Is it my charger or battery?

[Blury 1R]

Hello fellow Vaper's
So to keep in the budget of the month I got a Zmax from Smoktech and two Efest bat's and TrustFire two slot charger.
Now I know this battery charger setup is .... well is what it is! I'm very understanding of battery's and charger in the RC world and figure theirs not much difference.
What I'am experiencing is when the stated battery's and charger (set to the 3.7 position not 3.0) where NEW they came off the charger at 4.2. From what I know stayed at that peak volt at lest 24 hrs. Now 15-30 cycle's later they are 3.7...3.8 off the charger.
...And now for the Q.A.
so how smart is this charger (Trustfire)?

What is the do it all smart charger you do own or wished you owned ?

What is the charger you own?

As for batterys I have a very good idea what's available as there is large amount of mech folk's out there with lots of info.

So for a efest 18650 at +/-2000 mah. Did you notice poor cell performance (IE in 30 or so cycles it is not coming off the charger at 4.2 anymore ?

Is there other cells out there that DO NOT have this performance profile? As I would like to steer from them.

Finally is it my charger or battery? Or ?

Thank for your help

 

[Kirkwood]

Wish I could really help, but I can't . I have been using a Intellicharger I4 ( Nitecore) for a while with good luck. Using MNKE batteries for below 1 ohm builds and AW 2000 mah for other builds higher than 1. I can't tell you about their longevity since they have all been kicking for months, coming off the charger at 4.22 volts.

 

[Baditude]

It's a combination of the two. batteries and charger.

I'm very understanding of battery's and charger in the RC world and figure theirs not much difference.

I guess what you understand from the RC world didn't translate well to the E-cig world of mods.

There's a huge difference in battery quality between recognized name-brand batteries, second-tier brand batteries, and generics. AW, Orbtronic, Panasonic, Sanyo, Samsung, and Sony compared to Trustfire, Surefire, and Ultrafire. IMO, Efest falls somewhere in between those two groups. Generic batteries should never be considered for a mod.

Trustfire chargers are not a well-regarded brand of charger. Pila, Xtar, and Nitecore Intellichargers are the top brand chargers for mods.

I have a list of recommended IMR and hybrid batteries for mods in the below link. :

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected?

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries

 

[Blury 1R]

Well thank for the reply. That is info coming in so I can research that group thanks Kirk.

 

[Blury 1R]

I was hopping to hear from a Vet thank you for your reply BAD.
Sense I got you on the phone... if I research the supplied info you gave and select a said charger do you think the Efest battery will rebound?

 

[Rickajho]

The batteries may recover to full capacity with a properly working charger. A TR001 is just a waste of money waiting to happen. Even a low price (high quality) Xtar WPII 2 would be a vast improvement. Oh, and an Xtar charger actually stops applying significant current to the batteries at the end of a charge cycle - like it's supposed to.

 

[Blury 1R]

thank you rick!

 

[Baditude]

I was hopping to hear from a Vet thank you for your reply BAD.
Sense I got you on the phone... if I research the supplied info you gave and select a said charger do you think the Efest battery will rebound?

Personally not a fan of Efest (based on personal experience of two battery sizes), so I doubt it.

I recommend AW or Panasonic/Orbtronic. You can find these easily at RTD Vapor or Orbtronic.

(And not the Panasonic/Orbtronic NRC18650B 3400 mAh batteries.)

 

[Blury 1R]

@ bad "(And not the Panasonic/Orbtronic NRC18650B 3400 mAh batteries.)"
I currently do not own a mech mod ... but do you have a opinion of the Panasonic/Orbtronic NRC18650B 3400 mAh batteries used in say zmax and or Provari ect. the millamp hour is enticing.

 

[Baditude]

The Panasonic/Orbtronic NCR18650B 3400 mAh batteries are not a high drain battery, which regulated mods like a ZMax or Provari require. They have only a 6.8 amp limit (most batteries in this class have at least 10 amp). http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/464802-these-panasonic-ncr18650b-batteries-fake-15.html#post11227272
Much of the extended mAh is not in the useable range for a mod. These are most suited for high performance flashlights.

 

[Blury 1R]

GTK thanks BAD

 

[arcebelaced]

I suggest you get a nitecore intellicharger i4 on Amazon which is on sell for $15 and is amazon prime elegible meaning either free 2 day shipping or 3.99 for one day mine arrived today.


Nitecore IntelliCharger i4 Battery Charger - 2nd Generation:Amazon:Sports & Outdoors

 

[Ryedan]

Blury, I don't know if this is in the data Bad linked to, but the site I use most for charger reviews is this one. The battery reviews there are excellent also.

If you look at the review of the Trustfire charger, note the lack of ability to handle a over discharged battery and the fact that it never ceases charging completely.

I also come from the RC world and am used to using lipos. I almost setup my hobby charger for single cell use, but decided to go with the Xtar WP2 instead for the ease of use and its small size. And at about $20 it didn't break the bank

 

[Blury 1R]

@ryeden thanks for the post

"If you look at the review of the Trustfire charger, note the lack of ability to handle a over discharged battery and the fact that it never ceases charging completely."

It's not look good for the little efest and the charger is to blame! BAD's input on battery cells is great... also his blip on the internal resistant and Hz of a regulated mod and the proper battery for those divices.

As soon as get the dollars its going to be a Xtar charger and four of the Orbtronic 18650 SX22 (hybrid) 2000mAh 22A @12.55each. that way it is here nor there on the chosen mech coil build or mod. sheeeet it's just 100.00 of gear!

In case any care's the zmax also come's in about 0.9 IR so it apply to it as well if not more considering it's 33.3 chip set