Confused: how the h3ll do I know what battery I'm actually buying?

[IJLimagery]

Hello all,

So, I'm 1 year into my vaping journey and I love it. The one bad thing I've found that it has brought out the cheapskate in me. When it comes to batteries, this came to light when I realized that I'd be replacing 4 (or so) 18650 batteries every 2 or 3 months. At first, I was paying $15 for a green battery from my local B&M. I call it green and not Sony VTC because now that I'm finally looking at them, only 1 of them has a label and all it says is 18650 2100mAh 3.7V.

My scouring of the internet has yielded a couple deals and I'm wondering if could ask the forum's opinion on.

First I found these Samsung 25r's at fasttech: https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002357/1686801-authentic-samsung-inr18650-25r-3-6v-2500mah

At $11 for 2, that's less than half of what I was paying locally. free shipping! happy days, yes? Or... is it too good to be true. Basically, my 1st question is: is fasttech a good source for batteries?

Then while checking out the black friday deals on .........., I found these eFest 35a 2500mAh: http://www............com/snapshot/6330818532.html?orderId=64478608175858 . At 5 batteries for 8 bucks, I couldn't resist. They're here now, and they seem to work. although, they do seem to deplete quickly. but it's left me scratching my head. Am I kidding myself? or should I stop looking this gift horse in the mouth.

what're the board's thoughts here? It's got me curious to start looking for tools to test batteries. is a cheap voltmeter a good idea? what would be I testing for anyways? i doubt there's an economically viable tool... but who knows?

is this a good idea: New AA AAA C D 18650 9V 1 5V Universal Button Cell Battery Volt Tester Checker | eBay ?
is there a multi meter of some kind that is useful for vapers?

Of note, I live in Vancouver, Canada, so our market is quite limited domestically. I know there are options state-side but shipping is not often free. Vaping is such a new industry, it's hard to tell what a reputable shop is. So many B&M's sell clones. how do we tell the batteries aren't?

thanks in advance and vape on!

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

ive been doing a bit of research myself i havent had any batteries from fasttech but from what i'v e seen said on the forum is that they will take anything around 2-3 months to reach UK & US as they cant send them over by plane so i presume they take the slowboat.
I hear that the ones that say Authentic really are and thats pretty much all i know, i havent seen anything about anyone getting a non authentic and everyone seems to rate em.

Purple 35a efest are rewrapped LG HE2.
Samsung 25R seem to be better than HE2's going on the Graph's.

They also sell VTC5's but are out of stock. dont forget the 2+ months wait.

if you were to go on ebay some people have graphs for the batt's they sell, theres a guy here in the uk called Torchy who's on there and has graphs, also you will find out which batteries are rewraps etc.

all you need is a multimeter for checking batt volts and checking for shorts, ohm box for the coils and maybe something like this>> https://www.fasttech.com/products/1758605 for checking voltage drop.

 

[Ryedan]

Hello all,

So, I'm 1 year into my vaping journey and I love it. The one bad thing I've found that it has brought out the cheapskate in me. When it comes to batteries, this came to light when I realized that I'd be replacing 4 (or so) 18650 batteries every 2 or 3 months. At first, I was paying $15 for a green battery from my local B&M. I call it green and not Sony VTC because now that I'm finally looking at them, only 1 of them has a label and all it says is 18650 2100mAh 3.7V.

When I was vaping more, a set of four 18650's lasted me 2 years. Now that I'm vaping less, they will probably last me 3 1/2 years. Wondering what you're doing that wears yours out so fast.

My scouring of the internet has yielded a couple deals and I'm wondering if could ask the forum's opinion on.

First I found these Samsung 25r's at fasttech: https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002357/1686801-authentic-samsung-inr18650-25r-3-6v-2500mah

At $11 for 2, that's less than half of what I was paying locally. free shipping! happy days, yes? Or... is it too good to be true. Basically, my 1st question is: is fasttech a good source for batteries?

Those are marked 'authentic'. I now of no one who has bought from Fasttech when they said that and got counterfeits. I don't know how long they will take to get to you, but I suspect a month is probably about right.

Then while checking out the black friday deals on .........., I found these eFest 35a 2500mAh: http://www............com/snapshot/6330818532.html?orderId=64478608175858 . At 5 batteries for 8 bucks, I couldn't resist. They're here now, and they seem to work. although, they do seem to deplete quickly. but it's left me scratching my head. Am I kidding myself? or should I stop looking this gift horse in the mouth.

Well, Efest 2500 mAh are really Samsung 25R at 20 amps, if they are legit Efest. At 5 for $8 I really doubt they are legit and I would not vape them.

what're the board's thoughts here? It's got me curious to start looking for tools to test batteries. is a cheap voltmeter a good idea? what would be I testing for anyways? i doubt there's an economically viable tool... but who knows?

