Sony Warns: Using the Sony Li-ion battery in eCigarettes and Vape Pens is not advisable

[BillW50]

Translated by Google from German.

Article ID: 00158028 / Last update: 12/01/2018
Caution: Using the Sony Li-ion battery in eCigarettes and vape Pens is not advisable

For Sony, the safety of our customers is a priority. We have recently noticed that some people use our cylindrical lithium-ion VTC cells ("Li-ion cells") in a way that Sony did not intend for this use: in eCigarettes and vape Pens.

Sony has not tested Li-Ion cells in eCigarettes and vape Pens. Due to their high performance, Sony Li-ion cells require safety precautions and mechanisms to protect their use. Sony is unaware that eCigarettes or vape pens have such security mechanisms.

The misuse of Sony Li-Ion cells in eCigarettes and Vape Pens can result in a most serious risk to personal property and security.

The Sony Li-Ion cells are sold to manufacturers and are intended to power products such as power tools that incorporate certain safety precautions and mechanisms that meet our quality standards.​

Vorsicht: Die Verwendung des Sony Li-Ion-Akku in eCigarettes und Vape Pens ist nicht ratsam | Sony DE

It also appears if you purchase Sony cells from the German Amazon, they ask you if you are going to use them in electronic cigarettes. If you answer yes, they won't sell them to you.

PSA: Sony recalling VTC6 batteries via Amazon in Germany • r/electronic_cigarette

P.S. How does Sony update an article with a future date as noted above?

 

[Violetti Usva]

They've been saying this for a while but only recently made amazon do the same.

 

[bwh79]

P.S. How does Sony update an article with a future date as noted above?

Outside the US, 12/1/18 means the twelfth day of January, not December 1st. It actually makes a lot more sense, when you think about it*:

PS: This is old news. These batteries were designed to be used in sealed power packs with onboard monitoring and safety features. They were never meant to be used in the manner that we use them, as bare, stand-alone cells that are handled regularly. If we choose to do so anyway, we do it with the knowledge that we are assuming all associated risks, and they will not be held responsible for our "misuse" of their product.

*(Personally, I prefer YYYY-MM-DD since it sorts chronologically, when sorted alphabetically.)

 

[BillW50]

Outside the US, 12/1/18 means the twelfth day of January, not December 1st. It actually makes a lot more sense, when you think about it:

Yes of course. I tend to use year/month/day format in file names. As they sort by date in your file manager that way.

PS: This is old news. These batteries were designed to be used in sealed power packs with onboard monitoring and safety features. They were never meant to be used in the manner that we use them, as bare, stand-alone cells that are handled regularly. If we choose to do so anyway, we do it with the knowledge that we are assuming all associated risks, and they will not be held responsible for our "misuse" of their product.

Yes, but this is new about Amazon.

 

[DaveP]

I wouldn't order cells from Amazon, even though I'm a big fan of all the other products they sell. There's too many sellers and no way to gain confidence in their product sources.

I did order an Efest LUC4 charger from Ebay to replace my 4 year old LUC4 that had a broken bay spring. It passed the authentication code test from Efest. Lucked out there!

 

[Baditude]

Old news. This from 2016:

And from Lg:

These batteries were designed to be used only in circuit protected battery packs for the portable power tool and hybrid car industries. Vapers need to understand the potential risks involved using them in their mods. That's one of the inconvenient truths that Mooch talks about in his video.

Li-ion battery pack with protected circuitry

 

[AstroTurf]

Translated by Google from German.

Article ID: 00158028 / Last update: 12/01/2018
Caution: Using the Sony Li-ion battery in eCigarettes and Vape Pens is not advisable

For Sony, the safety of our customers is a priority. We have recently noticed that some people use our cylindrical lithium-ion VTC cells ("Li-ion cells") in a way that Sony did not intend for this use: in eCigarettes and Vape Pens.

Sony has not tested Li-Ion cells in eCigarettes and Vape Pens. Due to their high performance, Sony Li-ion cells require safety precautions and mechanisms to protect their use. Sony is unaware that eCigarettes or vape pens have such security mechanisms.

The misuse of Sony Li-Ion cells in eCigarettes and Vape Pens can result in a most serious risk to personal property and security.

The Sony Li-Ion cells are sold to manufacturers and are intended to power products such as power tools that incorporate certain safety precautions and mechanisms that meet our quality standards.​

Vorsicht: Die Verwendung des Sony Li-Ion-Akku in eCigarettes und Vape Pens ist nicht ratsam | Sony DE

It also appears if you purchase Sony cells from the German Amazon, they ask you if you are going to use them in electronic cigarettes. If you answer yes, they won't sell them to you.

PSA: Sony recalling VTC6 batteries via Amazon in Germany • r/electronic_cigarette

P.S. How does Sony update an article with a future date as noted above?

Ima quit vapin ryt now!!!

 

[Baditude]

@AstroTurf

 

[AstroTurf]

@AstroTurf

Quoted for Truth!!!

 

[Robin Becker]

To Sony´s letter:

 

[DaveP]

I love using 18650's in my 500 lumen LED flashlight. That's a low drain 5W LED, though. Even in a low drain device like a flashlight a dead short on a lithium cell becomes a serious threat to your personal safety. Even a protected device can't protect from a dead short due to a damaged battery wrap. Something to think about.

