Hello,
On 6-23-2013, I posted this...
Absolute Best 18650 Charger
Almost everyone suggested the Nitecore IntelliCharger i4 Charger (or the i2, which I'd find preferable between the two), but this is one of the ones I did not want for the trashy looking O-Scope Charge pattern, among other things. It appears to charge a battery Over 4.2V by a bit, which is one of the things I absolutely did not want. It appears from the Charge patterns that if you leave a battery on the charger after a full charge, the charge is reduced to 4.2V, but it goes Over while charging. You can see this for yourself here...
Review of Charger SysMax/NiteCore i4 V2 ..So I bought the pila IBC.
However, now I am having Battery Longevity and Regulation issues. My batteries don't seem to last as long as they did when they were new. The pila and my 18650's were bought at the same time. I bought four Panasonic 18650 2250 mAh Hybrid IMR's, and have since purchased four AW 18350 700 mAh IMR's for a Vamo V3. My 18350 Batteries don't last as long as when they were new now either, and for both battery types, I also have to keep cranking up the VV or VW for the same Vape and Flavor. As an 18650 Battery discharges, I have to start cranking the VV or VW Up beginning near a 4.0V Battery Charge level. Regulation is supposed to work better than this, especially in a new Vamo.
Also, with a single 18650 in the Vamo V3, I cannot run a battery below a 3.8V charge, where I lose all Flavor. I taste it starting at 3.9V. I still get Vapor, but no Flavor, and adjusting the VV or VW Up does not compensate below a 3.8V Charge, so I have to replace the Battery with a Fully Charged one. That's Longevity on an 18650. With Stacked 18350's, the Batteries will drain down to 6.4V as expected, but I have to constantly adjust the VV or VW Up to maintain the Flavor of my Cinnamon Red Hots. I don't start losing Flavor altogether until about a 6.8V to 6.6V Charge level, so Stacked 18350's are much better, but I still have Regulation issues. The Longevity there isn't as bad, but the batteries are a lot newer, too.
I returned the Vamo V3 to the Vendor within the warranty period for troubleshooting. They said, and I quote, "...it is working as intended and the regulation issues are common or normal of this model and several others that we carry." The Vamo is supposed to be very good at Regulation, so I had trouble believing this from them. They said the Vamo V2 would do exactly the same as my V3. I've asked several Vamo V2 and V3 owners about this, and they all say they don't have this problem. Just so you know, the coils in my AGA-T2's are between 1.7Ω to 2.4Ω with 30g Kanthal on #500 SS Mesh, covered with XS-18 as an insulator under the coil (for no oxidation at all!). At these Ohms, I'm really not "pushing" the Vamo into Regulation problems. I have the same problem with other tanks like the Davide and a Vision Vivi Nova V-Fate.
This makes me think that maybe my Batteries have been damaged by my Charger. Keep in mind that these four 18650's were only purchased in late June of this year, so they aren't old and tired, and I had plenty for rotation. When I wrote the first question, I was using two other 18650's. My new Panasonics came from Orbtronic, and the pila and AW's came from ProVape in two separate orders (if I may say that here). I bought four 18350's for rotation in two sets. I mention where I purchased them in an effort to show that I tried to get the "Real" things. So maybe I got a bad pila, or maybe it's been damaged by electrical Power Fluctuations.
In reply to my original question, Rolygate said...
So Roly, if you see this, I'd like to ask what brands of 18650 and 18350 Batteries You use, and which Charger you are using. I know you cannot make "recommendations" which appear to be "endorsements," but others are able to post what they are using, so I'm hoping you can help me, by PM if nothing else. I'm just looking for your advice - not an endorsement. Hopefully, saying "this is what I use" wouldn't be construed as such. I have seen you mention specific brands before, for some items.
In addition, to any of you using the i2 or the i4, I'd like to know if you've experienced any apparent Battery Damage like I suspect I have, or if you've experienced similar Regulation issues that appeared and worsened over time, which may be attributable to battery damage.
Sorry for the length here. I'm trying to be "detailed" as requested.
Thanks
On 6-23-2013, I posted this...
