Should I throw out my battery and get a new one?

[nyiddle]

Well as for a charger being smart enough, I'm just using the USB charging cable that came with my device and have it plugged into my computer.. for some reason I'm lead to believe that charger isn't smart at all and wouldn't have that capability unless I'm totally wrong. I'll have a look in purchasing one of those batteries you linked though.

If the chip inside your subox is functioning properly (which it is) and regulating the amperage going into your battery when charging, as well as cutting it off/trickle-charging it when it's full, then it is being "smart". That said, I'm not a fan of internal charging. As @DingerCPA mentions, in a pinch it's probably fine, but all the time/when you have access to an actual charger you should opt for removing them.

In the event that the chip in your Subox decides to stop properly regulating the amperage from the USB charger.. It's gonna be a bad time. I trust any smart charger far more than the on-board charging capabilities of a cheaply-made Chinese PCB. Not knocking them, all my in-use mods are regulated (and all the chips come from China), but it's the nature of the beast. Don't bank on its safety features always being operational.

So now your shopping list is some nice batteries (any one from Illumn that I linked above, RTDVapor is also a great source for authentic cells) and a nice charger. Don't get one of those cheapo 1-bay off-brand guys. Grab yourself a Nitecore i4 or an Efest LUC.

 

[DingerCPA]

Oh, P.S. Please don't "throw away" - recycle the batteries. I have a metal recycling place that will take batteries and give me a few pennies for them, so when it's time to take in the beer aluminum cans, I'll take batteries with me too.

 

[MattyTny]

Cleaning contact points is important to keep your equipment running well, this pertains to both unregulated and regulated.

Use a high percentage rubbing alcohol on your contacts with a cloth and/or q-tips. Clean the battery contacts on your battery, battery contacts in your device, the 510 pin and threading on your device, and the 510 pin and threading on your atomizer. If contact points are really dirty and the alcohol doesn't cut it you need to hit it with a polishing rag.

 

[josh w]

I currently have 8 batteries. I've given some to friends in the past. I only run six of them though. All vtc-4. I have two Samsung 25r I keep as emergency, but never use them. Also have the i4 charger. One set in mod, spare set ready to go, third set charging. Makes a good cycle.

 

[bigrf85]

battery longevity can be alter by factors such as overcharging/over discharging/charge settings/charge habits/temp of use and probably many more if the right criteria are met it can drastically decrease the longevity of a cell

 

[zapped]

Isn't that a short time for a battery to lose performance though? What would be the best battery I could go for?

Not with your vaping style.

How many times a day do you charge the battery?

All of them have a finite number of charge cycles and the faster you deplete them, which high wattage builds are famous for, the more often they need to be replaced.

Also as others have mentioned, just having a single battery is rough on them. I try to rotate between 4 at minimum and have had as many as 7.

 

[Bunnykiller]

hmmm Ive got batteries that are well used and over 2 yrs old... ( VTC4's and 5's)