best 18650 battery for provari

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Thrasher

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the ones bad linked are the ones i use now.

i will not tell you to ignore or recommend using anything other then what provape suggests to do. I will not try to convince you to ruin the warranty, or take a chance with your gear, i will just relay what I have chosen to do myself. :D

with that said i run 1.8 to 2 ohm coils on my provari around 4 ish volts. with the 2900 pd im changing batteries every 3rd day.
 

stardust

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Panasonic makes an 18650 hybrid IMR battery rated at 2250 mAh and is often less expensive that AW's 2000 mAh. I purchased one just to test out one of the new hybrid IMRs. I can't say I've noticed any longer battery life in this battery than the AWs in my rotation. Batteries : Panasonic Hybrid/ IMR CGR18650CH Button Top

I believe Thrasher has been using Batteries : Panasonic High Drain NCR18650PD Hybrid 2900mAh Button Top with a 2900 mAh rating and likes them a lot.

ive been looking at those exact same ones, but i cant justify 14 for a single. i know fast tech has them for a pair but the measurement says its 1mm off @ 65mm instead of 66.5 so im not entirely sure if they're the same ones or if it is a typo
 

Zang

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ive been looking at those exact same ones, but i cant justify 14 for a single. i know fast tech has them for a pair but the measurement says its 1mm off @ 65mm instead of 66.5 so im not entirely sure if they're the same ones or if it is a typo

Don't know if it's a very good idea to buy batteries from fast tech. Are they clones? Has anyone actually tried them? It's been quite a while since I read about cloned batteries, but gonna look and hopefully there are ways to tell.
 

stardust

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Don't know if it's a very good idea to buy batteries from fast tech. Are they clones? Has anyone actually tried them? It's been quite a while since I read about cloned batteries, but gonna look and hopefully there are ways to tell.

i contacted obtronics about the exact same battery that they have out of stock, waiting for them to reply to me
 

stardust

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i have 6 batteries from fasttech they say they are authentic, and they work just like the same ones bought elsewhere.

after all this controversy I have contacted panasonic directly (yesterday) about fasttech and am (hopefully) waiting a response

can you message me when you get an answer? i would greatly appreciate it
 

Tommy Aces

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Add to the fact that Provape designed and built the Provari around these batteries, no, no real reason.

Except this being the only mention of batteries in the ProVari owner's manual:

"Batteries – We recommend you use a IMR high drain 18490/18500 batteries or a IMR high drain 18650 battery with the optional 18650 adapter. This will give you the full range of voltages and best performance"

I will scream it from the rooftops every day if I have to, any battery that meets the qualifications stated in the manual is fine and will not void your warranty, contrary to popular belief.

As long as you are using the proper battery chemistry and are not using magnetic spacers on a flat top, you are fine.

Does anybody care to debate whether the Orbtronic or Panasonic isn't as good or better than either of the AW 16650s for use in a ProVari?
 

sawlight

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Except this being the only mention of batteries in the ProVari owner's manual:

"Batteries – We recommend you use a IMR high drain 18490/18500 batteries or a IMR high drain 18650 battery with the optional 18650 adapter. This will give you the full range of voltages and best performance"

I will scream it from the rooftops every day if I have to, any battery that meets the qualifications stated in the manual is fine and will not void your warranty, contrary to popular belief.

As long as you are using the proper battery chemistry and are not using magnetic spacers on a flat top, you are fine.

Does anybody care to debate whether the Orbtronic or Panasonic isn't as good or better than either of the AW 16650s for use in a ProVari?

And that is all fine and dandy, but when someone puts it right on the page where you order, it might be worth reading and there might be a reason they put it there.

As for Panasonic's, well AW's batteries are Panasonic's! They go through and sort out the best of the best, then re-sell the rest. The best get labeled as AW batteries. Something that a lot of people don't either know, or care to remember.
 

Thrasher

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AW himself has stated once on the flashlight forums, and this has also been echoed by the guy running orbtronics, within a thread in the GG forum thet he does not rebrand batteries.

and a panasonic is a panasonic there are none better then others. panasonic has stated numerous times that every battery passes all of their tests or they dont sell them. so unless someone is measuring some minute difference i dont se what they would be looking for.

while I said earlier i would not try to make others do what i do, there is no magical connection to the provari that differs between batteries. a lot of companies recommend AW simple because they have proven themselves to be reliable with a low internal resistance.

on the warranty page:
"Using improper batteries or magnets on your batteries will void the warranty"

do you know why the recommend AW?

"The AW IMR type cells that we carry use the manganese chemistry and are the safest of the lithium chemistry types. They have passed all our tests and are rated to work with the full range of voltages that the ProVari can offer.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/provape/334831-technical-why-high-drain-batteries.html

since the article is dated 09-20-2012 and the testing was done much ealier i have no doubt they havent even tested anymore since.
 
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sawlight

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Sorry, Thrasher, normally you and I are on the same page, but this time I have to digress.
I've been a flashaholic longer than I've been vaping, I've read, learned and done a lot with flashlights, and continue to do so. Most of where our mods came from came from flashlight improvements that got implemented in other ways.
Anyway, from CPF, AW Batteries?