 

[Beamslider]

All about liability. They warned you so not their problem

 

[Baditude]

I love using 18650's in my 500 lumen LED flashlight. That's a low drain 5W LED, though. Even in a low drain device like a flashlight a dead short on a lithium cell becomes a serious threat to your personal safety. Even a protected device can't protect from a dead short due to a damaged battery wrap. Something to think about.

Flashlight explodes in Colo. man's mouth

 

[papergoblin]

This is just them playing the CYA game, that's it. If they were/are really concerned with who/how their batteries are used, they'd put measures in place. They could also put a pin in a lot of this rewrapping as well, but as long as they can legally separate themselves, they really don't care.

I mean let's be honest, how much more have they made per year as vaping has grown? Now not saying I want them to take a hard line or anything. I'm perfectly fine accepting the "use at your own risk" mentality. Most people with common sense are as well I'm sure, but there's always that one person. I blame McDonald's for losing that hot coffee thing, that really opened the let's sue flood gates.

 

[Baditude]

This is just them playing the CYA game, that's it. If they were/are really concerned with who/how their batteries are used, they'd put measures in place.

I mean let's be honest, how much more have they made per year as vaping has grown?

We tend to forget that Sony/Murata, LG Chem, and Samsung design their batteries to be used ONLY in battery packs with protected circuit boards (battery management systems). The companies explain this quite clearly in their warning letters. The reason that they use thin plastic insulating wraps is because the batteries were never meant to be used outside of the battery pack.

Lg, Samsung, and Sony are not interested in manufacturing batteries specifically for the vaping industry. The profit to liability risk factors involved are too risky to them, and the automotive/power tool industries already keeps them very busy.

The fact that vapers are borrowing their technology for their own use simply means that we understand and accept the risks involved, without the companies' blessing.

The batteries we buy from our favorite local suppliers do not come directly from Lg, Samsung, or Sony, but indirectly from middleman suppliers who purchase excessive stock supplies when they are made available to them. Some are actually harvested from battery packs, but that process can damage the batteries due to the fact that they are welded in place.

 

[Beamslider]

Liion now sells the LG HG2 with or without printed warning as a selection. They charge 61 cents more without the printed warning

LG HG2 18650 20A Flat Top 3000mAh Battery - Genuine - Wholesale Discount

 

[DaveP]

I guess that's the new process for informing the public about the need for battery safety. The warning below came in email from IMRBatteries along with my order confirmation. I ordered two Hohm Tech 26650's and a couple of LG HG2's.

Your order #1731275 is on the way to its destination on 12 September, 2018 15:25.

Please keep in mind that shipments containing DANGEROUS GOODS such as UN3480 class Lithium-ion Batteries require special handling and USPS may take longer than normal to process, transport, and deliver your package.

We know you're excited to receive your order and we sincerely appreciate your patience!

 

[papergoblin]

We tend to forget that Sony/Murata, LG Chem, and Samsung design their batteries to be used ONLY in battery packs with protected circuit boards (battery management systems). The companies explain this quite clearly in their warning letters. The reason that they use thin plastic insulating wraps is because the batteries were never meant to be used outside of the battery pack.

Lg, Samsung, and Sony are not interested in manufacturing batteries specifically for the vaping industry. The profit to liability risk factors involved are too risky to them, and the automotive/power tool industries already keeps them very busy.

The fact that vapers are borrowing their technology for their own use simply means that we understand and accept the risks involved, without the companies' blessing.

The batteries we buy from our favorite local suppliers do not come directly from Lg, Samsung, or Sony, but indirectly from middleman suppliers who purchase excessive stock supplies when they are made available to them. Some are actually harvested from battery packs, but that process can damage the batteries due to the fact that they are welded in place.

That was my point, they don't make end user battery products. They make batteries for manufacturers to use in pack design and the like, be it commercial servers to portable drills.

You're right we get ours from middlemen be them honest or not. The point is, if they wanted their batteries used as intended, they could implement verification processes. Now sure, that won't stop it entirely but would slow things down. All they have to do is stop sales to unauthorized resellers and only provide their batteries to verified pack manufacturers.

Again doesn't curb the cannibals but would show they are proactively against misuse of their product. I don't think they honestly care how their product is used, as long as it cannot be legally put back on them.

 

[Letitia]

Can't say I blame them considering user error is more prevalent since more shops now aren't educating people who use the batteries. And then there's the lazy idiots who know better but still don't respect the battery.

 

[Robin Becker]

You're right we get ours from middlemen be them honest or not. The point is, if they wanted their batteries used as intended, they could implement verification processes. Now sure, that won't stop it entirely but would slow things down. All they have to do is stop sales to unauthorized resellers and only provide their batteries to verified pack manufacturers.

Again doesn't curb the cannibals but would show they are proactively against misuse of their product. I don't think they honestly care how their product is used, as long as it cannot be legally put back on them.

Agree for 100%. Frankly I don´t think they care, who use batteries and for what...but as an industrial manufacturer they don´t want to be involved on any legal matter, or that end consumers will call them.
One of the problems in the supply-Chian-Management ist that some of the batteries you might get are so-called modified batteries (OEM) for a certain customer. Lets say a manufacturer of drillers wants to have a cut-off at 3.3V and charging up to 4.1V in order to raise cycle-life. This manufacturer goes to one of the manufacturer and if he is big enough, he would get what he wants.
At the second stage the manufacturer of the drillers (he is not the manufacturer of the battery pack) engage a Chinese battery assembler and deliver him all batteries he got.
Lets say that only 75% of the quantity of batteries he ordered would be implemented in his products. The surplus quantity has a chance to end up on the market.