Indented Negative on Battery

[PBody19]

So I have this LG HD2C battery. Its probably 2 months. It probably has in the neighborhood of 40 charge cycles on it. For a while it was part of a married set of 4 batteries that I rarely discharged below 3.8v. I now use it in a single battery mod, so I've been running it longer, though I rarely discharge it down to the "battery low" cutoff on my IPV D3.

Last night, I noticed the battery seemed to be getting kind of warm, even though it was still in the vicinity of 4v charge. I was running it at 80w, which really doesnt even get warm up the LG HG2 that I have, let alone this 25A HD2C. So i took it out of the mod to inspect, and I noticed the negative side was indented (see pictures). I strongly suspect that this may have happened when I was inserting the battery, either in one go or over time, but I cant be sure. I am pretty gentle with my batteries, so I was rather surprised.

Is this battery still safe to use? Was the warmth likely caused by this damage? I inspected my LG HG2 after that, and noticed it was also indented at the negative terminal, although VERY slightly, whereas this indent is pronounced. The HG2 never appeared to be getting hotter than usual to me, though I suspect that one has been indented for a while, as it is about 8 months old. I havent used the HD2C again yet, so I dont know if it will get to a temperature I find to be concerning if used again. I plan to get a new batteries for this mod, but I dont have any spare 18650s laying around in the mean time.

Can anyone tell me if this battery is safe to use, at least for a few more cycles? It was, for the most part, a pristine battery, and I would hate to have to chuck it already. Also, the positive is still perfect. And what about my HG2? The indent on the HG2 is only like 25% as deep as this one, max, in my estimation, but it is there. Ill post a picture if needed. Thanks.

P.S. This battery is authentic, I got it from originvape.com. Dont think there are many fake HD2Cs going around anyway.

 

[Asbestos4004]

That's a pretty significant dent....you have a mod with a set screw in the battery cap, don't you? Personally, with the dent and the fact that it seems to be getting warm, I think I'd cull that one out. Although, I would expect any single 18650 to get warm after asking 80w from it.

 

[Eskie]

At least you know the negative post is making a really solid connection there. I've never seen anything like that. That would require some major pressure being applied to dimple it like that. Did you put it next to say your HG2 and see if they're the same length?

 

[SteveS45]

That is a serious dent and I would not take a chance with that one. This is just my personal opinion and not based on anything except for how I feel about it. Not open for discussion.

 

[Eskie]

That's a pretty significant dent....you have a mod with a set screw in the battery cap, don't you? Personally, with the dent and the fact that it seems to be getting warm, I think I'd cull that one out. Although, I would expect any single 18650 to get warm after asking 80w from it.

I have one of those D3's and there's no set screw/cap. A simple magnetic back.

 

[PBody19]

That's a pretty significant dent....you have a mod with a set screw in the battery cap, don't you? Personally, with the dent and the fact that it seems to be getting warm, I think I'd cull that one out. Although, I would expect any single 18650 to get warm after asking 80w from it.

Not really sure what you are trying to describe, but the mod I was using at the time is an IPV D3. The negative connection is the one that "pops out" for that mod. It is spring loaded though, and has fair amount of give IMO, but its not super "springy." I hear what you are saying about 80w making a battery warm. I figured a 25A battery wouldnt get too warm from that though. Therefore, it is possible I just never noticed the warmth before because I wasnt checking, and when I finally did, I just happened to notice the battery was indented. But I really cant say for sure what has happened here, thats why I stopped using it for right now.

 

[Asbestos4004]

Not really sure what you are trying to describe, but the mod I was using at the time is an IPV D3. The negative connection is the one that "pops out" for that mod. It is spring loaded though, and has fair amount of give IMO, but its not super "springy." I hear what you are saying about 80w making a battery warm. I figured a 25A battery wouldnt get too warm from that though. Therefore, it is possible I just never noticed the warmth before because I wasnt checking, and when I finally did, I just happened to notice the battery was indented. But I really cant say for sure what has happened here, thats why I stopped using it for right now.

Any idea how that might have happened? Was the battery in another mod with a different negative set up? Sure looks like a set screw dent.

 

[SteveS45]

To me it looks like you might have dropped your MOD or at least it bounced a bit hard when putting it down. Just a guess because I have a slight ding in one of mine from just that happening.

 

[vapdivrr]

To me it looks like you might have dropped your MOD or at least it bounced a bit hard when putting it down. Just a guess because I have a slight ding in one of mine from just that happening.