An inexpensive digital multimeter (DMM) like this is a great idea. Spending a bit more money is good, but not necessary. You want to check battery voltage. They should be 4.2v +-0.05 freshly charged or there is a problem with your charger. Anything more than 4.30v starts getting dangerous. I vape mechanical mods and try to never let my batteries go below 3.5v. I aim for taking them out at 3.6-3.75v. Take them below 2.5v and they get damaged in a way that can make them burn or explode later.

is this a good idea: New AA AAA C D 18650 9V 1 5V Universal Button Cell Battery Volt Tester Checker | eBay

Not in my opinion. It doesn't give you a voltage reading.

Of note, I live in Vancouver, Canada, so our market is quite limited domestically. I know there are options state-side but shipping is not often free. Vaping is such a new industry, it's hard to tell what a reputable shop is. So many B&M's sell clones. how do we tell the batteries aren't?

thanks in advance and vape on!

I live in Ontario, so I know what you mean. When I need batteries I check out the following:

Illumination Supply
Orbtronic
Battery Junction
Lighthound
RTD Vapor

All of these are known good suppliers that will not knowingly sell counterfeits. I have bought from Fasttech, Illumination Supply and Battery Junction. Illumination Supply is my favorite supplier. They have great prices, shipping to Canada is cheap and the batts get here fast.

Hope that helps

 

[jwag1973]

Check out RTD Vapor or illumination supply, they sell genuine cells. If you buy a quality genuine cell, the performance will be much better over the long haul.

The first thing I'd do is buy a decent charger! I recommend either a Xtar or Nitecore. Not the cheapest one either, lol.

I have Sony VTC4 /VTC5's and they are worth the money. I also have Samsung 25R's which have been performing flawlessly. I have Efest 2500mAh 35A which is really 20A, and 2100mAh 30A. They both have been very good. With the Efest's, they have proven to be very good cells, but they overstate the amp ratings. You need to know that if you're gonna be sub-ohm vaping.

 

[IJLimagery]

woh! $6 for those Samsung's is a steal! I don't have to wait 6 weeks for them too! woohoo! thanks Ryedan and Jwag!
I was on a mech mod for the first 11 months of my vape career. With your comment about taking them out at.... 3.5v.... I think my problem was that I was consistently vaping them... well... until they ran completely dry. I have no idea what voltage that would be.

stupid is as stupid does! thanks for the advice!

i guess my only decision now is what kind of voltmeter to buy. the amazon one looks fancy but i think it might be problematic to hit the fire button while holding the 2 sticks at the atomizer? sounds like a 2 person job!

cheers!

 

[Ryedan]

i guess my only decision now is what kind of voltmeter to buy. the amazon one looks fancy but i think it might be problematic to hit the fire button while holding the 2 sticks at the atomizer? sounds like a 2 person job!

I should have asked before, but I'm assuming you have mechanical mods. To check the battery, take it out of the mod and check it that way. To check RDA resistance, lock out the button and use the probes on the positive and negative posts, polarity doesn't matter.

Here's a video on using a DMM for ecig use.

 

[BigBoyBlue]

Fasttech is good for batteries if you can wait. The last set I ordered took around 2 months to get to me. Not a problem if you still have a couple sets on hand to get you by in the meantime. The prices are so cheap that it's hard to resist ordering from them. Also if they say authentic they are authentic. All authentic marked items are real including batteries.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

the purple 35a efest are LG HE2 and the panasonic 25R is a small upgrade

 

[Train2]

I would not recommend buying batteries from Ebay or FastTech or Amazon vendors. I buy stuff from all three places, all the time, and generally trust them - but there is a proliferation of "fake" batteries - and even the vendor can get misled.

I'd buy from well known and trusted battery specialists.
Like RTD Vapor, or Nitemods, or that flashlight place, Illumn (?).

It's just not worth a couple bucks to find out your 30 amp sony is really not...

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

I would not recommend buying batteries from Ebay or FastTech or Amazon vendors. I buy stuff from all three places, all the time, and generally trust them - but there is a proliferation of "fake" batteries - and even the vendor can get misled.

I'd buy from well known and trusted battery specialists.
Like RTD Vapor, or Nitemods, or that flashlight place, Illumn (?).

It's just not worth a couple bucks to find out your 30 amp sony is really not...

Good point, but surely if one of the cheaper places has vtc5's and its printed on the battery as it would be with an authentic and you've checked the rest of the battery out and confirmed its the same as a genuine would that not be enough.. or ... am ... i.. missing ... something?

Thanks

 

[catalinaflyer]

When I was vaping more, a set of four 18650's lasted me 2 years. Now that I'm vaping less, they will probably last me 3 1/2 years. Wondering what you're doing that wears yours out so fast.

You and I both wondering. I still have the very first pair of Efest batteries I ever bought and in fact am vaping from them in my Sigelei as I type this.

I wonder if these people who are replacing batteries so often are treating them like batteries in their TV remote and running them till they quit working. I have abused these Efest's in mechanicals, used them in regulated mods and they vape just as long as the Efest's I purchased 3 weeks ago with my new box mod however I only run them down to 50% +/- 10% then charge. Not once have I taken them down to empty. I do a lot work with LiPo batteries in self guided flying thingies and the capacity of those batteries are figured at 50% of actual capacity so I treat my LiMn the same since they are a high density Lithium based battery as well.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

You and I both wondering. I still have the very first pair of Efest batteries I ever bought and in fact am vaping from them in my Sigelei as I type this.

