Setup Advice (Saftey questions)

[Norr]

Hi guys, just joined the forum.

My current setup is:
Sigelei-150W Box Mod
2x Efest 2500 mAh IMR 18650 3.7V LI-MN (Discharge current:35A) Batteries
smok TFV4 tank
smok TF-Q4 Coil (0.15 Ohm's)

Typically run at 40 to 60 watts

My question to you more seasoned vapers, is this setup safe? Am I posing risk to battery shortage or explosion? And if this is safe, would using 2x Efest 2500 mAh IMR 18650 3.7V (Discharge current: 20A/35A) be safe?

Sorry for throwing this all out there, just need some reassurance. Thank you!

 

[Train2]

Soon as you get the chance, I'd splurge for better batteries.
The only thing truly reliable about eFest is that you can count on them to inflate their specs.

 

[Norr]

Soon as you get the chance, I'd splurge for better batteries.
The only thing truly reliable about eFest is that you can count on them to inflate their specs.

I had just purchased 4 eFest 2500 mAh IMR 18650 3.7V (Discharge current: 20A/35A) from Amazon, because my current 4 are reaching the end of their lives. I have only verified authentication, haven't charged or used them, do you think I should return them?

 

[suprtrkr]

Under 60 watts, you are probably safe. The problem with Efest batteries is they are re-wraps. There's nothing inherently wrong with rewraps, but you can't tell what actual battery is under the wrap. In most cases, there usually is a moderately decent 20A battery in the Efest purples. Usually. But you can't know that. My advice is to stick with name brand batteries. For your mod I would recommend LG HE2s, HE4s, HG2s or Samsung 25Rs or Panasonic 30Qs or Sony VTC5s or any of the AW 20 amp CDR rated batteries up to 100 watts, and Sony VTC4s or LG HB6s above that figure. One thing I will tell you for sure: Efest is lying to you about their discharge ratings. No matter what you have under the wrap, it is not a 35 amp CDR battery. There aren't any. Efest likes to use pulse discharge ratings in their advertising and, while these may be true, they are meaningless for vapers because those pulses are measured in milliseconds, not the seconds of a vape draw. Take a look at @Mooch 's blog on the subject:
18650 Safety Grades -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With | E-Cigarette Forum
Calculating battery current draw for a regulated mod | E-Cigarette Forum
Battery pulse ratings are useless! | E-Cigarette Forum
There are no 18650 batteries with a genuine rating over 30A! | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[Train2]

PERSONALLY, I would - but you'll get some other answers soon, too!
I only pull about 10 amps, so I don't have to worry much - but I think the ONLY battery around that's legitimately rated for 30 is an LG (SEE BELOW - SuperTrkr's post)!

(I use LG HG2, and Samsung INR25, which are 20 amps but more Mah).

And I'd get batteries from RTD Vapor, or Illumn, or Orbtronic, or IMRbatteries.com. The good ones get COPIED, and sold on eBay or even maybe Amazon...

 

[suprtrkr]

I had just purchased 4 eFest 2500 mAh IMR 18650 3.7V (Discharge current: 20A/35A) from Amazon, because my current 4 are reaching the end of their lives. I have only verified authentication, haven't charged or used them, do you think I should return them?

As I said in my previous post, they're probably OK at 60 watts. I can't offer you any more assurance that "probably" because I just don't know. Returning them-- if you can-- is up to you. I wouldn't buy any more. The authentic batteries I mentioned are available at Orbtronic, Illumn and RTDVapor.

 

[suprtrkr]

PERSONALLY, I would - but you'll get some other answers soon, too!
I only pull about 10 amps, so I don't have to worry much - but I think the ONLY battery around that's legitimately rated for 30 is an LGHB2 (I use LG HG2, and Samsung INR25, which are 20 amps but more Mah).

And I'd get batteries from RTD Vapor, or Illumn, or Orbtronic, or IMRbatteries.com. The good ones get COPIED, and sold on eBay or even maybe Amazon...

The 30A part is the HB6...

 

[Marc411]

I finally get to plagerize Susan.

I use illumn and their prices are great and they ship fast.

Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.
RTD Vapor
Illumination Supply
Orbtronics
IMR Batteries
Liion Wholesale

Check out some of @Mooch's battery blogs for other cells (and their bench tests).
There are no 18650 batteries with a genuine rating over 30A!
Battery pulse ratings are useless!
18650 Safety Grades -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With
Links to all his battery tests to date: List of My Battery Tests

 

[Norr]

Well I appreciate everything guys, you're all awesome!

I'm thinking of getting a couple pairs of Sony VTC5s, now it comes down to the matter of charging. Would my Nitecore Intellicharger i2 work for these or should I look into a new charger as well?

 

[Susan~S]

Would my Nitecore Intellicharger i2 work for these or should I look into a new charger as well?

That charger will work fine. I have the i4 (the 4 bay version).

 

[Marc411]

That charger will work fine. I have the i4 (the 4 bay version).

Damn you're fast.

 

[kbeam418]

Well I appreciate everything guys, you're all awesome!

I'm thinking of getting a couple pairs of Sony VTC5s, now it comes down to the matter of charging. Would my Nitecore Intellicharger i2 work for these or should I look into a new charger as well?

I wouldn't get the VTC5 batteries. I would get what suprtrkr recommended.

 

[Norr]

My advice is to stick with name brand batteries. For your mod I would recommend LG HE2s, HE4s, HG2s or Samsung 25Rs or Panasonic 30Qs or Sony VTC5s or any of the AW 20 amp CDR rated batteries up to 100 watts, and Sony VTC4s or LG HB6s above that figure.

I wouldn't get the VTC5 batteries. I would get what suprtrkr recommended.

?

 

[suprtrkr]

?

