Purple efest 18650 battery warning

[zoiDman]

Once again, what is Troubling is I don't know What is What if I buy one of these batteries.

The Candle Power Link shows that the Test had to be done sometime before 5-1-2014.

Were these batteries Consistent up until a Certain Date? And then were all of them Produced Sub-Standard?

Have some Percentage of these batteries been Sub Standard from the Start? Or maybe after some Date?

Were the Batteries that were Tested in the OP's Link Knock-Offs?

Did Efest realize there was a Problem, Fix the Problem, but not tell the Public that a couple Thousand Batteries were Bad?

Are there Currently Bad Batteries sitting in Retailer's Stock right Now?

The List kinda goes On and On.

 

[Despraci]

I think the batteries in question are the eFest 18650 3100mah 20amp. The eFest 18650 2500mah 35amp are rewrapped LG's that have a 20amp limit. I have some of those batteries and since I don't come close to the 20amp peak, like you feel confident using them, but my VTC's see a lot more action.

The 3100mah 20amp purples are suspected rewrapped Panasonic that have a max 6amp, so the advertised 20amp isn't even close.

The 3100mah I was using before the battery was being questioned was in my cana mod. I had VTC4 and 5 in there with no issues, and even eFest 2500mah IMR and zero issues. I replaced it with the 3100mah eFest and after being in there for one day the top started to cave in. The other batteries had zero signs of the top caving. It is slightly taller, and I do mean a slight hair taller. So that raises my concerns about the 3100mahs construction as a whole.

The 2500mah IMR eFest I don't have any issues with, I do not extreme sub-ohm... and if I do it's with Sonys. My single 3100mah eFest will be on it's way to the recyclers. I don't believe it to be an IMR battery and the rating severely exaggerated. In my opinion my well-being is worth more then the $5-$10 I spent.

(Everything above is my opinion only and my findings as well as listening to those that have exhibited great knowledge on this matter... IE Baditude).

Picture of the caved top.



Battery in question

 

[zoiDman]

I think I need an Efest Amp to Real Amp Decoder Ring?

Or an EATRADR for short.

 

[Despraci]

I think I need an Efest Amp to Real Amp Decoder Ring?

Or an EATRADR for short.

I emailed eFest about this and posed the question as if I just ran across it on the internet (because if it's on the internet it has to be true). If they decide to respond to my inquiry I will post it here.

 

[Rickajho]

Test of Efest IMR18350 700mAh (Purple) 2014
Test of Efest IMR18500 1000mAh (Purple) 2014
Test of Efest IMR18650 2500mAh (Purple) 2014

 

[Baditude]

The chart at the link in post one shows AW 2000mah batteries with a max limit of 10A. We know these batteries to be rated at 10C, which would put them at a 20A continuous rating. Now, I find on further study that depending on the source, the maximum discharge rate for the AW 18650 2000mah to be listed a 6A and 10A.

Now, I wonder who is right and where the tests are done.

Andrew Wan (AW) posts in the following forum. He states that the AW 18650 IMR 2000mah battery has a 10 amp continuous discharge rating: IMR16340 / IMR14500 / IMR18350 / IMR18490 / IMR18650 / IMR26500 *Part 2*

 

[zoiDman]

Just a Side Note on AW Batteries.

I didn't know that Genuine AW Stickers Glowed under UV Light. Cool.

AW Batteries - Authorised Dealers

 

[Warpigs]

I am glad I got my batteries from AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery - AltSmoke. At least I am pretty certain the batteries are legit.

The link says 3100 mAh, but it's really 3400 mAh.

I have had 0 problems with these, they last forever, I bought 6 of them. Guess 3 would of been more realistic but I was a noob and didn't know. Although now I NEVER have an uncharged battery heh.

 

[Baditude]

I am glad I got my batteries from AW 18650 Protected 3100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery - AltSmoke. At least I am pretty certain the batteries are legit.

The link says 3100 mAh, but it's really 3400 mAh.

I have had 0 problems with these, they last forever, I bought 6 of them. Guess 3 would of been more realistic but I was a noob and didn't know. Although now I NEVER have an uncharged battery heh.

Curious me. What are you putting those batteries in? What mod and what juice attachment are you using?

Why aren't you using an IMR battery?

 

[zoiDman]

Curious me. What are you putting those batteries in? What mod and what juice attachment are you using?

Why aren't you using an IMR battery?

If someone is Pulling less Amps that an Battery like that AW 18650 IC is rated for, is there a Problem?

ETA: Some Test Specs

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/AW 18650 3100mAh (Black) UK.html

 

[Baditude]

If someone is Pulling less Amps that an Battery like that AW 18650 IC is rated for, is there a Problem?

