Info about older batteries

[Karltinsly]

I have come back to vaping after a year back on the dark (or at least smelly) side. I'm starting to get into mechs and rbas, and I want to make sure that some of my older batteries are safe to use with a given build. Most of the batts were bought 1 to 2 years ago. I'm not sure where to check the specs on these batteries - is there a central database of battery specs? My older batteries are:

Totally Wicked branded IMR 18650 2200 mAh
AW IMR 18350 700 mAh
Great Power ICR 18350 900 mAh
Trustfire 14500 900 mAh
DKL ICR 14500 900 mAh

TIA for any help!

 

[Ryedan]

I have come back to vaping after a year back on the dark (or at least smelly) side. I'm starting to get into mechs and rbas, and I want to make sure that some of my older batteries are safe to use with a given build. Most of the batts were bought 1 to 2 years ago. I'm not sure where to check the specs on these batteries - is there a central database of battery specs? My older batteries are:

Totally Wicked branded IMR 18650 2200 mAh - No data on max amp discharge. Use with caution.
AW IMR 18350 700 mAh - In the chart.
Great Power ICR 18350 900 mAh - ICR - Do not use for vaping.
Trustfire 14500 900 mAh - Trustfire - I would not use for vaping.
DKL ICR 14500 900 mAh - ICR - Do not use for vaping.

TIA for any help!

Welcome back from the dark side! Here's a battery chart with specs on most of the safe batteries for mechanical mod use.

I added my opinion underlined about each battery in your quote.

ICR batteries are the ones that burn when they are abused. Over charged, draw too much current, shorted. Without a protection circuit on them they are downright dangerous. With protection they are as safe as the protection board is good. Put them in a mod without enough venting and it can explode.

Trustfire is the most counterfeited battery out there.

That leaves the AW and the TW. In general, after two years if they hold a charge they should be OK.

Best of luck this time around!

 

[Baditude]

I agree with what Ryeden said. The only battery you listed worth using in a mod is the AW -- high drain and safe chemistry.

Trustfire or any battery with "fire" in the name are a second tier quality battery which I wouldn't trust in a mod. I had a 14500 protected ICR Trustfire battery blow up in my first mechanical mod.



For another slant to the PDF file that Ryeden offered, here's a list of high-drain, safe-chemistry batteries recommended for mod use:

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected ICR?

 

[Karltinsly]

Okay, thanks for the great info! I have been using both the aw and great power (which I believe came with the gripper vv I bought a couple of years ago) 18350s in my vamo - is it normal (or perhaps alarming) that it feels like warm air is coming out of the vent hole in the battery cap when firing? Anyways, I have two Sony vtc4s that I'm using in my new mech mod. I'll get some more and stop using the old batts - the dangerous ones, at least. Thanks again!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Ryedan]

Okay, thanks for the great info! I have been using both the aw and great power (which I believe came with the gripper vv I bought a couple of years ago) 18350s in my vamo - is it normal (or perhaps alarming) that it feels like warm air is coming out of the vent hole in the battery cap when firing? Anyways, I have two Sony vtc4s that I'm using in my new mech mod. I'll get some more and stop using the old batts - the dangerous ones, at least. Thanks again!

You mean the battery cap at the bottom of the Vamo? There should not be any warm air coming out of there. Heck, there should not be any air coming out of there at any temperature .

And you're going to recycle the Great Power because it's a ICR battery that will burn if it vents, so that's gone.

With the AW in there check if either the cap or the battery is heating up. If it's the battery, stop using it and recycle it. If it's the cap clean the contact surfaces and try it again. Nothing should heat up.

If there really is air flow from the vent hole, all I can think of is that the battery is venting. That doesn't make much sense, but I'm stumped for anything else that could cause it. In any case if that's it, recycle the battery, it's toast.