Local NW Floridian with severe injuries from exploding ecig battery

[oldgoat]

As a Mod Maker I would think keeping the batteries far away from the face may be the answer in future models of Mods...Keep the batteries at a safe distance by running a long length of wire to the connector (which could be enclosed in tubing)...Like a hookah.

There is no need to have the batteries near the face to produce a good vape.


Ron Old Goat​

 

[Rocketman]

Because each one is BEST/

 

[rsi1986]

I'm thinking about taking the cap off my eGo's, and replacing it with a plastic body plug.

 

[markfm]

As a Mod Maker I would think keeping the batteries far away from the face may be the answer in future models of Mods...Keep the batteries at a safe distance by running a long length of wire to the connector (which could be enclosed in tubing)...Like a hookah.

There is no need to have the batteries near the face to produce a good vape.


Ron Old Goat​

Practicality/acceptance come into play. In essence you're describing turning everything into what would "look" like a passthrough. Atomizer segment with a long wire to the power supply. Being tethered to a battery that's elsewhere is a tough row to hoe, at least for me -- a big part of vaping is having something I can hold in one hand, no wires running off, not clumsy.

Good suggestion, I'm just not sure how many would be willing to go that far.

 

[Sewnmachine]

I'm sorry to have to ask this question. But this thread is 39 pages long and I haven't read through all of them. But has it yet been determined what type of battery this was?
I use kr808d-1's and Ego's. And as I'm skimming the posts I keep seeing Ego's being referenced. Was the exploding battery an Ego?

Again I apologize for asking if this is now a redundant question.

 

[aubergine]

I do think that "I know, I'll get out my dremel (whatever that is) and reattach the amagdolizer to the tetrawooz, and rig up something like a hookah, and be sure to regularly check the ampomahglots with my trusty A1j7P0 ampomahgots meter", etc., attests to the wonderful, creative and skillful minds of some forum members (the ones who can take credit for pushing this technology so amazingly) - but many of us are incredibly lazy dolts who just want to buy stuff with minimal metal-shop or rtfm requirements or much understanding of the whole technical end. It's tedious issue, because I DON'T want all of the horrible bull that would accompany federal regulation. At least no sooner than necessary. But I want distributors to help us self-regulate. Actually, ECF IS the primary regulation (self-regulation) resource for all of us, it's amazing. So maybe we can start to demand better safety features.
Meanwhile, I'll use the ugly safety bag I bought after reading another thread a long time ago when I charge my KGOs. I got bored with it and stuck it in a closet. Blush.

 

[oldgoat]

I'm sorry to have to ask this question. But this thread is 39 pages long and I haven't read through all of them. But has it yet been determined what type of battery this was?
I use kr808d-1's and Ego's. And as I'm skimming the posts I keep seeing Ego's being referenced. Was the exploding battery an Ego?

Again I apologize for asking if this is now a redundant question.

I believe they were RCR 123... 3 volt batteries with a less than a c rating.

 

[Codrut Popescu]

The last stats I saw indicated at least 8 million USA regular e-cig users ..

Do you happen to remember the source of this info?

Thanks

 

[Calypso53]

I'm sorry to have to ask this question. But this thread is 39 pages long and I haven't read through all of them. But has it yet been determined what type of battery this was?
I use kr808d-1's and Ego's. And as I'm skimming the posts I keep seeing Ego's being referenced. Was the exploding battery an Ego?

Again I apologize for asking if this is now a redundant question.

So far, no we do not. I'm hoping Tom starts talking. Or someone who can verify the information. Just to this point lots of speculation and growing fears.

 

[Calypso53]

I believe they were RCR 123... 3 volt batteries with a less than a c rating.

The news article (which is hard to find now) said CR123 batteries were "found at the scene", but he was a professional photographer and these batteries are used in digital cameras. Doesn't prove anything. Someone a few posts back said "well you don't stick a digital camera in your mouth"...........true, but you DO hold it up to your eye! It's getting a bit silly now.

