Hey SMOK, stop playing battery ratings games!

[Mooch]

smok has released the V-Fin 160W internal battery mod claiming it has an 8000mAh rating. Mike Vapes reviewed it (link below) and was kind enough to send me one for testing and smok’s claim is preposterous.

The two cell battery pack inside clearly shows that it uses 12.21Wh cells. Using the marked 3.7V nominal voltage that means each is only 3300mAh. (12.21Wh / 3.7V = 3.3Ah).



My testing confirmed this as the pack delivered 3296mAh at 0.5A down to 3.0V per cell (6.0V for the pack). Two 3300mAh cells in series means it is a 3300mAh 8.4V (7.4V nominal) pack.

Even if we use the concept of “equivalent mAh” this means it only has, roughly, the same running time as a single 6600mAh cell.

Not only did SMOK play an “equivalent mAh” ratings game by not telling us they were doing it but they falsely raised the ratings of their 3300mAh cells to 4000mAh.

SMOK, we have enough problems with exaggerated ratings for the external batteries we use. Why did you exaggerate the capacity rating for these internal cells?

You had a chance to use their true rating and tell us about “equivalent mAh” to help educate the community. You could have easily told us about how a regulated mod using two smaller cells can run just as long as one with a larger single cell. This would have given you a huge “6600mAh” number to use in your marketing.

But instead you just decided to exaggerate the rating. Why?

A follow up: SMOK V-Fin “8000mAh” Battery Test Followup

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Mike Vapes’ Review of the V-Fin:

 

[Walee]

lol, Silly question. You answered it already multiple times: "bigger, better, more"!!!!!!! And this car has 81 cup holders!!!! Hurry, supplies may not last!!!!

 

[Rossum]

Confucius say, Caveat Emptor!

 

[Baditude]

Another INCONVENIENT TRUTH to add to your list, Mooch.

This phenomenon seems to be the "status quo" for many, if not most, Chinese manufacturers in the vaping industry. There is but a precious few that I trust anymore.

Your discovery just provides me with additional fuel for my bias against SMOK products.

 

[stols001]

Yeah, I'm not shocked Smok did that at all, their company motto (IMO) is "More wattage, more power, more explosions, more folks buy more mods...." That's an unfortunately motto to have, really, especially when coupled with Qc.

I'm not sure I "blame" the manufacturers (well yes, actually I DO) because so many new vapers don't realize the possibility, or even understand ratings and etc. There really is no excuse for it, IMO, and I'm glad you are catching some of these more egregious errors. The manufacturer's "designed it and tested it" I'm quite sure. They had to know the real rating somewhere along the way. It may "work" in the short term, but whenever I see an egregious rating anywhere (including you, Aspire, and you know I love your stuff) it just makes me go: "WHHHYYY?"

I mean, new users mostly will buy by choice and preference, if they don't know much. Those who do know better do get put off by such tactics.

Anna

 

[r77r7r]

Lol, there's probably a bunch of guys competing about how quick they can kill this big battery. They'll sell. This is the vaping world now.
And hey, as a lipo only guy, they aren't the only ones.

 

[Walee]

Yeah, I'm not shocked Smok did that at all, their company motto (IMO) is "More wattage, more power, more explosions, more folks buy more mods...." That's an unfortunately motto to have, really, especially when coupled with Qc.

I'm not sure I "blame" the manufacturers (well yes, actually I DO) because so many new vapers don't realize the possibility, or even understand ratings and etc. There really is no excuse for it, IMO, and I'm glad you are catching some of these more egregious errors. The manufacturer's "designed it and tested it" I'm quite sure. They had to know the real rating somewhere along the way. It may "work" in the short term, but whenever I see an egregious rating anywhere (including you, Aspire, and you know I love your stuff) it just makes me go: "WHHHYYY?"

I mean, new users mostly will buy by choice and preference, if they don't know much. Those who do know better do get put off by such tactics.

Anna

Talking to a high school student today and he was saying a lot of students are buying Smoks. They are cheep and have skulls and flashing lights and are really "cool" looking! They have a lot of watts too!!! They don't know a watt from a wart but they sure gots lots of em!!!! And best of all they make BIG clouds!!! WoooHoooo!!! Talk about feeding the FDA ammunition. Good goin Smok......

 

[mimöschen]

There's nothing wrong with bigger clouds and more wattage. As long as the technical aspects fit and you're sensitive to your surroundings.
Smok, like any other company, not only in the vaping industry btw, just caters to the demands of the community.
Did Smok know, if their batterypacks didn't deliver 8000mah? Were the preproduction samples of those cells of higher quality, so that the manufacturer of the batteries is to blame? No one knows for sure.
For what they are, Smok mods are dead cheap. And for that price range, you have to sacrifice either looks or quality. And the mods look gorgeous, so every sane person could do the calculation by himself.

 

[Mooch]

There's nothing wrong with bigger clouds and more wattage. As long as the technical aspects fit and you're sensitive to your surroundings.
Smok, like any other company, not only in the vaping industry btw, just caters to the demands of the community.
Did Smok know, if their batterypacks didn't deliver 8000mah? Were the preproduction samples of those cells of higher quality, so that the manufacturer of the batteries is to blame? No one knows for sure.
For what they are, Smok mods are dead cheap. And for that price range, you have to sacrifice either looks or quality. And the mods look gorgeous, so every sane person could do the calculation by himself.

The cells are marked 12.21Wh/3.7V.
That is 3300mAh.

They knew.

 

[mimöschen]

You're right. Sorry.
Nevertheless you get what you pay for, even if the specs are proposterously overrated.

 

[sonicbomb]

BooooOOOOO!! I'm not surprised.

 

[stols001]

I will say that smok does "attractive" and "color" well. But, they are for the cloud chasers, so even more imperative they keep their ratings accurate. Although, I DO understand why they don't do that, as they are catering to the clouds. I guess they don't worry about explosions as much as some makers, but still, it's almost a recipe for disaster. Etc.

Anna