Best battery & Charger?
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The AW 18350 IMR 700mAh batteries are the best in that class.
The top two chargers are the Pila and Xtar VP-1.
The top two chargers are the Pila and Xtar VP-1.
I was just wondering if I could saferly use a higher mAh so the batteries would last longer.
I'll hav'ta check the price on those chargers.
I'll hav'ta check the price on those chargers.
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Efest offers an 18350 IMR 800 mAh battery. However, Efest is notorious for overstating their battery specifications, and bench testing usually proves that to be true.
I had always used the AW 18350 IMR 700 mAh batteries. I bought a couple of the 800 mAh Efest IMR last summer to give them a shot. After a couple of weeks in my mods' rotation I noticed a dramatic drop-off in battery time compared to the AW's. My daughter noticed the same thing with some Efest 14500 IMR's in her mechanical mods. We both then used the AW's exclusively thereafter.
Any other 18350 that has a higher mAh rating than the AW's will be either be a lesser quality IMR with inflated mAh ratings or a protected ICR battery (which you don't want to use in a regulated mod). AW doesn't inflate their battery specifications...in fact they are rather conservative.
Second the vote for the Pila or the Xtar VP1. (Since I got it I really like the display on the VP1.) If you want to spend less and still get good quality the Xtar WPII 2 is also a very good charger - with less features than the VP1.
Concerning your TrustFire: Check the voltage of the batteries coming off that charger to make sure it's not defective out the gate. Not great chargers, not great quality control.
What 'Bad said about the batteries. For that size it has it's limitations and you already have the best you can get out there. Do make sure you are buying AW batteries from a known, reputable vendor. AW's are faked all the time and the only way to know you are getting the real deal is to buy from a trusted source. That means: Not Amazon. Not eBay.
Concerning your TrustFire: Check the voltage of the batteries coming off that charger to make sure it's not defective out the gate. Not great chargers, not great quality control.
What 'Bad said about the batteries. For that size it has it's limitations and you already have the best you can get out there. Do make sure you are buying AW batteries from a known, reputable vendor. AW's are faked all the time and the only way to know you are getting the real deal is to buy from a trusted source. That means: Not Amazon. Not eBay.
I have checked the batteries, not *right* off the charger, but later before being used, & the multimeter showed 4.1V.
So the charger Does seem to be working correctly.
I'll be shopping for chargers.
So the charger Does seem to be working correctly.
I'll be shopping for chargers.
I use AW batteries only as they recharge to 4.21 volts & last forever. I have some 14500's & 19650's that are 3 years old & still come up to full charge.
I buy my batteries from RTD Vapor as they get them straight from AW.
I am using a xStar 4 bay charger & have used a Pila, but the Pila didn't bring batteries up to a full charge. Don't know why. Had a Ultra that lasted for 2 years & finally wouldn't even power up.
That's my 2 cents worth.
louis
I buy my batteries from RTD Vapor as they get them straight from AW.
I am using a xStar 4 bay charger & have used a Pila, but the Pila didn't bring batteries up to a full charge. Don't know why. Had a Ultra that lasted for 2 years & finally wouldn't even power up.
That's my 2 cents worth.
louis
I am thinking of buying a Nitecore i2 Intellicharger charger from FastTech ($16.50)
If you go on the Nitecore website, it does not even mention Li-Mn batteries such as the Efest IMR-18500 (1100 mAh).
It does say the charger is compatible with Li-ion, Ni-MH and Ni-CD
So, can it be safely used with Li-Mn batteries?
If you go on the Nitecore website, it does not even mention Li-Mn batteries such as the Efest IMR-18500 (1100 mAh).
It does say the charger is compatible with Li-ion, Ni-MH and Ni-CD
So, can it be safely used with Li-Mn batteries?
A very strong claim if I may say so dwc95133. Would you care to expand on how you arrive at that assumption? If it is solely based upon your personal preference, perhaps you could explain what your experiences are with each unit so members can make a judgement as to the credibility of your opinion.
With all due respect to yourself, can you point to any creditable reviewers that might confirm your opinion?
Yes young Mr Sim, Li-mn batteries are of Li-ion Manganese construction.
$3 more and you can get the i4
It doesn't just charge 4 batteries at a time but it can also charge 2 batteries 50% quicker than the i2 (i2 charges 2 batteries at 500mA, i4 charges 2 batteries at 750mA).
Also, when using small batteries like 14500 or smaller, you can put them in slots 1&3 or 2&4 to cut the charging current in half to safely charge them.
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A couple days ago I got a Smok Guardian E -Pipe that came with an EFest IMR 18350 3.7v, 800 mAh,V1 battery in a red case from MadVapes. I remembered this thread and went to a nearby B&M looking for a different brand.
