Best 18650 battery?

[jb0yz]

I've been doing a bit of research but I'm still slightly confused, picked up a big daddy vari volt box mod from ken's box mods, and am looking for a location to buy extra batteries if/when needed. Are the ones he sells the best available?

I've heard IMR protected high drain batteries are the best, when looking there seems to be 3 makers AW, Ultrafire, and Truefire that keep showing up so I'm assuming those are the top 3.

When it comes to mah I see ratings go anywhere from 1600 to 3000mah, a lot of them appear to be Chinese POS's and won't accurately refect the amount of mah the batteries really have, also some are identified as high drain but none seem to be identified as low drain.

What I'm looking for is the best "bang for buck" anything within the price range of $10-20 a battery seems acceptable to me, looking for performance and longevity of the battery before anything else obviously, preferably US seller, I don't really trust stuff from dealextreme and the 1-2 week waiting peroid for shipping is a bit obnoxious.

I've seen a technical breakdown of amp/hour on a bunch of 18650's and that was a little bit too busy for my eyes. If someone can just make a reccomendation on what mah, make, and if possible best cheapest place to get that exact model in a timely fasion it would be much apperciated.

Also if you know what chargers would work best for the above battery. Cost on this isn't really a concern here, what I'm looking for is quality above all else and ability to charge overnight without worrying about my house burning down even though the area that will be used for charging is completely concrete for protection.

thanks in advance!

 

[tybin]

aw batteries will give you the best consistency. yes, they cost more but they last long if you take care of them and give a consistent vape

 

[tintal]

I second for AW batteries. In the 'suppliers' sub-forum you can find US based AW reseller who is great guy to deal with.

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

A 3rd for AW from me.

Here is where you can get them direct from him on the ECF Supplier's forum http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ers-exporters-america-shipping-worldwide.html

 

[Liv2Ski]

I'll chime in with a 4th on the AW's. They have not let me down yet

 

[Diablo]

AW here also.

Starting to see a pattern here

 

[ejoker]

gonna go out on a limb here and recommend aw ...

 

[jb0yz]

ok, so AW is the way to go, thanks for the suggestions!

I see these 2900mah 18650 for $16.99 each, do these look like a solid choice for a Big Daddy w/18650 x2?
Super T Manufacturing, Innovative manufacturer of electronic cigarette products.

any recommendation on chargers?

 

[Liv2Ski]

jboyz - I am not sure about the big Daddy since I do not have one, but that 18650 is a flat top and a little longer than the red AW:

AW IMR 18650

I do have one of the 2900 mahs and can get it into my REO Grand but it is tight. It will not fit in the Provari though.

For a charger I use both the WF-139 and the WF-188 to keep all my MOD batts charged up. You could go the Phila route but that is a little pricey and I have found the two I have listed get the job done nicely. Hope that helps

 

[Diablo]

ok, so AW is the way to go, thanks for the suggestions!

I see these 2900mah 18650 for $16.99 each, do these look like a solid choice for a Big Daddy w/18650 x2?
Super T Manufacturing, Innovative manufacturer of electronic cigarette products.

any recommendation on chargers?

Those are the same ones I use (not in the mod your are asking about). I love them they last me all day, and I have not had any problems with them. They are not IMR so wont perform as good as them but they last all day which was deciding factor for me. A lot of folks don't care about how long a battery last just how it performs, if you are one of those then look at the AW IMR's. Under load they will deliver a little bit more volts.


I bought the Pila charger based on the great reviews on it. It charges the batteries to 4.1x volt range instead of 4.2. From what I read from the battery gurus, is that is better for the battery and will extend the life of it. It is also safer to leave a battery on the Pila after it is charged vs the other models. I don't like to leave them on the charger but some nights I am not willing to stay up late just to babysit them and that feature is a bonus for me.

 

[Liv2Ski]

Diablo which MOD are you using the 2900 mahs in??? I know they are super tight in the REO and as I posted above I do not have any knowledge of the big daddy. Maybe someone knows for sure if they will fit for the MOD jboyz wants to use them in.

 

[Diablo]

Diablo which MOD are you using the 2900 mahs in??? I know they are super tight in the REO and as I posted above I do not have any knowledge of the big daddy. Maybe someone knows for sure if they will fit for the MOD jboyz wants to use them in.

Reo Grand, it fits in there nicely for me, maybe my spring is a bit softer in it than yours, its the only battery I have ever put in it.

 

[Liv2Ski]

Thanks man. I know another member who has one for her REO and it fits but it is tight. Still a great batt and as you stated it runs for a darn long time.

 

[basilray]

Let me chime in...

DO NOT waste your money on the 2600mAh or 2900mAh AW Black jacketed battery! If you do not want a high drain battery, then save yourself some money and get the TrustFire Flame 18650. Gives you pretty much the same power over time as the black AW, but they are about 1/3 of the price.

DO BUY an AW IMR 18650. These can be had for around $10 from several vendors, including Super T Manufacturing, who has a realy low $2.50 or so shipping.

My personal favorite 18650 is the MNKE IMR. This can be purchased from Digital Ciggz or AtmosUSA (Atmos is cheaper). This battery is made by the same manufacturer that makes the suggested 26650 for the Helix. The MNKE 18650 will be the suggested battery for the Eclipse (someday soon, hopefully). The MNKE is capable of a much higher current output than the AW. Thusly, it will not be stressed as much in high drain applications (i.e. a ProVari). These batteries are flat-topped, so be ready for a mod that can use them, or have a magnet spacer. They work great in the Reo Grand w/o a spacer. Same goes for the GGTS.