 

[Penny02]

I don't know a lot about batteries and chargers, but I'm pretty familiar with the law and I know people in general - it'll be unlikely that Tom talks except in the courtroom. I hope he does come out in support, but I'm not counting on it.

 

[Goldenkobold]

The news article (which is hard to find now) said CR123 batteries were "found at the scene", but he was a professional photographer and these batteries are used in digital cameras. Doesn't prove anything. Someone a few posts back said "well you don't stick a digital camera in your mouth"...........true, but you DO hold it up to your eye! It's getting a bit silly now.

Digital Cameras are not exposed to the huge amp variance a mod can be exposed to. A digital camera maker knows exactly what power output is needed, so does a cell phone, so does a mp3 player. A mod maker has no idea what his customer is vaping on.

Digital Camera's take one type of battery of one mah, many mods can take a stack or a single battery, some can take even more...the points of failure grow significantly more likely than a camera they are not the same thing.

 

[buGG]

The news article (which is hard to find now) said CR123 batteries were "found at the scene", but he was a professional photographer and these batteries are used in digital cameras. Doesn't prove anything. Someone a few posts back said "well you don't stick a digital camera in your mouth"...........true, but you DO hold it up to your eye! It's getting a bit silly now.

Well, I believe they were CR2 (15270) batteries or AAA (10440) batteries, neither of which were ever intended to deliver the amperage desired from pretty much any atomizer they would be used with, and then improperly (and routinely) overcharged and too rapidly pumped with current on a "universal" or "multifunction" charger of some sort with a charge rate that far exceeded the battery's specs....


But it's all speculation at this point, because no one with any real insight to this specific situation has yet come forth and given any helpful details. Let's try to keep that in mind.

 

[thenut]

This is exactly hitting the nail on the head .. no matter the discussion, the industry continues to operate in a fragmented, unorganized, and IMO, uncaring fashion .. as I've said many times before, most vendors are in this for a quick money grab on a hot item ..

The last stats I saw indicated at least 8 million USA regular e-cig users .. even James Camerons brother has a vested interest in the tech .. yet no self regulation / standards / industry organization among the vast number of vendors .. and more springing up daily ..

Right on there my friend, right on.
I've often commented about this myself. We all sit around here and pat each other on the back about how great it is that we've quit analogs. "Congrats!" "Nice going!"
Yet this industry is relatively new, and pretty much unregulated. Some of these vendors probably started up a business in their garage, because they loved vaping, and also saw a way to make a quick buck.
I'm not saying all vendors are like this, but I'm sure some of them are. (Hey, what about the fiasco concerning selling NIC that was so powerful it was deadly, as one example)
But many just blow it off saying things such as: "Oh, I'm not worried about this at all". And: "Hey, you have a much better chance of dying in a car crash than something like this happening".
Yeah, just keep telling yourselves that. And we've seen right here in this thread that this isn't just an isolated incident. Others have had close calls with batteries, chargers, and Nic strength.
The fact is, until someone who knows what the hell they're doing takes control over this, none of us have a clue if we're getting reliable batteries, or if we're truly getting NIC strengths as advertised, or if anything else we're buying is safe or reliable for that matter. Bottom line is, how many who are selling this stuff even have a clue?

I'm not one for government regulation, but in this case, if we're too damn stupid to control this whole thing ourselves, then maybe we really do need someone who can.
And if some of the "back patters" have a problem with my post, I don't really care.
I care a lot more about the overall safety of the ever growing number of people using e-cigs and supplies, than I do about giving you a pat on the back and telling you how great you're doing.
Ok, sorry...End of rant.

 

[stephpd]

But the fact is, until someone who knows what the hell they're doing takes control of this, none of us have a clue if we're getting reliable batteries, or if we're truly getting NIC strengths as advertised, or if anything else we're buying is safe or reliable for that matter. Bottom line is, how may who are selling this stuff even have a clue?

And that's another problem.

Those who ultimately end up in control haven't got a clue.


