Anyone have issues with efest batts?

[beckdg]

As I said before, I don't have a problem with a company who re-wraps batteries. What I have a problem with is when the company exaggerates the battery spec or outright lies about the specs as being much better than the original cell. That's dishonest, disreputable, and could be dangerous to the customer. See post #12 above.

How would you like buying a battery advertised as being a 20 amp battery and it only being 8 amps continuous?

How would you like buying a battery advertised as being 35 amps and it only being 20 amps continuous?

So then what cells are AW re wrapping for their 24 amp cells... why wasn't there anyone else selling 24 amp cells when they first came out with that battery... and why do several 20 amp cells by differing manufacturers deliver current better while holding voltage under load better?

Meaning... If the slight of hand and spec increased labels are such a sore spot, why is AW immune to the same scrutiny?

I get that Andrew pushed them to be an industry leader / standard at one point. They're just old hat now though. A bit stale and behind the curve in the 18650 market IMHO.

Forgive me. My opinion differs but I truly don't understand. Is it just a long time brand loyalty that at one point was justified?

 

[Baditude]

So then what cells are AW re wrapping for their 24 amp cells... why wasn't there anyone else selling 24 amp cells when they first came out with that battery... and why do several 20 amp cells by differing manufacturers deliver current better while holding voltage under load better?

Meaning... If the slight of hand and spec increased labels are such a sore spot, why is AW immune to the same scrutiny?

I get that Andrew pushed them to be an industry leader / standard at one point. They're just old hat now though. A bit stale and behind the curve in the 18650 market IMHO.

Forgive me. My opinion differs but I truly don't understand. Is it just a long time brand loyalty that at one point was justified?

I agree AW IMR's have not kept pace spec-wise in the 18650 class compared to newer offerings by others companies, but they are still considered a consistant, high performance battery that can be counted on for long term use. I myself have a couple that are over two years old and still performing nearly good as new. Their popularity is the reason they are the most counterfeited battery that we use in vaping.

Also, AW has never over-rated his battery specifications. If anything, has under-rated them.

I've been questioning where Andrew gets his red IMR batteries for quite some time. We know he was buying batteries from the big name Japanese factories for his ICR batteries. They even say, "Made in China, IC and cell made in Japan" on the label.

However, I don't know any Japanese battery manufacturers that make IMR batteries in the 14500, 18350, 18490 sizes, do you? AW IMR batteries say only, "Made in China". Maybe these IMR's are not re-wrapped Japanese batteries but are actually manufactured in China. Most important, these IMR's have stood the test of time as a top notch battery, the best in their class. The 18490 is indisputably the best in its class, and the 18350 is arguably as good as the purple Efest 18350. My personal experience has shown the AW 14500 IMR is a far better battery than an Efest 14500 IMR.

Provape has always recommended AW batteries for their Provari. They have tested many of the batteries on the market and their tests show AW IMR's are the ideal battery for the Provari. Question for the Tech Engineers at Provape

 

[windxrunner]

where are you guys getting this information about efest batteries being pieces of s***? i know several people that use them, have talked with b&m owners around my area, all of which are confident the purple ones can handle 35a. i feel a lot of this is conjecture, as no one can ever actually provide data showing that efest batteries are dangerous pieces of crap that should never be used, otherwise you risk fire, explosion, etc. it seems like every time an efest battery gets brought up, this gets brought up, too. can someone please clarify things for me? i'm not trying to be a d***, i'm seriously asking for some data that shows they aren't what they are advertised to be.

 

[beckdg]

where are you guys getting this information about efest batteries being pieces of s***? i know several people that use them, have talked with b&m owners around my area, all of which are confident the purple ones can handle 35a. i feel a lot of this is conjecture, as no one can ever actually provide data showing that efest batteries are dangerous pieces of crap that should never be used, otherwise you risk fire, explosion, etc. it seems like every time an efest battery gets brought up, this gets brought up, too. can someone please clarify things for me? i'm not trying to be a d***, i'm seriously asking for some data that shows they aren't what they are advertised to be.

The problem here is something that's not really based on performance. It's based on proprietary numbers called specs. Efest isn't a manufacturer. When they inflate the manufacturers specs it peeves people off.

Doesn't matter that the 20 amp rated LG he2 likely suffers much less voltage drop and temperature increase at 35 amps than the AW 1600mah IMR does at 24 amps.

What matters is that AW magically found a 24 amp cell to rewrap when nobody was making them but efests batteries can be identified by removing the shrink wrap.

I sometimes wonder why we haven't heard more about serious mishaps with these cells considering how many people use them and push them beyond the LG he2 20 amp limit.

Though the 60 amp rated 26650 (or so I've seen on teh intertubez) that blew at vape bash is famous currently...