As for why they recommenced them, unlike flashlight manufactures, that a lot of different sized batteries will fit into the tube and work, PV's tubes are made to fit the particular battery they have on hand! Try and fit an Ultrafire 3000mah battery in a Lava tube, it wont fit! Fits and works in all my 18650 flashlights, same with the AW's, which are shorter and so on.
Provape built the tube, the circuit board and electronics around the AW battery. The recommend this battery because lesser batteries will make the circuitry think the battery is dead/dying when pushed and wont work. I'm not saying the new Sony's and Panasonic's high drains aren't capable, or even better in many ways. BUT you and I know what we are doing and why we are doing it. Many have no idea, most people think that any 18650 battery is an 18650 battery. They aren't, not buy any stretch of the imagination! Some are 1/4" longer, some 1/4" shorter, some are high drain, most aren't! Most of them are over rated, the 3000mah Ultrafire mentioned above being a prime example!
I'm just saying they chose this battery for a reason and I certainly can't test every one out there to make sure it's going to fit and function to say "Yeah, that one works great, but this one it doesn't like!" AW's aren't that much more, I just advise people to stick with the manufactures recommendation, it keeps it simple and safe for everyone.
 

Thrasher

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well if the post you link is in fact the truth then there is no reason NOT to use the panasonic instead. as it clearly implies all he is doing is rewrapping pannys ad charging more. so why pay a middleman? If panasonic is responsible for AW's reputation might as well go direct.

I have no proof and cant find any links but it has been stated multiple times he doesnt rebrand sells, i can only go by information i can find.

and again the engineering and waranty page on provape clearly state they tested the AW FOR the provari - no actual statements saying it was built with them in mind. and they used to sell other cells at one time.
 
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sawlight

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Baditude

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I get what sawlight is saying above. AW is the brand Provape expressively recommends for the Provari. Will other brands work? Of course. But for people who aren't battery-educated and they ask what battery should they use in their Provari, the "Better" answer is to say "Provape says AW IMR button tops". They are easy to recognize and easily found. They are a great battery and have been for a long time. So much so that the ECF battery guru's declared it specifically to be the safest battery and the one that they recommend above all others to be used in mods for ALL applications.

The new Pannys and probably the new Sony's may be a better battery, but the Panasonics line of batteries can be hard to tell apart. And if they become as popular as I think they will, counterfeits will be everywhere to further complicate the issue.
 
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john333

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after my initial purchase of the provari starter kit I got the extender cap along with a couple AW IMR 18650 2000mAh batts. they work fine but I don't care for the added length and prefer the original AW IMR 18490 1100 mAh batts. I have no plan to switch to another batt to save a couple bucks but would like to save a couple bucks by buying them from the vendor with the best price. can someone recommend the vendor with the best prices on AW IMRs. TIA
 

Baditude

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I do have a question. Are there other mod manufacturers that specify the use of a particular battery like Provape does? I've looked over quite o few different mods and havent remembered seeing any.
None that specifically name a brand like Provape does with AW, at least not that I can recall. An explanation that I had read was Provape did their own internal testing of the available IMR brands at that time while designing the Provari, and found the AW brand to be the most consistant in quality and performance. Being safety conscious, they designed the Provari to accept only button top IMR's, to avoid accidentally putting a battery in backwards and causing reverse polarity.
 
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sfeltch

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Makes sense. Also I suspect they are one of the few that actually have a written warranty and it could be a precaution taken to eliminate warranty issues created with batteries not tested. Also understandable. And in my opinion reasonable enough trade off for said written warranty. You want a warranty use the batteries we have tested.

That being said I sure wish they would do a little testing on other batteries to include them in the category of "proper". It would be nice for their customers to have more of a selection. I'm personally not much for the "if it's not broke dont fix it" I personally like to think I'm more of a "ok, it works now, lets improve it." kinda guy.

So what does this mean for me.....the "new" Provari guy?

...... I have an AW IMR 18490 in mine. I want the warranty for the year. After that who knows.

Guess its really up to the user what he/she wants.
 

Technonut

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I do have a question. Are there other mod manufacturers that specify the use of a particular battery like Provape does? I've looked over quite o few different mods and havent remembered seeing any.



The Recommended batteries for REO Mods are the AW IMR.. (I played a major role in the mod-maker's decision to do so back in late 2010 / early 2011, known as the REO battery wars ;) ) Batteries and chargers

Only use Aw imr batteries in my mods. Using improper batteries can damage your mod even worse cause harm to you

I have seen many sites where the AW IMR is recommended for the Chinese VV / VW mods also. (Like this one for example)

Lambo 4.0 by L-Rider

use IMR Batteries with the Lambo 4.0; we recommend AW Batteries, as they are proven to be the best on the market!

I know they were recommended by Super-T before he started selling Pannys. Even now, look at what this page says the Precise Plus line-up accepts.. ;)

Super T ~ PrecisePlus Units



GP PAPS: http://www.vapourart.com/en/product/gp-paps-18350-ss-edition-version-25

All of our tests have been made using AW IMR 18χχχ batteries and we recommend AW IMR BATTERIES for that mod. Of course, one can put protected batteries, but there is a huge difference between them and the IMR batteries in efficiency, safety and duration, so it is an obvious choice.


If I would think about all the other major mod-makers who recommend AW IMR batteries, I could go on, and on... ;) :)
 
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