Do good quality battery chargers make a difference? Batteries drop voltage too fast for me

[nocturn4l3030]

All my batteries are less than 3 months old... even my AW IMR 18650's just don't seem to keep charge long enough for me.. i am using 1.5ohm's so i know it drains faster.. but I only like how it vapes from off the charger at 4.2v to at lowest 4v. once it hits 3.9 and below i don't really like it and throw it back in the charger or switch them in my Provari. I've tried the AW 18650 2900 mah's and same thing.. and they feel weaker than the AW IMR's even though they're both reading the same voltage /shrug

Anyway was wondering if I were to get a "slow" charging charger like the Pila IBC Charger for 14500 / 17500 / 18500 / 18650 3.7 volt Lithium Battery Charger that has a "slow charge" option.. would it help keep my batteries at a higher voltage or anything?

I love using my non-variable voltage mods.. but i find myself not using them as much as i want to just because my damn batteries don't last long enough for me.. even my 18650's seem to drop voltage just as fast as my 14500's . i'm using the UltraFire WF-139 and i'm trying to take them off the charger as soon as it's done.. though i might miss taking it off half an hour or an hour late once in a while.

anyway any input appreciated

 

[emus]

I don't see how a slow charge will help.
Your IMR may have a slower voltage drop off than Li-Ion.
For consistent vape only thing I know is PT or a high amp VV.
Does you provary do ok at 4.2v and 1.5ohms?
Li-Ion rated at 3.7v gives a boost fresh off charger for a short time.
I'm thinking the answer may be dropping the resistance of carto to make 3.7v vaping more fun.

 

[Bozzlite]

I agree that a slower charge won't increase the charge noticeably.

A slower charge may prolong the life of the batteries some, but it's probably not gonna squeeze more mah's into it. Those smart chargers are programmed to turn off at 4.2 volts regardless.

I've noticed the same thing with my Rough Stack tho. Once the voltage drops down to 3.8, it's time to recharge. I probably run less than .5ml thru it before it needs to be recharged. Boge 2.0 carto.

I have 4 Egos in rotation throughout the day. Recharge every 24 hours whether they need it or not. And they usually don't need it. They only charge for about 35 minutes each.

 

[Nomoreash]

Even though it comes off the charger at 4.2 or close to it they are 3.7 nominal batteries, meaning they will drop the quickest above 3.7 and level out somewhat around 3.7. If you only want to vape at 4v or above you're going to be changing batteries more often although a 18650 will stay up there longer than the smaller ones. Sounds like your preferred vape is above what the battery is actually rated for.

A different charger won't likely make a difference as long as your current one is charging to the correct level and it sounds like it is.

I'm the say way, I find my sweet spot most of the time is around 4.2 but to get that on a unregulated 3.7 battery I'd have to charge the battery ever few vapes. I'd recommend looking into a variable volt mod, that way you can adjust it no matter where your sweet spot is or what your using with it and it's regulated so your voltage will stay the same from the time you start vaping till it's time to recharge, makes life much easier.

 

[jmanning]

I don't think the charger will have an effect on this. I get the best battery life on switching regulator buck mods with 2 li-ion batteries in series. I use 1.5ohm LR306 atties an keep the voltage set around 4v + or -. With this type of setup, there is such a low drain on the batteries, you can drain the batteries much lower than if you are using a single battery setup.

 

[ancient puffer]

I've used several different PV's (lol), but I've found that none of them compare to 5v with about a 2.5-3.0Ω atty. I discovered that, using a Puck that I built for around $12. 3.7v PV's just don't give me that satisfaction (that I get with 5v). Some of the 3.7v are very good, but there's just something about the higher volts that using LR attys won't give you.

 

[nocturn4l3030]

cool thx for the replies everyone

ya i have a provari as mentioned..i jus prefer to use my omega and alpha when im out or home..

sigh i really want to go HV..i got some 6v batteries for my alpha but i love 306s and sorry IKV, but your HV 306s are tight as crap and dont make enough vapor..thats with drilling holes too

and cisco/ikv doesnt even make 306s for 5v...i guess i could go joye atties but the one site i found sell for even more than ciscos/ikvs..

so im stuck at 3.7v with crappy batteries i switch out after about an hour of vaping

i sometimes hate the inconsistencies of vaping...............been getting frustrated lately

 

[nocturn4l3030]

oh and im an atomizer person..i hate cartos

For consistent vape only thing I know is PT or a high amp V.

whats PT?

 

[nocturn4l3030]

I don't think the charger will have an effect on this. I get the best battery life on switching regulator buck mods with 2 li-ion batteries in series. I use 1.5ohm LR306 atties an keep the voltage set around 4v + or -. With this type of setup, there is such a low drain on the batteries, you can drain the batteries much lower than if you are using a single battery setup.

can you, or someone link me an example of mods that use this?

is it those box mods that take 2 14500 batteries and such?