Yep that has happened to me a couple times. Sometimes when a mod gets dropped either side of the battery can get dented.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[PBody19]

At least you know the negative post is making a really solid connection there. I've never seen anything like that. That would require some major pressure being applied to dimple it like that. Did you put it next to say your HG2 and see if they're the same length?

LOL

I'm a strong guy, but I make a point to be gentle with my batteries, so I am kind of shocked to think that I did this out of carelessness.

As far as putting it next to the HG2, do you mean to see if the dent is the same length, or the whole batteries? The batteries themselves are exactly the same length. The HG2 seems to be HAIR thicker (seriously, a hair, not even), to the point that it could just be the color of the wraps playing w my perception a lil bit.

I would put up a photo for comparison, but my phone is dead right now, so id have to do it later. I kinda want to post a picture of the HG2 also, because it too has a slight dent. The HG2's is barely noticeable tho.

 

[PBody19]

To me it looks like you might have dropped your MOD or at least it bounced a bit hard when putting it down. Just a guess because I have a slight ding in one of mine from just that happening.

Could be. Do you still use that battery, and does it affect your performance? I am kind of wondering if this could have happened just from usage, even if it needs to be thrown out anyway.

 

[PBody19]

Yep that has happened to me a couple times. Sometimes when a mod gets dropped either side of the battery can get dented.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Do you keep using you dented batteries? I feel like I could keep using this one...

 

[Eskie]

I was asking on the length just to be sure it was a real 18650. OK, I know Origin is a legit vendor, but even legit vendors can get fooled with an off batch.

Out of an abundance of caution I wouldn't use it with that dimple. I would also take real good look at that mod's battery compartment, because I've never heard of a spring loaded contact able to that. I guess it could have been a drop, but it's hard to picture an impact strong enough to push in that negative end while the mod and tank were just fine.

 

[Asbestos4004]

most have already stated, they wouldn't use it. If you're looking for someone to say it's fine, I'm guessing it won't be on this forum. We're funny about batteries around here.

 

[PBody19]

I was asking on the length just to be sure it was a real 18650. OK, I know Origin is a legit vendor, but even legit vendors can get fooled with an off batch.

Out of an abundance of caution I wouldn't use it with that dimple. I would also take real good look at that mod's battery compartment, because I've never heard of a spring loaded contact able to that. I guess it could have been a drop, but it's hard to picture an impact strong enough to push in that negative end while the mod and tank were just fine.

Yea, I havent dropped the mod recently anyway, and not with this battery ever. It would have had to have been a forceful slam when putting it down, and I dont do that either. I really only use this mod at my computer or in bed.

Is it possible that this happened from usage, not a drop, slam, or the way I inserted the battery?

 

[SteveS45]

Could be. Do you still use that battery, and does it affect your performance? I am kind of wondering if this could have happened just from usage, even if it needs to be thrown out anyway.

When I first noticed it had a slight indent I actually stopped using it and popped in the vape shop to check with him because he is great about offering assistance and sharing knowledge. He agreed I should be fine and showed me a few he had with the same MINOR dings. What you have compared to what I have are worlds apart in depth and that along with your batteries getting HOT are the reason I recommend recycling it.

 

[SteveS45]

With a MOD design like the RX200S a simple drop can and has done that in mine but did not damage the MOD. Again it is NO Where near as deep as the dent in the picture are where I see stretched metal.

 

[Imfallen_Angel]

any other batteries you have have a dent like that?

That would require some serious pressure, unless there's a weakening in that spot due to a manufacturing fault that left a week spot.

As far as using it, I wouldn't... no way I'd chance a 10$ battery that could overload and waste a mod or worse.

 

[Darth Omerta]

It seems that the general consensus is not to use the battery at all.

If the advice here isnt enough maybe take a look at Moochs blog under the heading "When should you replace a battery"

• If you see physical damage to the metal top or can of the battery. Things like dents and deep scrapes should not be ignored! A damaged wrap and top insulator ring can be replaced without needing to replace the battery.

When should you replace a battery? | E-Cigarette Forum

I feel there is no safe amount of denting to any cell. The last thing any of us needs is for internal damage to cause a hard short as soon as its connected to any device.

 

[Asbestos4004]

It reminds me of the old days, when you had to snug up a switch on a mech to reduce battery rattle.