18650 batteries for dual or triple cell high-power regulated mod

[jersey_emt]

My two married pairs of LG HG2 batteries that I have been using in my Cuboid for a bit over a year have began to noticeably degrade, so it is time to pick up new batteries.

Since my Cuboid has seen hard use and is covered with scratches and chips, I will be purchasing either a Joyetech Primo, Wismec Predator, or Wismec RX2/3, and delegating the Cuboid as a backup mod.

I normally vape single coils (twisted / Clapton / fused Clapton / twisted-core Clapton) at up to 55W, and dual coils (same types) at up to 90 watts. But I do like to occasionally vape bigger builds at 130 - 150 watts from time to time. But even when my LG HG2's were new, you only get a few puffs at 150 watts before voltage sags too much when firing to push 150 watts through the coils.

Obviously, the Wismec RX2/3 in three-cell mode will be able to handle 150 watts for much longer than the dual-cell mods, but are there any batteries that will last a decent amount of time at 150 watts in a dual-cell mod?

I'm looking at the Samsung 25R5, Samsung 30Q, and Sony VTC5A. From Mooch's tests on the 25R and 30Q, while they have the same amp rating (20 A), the 25R's seem to "hit harder" and start sagging voltage later than the 30Q's. I can live with the 500 mAh reduction in capacity per cell if the 25R's will be more "useable" at 130 - 150 watts on a dual-cell mod.

Or would the VTC5A be a better choice?

 

[sonicbomb]

As a rule of thumb two 20 amp CDR cells will be good for 120 watts, if you want to exceed this then yes the VTC5a would be a better choice. Or better still use a three cell mod.

 

[Wheelin247]

I have two sets of 4 of the 30Q's that I use in my RX300. I ended up getting them because of the longevity of the cells holding a charge and going strong all day. I was having a problem with the 25R's going dead after being at work all day. If I had to run errands after work I had to take an extra set of cells with me for when the 25R's went dead I had power to keep me vaping till I got home. With the 30Q's I don't have that problem. They will last me all day and usually have to change cells before I go to bed so I have a fresh set of cells ready to go for the next day. Just figured I'd put my 2¢ in.


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[jersey_emt]

Thanks for the info everyone. I decided to go with a pair of Samsung 25R5's and a pair of Sony VTC5A's. With USPS Priority Mail shipping ($8.60) from Illumn.com the total came out to $29.58. Not bad! If I decide to buy a triple-cell mod, I'll just purchase another six batteries from them, but if the VTC5A's or 25R5's can give me more than just a few puffs at ~125 watts, I'll probably stick with dual-cell mods.

 

[Bad Ninja]

Just a tip:
You can avoid the problem by using coils with less metal mass.
Those Uber Clapton Alien coils sap a ton of power just to heat up.

 

[dyanaprajna]

I use the 25rs in my 200w Kbox and Alien, and they've worked really well. I generally don't vape either mod much above 85 watts, but I do on occasion, and they haven't given me any trouble.

 

[jersey_emt]

My new batteries (a pair of Samsung 25R5's and a pair of Sony VTC5A's) were delivered yesterday! I didn't expect them to get here until Monday, or else I already would have had some dual fused Clapton coils ready to go.

So I quickly whipped up two twisted dual coil builds, then ate some lunch while the batteries charged. Both builds are 3.5 mm:

• On my Wotofo Lush, a twisted 27 gauge SS316L, 7 wraps, 0.256 Ω, with a heat flux of 158 mW/mm² (I like a relatively cool vape) at 100 watts.
• On my 24 mm Goon, a twisted 26 gauge Kanthal, 8 wraps, 0.465 Ω, with a heat flux of 161 mW/mm² at 135 watts.

Both batteries kept going strong for quite a while even at 135 watts. The VTC5A's delivered 135 watts until its voltage at rest was under 3.5 V. The 25R5's made it down all the way to 3.42 V at rest before my Cuboid needed to reduce the power. This is significantly better performance than my LG HG2's when they were brand new. And even with some chain vaping at 100 and 135 watts, neither set of batteries got anything more than just a bit warm.

I have to say I am quite impressed with their performance. When my LG HG2's were new, at 135 watts, I would get about only ten 3-5 second pulls before the voltage sagged too far to deliver the full power. But the 25R5's and VTC5A's just keep on trucking. A pair of batteries that can still deliver 135 watts when discharged down to 3.4 - 3.5 V is rather remarkable.

Now I just need to ease myself back up to higher wattages. My year-old HG2's were causing my Cuboid to immediately (within one second) reduce power with a "weak battery" warning at just 80 watts, and once they were discharged down to around 3.9 volts would immediately reduce power at just 60 watts. So for the past couple of months, I've been vaping mostly single-coil Claptons, and dual coil plain wire 24 - 28 gauge or twisted 30 - 32 gauge builds, at 30 - 50 watts. Immediately jumping back up to 135 watts kicked my .... hard.

Thanks again for the help everyone.

 

[Wheelin247]

Thanks for the info everyone. I decided to go with a pair of Samsung 25R5's and a pair of Sony VTC5A's. With USPS Priority Mail shipping ($8.60) from Illumn.com the total came out to $29.58. Not bad! If I decide to buy a triple-cell mod, I'll just purchase another six batteries from them, but if the VTC5A's or 25R5's can give me more than just a few puffs at ~125 watts, I'll probably stick with dual-cell mods.

I used to use Illumn.com until I found Liionwholesale.com. They are cheaper on cells and shipping. I put the cells you said you got into the cart and used shipping to my place (Florida) and price came out to $25 and change. I know it's just a couple $ but in the future if you decide to purchase more than 4 cells you may want to check them out. They are a wholesale website so you will get a discount the more cells you buy. Just a heads up and may be able to save you some money or use the saving to buy an extra cell or two for the same price as the other site.


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[Eskie]

I find myself running through IMR, Illum, and Liion whenever I need new batteries and see who has what in stock and what the prices are like. I always have extras around, so no reason for expedited shipping. I'm a TC vaper, and even with big builds never need run anything to 100W except for the preheat. Almost all my batteries are 25Rs, and I've always gotten great run times out of them.

I know there can be minor benefits to say a 30Q for the slightly longer run time, or higher amp batteries but I'm not someone who pushes a 20A, so why get a 30A with half the capacity? I like sticking with the same throughout especially when I have specific discharge curves for make and model, and don't feel like having to track all sorts of different curves just for varying battery sets.

Having said that, I do have some LG HE4s that hold up just fine as well.