Lol, the VTC5s are excellent 20A batteries and, at 2600 mAh, slightly more capacity than the 2500 mAh ones.I usually don't get them, or recommend them, however, as the price difference is, to me, not worth it for an extra 100 mAh. But if you like them, go ahead. They're really good ones. But then, so are the others. For my part, I run VTC4s in almost everything; I am a mech modder, I like the safety margin, and I'm willing to pay the price in money and lost capacity. When I got the RX200s, since they are three battery mods, I went with the LG HG2s for maximum possible battery life; the only batteries I own that aren't VTC4s. When I set my woman up with a 40 watt machine, though, I went looking for any good quality battery in the 20 amp range, and wound up with Samsung 25Rs because I found them on sale that weekend.

 

[Norr]

Lol, the VTC5s are excellent 20A batteries and, at 2600 mAh, slightly more capacity than the 2500 mAh ones.I usually don't get them, or recommend them, however, as the price difference is, to me, not worth it for an extra 100 mAh.

Sorry suprtrkr, don't mean to be so picky about details but does that mean they make the Sony VTC4 in a 2500 mAh version? I can only seem to find that battery in 2100 mAh, was that the one you were referring to?

That charger will work fine. I have the i4 (the 4 bay version).

Susan, I know you had said the VTC5 would be compatible with the i2, would this also be applicable to the VTC4?

 

[Susan~S]

Susan, I know you had said the VTC5 would be compatible with the i2, would this also be applicable to the VTC4?

All the Nitcore chargers (as well as other brand chargers) can handle all 18350, 18490/18500 and 18650 cells.

The cells mAh & amp rate is irrelevant with regards to choosing a charger.

The mAh stands for milli-Ampere-hours and indicates how much electric charge the battery can provide. The higher the mAh, the longer your battery will last before it needs charging.
Also, the higher the mAh, the longer it will take to recharge the cell.

Whereas, the cells CDR (continuous discharge rating) is VERY important when deciding which cell/battery to choose.

Choosing a Brand of Battery

There are only a few battery manufacturers in the world who make their own "cells", including LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, and Sony.

All the other brands on the market buy the second and third tier cells from those manufacturers and re-wrap them under their own brand, but these are "second and/or third tier cells" which did not meet the higher standards of the original manufacturer. So, in order to compete with the original manufacturers' batteries (first tier), these other companies feel obligated to publish specifications which are inflated to make them appear superior to those of the original manufacturer.

* (AW is Andrew Wan, a former Panasonic employee who branched out to create his own "brand" of batteries. He allegedly has agreements with the major cell manufacturers to purchase first tier batteries from them. Not all batteries are created equal, so AW tests these batteries for quality. The best get chosen to be AW brand, and are re-wrapped as AW.)

Do your research before you buy. Decide what battery to buy depending upon the application that you will use them. In most cases you can pay less for a first tier battery from the original manufacturer instead of buying a re-wrap cell with inflated specifications.

Regarding Battery Safety

If you are interested in learning more about batteries/battery safety check out the blogs by @Baditude & @Mooch (two of ECF's battery experts).

Here are links to some of Mooch's blogs:

• There are no 18650 batteries with a genuine rating over 30A!
• Battery pulse ratings are useless!
• 18650 Safety Grades -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With
• Links to all his battery tests to date: List of My Battery Tests
• Calculating Battery Current Draw for a Regulated Mod

And a couple of Baditude's blogs.

• Baditude's Blog - Table of Contents
• Battery Basics for Mods - The Ultimate Battery Guide

Another essential read to understand which batteries are safe to use in mechanical and regulated mods. Includes a frequently updated list of recommended safe-chemistry, high-drain batteries with their specifications.

• Purple Efest Batteries not as Advertised

A cautionary blog that reveals that the purple Efest batteries may not have the specifications advertised. Also includes a commentary on "continuous discharge ratings" vs "pulse discharge ratings" of battery specs

 

[sonicbomb]

Return or recycle those Efests. There is no way of knowing what cell is actually under the wrap and therefore no idea what the CDR is which makes it impossible to use them safely for vaping.
I recommend the Samsung 25R the LG HG2 the Sony VTC4

 

[Norr]

Thank you Susan and Sonic.

After further review, I'm placing an order tonight for 4 of the Sony VTC4s.

I also own a Sigelei Mini 30W, and I'm thinking of getting a couple LG HG2s for higher longevity. This battery seems to make a good fit, can anyone validate?

 

[djsvapour]

1) After further review, I'm placing an order tonight for 4 of the Sony VTC4s.

2) I also own a Sigelei Mini 30W, and I'm thinking of getting a couple LG HG2s for higher longevity. This battery seems to make a good fit, can anyone validate?

1) Good move.
2) I use LG HE4s in the Sigelei Mini. They will be the same dimensions (length) and are spot on in the mod.

 

[suprtrkr]

Sorry suprtrkr, don't mean to be so picky about details but does that mean they make the Sony VTC4 in a 2500 mAh version? I can only seem to find that battery in 2100 mAh, was that the one you were referring to?



Susan, I know you had said the VTC5 would be compatible with the i2, would this also be applicable to the VTC4?

No, the VTC4 is not available in a 2500 mAh version. Its capacity is 2100 mAh. The VTC5 has a capacity of 2600 mAh. For 90% of all applications-- anything below a 20A draw-- they are interchangeable parts, differing only in battery life, with the VTC5 having slightly more. In high amperage conditions, the VTC4 is a better selection, despite the lower battery life, because it will tolerate amp loadings to above 20 and up to 30 without dangerous overheating. The VTC5 will not tolerate amp loadings above 20A, and is likely to fail under those conditions, possibly dangerously. And don't worry about being picky about the details. I understand your situation and know you have to get it right.