I wonder if these people who are replacing batteries so often are treating them like batteries in their TV remote and running them till they quit working. I have abused these Efest's in mechanicals, used them in regulated mods and they vape just as long as the Efest's I purchased 3 weeks ago with my new box mod however I only run them down to 50% +/- 10% then charge. Not once have I taken them down to empty. I do a lot work with LiPo batteries in self guided flying thingies and the capacity of those batteries are figured at 50% of actual capacity so I treat my LiMn the same since they are a high density Lithium based battery as well.

what ohms do you vape at?

i like to only use 0.3v of the batt, i had killed a pair of vtc5's in about 4months sub ohming and recharging when they hit 3.6v, my 35a efest are like brand new after nearly 6months use and even lower ohms than the vtc5's were getting abused with

 

[rurwin]

Good point, but surely if one of the cheaper places has vtc5's and its printed on the battery as it would be with an authentic and you've checked the rest of the battery out and confirmed its the same as a genuine would that not be enough.. or ... am ... i.. missing ... something?

Thanks

One thing you are probably missing is that it is not printed on the battery.

The specifications and markings on the battery may vary depending upon the OEM’s requirements. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the true manufacturer or authenticity of the batteries without physical inspection and manufacturing code research.

-- http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/2cttd4/sony_vtc5_18650_notice_from_sony/

Pictures of a real and a fake VTC5 here: http://ukvapers.org/Thread-Fake-Sony-VTC5

 

[catalinaflyer]

what ohms do you vape at?

i like to only use 0.3v of the batt, i had killed a pair of vtc5's in about 4months sub ohming and recharging when they hit 3.6v, my 35a efest are like brand new after nearly 6months use and even lower ohms than the vtc5's were getting abused with

When I was vaping at "ohm's" I usually shot for the .2 to .4 range on my RDA and 1.0 to 1.2 on my Kayfun. Now I run EVERYTHING on regulated box mods and vape in watts not shooting for specific ohms. I have played around ALOT with different resistances on my RDA ('s) and on my go-to which is an authentic (not that it matters) Origen V1 I have found the maximum flavor and vapor (yes I have found that for myself the sweet spot for both is the same) is a pair of 1.8 ohm (.9 final) micro coils vertical with synthetic cotton wicking set at 47 watts.

When I first started vaping I built an 18650 single cell sled with gold contacts that I would hook up to one of my $400+ Li** computerized chargers. I actually ran the batteries though a series of analysis cycles and was all guns a blazing about perfect battery care and health. Then I realized I smoked more in cigarettes a day than I spent on a battery and threw it all to the wind. Still keep in my mind what the batteries are, what their capable of and what not to do to them but otherwise, I charge, vape, repeat and they're still working perfectly.

The capacity may have dropped off some but until I got my SMY 260 I did not have a mod of any sort that kept record of the number of seconds the mod was actually firing. And since I change wattages up and down a little all the time that information is really irrelevant anyway. When I get to where a set will not last an entire day on a charge then I'll throw them in the salt water tank with my spent LiPo's and grab a new set but I'm not going to waste hours a day or even week, probably not a in a month worrying about my batteries. I'm not sending priceless one-of-a-kind flying things off into the unknown without knowing exactly the state of the batteries, I'm vaping to relieve the stress of the priceless flying thingies headed off hoping they will come home.

Maybe (probably) just me but if I were to have to stress as much about batteries, ohms, coils, air holes, juice nuances etc. as many on here try to do I would have stuck to stopping at the corner market on my way to the office and saying "two packs of ********" and only had to worry about whether or not my Bic had enough butane to make it through the day. Again, I'm vaping to relieve some of the same stress I used smoking to relieve, not create additional stress throughout the day.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

One thing you are probably missing is that it is not printed on the battery.

-- http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/2cttd4/sony_vtc5_18650_notice_from_sony/

Pictures of a real and a fake VTC5 here: Fake Sony VTC5

but it is printed on the VTC5, underneath the shrink wrap, if you have one you might be able to read it if you push down the shrink wrap to the battery you can just about see through it

 

[IJLimagery]

I was surprised that my batteries were not lasting longer too. perhaps 2 months was an exaggeration. but I did notice a drop off in performance (i.e. they'd only last me 2 or 3 hours while at work vaping fairly constantly) after about 4 months.
I had never been told that I shouldn't fully drain my batteries. lesson learned. thanks guys.

It would be great to have batteries last years. I would be totally inclined to hunt down some $16 vtc5's.

I am with you, Catalina. I look forward to the day when there's a product that I can plunk $200 down on and set it and forget it. thanks for your tips about how you wrap and at what resistance. I think i will eventually go the same route. 0.7 - 0.9 build on a tank. on a dual 18650 box mod. and have a mech around to tinker when I'm bored.

I was going to pull the trigger on a ipv3 but 2 factors told me that I should wait. the button is kinda dinky and... no pass through mode.

somebody's bound to make the right box mod for me in 2015!

thanks again for all the comments! I've learned a lot