Bass Pro batteries?

[Zipslack]

Has anyone tried the Lithium-Ion batteries from Bass Pro Shops? I stumbled on some on the clearance rack the other day and bought them just to see if they were usable. 18500 protected, 4-pack for $9.99 clearance price. If you google "Bass Pro XPS lithium" it should be the first link. All of mine read 4.08 out of the pack, charged fine, seem to vape fine in my K100+ mod. I don't sub-Ohm (2.1 Ohm is fine with me), so they are doing okay for me. The normal price was ridiculous ($30, I think). They also had a 2-pack of 18650 for $25 (NOT on clearance).

I'm wondering if anybody has any info on these things. The packaging and description is just strange, but it does indicate that two batteries are used in series in a flashlight and there is a dimple around the negative pole, so I'm assuming ICR protected. There is no mAh rating and I can't find any info as to the actual brand/manufacturer. If you're not into sub-ohm cloud chasing, these aren't a bad deal, but I would like to know if anybody else has knowledge/experience with these.

 

[granolaboy]

Sounds like you got a decent deal, but I wouldn't push those batteries too hard.

For $25 for 2 18650's, you might as well order a couple of Sony VTC5's...

 

[Zipslack]

Yeah, but they might put the 18650's on clearance eventually. I wouldn't have bought the 18500's for the original price - figured $10 wasn't too bad if they turned out to be crap.

 

[Baditude]

I personally would not use an ICR battery in a mod if only because of safety reasons. Having had one explode in a mech mod a couple of years ago and vent flames, I've since used only safe-chemistry IMR batteries for their safety and better performance.


I've never understood why people pay good money for their mods, yet will put the cheapest batteries they can find to put in them. Really, batteries are the most important piece of gear in your entire setup.

This is a generic battery of unknown specifications, of unknown quality, made by an unknown manufacturer. If you are comfortable putting a device using this battery up to your mouth numerous times a day, be my guest. Maybe play the Lotto since you feel so lucky.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html

"Buy the best batteries:
Please don't try to save money on batteries, it is the worst possible area to make economies. It's like trying to buy the cheapest possible parachute, with no idea where it comes from or who made it, and pretending there is no increase in risk. Why would you do that?

ICR cells are obsolete now, and there is no reason at all to choose them. There is one possible exception: where a low current draw is needed over an extended period of time, they can sometimes be the best choice. In other words, if you vape at 1.5 amps and want a cell that will last slightly longer between charges, then this is about the only profile that benefits from an ICR cell. In practice they are almost always a poor choice."

 

[stevegmu]

I just don't understand. As inexpensive as proper batteries are, people will risk serious injury to save a few $..

 

[Baditude]

I just don't understand. As inexpensive as proper batteries are, people will risk serious injury to save a few $..

Serious injury which can cost thousands of dollars in medical care (hospitalizations, skin grafts and/or reconstructive surgery, loss of wages, etc). Not to mention possible home repair costs from fire damage. All because someone didn't want to pay a couple more dollars for an appropriate battery.



ICR battery going into thermal runaway. Action starts at the 3:00 minute mark.

 

[granolaboy]

batteries are the most important piece of gear in your entire setup.

I just don't understand. As inexpensive as proper batteries are, people will risk serious injury to save a few $..

ya, right? Instead of cheaping out on your batteries, cheap out on the mod itself...my $20 P.O.S. nemesis clone works wicked with a VTC5 in it...I'm sure it'd kick the ... of a genuine nemesis with a basspro battery.

 

[Zipslack]

So.....I'm guessing Baditude doesn't care for ICR batteries...just a hunch.

$10 for some cheap backup batteries....I figure it's worth a shot. I may dissect one just to see if it has a "proper" protection PCB and see if there is a manufacturer label under the XPS sleeve. BTW, notice the first post where I mention I'm using 2.1 Ohm coils....I'm not crazy enough to try low or sub-ohm coils on ICR batteries.

 

[DaveP]

If those were sold at Bass Pro Shops they were probably intended for use in high end flashlights, which is where the 3.7v lithium batteries found a home and became widespread.

I'd spend my money on LiMn - Lithium Manganese rechargeable batteries (lMR). These are high drain batteries that don't generally explode when they fail under high load, although they will spew and create heat. It's a much safer chemistry.

 

[Zipslack]

I have a couple of IMR batteries that I use regularly...the Bass Pro batts were a spur-of-the-moment experiment. And, yes, they were made to work in series with high-end, high-power flashlights (Cree-type units, approx $150-170).

 

[anumber1]

Nope.

10 characters

 

[Ryedan]

So.....I'm guessing Baditude doesn't care for ICR batteries...just a hunch.

$10 for some cheap backup batteries....I figure it's worth a shot. I may dissect one just to see if it has a "proper" protection PCB and see if there is a manufacturer label under the XPS sleeve. BTW, notice the first post where I mention I'm using 2.1 Ohm coils....I'm not crazy enough to try low or sub-ohm coils on ICR batteries.

The problem with protected ICR cells is that if the protection circuit fails you're vaping a unprotected ICR cell.

There are also various types of protection boards on the market. Some are significantly better and more reliable than others and I can't tell the difference by looking at them.

Your running a mechanical mod without short protection. Both the mod or the atty could short and that leaves you at the mercy of the protection board. I don't like risk that so I stick with vaping only IMR or hybrids.

I don't have any knowledge/experience with these cells so I can't help you with that. I will recommend you don't vape unknown batteries, even if they are cheap. Having a battery issue in a flashlight can be bad, having one in a PV can be a lot worse.

Let us know what is inside these puppies if you do take off the wrapper

 

[Nat79]

So.....I'm guessing Baditude doesn't care for ICR batteries...just a hunch.

$10 for some cheap backup batteries....I figure it's worth a shot. I may dissect one just to see if it has a "proper" protection PCB and see if there is a manufacturer label under the XPS sleeve. BTW, notice the first post where I mention I'm using 2.1 Ohm coils....I'm not crazy enough to try low or sub-ohm coils on ICR batteries.

Cool in a world without shorts and you never forget to lock your mod(1 second if inattention). But for IMR your looking 10-15$ for a good safe backup and keep it on rotation with what ever else you have.