They also had EFest. They said it was a newer chemistry and would last longer than the other chemistry EFest batteries. This one is an IMR 18350 3.7V, Li-MN 700 mAh High drain battery. Discharge current 10.5A.
I understand that the Li-MN (Lithium Manganese) batteries are safer, but I was wondering how folks would rate both of these batteries? Are they quality batteries or not because theyre EFest brand?
Thanks in advance for any info.
Rico
They also had EFest. They said it was a newer chemistry and would last longer than the other chemistry EFest batteries. This one is an IMR 18350 3.7V, Li-MN 700 mAh High drain battery. Discharge current 10.5A.
I understand that the Li-MN (Lithium Manganese) batteries are safer, but I was wondering how folks would rate both of these batteries? Are they quality batteries or not because theyre EFest brand?
Thanks in advance for any info.
Rico
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Rico, I'm assuming this is the purple Efest 18350 with a so-called 10.5 amp continuous. IMHO, Efest has a history of over-rating their battery specs. For instance, the purple Efest 18650 35 amp battery is a re-wrapped LG18650HE2 cell which LG states is only a 20 amp continuous battery. Efest 30 & 35 amp batteries
I have no personal experience with the purple 18350 battery by Efest. However I have used a couple of the regular red 18350 6 amp batteries and they don't compare in battery life to my AW 18350's. They have fallen out of my battery rotation.
Yes, I forgot to say it was a purple case. What do you know about the new Li-MN chemistry batteries? (In general, no particular brand.)
Rico
Rico
After I had 3 Pila's die after 2 years of use they have been replaced with VP-1's and now VP-2. The Xtar's have been flawless. SOC, variable charge rate and now with the VP-2, 26650's are always ready to go. IMO you can't go wrong.
Key words: safer chemistry, high drain, low internal resistance, higher amp rating
IMR, or Manganese (Li-Mn) cathode batteries are modders' preferred battery type. IMR batteries originally used a simple manganese cathode which provided for much higher discharge rates than its ICR counterpart. This was not without a loss though. With the manganese high drain cathode, IMR batteries had a much smaller duty cycle and overall battery capacity was nearly half of the ICR.
Over time, manufacturers started mixing manganese with nickel to improve the duty cycle and capacity of the battery with only a slight reduction to the maximum discharge rate. IMR batteries have a safer basic chemistry than ICR batteries as they can sustain higher internal temperatures before becoming unstable. The manganese cathode has a much lower internal resistance as well, which is the driving force behind the higher drain rating because resistance has a direct correlation to heat generation.
Most IMR batteries (18650) have a maximum discharge rating of 10 amps, with some IMR or hybrid /IMR batteries having more up to 30 amps. (ICR batteries will have less than 4 amps.) This is due to the balance of higher capacity and high drain of todays batteries. It is critical never to assume the maximum discharge rating though. If in doubt, Google can be used to find your battery's data sheet which will state the continuous discharge rate in amps.
IMR/hybrid batteries are a new type of "mixed chemistry" battery manufactured by Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and others. Hybid batteries use a Cobalt cathode like ICR batteries but have the same manganese and nickle makeup which IMR batteries have. This provides for higher drain capabilities like an IMR while also having higher overall battery capacity (mAh) like an ICR. Like IMR's, IMR/hybrid batteries are safer chemistry because of the nickle or manganese components.
Panasonic calls their hybrid batteries NCR while Samsung calls theirs INR. Note that not all Panasonic NCR batteries are considered "high drain". The Panasonic NCR18650B 3400 mAh and NCR18650A 3100 mAh are not high drain and best suited for low drain applications like a flashlight. This is because these two models chemistry is much more heavily weighted to ICR than IMR.
The downfall of hybrid batteries for e-cigarettes comes from how their capacity rating is calculated. Hybrid batteries are capable of a much lower minimum discharge voltage before causing physical damage to the battery. The battery is capable of being discharged to 2.5V whereas IMR and ICR batteries have a cutoff around 3.2V. The hybrid batteries' overall battery capacity (mAh) may not be realized in a regulated mod as the processor will shut down when the battery drains to around 3.4 volts.
Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries
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I have a couple Purple Efest 18350 batteries. They seem ok. But they are not used all day every day. My last efest 18350 batteries (the red ones) only lasted a couple of months before they started to show wear and not hold a charge as long as new.
I hope the purple ones hold up better but the next set of 18350 batteries I buy will be AW.
I don't use 18350 batteries as much as I did when I started out vaping nowadays. Mostly just in my Vamo (which sees sporadic use).
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