 

[nocturn4l3030]

I've used several different PV's (lol), but I've found that none of them compare to 5v with about a 2.5-3.0Ω atty. I discovered that, using a Puck that I built for around $12. 3.7v PV's just don't give me that satisfaction (that I get with 5v). Some of the 3.7v are very good, but there's just something about the higher volts that using LR attys won't give you.

sigh thats what im aiming for...why arent there good hv 306s........either that or the eight ikv hv 306s i got were all a bad batch...not.

 

[emus]

PT is a pass thru.
Make sure PT or PV can process enough amps to satisfy volts and resistance.

 

[ericdjobs]

A quality charger WILL give you more cycles on your cells...

Something interesting to note.. almost every single commercial cylindrical lithium ion chargers charge lithium ions in a method that is not in accordance with recommendations... they should be charged using a constant current/constant voltage algorithm.. so they actually decrease the effective life of the batteries... the only two that i know follow a cc/cv algo are the Pila IBC charger and the XTAR WP6 6-bay lithium ion charger. (I guess the $15 XTAR WP2 is a proper CC/CV charger as well, according to http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...eview-Comparison-to-Pila-DSD-DX.6105-Chargers )

What I'm probably going to do... get a hobby charger.. they are cheap, you can get one for around $20 now (Turnigy accucel-6 $22 HobbyKing Online R/C Hobby Store : Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer/Charger w/ accessories ) you can charge lithium ions in 1s-6s configurations.. you can set the current at whatever you want.. and you get to built kick-... battery cradles. Oh, and another bonus of owning a hobby charger.. you can seriously start looking into lithium ion flat packs for mods.. you could even make a 2s mod with built in charging using the hobby charger to charge it... because it balances. You can set the current to whatever the battery can handle, so you get the fastest charge possible. Seems like the all around best option for the price.

And don't let them fool you, they look complicated but they really are not so bad. Here are a couple good 'intros' to hobby chargers

Great beginners walk-through written by a member of candlepowered forums: What is a Hobby Charger

Flashlight Wiki entry on hobby chargers Chargers - Flashlight Wiki ( the flashlight and laser enthusiasts use the same lithium ion cells we do )

Proper CC/CV Chargers that I'm aware of:

Xtar WP6 6-bay Charger $34.99: http://www.sbflashlights.com/Xtar-WP6-II-Charger-p126.html (Comes with spacers to fit any types of battery)

Xtar WP2 2-bay charger $14.99: http://www.sbflashlights.com/Xtar-WP2-p78.html (does NOT come with spacers and needs them to fit 14500's and 123a.. maybe others)

Pila IBC (Super T has them, I think) $44.99: http://supertmanufacturing.com/id81.html

 

[nocturn4l3030]

A quality charger WILL give you more cycles on your cells...

Something interesting to note.. almost every single commercial cylindrical lithium ion chargers charge lithium ions in a method that is not in accordance with recommendations... they should be charged using a constant current/constant voltage algorithm.. so they actually decrease the effective life of the batteries... the only two that i know follow a cc/cv algo are the Pila IBC charger and the XTAR WP6 6-bay lithium ion charger. (I guess the $15 XTAR WP2 is a proper CC/CV charger as well, according to Xtar WP2 and MP1 (18650 Chargers) Review: Comparison to Pila, DSD, DX.6105 Chargers )

What I'm probably going to do... get a hobby charger.. they are cheap, you can get one for around $20 now (Turnigy accucel-6 $22 HobbyKing Online R/C Hobby Store : Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer/Charger w/ accessories ) you can charge lithium ions in 1s-6s configurations.. you can set the current at whatever you want.. and you get to built kick-... battery cradles. Oh, and another bonus of owning a hobby charger.. you can seriously start looking into lithium ion flat packs for mods.. you could even make a 2s mod with built in charging using the hobby charger to charge it... because it balances. You can set the current to whatever the battery can handle, so you get the fastest charge possible. Seems like the all around best option for the price.

And don't let them fool you, they look complicated but they really are not so bad. Here are a couple good 'intros' to hobby chargers

Great beginners walk-through written by a member of candlepowered forums: What is a Hobby Charger

Flashlight Wiki entry on hobby chargers Chargers - Flashlight Wiki ( the flashlight and laser enthusiasts use the same lithium ion cells we do )

Proper CC/CV Chargers that I'm aware of:

Xtar WP6 6-bay Charger $34.99: Xtar WP6 II Charger (Comes with spacers to fit any types of battery)

Xtar WP2 2-bay charger $14.99: Xtar WP2 (does NOT come with spacers and needs them to fit 14500's and 123a.. maybe others)

Pila IBC (Super T has them, I think) $44.99: Super T Manufacturing, Innovative manufacturer of electronic cigarette products.

great info. on the cell right now but definitely will look into it. thanks