 

[Rickajho]

where are you guys getting this information about efest batteries being pieces of s***? i know several people that use them, have talked with b&m owners around my area, all of which are confident the purple ones can handle 35a. i feel a lot of this is conjecture, as no one can ever actually provide data showing that efest batteries are dangerous pieces of crap that should never be used, otherwise you risk fire, explosion, etc. it seems like every time an efest battery gets brought up, this gets brought up, too. can someone please clarify things for me? i'm not trying to be a d***, i'm seriously asking for some data that shows they aren't what they are advertised to be.

Here ya go: Test of Efest IMR18650 2500mAh (Purple) 2014

 

[Racehorse]

There are applications of batteries that it really doesn't matter if using AW or Efest. I used both in 14500 mods and there wasn't much difference. With that kind of lower battery spec, you really can't tell the difference. I imagine you can with a 18 series though.

 

[pnyc]

From the same logic here. Apple doesn't make the iphone/ipad/ipod or the Mac computers. They are rebranded products made in China by Foxconn. As far as I know, AW is the first in the industry to introduce IMR batteries back in 2007 when few even heard of this chemistry before. Same for the LiFePO4 R123 that were available from AW in 2006. It was not until they become popular, other players join the race. Whoever makes the AW batteries sure must have follow his required specifications.

 

[pnyc]

There maybe no noticeable difference when they are both new. After 3 months or 6 months of regular use, you maybe able to tell.

There are applications of batteries that it really doesn't matter if using AW or Efest. I used both in 14500 mods and there wasn't much difference. With that kind of lower battery spec, you really can't tell the difference. I imagine you can with a 18 series though.

 

[ScottChensoda]

Geez, it feels like that crowded subway station scene from the first Crocodile Dundee.

HEY SCOTT, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME OVER THIS LOT MASS DEBATING IN BETWEEN US. HOW DID YOU GET ON?

That's a thought.......is mass debating in public in the US illegal? At least here in the UK we have Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Not that I've been there since I was a kid.

 

[Baditude]

where are you guys getting this information about efest batteries being pieces of s***? ...i'm seriously asking for some data that shows they aren't what they are advertised to be.

Dampfakkus is an independent testing lab in Germany which first exposed that Efest is using cells from other manufacturers, rebranding them, and then advertising over-rated specifications as a marketing ploy for better sales of their batteries.

The purple Efest 2500mah 35 amp battery:

This is a rebranded LG 18650HE2 cell. Careful: max continuous discharge rate for this cell is 20A *NOT* 35A as advertised by Efest. According to LGs spec sheet 35A is only permissible for short periods not to exceed 75 seconds.

This information is especially important for merchants who sell these batteries. We had already warned (about) the EFEST Purple 2500mAh batteries, announcing whimsical performance, especially in terms of continuous discharge, which can quickly be dangerous under certain conditions of use (low and very low resistance).

The IMR 18650 2500 mAh EFEST announced for the 35A continuous discharge, are actually LG cells supporting a peak value of 35A but continuous discharge 20A.

The purple Efest 3100mah 20 amp battery:

This battery is no way able of a 20A continuous discharge!

The IMR 18650 2500 mAh EFEST announced for the 35A continuous discharge, are actually LG cells supporting a peak value of 35A, but continuous discharge (of) 20A.

EFEST (has) recurred, this time in a more dangerous (way), announcing in labeling its 3100mAh battery continuous discharge 20A, thus supporting theoretically safely 0.25 ohm coils. Dampfakku showed that these Efest Purple 20A are actually Panasonic continuous discharge cells supporting 4A (!) And maximum (and therefore for a short duration), 6.4A limit for the atomizers in order to vape safely with these batteries is not 0.25 ohm but above 0.8ohm ... which makes a big difference. The cells used by EFEST 3100mAh "20A" are those of the Panasonic NCR18650BE.

The purple Efest 2100mah 30 amp battery:

I am very sure this is in fact simply a rebranded Sony US18650VTC4 cell.

The cells that Efest are rebranding are good quality cells for the most part, but the deception Efest uses to market their batteries is what is dangerous. People who are buying these batteries for sub-ohm use and expecting them to perform at the advertised spec are unknowingly using a battery with inferior specifications for that use, which could be dangerous using a battery above specification limits. The "pulse" ratings that Efest is advertising are dubious and arguably unreliable. Most other manufacturers use the "continuous discharge rate", an industry standard.

 

[windxrunner]

Ok, right on. Thank you for posting some pretty legit seeming information, even if it is from just one study. I noticed on 101vape that the lg he2 batts are advertised as 35 amp, then when you click on it it says that 35a is the pulse rating. I noticed they have different specs but that could be from the wrap. Illumination supply has the efest 35a and when you click on it it says that 35a is the pulse rating. I'm pretty convinced now,,,I just make a point to never believe something just because a lot of people say its true, or even because an ECF Vet says it.