Absolute Best 18650 Charger
Almost everyone suggested the Nitecore IntelliCharger i4 Charger (or the i2, which I'd find preferable between the two), but this is one of the ones I did not want for the trashy looking O-Scope Charge pattern, among other things. It appears to charge a battery Over 4.2V by a bit, which is one of the things I absolutely did not want. It appears from the Charge patterns that if you leave a battery on the charger after a full charge, the charge is reduced to 4.2V, but it goes Over while charging. You can see this for yourself here...
Review of Charger SysMax/NiteCore i4 V2 ..So I bought the pila IBC.
However, now I am having Battery Longevity and Regulation issues. My batteries don't seem to last as long as they did when they were new. The pila and my 18650's were bought at the same time. I bought four Panasonic 18650 2250 mAh Hybrid IMR's, and have since purchased four AW 18350 700 mAh IMR's for a Vamo V3. My 18350 Batteries don't last as long as when they were new now either, and for both battery types, I also have to keep cranking up the VV or VW for the same Vape and Flavor. As an 18650 Battery discharges, I have to start cranking the VV or VW Up beginning near a 4.0V Battery Charge level. Regulation is supposed to work better than this, especially in a new Vamo.
Also, with a single 18650 in the Vamo V3, I cannot run a battery below a 3.8V charge, where I lose all Flavor. I taste it starting at 3.9V. I still get Vapor, but no Flavor, and adjusting the VV or VW Up does not compensate below a 3.8V Charge, so I have to replace the Battery with a Fully Charged one. That's Longevity on an 18650. With Stacked 18350's, the Batteries will drain down to 6.4V as expected, but I have to constantly adjust the VV or VW Up to maintain the Flavor of my Cinnamon Red Hots. I don't start losing Flavor altogether until about a 6.8V to 6.6V Charge level, so Stacked 18350's are much better, but I still have Regulation issues. The Longevity there isn't as bad, but the batteries are a lot newer, too.
I returned the Vamo V3 to the Vendor within the warranty period for troubleshooting. They said, and I quote, "...it is working as intended and the regulation issues are common or normal of this model and several others that we carry." The Vamo is supposed to be very good at Regulation, so I had trouble believing this from them. They said the Vamo V2 would do exactly the same as my V3. I've asked several Vamo V2 and V3 owners about this, and they all say they don't have this problem. Just so you know, the coils in my AGA-T2's are between 1.7Ω to 2.4Ω with 30g Kanthal on #500 SS Mesh, covered with XS-18 as an insulator under the coil (for no oxidation at all!). At these Ohms, I'm really not "pushing" the Vamo into Regulation problems. I have the same problem with other tanks like the Davide and a Vision Vivi Nova V-Fate.
This makes me think that maybe my Batteries have been damaged by my Charger. Keep in mind that these four 18650's were only purchased in late June of this year, so they aren't old and tired, and I had plenty for rotation. When I wrote the first question, I was using two other 18650's. My new Panasonics came from Orbtronic, and the pila and AW's came from ProVape in two separate orders (if I may say that here). I bought four 18350's for rotation in two sets. I mention where I purchased them in an effort to show that I tried to get the "Real" things. So maybe I got a bad pila, or maybe it's been damaged by electrical Power Fluctuations.
In reply to my original question, Rolygate said...
So Roly, if you see this, I'd like to ask what brands of 18650 and 18350 Batteries You use, and which Charger you are using. I know you cannot make "recommendations" which appear to be "endorsements," but others are able to post what they are using, so I'm hoping you can help me, by PM if nothing else. I'm just looking for your advice - not an endorsement. Hopefully, saying "this is what I use" wouldn't be construed as such. I have seen you mention specific brands before, for some items.
In addition, to any of you using the i2 or the i4, I'd like to know if you've experienced any apparent Battery Damage like I suspect I have, or if you've experienced similar Regulation issues that appeared and worsened over time, which may be attributable to battery damage.
Sorry for the length here. I'm trying to be "detailed" as requested.
Thanks
I started out over 2 yrs ago with just the TR001. I used that for about 1 1/2 yrs and the i4 for around 6 months now. I also am using the same batteries I bought 2 yrs ago. Some have not been used for a while but all of my IMR batteries are at least a yr old and none of them show any charging loss or damage of any kind. They all still charge to 4.12 to 4.2v.
