Battery Life

[MrHappyGoLucky12]

What's the best way to get maximum life out of your batteries? Fully charge them initially and then use them til they're drained completely or never let them drain completely, or some other method?

 

[dbrandt01]

I never drain a battery all the way down. about 3.8v on an 18650 I'll charge it. I can usually feel it. On a device with a hardwired battery like an istick I go down to about 1/3 battery life left.

 

[Mooch]

Batteries last the longest when they're not brought to either end of their voltage range. That means charging to less than 4.2V and not discharging below 3.0V or so. They certainly have to be charged more often when doing this though and that can be quite inconvenient. Ar a certain point it's just easier to buy a new battery every year or so.

Not charging or discharging quickly is probably the biggest thing you can do to extend a battery's life. High temperature is the real killer. If your batteries ever get beyond warm, their life is being shortened.

 

[BrotherBob]

I my book,heat is the number one battery killer. Do not let your battery(s) get near any additional heat source such as a device, sun,etc. for any long periods of time. My guess, if you treat your battery(s) like your ejuice and you should be fine.

 

[suprtrkr]

I tend not to worry about it much. I also tend to PIF old batteries.

 

[DreamWithin]

If you're up for a little not-so-light reading, Battery University is a great resource with all kinds of technical info on batteries

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

 

[Alien Traveler]

Most important - do not store you batteries fully charged.
You may save a dollar or two per year if you do not charge your battery fully. If your charger shows you when battery is almost full, you can stop charging. On regulated mod I would not bother with discharge level - these mods stop working in a very safe territory.

 

[sonicbomb]

Don't charge beyond 4.1v, don't discharge below 3.6v, don't over stress the cell with amp loads higher than their CDR and keep them cool.
The ideal charge level for long term storage is 3.82 volts according to the Battery University.