New Battery storage.. Charge 1st or no?

[AquaLung22]

Hey guys, about 2 months ago I bought two Sony VTC5s, and have been saving them for the high-wattage box mod I planned to get. I put them away in my dresser, which is a dark & semi-cool spot in my room - without charging them up 1st. They've just been sitting there for at least 6 weeks, unused.

I've been wondering, was I suppose to charge the batteries up fully before storing them away? I know they usually come about 60% charge when purchased new.
... I didn't do any damage by letting them sit so long without charging them first, died I? I think I'm about to purchase my dual-18650 box mod in the next few days, so I figured I'd ask.

Thanks!
P.S... are the green VTC5s really going extinct? That's why I bought those 2 so early.. I might buy a couple Samsung 25R for my new mod too, I heard they are better. And I already have 3 vtc5, a 35amp purple Efest, and a pink eVic battery lol!

 

[edyle]

They're best kept charged at 3.7 volts.

Check them with a meter; they should be fine.
If the drop to 3.5 or 3.6, top them up to 3.8 or 3.9

Even a few months unused wouldn't bother new batteries; When they are manufactured, they are manufactured charged, and between transport, distribution and sitting on a store shelf, they probably spend weeks and months unused before they get to you anyway.

 

[Norrin]

40% which is about 3.82V is the recommended BU-702: How to Store Batteries – Battery University

 

[AquaLung22]

Thanks guys! Happy Thanksgiving

 

[DreamWithin]

Moved from Accessories Discussion to Batteries & Chargers forum

 

[invisiblehand13]

storing at low voltage as far as I know is not bad but I always charge before first use and have never had any problems...just IMO

 

[lucky_x16]

Li-on batteries, store exceptionally well for extended periods of time and lose very minute percentages of charge as they sit. They can sit for years and still be ready to rock and roll when you finally decide to charge them.

I am guessing the bigger question is what charger are you using? Is it a smart charger? Does it shut off and monitor the battery when it is fully charged or keep a current to it?

If your worried about authentic batteries, here is the site, the guy that got me started on E-cigs sent me to for authentic batteries and it has checked out for all the batteries I have ever ordered. Authentic AW Batteries - RTD Vapor

 

[AquaLung22]

Was using a Trustfire "worst charger of all time" model, but have NOT charged these 2 VTC5s on it, only my older mech batts.
..... I just bought an Efest Luc 2 bay charger (along with an IPV3 for $97! And two Samsung 25Rs, 2 new RDA's, & my 1st RTA). << is that a good charger??

I wanted to grab an Xstar or Nitecore, but they had the Efest at eciggity with everything else I bought.
Thanks!

 

[invisiblehand13]

Was using a Trustfire "worst charger of all time" model, but have NOT charged these 2 VTC5s on it, only my older mech batts.
..... I just bought an Efest Luc 2 bay charger (along with an IPV3 for $97! And two Samsung 25Rs, 2 new RDA's, & my 1st RTA). << is that a good charger??

I wanted to grab an Xstar or Nitecore, but they had the Efest at eciggity with everything else I bought.
Thanks!

Some will actually say that the efest is better and has "more features" so no, not a bad charger at all but hobbyist folk are diehard fans of whatever brand they follow, I myself love nitecore and have five of them without one single problem whatsoever and how many "features" do you need??? lol, charge my batteries as quick as safely possible, recognize each individual battery type so I do not have to set it myself manually (very annoying) and tell me when it is fully charged...what else do we need??? Unless you find one that also does OD repair on overdischarged batteries they are all the same and in some aspects I would not be surprised at all if they all had the same control boards in them with slightly different exteriors and no real difference whatsoever....just saying lol

 

[invisiblehand13]

P.S... are the green VTC5s really going extinct? That's why I bought those 2 so early.. I might buy a couple Samsung 25R for my new mod too, I heard they are better. And I already have 3 vtc5, a 35amp purple Efest, and a pink eVic battery lol![/QUOTE]

And the batteries I would recommend as of right now are your mentioned samsung 25r, LG HE2 or LG HE4 and that is pretty much it, others will throw out whatever they want to but as far as "trusted brands" go those three are top notch with no issues for me whatsoever...

