New to the forum with battery questions and insights

[Star456]

Hi - I'm a new register. Once I get through my 5 posts I have some questions regarding the use of button top batteries in the new breed of mods. I am not new to vaping - but I have been using the mod I purchased from vaping Zone for several years. just bought a new device - and have had a bad experience.

I used button top 18650s in a recently purchased SMOK Ace and I believe they are the reason the lens fell out in a day and the plus button stopped working correctly. The unit now loses contact with the battery and I have to shake it around or reinstall the batt and restart. The unit will be returned tomorrow. So disappointing because I really like the look, feel and simple electronics. Works with the Protank AND with the T3. When it works it is very nice. I believe the extra length of the button pushed the pin on the bottom of the control head up into the body of the unit. Dilemna is I am now stuck with these 2 Trustfire button tops that I bought at the same time to go with the device. I wouldn't trust using them with another device as everything seems to be made more or less the same as I look around. I am considering dropping the batteries off at my local vaping shop for anyone that has a device they know the batts can be used in. I like the Ace enough that I may just start from scratch and buy another one with flat tops this time. Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks...

PS - while writing this I have had to restart and reset volts twice!

 

[KenD]

You shouldn't use those trustfires for vaping in any case. They are most likely not high drain and safe chemistry, meaning that they are dangerous. In a best case scenario they are simply unreliable as you can't know for sure what they can handle.

 

[DreamWithin]

Generally, anything with "fire" in the name should be avoided for vaping purposes

If the batteries you have are ICR then it's possible that your mod is tripping the protection circuit on them, causing the device to stop firing. I'd recommend getting some new batteries. Look for high-drain batteries, either IMR or hybrids of a decent brand (AW, Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc). They'll cost a little more than the Trustfires did, but an extra couple of bucks is totally worth it in the long run

Some good battery vendors to look at would be Provape, RTD Vapor, Illumination Supply. There's many others (most any supplier registered here at ECF), those are just a few to get you started

 

[Star456]

Thank you. Are the batteries that come with this kit good? I have already looked up the charger and can see that it is sub-par...

Generally, anything with "fire" in the name should be avoided for vaping purposes

If the batteries you have are ICR then it's possible that your mod is tripping the protection circuit on them, causing the device to stop firing. I'd recommend getting some new batteries. Look for high-drain batteries, either IMR or hybrids of a decent brand (AW, Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc). They'll cost a little more than the Trustfires did, but an extra couple of bucks is totally worth it in the long run

Some good battery vendors to look at would be Provape, RTD Vapor, Illumination Supply. There's many others (most any supplier registered here at ECF), those are just a few to get you started

 

[Star456]

Sorry - it won't let me post a link....

 

[Kevin littell]

Reply again and lets get this problem solved!!!

 

[Star456]

I can see that I will learn a lot here regarding safety - which is important to me, of course. I will take my time in buying a new kit and will probably make a nuisance of myself asking questions. bear with me if you can. Once I get situated I will be low maintenance...

 

[Star456]

I still don't have clearance to post a link - but the unit I am looking at is the VAMO V-5 at Fasttech. It comes with 2 18350 batts. Understanding the risk of stacking I could use the unit as a mini and get a recommended 18650 for longer trips, etc.

 

[Kevin littell]

Well....reply again.


Lets ge ya fixed

 

[Star456]

Put the http etc. in front of below and it might work...
fasttech.com/products/3024/10004394/1652600-vamo-v5-variable-voltage-wattage-apv-starter-kit

 

[dice57]

Here ya go Vamo V5

didn't give it much of a look see, but thinking there are better deals to be had. Or something like that. Looks pretty sub par to me.

 

[VapinMark]

there are many brands to go through: sony, efest, LG and AW, there are others but these seem to be the most available brands. It's this way because these brands have been tested and deemed to be reliable. If you can find any brand that has the numbers to back up their claims, buy them. There are other brands and if you can back up their claims in in this forum or others, good. Bottom line be safe, these batteries can be dangerous if used unwisely. Get to know ohms, amps, watts, and all measurements needed. Steam Engine | free vaping calculators Coil Toy - Online calculator for e-cigarette resistance coil building Battery mAh & C Rating = amp Calculator Pick a calculator you trust and honor it (there are many calculators other than these.)

 

[BoostedClouds]

I would get a Efest 35a or a sony VTC5

 

[Susan~S]

I would stay away from getting both batteries and charger in a mod kit from FastTech. They will both be subpar at best.

Check out a blog post by Baditude (our resident battery/safety expert) regarding batteries and chargers

Battery Basics for Mods
- choose the safest and right battery for your applications here. Includes a list of name brand, high-drain, safe-chemistry batteries with mAh & amp ratings in 18350, 18490/18500, and 18650 sizes.

BATTERIES - WHERE TO BUY

Only buy batteries from a reputable supplier (not ebay or Amazon) as there are many counterfeit batteries being sold. Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.

* RTD Vapor
* Illumination Supply
* Lighthound
* Orbtronics

 

[WattWick]

Thank you. Are the batteries that come with this kit good? I have already looked up the charger and can see that it is sub-par...

Just as a general rule of thumb - with the odd exception like all good rules:

There are no good batteries in kits.

Don't get me wrong here. There are some vendors that offer kits with good batteries, like Provape and Vaporshark. More common kits made up of random mech clones, atties and batteries - tend to be dubious at best.

Get used to being specific about batteries. Names, numbers and authenticity is everything. We tend to be a bit nitpicky about such, as some batteries are to be avoided.

 

[Star456]

I sent the ACE back today and am thinking that if I get a credit I will order another because it took every tank that I had - Pro Tank, T3, etc. and was really nice before it stopped functioning. Do you think that this flat top battery would be a good choice for it? Remember that I blamed the faulty performance on a battery that was too long for the unit
Efest IMR 20A 18650 High Drain Battery

 

[KenD]

Also, if you ordered anything with batteries shipping will take forever. Better buy batteries locally.

 

[Star456]

I looked at the Battery Basics and found it very informative. I am going to try to get an exact replacement for the Smok Ace and will look at the efest batteries. I am fairly confident that the Trustfire button top batteries ruined my original purchase by pushing the electronics up into the head. Why don't these sites give a recommendation as to the batts that will work well with the device that you are buying?