A gift thats thrown me into the deep end...

[edyle]

Guys in all honesty, thank you for all the advise, warnings etc. I will take it all on board and I by no means intended to jump straight into using it.
I really appreciate the help and no, the reason he bought it I assume (because he doesn't vape) is because he must have gone to a shop in his area and just asked for higher end things like this.

Ill be sure to look into it a lot more and if there is anything else I need to know then please feel free to post it here.
Still making my way through a lot of what's been posted, but thanks to all who replied. It's nice to see people prioritise safety.

battery safety is very important, and unfortunately, it's not prioritised enough at many points of sale.

the lithium batteries used routinely for vaping, like the batteries used in cellphones, and laptops, are potentially dangerous when mistreated.

vaping requires power;


I would not consider any mech mod to be 'higher end'.
A toilet made of gold is still a toilet

For higher end stuff you want to look at provari, sigelei, joyetech, innokin

 

[Susan~S]

Ill be sure to look into it a lot more and if there is anything else I need to know then please feel free to post it here.
Still making my way through a lot of what's been posted, but thanks to all who replied. It's nice to see people prioritise safety.

I finally understand where my confusion came from. So here are some more links for you.

Hybrid Top Cap & Battery Safety

You are going to want a safe-chemistry, high-drain battery with a high CDR. How high? I'll quote @tj99959 as this is the practice I follow with regards to amps & headroom.

When considering how low you can build you need to give yourself some headroom. I try to never exceed 50% of the CDR (continuous discharge rating) of a fully charged battery (4.2v). So with a 20A battery (like the Samsung 25r), that would be 10A. This Ohm's Law Calculator tells me that a 0.4Ω build is as low as I would want to use.

The reason that I place a 50% limit is because as a battery ages the mAh of the battery degrades, as the mAh degrades so does the batteries c rating (amp limit). So down the road, a 20A battery may only be a 10A battery."

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I highly recommend you spend some time with @Baditude & @Mooch (two of our resident battery/safety experts) and visit their blogs. You are now 100% in control of your own safety (and others around you). Make sure you purchase an ohm reader and a voltmeter or DMM so you can measure your builds, check for shorts and measure the remaining charge on your batteries.

Here are links to some of Mooch's blogs:

• No matter what is printed on the battery wrapper: There are no 18650 batteries with a genuine rating over 30A!
• Links to all his battery tests to date: List of My Battery Tests | Mooch's Blog
• Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With: Table of 18650 Battery Safety Grades | Mooch's Blog

Hand several links to Baditude's Blog - Table of Contents: The blogs that address battery safety, Ohm's Law, CDR (continuous discharge rating/Amps) and how they all work together are detailed below:

BATTERIES

Battery Basics for Mods - The Ultimate Battery Guide
* Another essential read to understand which batteries are safe to use in mechanical and regulated mods. Includes a frequently updated list of recommended safe-chemistry, high-drain batteries with their specifications.

Purple Efest Batteries not as Advertised
* A cautionary blog that reveals that the purple Efest batteries may not have the specifications advertised. Also includes a commentary on "continuous discharge ratings" vs "pulse discharge ratings" of battery specs.

OHM'S LAW

Ohm's Law Explained for Vapers
* My attempt at explaining Ohm's Law in layman terms and how it relates to vaping.

Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations
* As simple as it is to use, some people have a tough time grasping the concept. Warning: Includes graphic photos of mod explosions.

BATTERIES - WHERE TO BUY

Only buy batteries from a reputable supplier (not ebay or Amazon) as there are many counterfeit batteries being sold. Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.

• RTD Vapor
• Illumination Supply
• Orbtronics
• IMR Batteries
• Liion Wholesale

 

[bwh79]

My first question then is.. what are vent holes, what do they do? I assume batteries either get hot, or release some sort of chemical.

Proper venting is essential for any device using a battery. If the worst happens, and the battery overheats, it can vent hot gas. If the gas has nowhere to go, then the pressure inside the device builds and builds and builds until it overcomes the structural integrity of the device itself, and it all goes KABOOM in a catastrophic explosion. Essentially, it becomes a pipe-bomb. Proper venting gives the gas an escape route so that it can leave the device without building pressure. For the batteries we use, they vent at the top, near the positive end of the battery. They can also swell, and deform, before the venting occurs. That's why the vent holes should be at the top -- if the only venting is at the bottom (through the button, for example), then the battery can swell and block off the path between the gas venting from the top of the battery and the vent holes at the bottom. Then you're right back where you started, holding a pipe bomb with rapidly-increasing pressure inside.

 

[Susan~S]

My first question then is.. what are vent holes, what do they do? I assume batteries either get hot, or release some sort of chemical

When a battery vents it release gas and a lot of heat. If the mechanical mod doesn't have vent holes there is no where for that gas & heat to go so pressure builds up inside the mod (the battery can swell) and eventually all that pressure can shoot the top cap (or bottom firing switch) right off the tube. Basically you have what could be a pipe bomb.

Should this happen, if you are lucky (and really fast), when you first sense the battery tube is getting hot, you can get the battery out of the mod (or remove the atomizer) before it gets too hot to handle.

I have never experienced a battery vent but I have had my mechanical start to get warm from not performing regular maintenance on the mod (taking it fully apart - every little piece - and cleaning them.)

 

[papergoblin]

When a battery vents it release gas and a lot of heat. If the mechanical mod doesn't have vent holes there is no where for that gas & heat to go so pressure builds up inside the mod (the battery can swell) and eventually all that pressure can shoot the top cap (or bottom firing switch) right off the tube. Basically you have what could be a pipe bomb.

Should this happen, if you are lucky (and really fast), when you first sense the battery tube is getting hot, you can get the battery out of the mod (or remove the atomizer) before it gets too hot to handle.

I have never experienced a battery vent but I have had my mechanical start to get warm from not performing regular maintenance on the mod (taking it fully apart - every little piece - and cleaning them.)

This ^^^, plus if there is a short it will be HOT, not warm and it will be instant. I have had a dead short, no boom, huge vent, or mod damage. The button was instant hot like a 100 watt light bulb on for days,lol. I did a quarter turn on the mod body and tossed. The battery had swelled and torn its wrapper in places, had I kept pushing who knows, that's why it's important to learn the signs of a warning. I have mods that get warm while vaping, it's due to the atty (coils) and chain vaping but if I take out the battery to check it is not warm. Basically when using a mech. mod and you are in doubt, STOP.

I would also say this to you about using a mech. mod of any type. The first thing to know is, you may have to toss it, if it were to get away from you. Doing everything correctly, doesn't mean the battery can't just go bad. You may have to throw your beloved mod across the yard but it's a small price to pay to keep your digits. It may never happen and as with mine I may have overreacted but I'd rather overreact than under when it comes to safety.

Don't get in a hurry and don't get lazy, I did both and didn't think to check the center pin on my atty. I was using a hybrid cap on a Nemesis mod and it was an automatic short, I didn't take the time to check how I had my Taifun adjusted. I was leaving and throwing something together and when you have a bunch of mods you sometimes have to adjust the pin for a longer or shorter connection. I F'd up but was lucky to only need a new battery, I now always double and triple check everything before I press the button. It doesn't matter how long you use a mech. you can make a mistake at any time we're all human, just own it and not blame the universe if you do.