 

[lucky_x16]

If your Efest is a smart charger then rock with it. The smart chargers stop charging and only monitor battery levels. They literally shut off power to that charging bay. I own the Nicecore Inteli 4, so I can visually check each batteries charge when I initially put it in, by selecting each battery individually. Some do not like it because it has a 2 or 3 second delay to start charging so it can check the battery. Personally, 2 or 3 seconds out of a total charging cycle doesn't bother me.

The Efest are good as well, as long as your getting the smart charger.
Smart chargers go a long way to prolonging battery life.
As a RC hobbiest, I used smart balancing chargers so I knew each cell in the pack was at max when I removed the battery pack.
Some will say it does not matter what charger. To each their own. I like knowing that I can set a battery in and forget it. Not that I do. I guess old habits die hard. I like to take batteries out when I happen by the charger, So they get a chance to rest before use. Most RC people can explain that to you probably better than I can.

 

[invisiblehand13]

If your Efest is a smart charger then rock with it. The smart chargers stop charging and only monitor battery levels. They literally shut off power to that charging bay. I own the Nicecore Inteli 4, so I can visually check each batteries charge when I initially put it in, by selecting each battery individually. Some do not like it because it has a 2 or 3 second delay to start charging so it can check the battery. Personally, 2 or 3 seconds out of a total charging cycle doesn't bother me.

The Efest are good as well, as long as your getting the smart charger.
Smart chargers go a long way to prolonging battery life.
As a RC hobbiest, I used smart balancing chargers so I knew each cell in the pack was at max when I removed the battery pack.
Some will say it does not matter what charger. To each their own. I like knowing that I can set a battery in and forget it. Not that I do. I guess old habits die hard. I like to take batteries out when I happen by the charger, So they get a chance to rest before use. Most RC people can explain that to you probably better than I can.

the efest luc charger is a smart charger as are all of the nitecore chargers I own, I will never insinuate that it does not matter the charger but once you know the chargers to pick from then it really boils down to personal preference or whatever diehard hobbyist you choose to listen to...if it is me, then you choose nitecore intellichargers or digichargers, if it is someone else it may be xstar xp4 or efest luc 4 bay, whatever the case out of the known "smart chargers" it just is a subjective opinion once you know what to pick from, if anyone is not using a "smart charger than maybe they should do some more research before they burn their house down...just saying

 

[lucky_x16]

Correct, that is one way to reword what I said.

 

[KGB7]

If your Efest is a smart charger then rock with it. The smart chargers stop charging and only monitor battery levels. They literally shut off power to that charging bay. I own the Nicecore Inteli 4, so I can visually check each batteries charge when I initially put it in, by selecting each battery individually. Some do not like it because it has a 2 or 3 second delay to start charging so it can check the battery. Personally, 2 or 3 seconds out of a total charging cycle doesn't bother me.

The Efest are good as well, as long as your getting the smart charger.
Smart chargers go a long way to prolonging battery life.
As a RC hobbiest, I used smart balancing chargers so I knew each cell in the pack was at max when I removed the battery pack.
Some will say it does not matter what charger. To each their own. I like knowing that I can set a battery in and forget it. Not that I do. I guess old habits die hard. I like to take batteries out when I happen by the charger, So they get a chance to rest before use. Most RC people can explain that to you probably better than I can.

Im still OCD from years from R/C, which crossed over in to Vaping.

So yes, an intelligent smart charger is a must have. It is able to monitor the condition of the battery when its charging the battery, and make proper adjustment on the fly.
If you have a D2/D4 charger, on the screen you will see that mAh charge rate is constantly changing for each battery until its fully charged.

 

[invisiblehand13]

Totally agreed...

 

[AquaLung22]

I got the Efest LUC 2 bay, a smart charger. I wanted the 4-bay one but it was out of stock. My friend has this charger and it works great