Baditude, I'm shopping around for some replacements for my 2 year old AW 18650 IMR 2000mah batts that are starting to require charging every 4 or 5 hours all of a sudden with a 2 amp load. I'm looking at the Efest IMR and the Sony. The Sony 18650 VTC3/VTC4 is being advertised as an high drain IMR button top, but the chemistry is listed as Li-ion, not LiMn as it normally is for high drain IMR Li-Mn. What am I missing? Does IMR/LMR not stand for lithium manganese rechargeable or is the entire battery industry being led astray? It seems everyone who sells this battery is advertising it with the same conflicting terms.
Ok. Understanding Lithium battery chemistries can be challenging. I spent a month researching this subject prior to writing my battery blogs, and I'm still learning stuff to this day. I'll try to make a complex topic simpler to understand.
There's currently three classes of Lithium batteries:
- Li-ion ICR - these are the old school "protected" Cobalt based batteries. Higher mAh - but low drain, high resistance, low amps. A volatile chemistry that requires a built-in IC to even be considered safe to use in many devices.
- Li-Mn IMR - these are relatively new (the last few years). Contain Manganese and/or Nickle making them safer chemistry. Safer chemistry meaning they are inherently safer and not requiring the IC that ICR batteries do, so they are also labeled "un-protected". High drain, low resistance, and high amps.
- Hybrid chemistry - new on the scene. A mix of ICR and IMR chemistry to allow the best attributes of ICR (higher mAh) and IMR (safe chemistry, high drain, low resistance, and often even higher amps).
Chemistry Profile Attributes
IMR (AW, MNKE, Efest)<<<
hybrid (Panasonic & Orbtronic NCR, Sonyvct3 & vct4)>>>(NCR18650B)>>>
ICR (AW ICR)
HIGH DRAIN, high amp, low resistance--high drain, high(er) amp, low resistance, high mAh--low drain, low amp, low resistance, HIGH MAH
The Efest and the AW are showing up in battery shootout tests with the Efest just lightly ahead of the AW, but the Efest is about 30% cheaper and getting some good reviews.
By battery shootouts I'm assuming you mean comparative bench testing with sophisticated measuring equipment. Those have their place and can be quite useful in comparing batteries. However, they can not simulate "real world" practical usage in an advanced personal vaporizer.
Most of the battery information available to us is from the flashlight enthusiasts forums, which in many ways can be helpful for our purposes. However, a flashlight is not an APV. Flashlights are a continuous low drain application; most APV's are a burst high drain application, especially with regulated mods using PWM or mechanical mods using a Kick or RBA.
I've used both Efest and AW's in rotations in my regulated mods. I have found AW's to outperform the Efests. Just my practical experience.
I'm also looking at the Panasonic CGR18650CH, which is a good economical alternative at 2250mah. But, if you look at one, the label says li-ion not li-mn.
This battery is a hybrid battery. I currently use one in rotation with a few AW 18650 IMR 2000mAh batteries in my Provari's. I have not noticed any additional battery time with the Panny. Again, my experience.
BTW, the Sony 18650 VTC3/VTC4 fall into the hybrid chemistry group.
I'm also finding advertised IMR batteries that specify that they are protected. Sheesh! One of the Amazon specs listed an Efest IMR as protected. What I'm finding in the offerings is that there are virtually no Li-Mn batts that are above 2000mah. Do you know of any candidates for longer vape time that are safe chemistry?
This just shows the confusion that many vendors have about batteries and how they present their product listings, which may or may not be correct. IMR batteries do not require IC protection due to their chemistry.
A few of the hybrid batteries may have the option to be purchased with IC protection, such as the Orbtronic NCR18650B 3400mAh hybrid. This battery's chemistry is heavily weighted to the ICR side of the fence so it can benefit from some IC protection. It is also not a high drain battery, has high resistance, has only 6.8 amps, and should for all practical purposes be considered an ICR battery. (It is also not recommended for use in APV's, as Orbtronics notes on the product description page.)
These hybrid batteries are high-drain safe-chemistry batteries with the highest mAh ratings:
Panasonic or Orbtronic NCR18650PF 2900mAh and NCR18650PD 2900mAh.
(Orbtronics uses Panasonic battery cells and re-wrap them in a different wrapper; this is a common practice in the battery trade. Even AW uses the best Panasonic batteries and re-raps them.)
The more I read and absorb, the more that AW 18650 IMR 2000mah seems like a worthy purchase even at $5 more per battery. My first 4 AW's lasted me just short of two years before I started to notice a drop in vaping time.
I agree. I still use AW IMR batteries in all of my mods, both regulated and mechanical. I have some AW 18650 IMR's that are 1.5 years old and still kicking.
Battery to battery, AW's will be the most dependable and consistant battery that you can buy. There's a reason that they have earned the reputation as the most popular battery for advanced personal vaporizers. It's also the reason that they are the most counterfeited battery in the world.
Hopefully I've helped lessen your confusion about batteries.