Have you seen what the FDA had to say about these things a couple years ago?
They talked as if you're vaping antifreeze.
(and not the 'safe' kind)

They also talked about something they found in one atomizer from one company as being carcinogenic. But neglected to mention that these are a substitute for cigarettes and they have over 3000 known carcinogens in them.

Yeah, no bias there. And these are the same people that approve drugs that later get pulled after killing hundreds of people.


This is our 'protective' agency and they don't do a very good job as is.

 

[thenut]

And that's another problem.

Those who ultimately end up in control haven't got a clue.


Have you seen what the FDA had to say about these things a couple years ago?
They talked as if you're vaping antifreeze.
(and not the 'safe' kind)

They also talked about something they found in one atomizer from one company as being carcinogenic. But neglected to mention that these are a substitute for cigarettes and they have over 3000 known carcinogens in them.

Yeah, no bias there. And these are the same people that approve drugs that later get pulled after killing hundreds of people.


This is our 'protective' agency and they don't do a very good job as is.

Ok, I understand where you're coming from.
So, may I ask what your solution would be?
Because it sure as hell ain't working the way it is now. Many would disagree with me, but there is no doubt in my mind that something more needs to be done as far as "quality control", for lack of a better term.

 

[stephpd]

You can't stop someone from using the wrong charger on a battery and it exploding, which seems to be the most frequent case. You also can't stop folks for using the wrong battery type in a device, which also seems to happen.

About the best you could do is give a UL listing on chargers.

But that still won't keep fools from using a charger meant for a 1100 mAh battery on a 650 mAh battery.

Or from stacking dissimilar batteries, using spacers (for batteries lacking a pointed tip on the plus side) that can move inside a metal case and short out. Or putting in oversize (voltage wise) into something they weren't meant for.

Or a thousand other ways to blow yourself up with batteries.

 

[aubergine]

Ya, we do need to be balanced. I mean, flashlights and cellphones and laptops are as regulated I guess as anything else, and they're still blowing up on occasion.
I didn't mean to support a general furious outcry against vendors - that's not reasonable or fair.
Not fair to blame persons who are using products reasonably for flaws in design, either. Or for the apparent risk that apparently accompanies any use of batteries; those who oppose ecigs would love to pretend that they possess some special demonic danger.
I simply think it'd be helpful if the brilliant minds in ECF continue to exert pressure within the industry to clearly identify and address any unnecessary safety hazards. We've seen somewhat stunning ongoing response to consumer demand all across the board here. I know which cartos currently work best and we've seen the duds slowly disappear; we know about diacetyl, and nicotine level irregularities in juices, and we saw those issues exposed and confronted very quickly in here - the best US juice vendors stepped up to the plate very quickly.
That's why a list that accurately notes safety hazards, or lack therof, in specific pvs would seem to me to be a useful thing.
My only concern with that is the same one that provokes defensive denial from some in the community - if we make a very big deal of any hazard, we seem to be playing into the hands of our opponents' stupid and dishonest agitprop.

I hate it when that happens.

Someone once said to me, "Aren't those things full of Chinese antifreeze or something?" So there's always this tendency to go a little ape....e when things do go wrong.

Pass me a jug of Atomic Cinacide.

 

[bassworm]

Ok, I understand where you're coming from.
So, may I ask what your solution would be?
Because it sure as hell ain't working the way it is now. Many would disagree with me, but there is no doubt in my mind that something more needs to be done as far as "quality control", for lack of a better term.

I have thought about this somewhat, and even though this heading a bit off topic from the original post, I feel that CASAA has the "legal" side taken care of, and now someone from the community needs to step up and get a body of people together to come up with something similar to ISO standards for the ecig industry.

To be fair, yes there was an issue with the NIC juice not being at the advertised strength but the ecig community/industry caught it and for lack of a better way to say it, self regulated themselves, and rather quickly too. If some government controlled regulator was put in charge I highly doubt that issue would have been resolved as fast or as well as it was.

 

[aubergine]

Oh! Just caught this link, to which everyone should immediately migrate. I should have know that the estimable Rolygate et alia were already on this properly, and then some.
I do love ECF.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-mods-update-february-2012-a.html#post5327522