18650 - Good battery choice? Looking for input and stats

[swoody]

Hello all!

I'm going to be receiving a few 18650 batteries which I will be using with a recharger for my commuter bike lights. I have noticed a few people around here use them for mods, and was curious how they fair. I have a standard 510 batt / atty right now, and would plan on using that with the 18650.

Can anyone let me know a bit about these batteries? I hear great things from the flashlight community, but to be honest I have no idea how they will do for a vape mod. Are the 18650 generally a good choice, or should I just avoid them and find a different battery mod? Using a standard 510 atty, and vaping heavy, how long should I expect these to last? How about two in parallel?

Thank you all in advance!

- Woody

 

[cskent]

If you want a battery that you can vape on all day the 18650 size will do it. I've gone 2 days on a single charge before when I just forgot to switch out my batteries. The voltage tends to drop off enough to notice after about 16 hour of use for me, but I can still vape on it for a lot longer if necessary. I've got 3 x 18650 mods and 3 types of batteries, check my sig line for the mods. The batt's I've got are:

Ultrafire 3000mah protected, they're a low drain type and over rated, not great batteries but they work.
Ultrafire 2600mah protected, much better and they're high drain's, but still over rated.
AW IMR 1600mah, excellent batteries, and they're not over rated.

Given a choice of the 3 I'd take the AW IMR's. They drain faster than either of the other 2 so they produce more vapor. The capacity is not over rated or exaggerated as it is in the Ultrafire's. They're a bit more expensive but well worth the extra couple of $$. The Ultrafire 2600's aren't bad, but they really aren't 2600mah. They last about as long as the 1600 mah AW's. The Ultrafire 3000's are way over rated and don't last as long as either of the other 2.

Here's links to the batt's I've described:

AW Orange 18650 3.7v 1600 mAh LiMN rechargeable battery
AltSmoke.com | Personal Vaporizers | Electronic Cigarette | Ecigs | 18650 XSL 2600mAh Battery - Protected - Batteries - Accessories
Protected 18650 Battery, 3000 mah

I've read good things about the AW 2900mah and 2600mah li-ion batt's but haven't tried them. I've already got 9 x 18650's so I don't need more. Somewhere down the line I'll give them a try though. One quick side note on the mods in my sig line. The Maxi Roughstack won't accept the AW's or the Ultrafire 2600's. Those batteries are slightly larger in diameter and won't go into the tube, well actually they would but I'd never get them back out it's such a tight fit. They fit fine in the SB and Omega though. The Ultrafire 3000mah don't work well in the SB for some reason, but work fine in the Roughstack. I don't know why.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

 

[swoody]

Thanks for the fast reply and the great info! Those AW batteries sound nice, I may have to see how mine do (some version of Ultrafire IIRC) but I will definitely keep those in mind.

The SB and the Omega look like quality items, but are a bit more than I was looking to spend. Does anyone have any recommendations for something a bit easier on the wallet?

Edit: Also, do you have the original Maxi RS, or the V2? I was looking at the V2 and the price is right. I am curious if it fits the slightly wider 18650 batteries or not.

 

[jmanning]

I have the AW 2900 mAh and the Ultrafire 2600 mAh xsl and they fit fine in my Maxi Roughstack V2.

 

[Nomoreash]

I used AW 2200 mAh Protected in the Maxi Roughstack V1 and the fit was just fine. Haven't tried the V2 but I don't think they changed the dimension.

 

[WillyB]

Ultrafire 3000mah protected, they're a low drain type and over rated, not great batteries but they work.
Ultrafire 2600mah protected, much better and they're high drain's, but still over rated.
AW IMR 1600mah, excellent batteries, and they're not over rated.

Given a choice of the 3 I'd take the AW IMR's. They drain faster than either of the other 2 so they produce more vapor. The capacity is not over rated or exaggerated as it is in the Ultrafire's. They're a bit more expensive but well worth the extra couple of $$. The Ultrafire 2600's aren't bad, but they really aren't 2600mah. They last about as long as the 1600 mah AW's.

I've read good things about the AW 2900mah and 2600mah li-ion batt's but haven't tried them. I've already got 9 x 18650's so I don't need more.

I've never seen 'high drain' UltraFires. Post a link.

Given a choice of the 3 I'd take the AW IMR's. They drain faster than either of the other 2 so they produce more vapor.

So draining faster means more vapor? Sounds like it means less runtime... it does.

 

[swoody]

Well I just went ahead and put in an order for a Maxi RS V2! I'm really looking forward to receiving it and will keep everyone updated when I do get it. Thank you all for the great info!

- Woody

 

[swoody]

Wow! Very quick shipping from MadVapes I just got the Maxi RoughStack in the mail today, and I'm already vaping on it. What a wonderful mod! I am much, much more satisfied vaping this than using the 510 batteries. It feels like it's going to be very solid and provide nice, stable hits.

Thanks again everyone for the great suggestions!

- Woody