When it's all said and done, the red AW IMR is a great battery, and I cannot imagine using anything less. But the MNKE is my personal favorite. I avoid anything non-imr at all costs. Once you make that switch to IMR, you'll likely never look back.


EDIT: I should have elaborated on the difference between the Li-Ion and the IMR/Li-MN batteries. Here we go, in layman's terms.

Li-Ion batteries require protection circuitry because of the battery chemistry. They are prone to problem. The Li-Ion chemistry also does not allow for as consistent of a discharge, but generally packs in more mAh (milliamp hours). Higher mAh, means longer lasting battery...kind of.

The problem with Li-Ion batteries is not typically the mAh and how long it will power an atomizer, it's the voltage drop-off. Li-Ions will come off the charger at 4.2v, but under load they quickly begin to drop voltage output. You should notice that a freshly charged Li-Ion battery off the charger really rocks, but after a short time, it's not as good of a vape. This is because the battery cannot consistently deliver the same amount of power over time to the atomizer.

Li-mn batteries or IMR batteries use a different battery chemistry, Lithium Manganese. These do not require protection circuits. They are capable of putting out much higher amperage and voltage discharges over time. They can be charged in the same chargers you charge your Li-Ion batteries, and also come off the charger at 4.2v. They will, however, stay much closer to 4.0v +/- .2v over the life of the battery. Because of the higher discharge, they will give you a better more consistent vape over the life of the battery, until it finally sputters at the end of the discharge cycle. The trade-off to using Li-Mn batteries: they do not hold the same amount of mAh or power. Typically, they are rated at only 1500mAh. This alone is misleading. Because these batteries do not sag in voltage, you will essentially get almost every drop of power out of the battery before it needs to go on the charger again. With a Li-Ion, after a short period, there is plenty of life left in the battery, but they are not putting out the same amount of power they were at the beginning of the discharge cycle.

 

[Diablo]

As I had stated battery life was more important to me vs performance. Based on your vaping amount how long does a AW IMR last vs a AW 2900mah. I know after about 8 hrs of vaping quite a bit my battery sits at 3.85-3.9 volts(4.16v off the charger) and still hits hard. From what I have seen in tests the IMR is going to give you .1-.2 more volts under load. To me it means nothing and to others it may or may not mean anything. I will take the hit to have a battery last 10+hrs vs 4hrs anyday.

 

[sierra22]

+1 For the Trustfire Flame Batteries! They Rock!

 

[basilray]

As I had stated battery life was more important to me vs performance. Based on your vaping amount how long does a AW IMR last vs a AW 2900mah. I know after about 8 hrs of vaping quite a bit my battery sits at 3.85-3.9 volts(4.16v off the charger) and still hits hard. From what I have seen in tests the IMR is going to give you .1-.2 more volts under load. To me it means nothing and to others it may or may not mean anything. I will take the hit to have a battery last 10+hrs vs 4hrs anyday.

A single 18650 IMR easily lasts a full day of pretty heavy vaping w/ a 1.5ohm atty. Not sure where you're getting 4hrs from.

 

[Diablo]

I dont run the battery down past 3.7-3.8, how low do you let your IMR's go, I put it back on the charger at that point. You can read all about the provari guys .....ing about the poor runtime on the IMR's with some even willing to stick the AW black battery in and just not screw the cap all the way back in.

But I guess you want facts that it don't last anywhere near as long, as well as comparing the 2 batteries. Mostly talks about the 2600 but there is info on the 2900 down further.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/battery-issues/135545-whats-diff-performance-18650-2900mah-vs-18650-1600mah-high-drain.html

 

[kot1rc5]

What ever you decide, get button tops for the BigDaddy. The AW IMR 18650's (flat top) I use on my REOGrand, fit but don't touch the bottom, it needs spacers, but the spacers make it too tight.

 

[jb0yz]

I got the trustfire flame in my bigdaddy right now, that's what they shipped with. They are pretty good and last an extremely long time already so I might stick with that, there is very little room in there for anything bigger unless I break out a dremmel or something I think, less than a mm from both top and bottom combined.

So I'm thinking I just get a 2600mah aw or stick with the trustfire flames to be on the safe side, don't feel like dumping $34+shipping just to see if these fit without modification, thanks for the info on them being a bit larger than normal 18650's. I looked around a little there doesn't appear to be an option for button tops for the 2900mah from the places I've seen. I admittedly didn't look around all that much though. That or if someone that owns a bigdaddy can confirm they fit or not. I've heard they fit in the provari but I see a little inconsistency in some of the reports it seems.

The price of the pila is within the price bracket I'd be alright with paying for a quality charger if I can save in the piece of mind department. Thanks for the suggestion!

I do have to say, the bigdaddy vv + dual coil lr cartomizer = happiness it's not a whole lot to look at, but the consistency of performance between charges and the several days of life between charging is just plain awesome and I'm a pretty heavy vaper 3-5ml/day I'd normally have to carry an extra ego/kgo battery with me everywhere I went, not anymore! Also this is my first VV and it is the way to to go if you switch liquids alot, each flavor has it's own sweet spot, I'm re-discovering flavors I hadn't thought were that good before, I just wasn't using them at the right voltage I don't think.