It seems to be a semi-common complaint that SVD is power hungry and can chew through batteries pretty quick.
Don't believe anyone ever confirmed it/figured out why, but its come up before.
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It seems to be a semi-common complaint that SVD is power hungry and can chew through batteries pretty quick.
Don't believe anyone ever confirmed it/figured out why, but its come up before.
Good point. I can't speak about the SVD specifically, but it is known that not all APVs regulate their power consumption efficiently or equally well.
I never even GOT 18350's, knowing it probably wouldn't make it more than a few hours. There's an 18490 that you can use in your SVD, and it's still relatively small (for an SVD), but it's 1100 mah compared to 700 for the 18350's.
I think the 18350 cell suffers from the effects of overcharging more so than any other configuration, mainly because of its size and limited capacity. The limited capacity means they get charged more often than the 490, 500 and 650 counterparts, and that shortens their useful life. This is my theory, anyway.
Chargers are supposed to quit when the cell gets to 4.2v. If they'd quit at 4.1v, battery life (measured in charge cycles) doubles.
It's always a good idea to pull the battery off of the charger as soon as it's done, and let it rest for about 30 minutes before using it.
The voltage should read 4.2v immediately after charging. After a rest period, it should read 4.1v. I've tested this with my Nitecore and all of my batteries, using both my Vamo and a multimeter and these results are consistent.
I get about 6-8 hours of use with my Efest 18350's. I get about 8 hours of use with my AW's. I have a rotation of four total and will probably be adding more in the weeks ahead.
Chargers are supposed to quit when the cell gets to 4.2v. If they'd quit at 4.1v, battery life (measured in charge cycles) doubles.
It's always a good idea to pull the battery off of the charger as soon as it's done, and let it rest for about 30 minutes before using it.
The voltage should read 4.2v immediately after charging. After a rest period, it should read 4.1v. I've tested this with my Nitecore and all of my batteries, using both my Vamo and a multimeter and these results are consistent.
I get about 6-8 hours of use with my Efest 18350's. I get about 8 hours of use with my AW's. I have a rotation of four total and will probably be adding more in the weeks ahead.
My Nitecore I4 charges my AW 18650 IMR's quickly. Last night, I charged four 15 minute Ray-O-Vac AA NIMH batteries using all four slots at once and they charged with varying LED levels for two that were more discharged. That shows me it's a true 4 channel charger, although there is some interaction according to the instructions. A single slot in use results in 750mah charging rate, while the use of adjacent slots or alternate slots results in either 375mah charging or in the case of slot skipping (1 and 3 or 2 and 4) it alternates once a second and charges the batteries alternately.
It's definitely a smart charger and worth the twenty something I paid for it.
Read the instructions if you buy one. They inform you that charging a single NIMH or NICAD may result in battery overheating or explosion. Charge them in pairs or fours using the slots specified.
It's definitely a smart charger and worth the twenty something I paid for it.
Read the instructions if you buy one. They inform you that charging a single NIMH or NICAD may result in battery overheating or explosion. Charge them in pairs or fours using the slots specified.
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I use two SVDs and I don't notice them draining my batteries any more than my Vamo or ZMax. I use them more than I ever did my ZMax (maybe not the Vamo), but as far as the drain on the battery, nothing ever appeared to me to be out of the normal. But that's just me.
I think my Sigelei Zmax V3 drains an AW 18650 a little sooner than my Provari. I can generally go from early morning to late afternoon on the Provari on a single 18650. On the V3, I usually use two 18650's in the same day. On the Provari, I'm still vaping until mid morning on the one I installed midafternoon the day before, wattage calculated by voltage/resistance being similar.
I don't consider that a real issue. The electronics are different and the Sigelei is automatically maintaining power output over varying loads. Efficiency may enter into the fray, but I think it's more about workload than inefficiency in power regulation resulting in power being discarded as heat.
I don't consider that a real issue. The electronics are different and the Sigelei is automatically maintaining power output over varying loads. Efficiency may enter into the fray, but I think it's more about workload than inefficiency in power regulation resulting in power being discarded as heat.
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What is the "best" 18650 battery charger ? I am thinking of getting a nitecore but would like to know what others think.
The Pila has been widely recognized as the "best" charger for a few years, but it hasn't been updated since then. Still a great charger as is.
The Xtar VP1 is the closest challenger in quality to the Pila, and many believe its fancy LCD display which shows real-time battery charging status puts it on equal ground with the Pila.
