SubOhmCell 35A 2800mAh 18650 Bench Test Results...only a 15A-20A 2500mAh battery

Tested at 10A-25A constant current. This cell was purchased from IMRBatteries and donated for testing. To prevent any confusion with the eGo-type "batteries", I use the term "cell" here to refer to a single 18650, 26650, etc.


Disclaimer
The conclusions and recommendations I make based on these tests are only my personal opinion. Carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.

Testing batteries at their limits is dangerous and should never, ever, be attempted by anyone who has not thoroughly studied the dangers involved and how to minimize them. My safety precautions are the ones I have selected to take and you should not assume they will protect you if you attempt to do any testing. Do the research and create your own testing methods and safety precautions.




Bottom Line
This is only a 15A+ cell that has almost 40% less capacity than the Samsung 25R at 20A. Runs much hotter than the 25R too.


Test Results



Comments

• At 10A it reached a bit over 2300mAh. This is terrible performance for a 2800mAh-rated cell. I'm setting a capacity of 2500mAh for this cell.
• At 20A the maximum temperature reached 86°C. This is very high and indicates that the cell is already operating beyond its CDR.
• At 25A the temperature rose to 99° just before the test ended. The temperature then coasted up to 101°C. This exceeds my 100°C safety limit and very clearly demonstrates that this is not a 35A cell.
• Tests were not done at 30A or 35A because my safety limit was already exceeded at 25A. The danger of cell venting would be very real at these high current levels in my opinion.
• Five additional cycles at 20A showed essentially no loss in capacity or additional voltage sag. However, the temperature was too high to set 20A as the CDR.
• I am setting a CDR of 15A+ for this cell. While it didn't appear damaged at 20A, it's temperature is too high. At 15A its temperature is the same as the 25R at its CDR. While operating any cell near its rated maximum current causes damage to the cell, I would expect decent cycle life from this cell at 15A+. I would not recommend operating this cell above 20A due to the high temperatures the cell reaches and the risk of venting.
• To see how other cells have tested and how hard you can safely push them, check out the links in my signature.

 

Thank you!
Still love that sniper kitten.

 

I should add that the SubOhmCell has the thinnest wrap I've ever seen on a battery. If your mod abuses the wraps of your batteries I highly recommend rewrapping any SubOhmCells you have.