I've been struggling for the last couple of weeks to decide what to get next. I'm a noob, only been vaping for just under 2 months. I have a 510 kit and a couple extra batteries and didn't want to wait until they began to quit on me to decide what I was going to get next, but with so many choices out there I've been having a heck of a time coming to a decision. Some mishaps a week and a half ago lit a fire under me. Anyway, here are some of my random musings on how to decide what style of 510 style batteries would suit me best. I'd be interested in hearing others thoughts on the topic.
1. Capacity
The range currently seems to be from 150mAH for the original 510 all the way to 1300mAH for the H16. Where I think I've landed on this recently is that beyond a certain threshold, more isn't necessarily better, especially when traded off against other considerations. I think I would be quite happy with a battery life of about 4 hours, or about 500maH or more. Anything above that is gravy, and may or may not be worth the tradeoffs. What this tells me is that in looking at the options on the market today at 650maH and above, I should probably look at them as equal from a battery life standpoint and focus more on the other important factors in deciding.
2. Cost, Warranty, and overall Value Proposition
Original 510 batteries are $6 - $13. I'm sorry, but paying double the price for a warranty defies common sense. Buy twice as many of the cheap ones and you're guaranteed to come out ahead. Maybe I'm missing something. I would probably buy a few of these in the future only because I like the form factor. When I consider capacity and cost, even at only $6 all of the larger battery options are a better overall value.
Mega/XL 510 batteries are $10 - $16. Given you can now get eGo size batteries for $16 or less, these only make sense to me nearer the $10 price range, and I think primarily if you're buying them for ergonomic reasons. I bought mine for $10(regular price) from a reputable vendor who offers 6 month warranty(Value Vapor). Unfortunately they don't offer any of the higher capacity eGo or Riva style batteries for the 510.
650 maH eGo knockoff batteries can be had at Tasty Vapor with no warranty for only $15. Following my logic from above, I can justify paying a few bucks more for a better warranty, or for a Riva battery with a better button design, but not for simply more capacity and battery life. Recently, Vapor Junction had the Riva batteries on sale for only $16 which was just as good if not a better deal. Their warranty is only 14-day as I understand it, which is only marginally better than a DOA only. There seem to be several options for $20 and under for eGo and Riva genuine and knockoff batteries with varying warranties, all fairly reasonable options I think.
3. Ergonomic/Cosmetic
I love the form factor of the original 510 with standard battery. It's sleek, sexy, and compact. Yeah, the battery life sucks. That's why I went for the 280maH Mega/XL(longer) instead of the 650maH eGo(fatter) when I first bought additional batteries. They're not bad, but the additional length is a slight detraction for me. I can't hold it as comfortably the way I prefer(between thumb and either index or middle finger, with battery pointing at my palm), and the balance and weight don't feel as good to me. In fact, I tend to use my Mega/XL batteries only if both of my original batteries are dead, which is fairly rare. I'm not sure if the ego would have been better, but I wasn't crazy about how they looked and how much fatter they were for similar reasons and I wasn't comfortable paying the higher price at the time to find out since I anticipated they would come down. I haven't delved into passthrus yet for similar reasons, I thought the cable would annoy me. I do have plans to get one sooner or later just to try, but I have a strong suspicion that it may end up sitting idle after it's honeymoon period. All other things being equal, I would probably choose the Riva over the eGo based on comments I've read about the button design being slightly superior. Also, dealing with another charger(USB rapid) which is not backward compatible with my older batteries will be a bit of an inconvenience. Similarly, my form factor concerns pretty much rule out larger batteries like the TW mega tornado and Hello 16, and they cost a few bucks more to boot. Most mods I've seen don't appeal to me at this point in my vaping journey for the same reason, either too big, too expensive, or both. I expect that could change down the road.
4. Redundancy
I would be uncomfortable with using fewer than 3 batteries in rotation. More is better, especially if they are lower capacity, and you don't have the flexibility of recharging for long stretches of time. Fortunately, that's not a problem for me. I've usually had 4 batteries in rotation, but recent dropped down to 2 briefly, inadvertently living on the edge when one failed and I misplaced another on the same day. Now I'm at 3, and I hope to soon be up to 5. These are all original or Mega/XL size 510 batteries. My thinking in general is that however much I decide it makes sense for me to spend on batteries, it's not ideal to have it tied up in only one or two units due to the relatively high potential for loss or failure. All other things being equal, I'd rather have 4 650maH batteries than 2 1300maH ones.
