how to tell battery condition ?

[ukeman]

i have 5 18650 AW IMR's in rotation for six months now and they are starting to show signs of less use time.
How do i know when they are ready to be put down?

I have used them constantly for six months on 2 Provari's...
- which has a battery check... will they show a lower than 4.2v on full charge?

I'd say they give about 30-40% less use time.

thanks.

 

[Kurt]

Well, they do need a minimum voltage to just power the coil. So at this point you are getting that initially, but it drops much faster than new. I think minimum is about 3 V, but it might be less. But an 18650 is a 2600 mAh batt, so it you are still getting 1500 mAh, that's still not a bad battery. Probably time to get new ones. These still have some kick, although I would expect initial V to start dropping soon. But to answer your question, it depends on how important all 2600 mAh are to you. there is no single set point.

 

[HzG8rGrl]

Remember to check for local collection to recycle those batteries ukeman!
Hope all is going well for you.