ETA: Some Test Specs

Test of AW 18650 3100mAh (Black)

My question was coming from the perspective of the battery chemistry and personal safety. Volatile chemistry ICR vs safer-chemistry IMR. Your number one priority should always be safety.

ANY battery has the potential to vent during failure. An IMR battery is much less likely to and will merely vent gas. An ICR battery has a volatile chemistry and will vent flames and possibly explode.


I've had an ICR battery explode in a mod before, so since then I've used nothing but safer chemistry IMR batteries. With today's modern battery technology, there essentially is no reason to be using ICR batteries in mods. They are obsolete.

 

[rzil]

I didn't buy their 18650 battery but I'm waiting for their 18500 and 18350 so I'm kinda upset over my purchase now , If I knew i would get myself an AW instead .

 

[DaveP]

My question was coming from the perspective of the battery chemistry and personal safety. Volatile ICR chemistry vs safer-chemistry IMR. Your number one priority should always be safety.

I've had an ICR battery explode in a mod before, so since then I've used nothing but safer chemistry IMR batteries. With today's modern battery technology, there essentially is no reason to be using ICR batteries in mods. They are obsolete.

I'm with you. lMR batteries are the only type I will buy. So far, I am getting slightly more hours of vape life from the purple Efest 2500mah than I do on my Efest 2250mah (black and silver wrap). The interesting part is that I still get respectable life from the 4 AW 18650 2000mah red batts that I've been charging and using for over two years. But, I'm an under 3.5A vaper, so I don't stress them at all.

 

[Baditude]

Still using a couple of AW 2000mah IMR 18650 batteries that are over 2 years old myself.

 

[SITS]

Because of the problems I've heard about the purple ones, I get all my 18650s straight from Provape. They have yet to fail me.

 

[zoiDman]

My question was coming from the perspective of the battery chemistry and personal safety. Volatile chemistry ICR vs safer-chemistry IMR. Your number one priority should always be safety.

...

Gotcha.

Wasn't Advocating the use an IC Battery. Or the Reliance of an IC Batteries PBC Protection (Possibly coupled with the MOD's Protection) over IMR Chemistry.

 

[XBarbarian]

thanks for the intelligent and safety first posts in this thread. I would say the prime issue after reading the thread.. is the variability, and unpredictability with the eFests. they are re-wrapped products. that says it all. thats all we need to know. they aren't the OEM, therefore, just too many questions without answers to be considered safe, unless in a regulated device. as DaveP says, in a regulated device, not stressing the batteries, fine. but running in my unprotected mechs? no thanks...

 

[anumber1]

thanks for the intelligent and safety first posts in this thread. I would say the prime issue after reading the thread.. is the variability, and unpredictability with the eFests. they are re-wrapped products. that says it all. thats all we need to know. they aren't the OEM, therefore, just too many questions without answers to be considered safe, unless in a regulated device. as DaveP says, in a regulated device, not stressing the batteries, fine. but running in my unprotected mechs? no thanks...

At least in the case of the efest re wrapped "35A" battery, it is a high quality LG cell that I would trust in a mech mod (within it's true 20A ratings).

In the case of the "20A" efest 3100 mAh battery, I agree that the re wrapped panasonic ncr18650be is not a battery to be used in a mech. It is a more volitile chemistry and has nowhere near high enough of an amp rating to be pushed to 20A, even pulsed.

At face value, efest ratings are very disingenuous. Dangerous.

I know I will not trust Efest products to be what they are advertised as.

 

[dwcraig1]

Well I don't know how I missed this thread and bought a couple of those 3100 mah ones. I just load tested them and they failed miserably. IMR my ausse.
Thanks for the heads up.

I guess I bought them before this thread was started.

 

[Baditude]

thanks for the intelligent and safety first posts in this thread. I would say the prime issue after reading the thread.. is the variability, and unpredictability with the eFests. they are re-wrapped products. that says it all. thats all we need to know. they aren't the OEM, therefore, just too many questions without answers to be considered safe, unless in a regulated device. as DaveP says, in a regulated device, not stressing the batteries, fine. but running in my unprotected mechs? no thanks...

Many high quality battery cells are re-wrapped batteries.

AW batteries are re-wrapped Panasonic and Samsung batteries, but they test each battery individually and only use the top tier as their own brand. You know you're getting a consistantly high quality battery.

Orbtronics uses re-wrapped Panasonic and Samsung cells, too. They just re-wrap with their own black and silver wrap.

What is different about those two companies is they don't over-rate their batteries like Efest often does.