My backstory on vaping and upgrading questions.

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First off, hi everyone! I'm so happy to find a place that has a good index of knowledge and people available for feedback and ideas. So, I guess a little about my history with vaping to let you know where I'm coming from. I've been vaping for about 4 years now. I would still consider myself a beginner or an intermediate vaper only because I don't really study up on all the details of the products available and what they do. I started with a DSE901 Mini and when that blew my mind I was hooked on vaping. Little did I know that there was such a variety out there that was so much better! I moved on after that to an Ego-T. I wanted to like that setup but when I had issues with having to fiddle with the tabs in the tanks leaking and atomizers burning up when it wouldn't feed liquid regularly I ditched that I kept the batteries for the Ego and bought a DCT from Totally Wicked. I don't know exactly what the model of it was called but I loved the concept and it suited me fine as I am not a cloud chaser so the lower voltage on the dual coils was awesome for me. Unfortunately as I moved up in mAh size to keep from having to recharge all the time someone talked me into going to variable voltage with the Ego Twist batteries. I say unfortunately because the amount of vapor I got from the high setting of 4.8 volts on the dual coils was drastically different and I loved it. Literally wouldn't need anything else other than my DCT and my Ego Twist at 4.8v. So you're asking why I'm upgrading...well Totally Wicked just totally stopped selling the tank parts and cartos that fit inside them. I've tried to find them on other sites and stores but it's not the same fit/quality/vape. So I was stuck buying a new tank system and went with the Kangertech Pro-Tank II. When I told the guy at the counter that I used a dual coil tank I assumed that he would suggest an equivalent. I had not done my research on the Pro-Tank II and was in Boston when my last of the crappy substitutes for my normal set up ran out on me. So when I learned the Pro-Tank II was a single coil I found myself dialing the voltage down because I was burning atties in a short time. That is what I'm dealing with now. Trying to find the sweet spot again. Anyway, I just recently made an order based off of good reviews and in my price range of getting an Aspire Nautilus BDC and a Vamo V5. My question is, would this be a good setup in general and if not, what are your suggestions? Also seeing as I am now moving on to replaceable rechargeable batteries what are suggestions for battery brands? Right now I'm looking at Efest IMR Purple 18650 2500mAH 35A flat top battery for it as if I do get a better mod I won't have to buy new batteries. Also looking at the Nitecore Digicharger D4 4-Channel Smart Battery Charger for my charger. I'm new to the forum so I can't post links but I guess you can cut and paste if you need to check out specs if you don't know anything these batteries and chargers. So anyway, that's about it for now. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions I will try to respond to the best of my knowledge. I am not a rebuilder (nor do I care to be) and I am kind of a safety freak so let me know if these batteries are safe and I prefer suggestions for atties and cartos to be preassembled and purchasable completed. Thanks for reading and look forward to chatting with you all. :)
 

Susan~S

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Hello and welcome!

FYI -- The batteries you listed are not 35A continuous even though that is what is on the Efest wrapper. The purple 18650 2500mAh 35A batteries are really rebranded LG18650HE2 2500mAh 20A (continuous) batteries.

There is also another Efest battery that we just received an alert on (this is posted at the top of the General Vaping Forum):

Efest 3100mAh battery caution

Reports have been received that the Efest IMR 3100mAh 18650 purple rechargeable battery has a continuous discharge rate well below the advertised 35 amps. It is said that the cell is actually a Panasonic NCR18650BE with a 4 amp continuous and 6 amp short-term highest discharge rating.

In theory a 0.7 ohm coil is the lowest resistance that could be used with this battery as it will draw 6 amps @ 25.2 watts. However, RBA coils should probably be around 1 ohm or higher for problem-free use with this battery due to its type. This is not a high-discharge cell and is not suitable for hard-duty applications, it is probably best used with clearos and similar.

Efest batteries do not have as solid a reputation as other brands, due to issues of this kind.
 

CreepyLady

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For batteries - AW IMR would be a top quality battery with the performance you need in a regulated device, also Sony VTC4 or 5 are top notch.

Nitecore is a fine charger, you can also peruse Xtar and Pila if you want, but not necessary. I use a Nitecore I4. Make sure you get your batteries from a reliable vendor like RTD and not Amazon/Ebay as they are known for having a multitude of lesser quality batteries re wrapped as something better.
 

Susan~S

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CreepyLady

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AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery - AltSmoke

The link says 3100 mAh, but it's a 3400 mAh. These are what I use.

Great brand, but a protected battery ( especially ICR chemistry) is not best used in a regulated mod. Protection + Protection can cause some performance problems.

baditude said:
Name: AW Protected 18650 battery.jpg
Views: 7508
Size: 8.7 KB AW Protected ICR battery

ICR, or Cobalt electrode batteries were the original form of lithium ion batteries. These batteries can handle most atomizers we buy over the counter today. ICR batteries are known for their higher capacities and are suited for the average vapor's device, but they are not at all well suited for use in advanced devices such as a regulated variable voltage mod or a RBA attachment.

Using Ohm's Law, running a device at 4.2v with a 1.8 ohm coil will draw 2.3 amps from the battery. This is safely below the 2.65 amp rating of the average 2600 mAh ICR 18650 battery. However, using a homemade 1.0 ohm coil at 4.2v on a RBA will draw 4.2 amps which is way over that battery's rating and would not be safe to use.

(blogs here with piles of great battery info E-Cigarette Forum - Baditude - Blogs)
 
Okay so yeah, I know not to get a protected battery because the Vamo V5 is a protected device. So if I go with AW 18650 I can probably be okay with something around 2000 mAH as I don't need something to last me for days and I like multiple batteries on hand anyway so I can always charge a few for when one gets below voltage output limits. Okay so I have an idea for batteries. Appreciate the input. Reading some Baditude battery info. :)
 
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