So, I'll probably pull the trigger here soon on an eGo or Riva genuine or knockoff in the $15-$20 range. I've pretty much talked myself out of any more mega/XL batteries. I may also replace my original 510 batteries with the $6 ones from TV, but I'll probably wait for the original ones to fail first. Who knows, I may have a change of heart by then if the eGo form factor turns out to be more comfortable than I anticipate.
1. Capacity
The range currently seems to be from 150mAH for the original 510 all the way to 1300mAH for the H16. Where I think I've landed on this recently is that beyond a certain threshold, more isn't necessarily better, especially when traded off against other considerations. I think I would be quite happy with a battery life of about 4 hours, or about 500maH or more. Anything above that is gravy, and may or may not be worth the tradeoffs. What this tells me is that in looking at the options on the market today at 650maH and above, I should probably look at them as equal from a battery life standpoint and focus more on the other important factors in deciding.
2. Cost, Warranty, and overall Value Proposition
Original 510 batteries are $6 - $13. I'm sorry, but paying double the price for a warranty defies common sense. Buy twice as many of the cheap ones and you're guaranteed to come out ahead. Maybe I'm missing something. I would probably buy a few of these in the future only because I like the form factor. When I consider capacity and cost, even at only $6 all of the larger battery options are a better overall value.
Mega/XL 510 batteries are $10 - $16. Given you can now get eGo size batteries for $16 or less, these only make sense to me nearer the $10 price range, and I think primarily if you're buying them for ergonomic reasons. I bought mine for $10(regular price) from a reputable vendor who offers 6 month warranty(Value Vapor). Unfortunately they don't offer any of the higher capacity eGo or Riva style batteries for the 510.
650 maH eGo knockoff batteries can be had at Tasty Vapor with no warranty for only $15. Following my logic from above, I can justify paying a few bucks more for a better warranty, or for a Riva battery with a better button design, but not for simply more capacity and battery life. Recently, Vapor Junction had the Riva batteries on sale for only $16 which was just as good if not a better deal. Their warranty is only 14-day as I understand it, which is only marginally better than a DOA only. There seem to be several options for $20 and under for eGo and Riva genuine and knockoff batteries with varying warranties, all fairly reasonable options I think.
3. Ergonomic/Cosmetic
I love the form factor of the original 510 with standard battery. It's sleek, sexy, and compact. Yeah, the battery life sucks. That's why I went for the 280maH Mega/XL(longer) instead of the 650maH eGo(fatter) when I first bought additional batteries. They're not bad, but the additional length is a slight detraction for me. I can't hold it as comfortably the way I prefer(between thumb and either index or middle finger, with battery pointing at my palm), and the balance and weight don't feel as good to me. In fact, I tend to use my Mega/XL batteries only if both of my original batteries are dead, which is fairly rare. I'm not sure if the ego would have been better, but I wasn't crazy about how they looked and how much fatter they were for similar reasons and I wasn't comfortable paying the higher price at the time to find out since I anticipated they would come down. I haven't delved into passthrus yet for similar reasons, I thought the cable would annoy me. I do have plans to get one sooner or later just to try, but I have a strong suspicion that it may end up sitting idle after it's honeymoon period. All other things being equal, I would probably choose the Riva over the eGo based on comments I've read about the button design being slightly superior. Also, dealing with another charger(USB rapid) which is not backward compatible with my older batteries will be a bit of an inconvenience. Similarly, my form factor concerns pretty much rule out larger batteries like the TW mega tornado and Hello 16, and they cost a few bucks more to boot. Most mods I've seen don't appeal to me at this point in my vaping journey for the same reason, either too big, too expensive, or both. I expect that could change down the road.
4. Redundancy
I would be uncomfortable with using fewer than 3 batteries in rotation. More is better, especially if they are lower capacity, and you don't have the flexibility of recharging for long stretches of time. Fortunately, that's not a problem for me. I've usually had 4 batteries in rotation, but recent dropped down to 2 briefly, inadvertently living on the edge when one failed and I misplaced another on the same day. Now I'm at 3, and I hope to soon be up to 5. These are all original or Mega/XL size 510 batteries. My thinking in general is that however much I decide it makes sense for me to spend on batteries, it's not ideal to have it tied up in only one or two units due to the relatively high potential for loss or failure. All other things being equal, I'd rather have 4 650maH batteries than 2 1300maH ones.
So, I'll probably pull the trigger here soon on an eGo or Riva genuine or knockoff in the $15-$20 range. I've pretty much talked myself out of any more mega/XL batteries. I may also replace my original 510 batteries with the $6 ones from TV, but I'll probably wait for the original ones to fail first. Who knows, I may have a change of heart by then if the eGo form factor turns out to be more comfortable than I anticipate.
It's extremely pleasant to hold and to vape. Tons of vapor compared to the stock 510.