The Xtar VP1 is the closest challenger in quality to the Pila, and many believe its fancy LCD display which shows real-time battery charging status puts it on equal ground with the Pila.
Now that... that was a top shelf, back-handed compliment if I ever seen one.
I bought a Nitecore I4 a couple of weeks ago at Stormy's new B&M store in Macon. My Trustfire TR-001 was getting long in the tooth and I had no backup. The I4 is a good charger. It charges my AW 18650 IMR's in a little over 2 hours as opposed to the 3+ hour charge time for the Trustfire. The difference is that you get 750mah charging rates if you use a single bay, with varying charge rates for paired slots vs all four at once. The I4 swaps slots while charging in some modes by charging one slot then the other in repetition with two bays in use. Slots 1 and 3 are paired, as well as slots 2 and 4. If you use adjacent slots, you get still another algorithm in the charging method. Any combination works just fine, but they caution you against charging a single Ni-Cad or NiMh battery because it will get a 750ma charge that could result in heat or possible destruction of the cell. Read the manual carefully and look up some reviews and tests.
I tried charging some Rayovac 15 minute NiMH batts that I use for various purposes and it did a stellar job of slow charging them. Two were lower charged than the other two when I inserted them. It went into 4 bay mode and showed the difference in the LEDs on each channel as they charged. 15 minute charging on the specialized Ray-O-Vac charger is convenient, but IMO they need slow charging periodically to saturate and condition the cells.
What I like best is that it has 4 bays and allows charging of dissimilar cell types at once. You can mix Li-ion, IMR, Ni-Cad, and NiNM in the bays and it will adjust the charging method and rate to suit the cell in a particular bay, proving that it is a four channel device.
Specs and features are here.
http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=18
I tried charging some Rayovac 15 minute NiMH batts that I use for various purposes and it did a stellar job of slow charging them. Two were lower charged than the other two when I inserted them. It went into 4 bay mode and showed the difference in the LEDs on each channel as they charged. 15 minute charging on the specialized Ray-O-Vac charger is convenient, but IMO they need slow charging periodically to saturate and condition the cells.
What I like best is that it has 4 bays and allows charging of dissimilar cell types at once. You can mix Li-ion, IMR, Ni-Cad, and NiNM in the bays and it will adjust the charging method and rate to suit the cell in a particular bay, proving that it is a four channel device.
Specs and features are here.
http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=18
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If it's the batt case like mine pictured below, it's not a metal zipper. It's plastic. The zipper pull is metal, but it doesn't come in contact with the batts. I prefer my plastic cases but these work well especially for 18350s.
I like the case you pictured.
I look at leaving the house with my ecig as a possible issue if I run out of juice or my battery takes a dive. When I go anywhere, there's a fresh 18650 in my mod and a filled spare carto and battery in my little plastic battery box. You never know when you'll get a call that takes you in a different direction and you don't get back until late. ER, family emergency, whatever, I want to be stocked up for the rest of the day. I feel more comfortable if I know I'm good until the next morning with vaping.
It's kind of like having cash in your wallet so you don't get stuck in line at the cash register when they say, cash or checks only ... the card reader is down.
Trickle charge. Batteries tend to discharge slowly by themselves, keeping them in a charger for too long and they'll recharge as they lose charge by themselves. If I don't use them for 4 or 5 days I pop the whole lot back in the charger just to be safe.
I found that too. I don't like the performance of the AW compared to Sanyo (the pink 2600 that came with the eVic) and the Panasonic. As for the eFest, I'm charging them one at a time, it might not be getting the full charge with the i4...
There's no need to do that. If the battery is still relatively "young" in terms of charge cycles, it shouldn't lose its charge over a week or so. Even if it does, it shouldn't go below its nominal voltage of either 3.6 or 3.7v, which are considered the storage or shipping charge.
Constantly getting your batteries to a fully charged 4.2v state will shorten their lives (again, measured in charge cycles, not time on the clock or calendar).
I disagree. My batts must have about 150 cycles by now (most were bought during April/May 2013). Rechargeable batteries lose about .5% of the charge over a short period. Leave them be for 15 days and they'll be almost fully depleted. The only ones that hold the charge for longer periods are Eneloop or Sony Cycle Energy batteries. All others get discharged, agreed, faster if they're older. Replenishing the charge in an intelligent charger should pose no problem for batteries.
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