Batteries not lasting as long

[vaper1960]

I have two batteries (18650 MXJO) and an external charger. I use them in my single battery mods and never push the watts high (mostly from 14 to 25 watts) They are doing fine but don't seem to last as long on a full charge as when they were new. Haven't kept track of how many times I've charged them (I've had them for 10 months but only charge them about twice a week so guessing 80 cycles) What should I expect as far how many more cycles and will they continue to last a shorter time? I just got two new batteries but they are for my new dual battery mod and I would rather not use them for anything else. I'm not worried... should be able to get batteries even after Sept.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Mxjo is another iffy source re wrapper of mostly unknown cells.

Stick with name brand cells, bought only from known reputable sources.

Mooch has put great effort in suppling solid info.

Choose from regulated power device chart ---> Mooch's Recommended Batteries | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

10 months is a long time. I would say that it is normal that they are not holding a charge as they used to 10 months ago. How much vaping time have you lost per charge, roughly?

Also, at what amperage do you charge at. It's better for your batteries to charge you batteries slower (lower amperage) than faster. It can lengthen the life of you batteries.

But I can give you an idea of what I have experienced with Samsung 25Rs. When brand new, they can last me 3-4 hours of vaping but after 4 years, they only last about 1 hour or so and the voltage sag is atrocious lol. I keep them anyway and use them in my 18650 flashlight.

 

[smacuser]

Getting batteries after September shouldn't be a problem. They're sold for more than vaping, i.e. flashlights, rc cars, battery packs for laptops.

 

[Rossum]

10 months is a long time.

I don't think so, but much depends on how hard they are used.

I just took a a pair of Samsung 30Qs out of service after 26 months of daily rotation in my ADV/EDC mod. This means they were charged every other day, so call it 390 times. Caveat: I use them in a mech squonker, so I really only use the top half of the charge in the cell each time.

Here's the discharge curves:

1 and 2 are the cells in question. 3 and 4 are identical cells, purchased at the same time, that were never used. The two used ones still have ~89% of their rated capacity. The two unused ones are ~96.5%.

 

[vaper1960]

Mxjo is another iffy source re wrapper of mostly unknown cells.

Stick with name brand cells, bought only from known reputable sources.

They were actually a PIF from a friend (he said if I stop buying internal battery mods, he would give them to me) They have worked fine so far. My new batteries are Sony VCT5a... Mooch approved (should just order two more)

 

[vaper1960]

Also, at what amperage do you charge at. It's better for your batteries to charge you batteries slower (lower amperage) than faster. It can lengthen the life of you batteries.

2 amp charge (original Nitecore D2... with the LEDs)

 

[vaper1960]

I don't think so, but much depends on how hard they are used.

I baby them... never gone over 30 watts and most of the time only 15-20 watts.

 

[vaper1960]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Right now I'm fine but I could have ordered four of those Sonys (on sale for $4 each and saved shipping) Hindsight is 20/20?

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

2 amp charge (original Nitecore D2... with the LEDs)

I'm not familiar with that charger, but if you can charge at 1 amp or even 0.5 amp, I would recommend that.

 

[Oregon Linda]

2 amp charge (original Nitecore D2... with the LEDs)

The Nitecore D2 only charges at .5 amps, which is fine for 18650s.

 

[Richard Winter]

I have two batteries (18650 MXJO) and an external charger. I use them in my single battery mods and never push the watts high (mostly from 14 to 25 watts) They are doing fine but don't seem to last as long on a full charge as when they were new. Haven't kept track of how many times I've charged them (I've had them for 10 months but only charge them about twice a week so guessing 80 cycles) What should I expect as far how many more cycles and will they continue to last a shorter time? I just got two new batteries but they are for my new dual battery mod and I would rather not use them for anything else. I'm not worried... should be able to get batteries even after Sept.

Always only used matched pairs of batteries in a dual mod, same type, same make, buy from new and keep them matched through their life.
Most batteries are pretty good for around 350 to 500 charge discharge cycles. You will notice a drop off in usage time from fully charged to discharged as they get older.

 

[Richard Winter]

2 amp charge (original Nitecore D2... with the LEDs)

The D2 charges at 0.5A. A 2A charge is pretty high. Lower charge rate prolongs the life of the battery

 

[zoiDman]

I have Four LG HG2's that are in a Daily Rotation for my Daily Driver.

A Fully Charged Battery will last me about 24 Hours @ 25 Watts ( about 8 Amp max battery draw) on this mod. When they come out of my Mod, they are at about 3.5 ~ 3.6 volts. All my Batteries have/are Charged @ 0.5 Amps.

All of the 4 seem to have about the Same run-time as when they were New. And the Total mAh charged is about the Same also.

I had to dig back in my records to Find when they were purchased. But I found the Order Confirmation from IMRBattery. It was Dated 8-31-2016.

So for this Four Battery rotation, that would be about 350 Cycles or so each.

I've thought about getting 4 New Batteries and downgrading this Rotation Set to On-the-Go Mods or Flashlights. But it's one of those things that just keeps working. So it Doesn't seem like a high priority.

 

[zoiDman]

...

A Fully Charged Battery will last me about 24 Hours @ 25 Watts ( about 8 Amp max battery draw) on this mod. When they come out of my Mod, they are at about 3.5 ~ 3.6 volts. All my Batteries have/are Charged @ 0.5 Amps.

...

ETA:
This 4 Battery Rotation is currently used in a Wismec Surface Squonker @ 25 Watts / 8 Amps.
Before that they went into a RigMod RSQ Squonker @ 25 Watts / 8 Amps.
And before that, they went in a Coppervape Mech Squonker @ .400 Ohms /10 Amps.

 

[vaper1960]

The Nitecore D2 only charges at .5 amps, which is fine for 18650s.

I think that's for charging two batteries at the same time... I do them one at a time.

 

[Richard Winter]

I think that's for charging two batteries at the same time... I do them one at a time.

I'm pretty sure its limited to 500mA for 1 or 2 batteries

 

[Rossum]

I have Four LG HG2's that are in a Daily Rotation for my Daily Driver.

I ran LG2s in a two-battery rotation for two years prior to the 30Qs referenced a some posts up. I did not notice any real decline in performance, but an actual capacity test down to 2.8V had them looking considerably worse than the 30Qs that were run exactly the same way for two months longer.

One of these days, I'll start a thread with all my data.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

2 amp charge (original Nitecore D2... with the LEDs)

Looking at the manual for the D2 charger, it says it only charges at 0.5A (aka 500mA) regardless of how many batteries you're charging at one time.

When one or two batteries are charged in D2, each charging slot will receive a maximum output current of 0.5A.

 

[vaper1960]

Looking at the manual for the D2 charger, it says it only charges at 0.5A (aka 500mA) regardless of how many batteries you're charging at one time.

Are you sure because I have the older D2... just LEDs (I do have the manual somewhere if I can find it)