn. They also have the
25R's for $5 each. Where you buy them from is important so you avoid counterfeits (don't buy form Ebay or Amazon), but this price range is I think about what you'll find for these from most reputable suppliers.
You can also plug in any other batteries listed on that website and see how they perform relative to each other.
