The age old battery questions...

[cammelspit]

so I was looking at the Efest 3100Mah 20A cells and I cant seem to keep from getting mixed info on the net about if these cells are any good or not. I've heard good things about Efest purples in general and so I would expect that they are at least close to the quality and ratings they are supposed to have. BUT I seem to have read at least two different places that these specific cells are 4-6A instead of the 20A they're supposed to be and that is simply put NOT an option to me. I admit that I am new to mech mods and as such am looking for GOOD batteries to use in this scenario. I currently only have an SVD so the cell really doesn't even matter since they cant really draw any decent current ANYWAY. My decision cannot be based off of what coils I intend to build since what I build for my SVD in my kraken is obviously not a representation of what I will use in a mech. I also want to experiment with coils in a range of Ohms, down to as low as they go. So, I guess the question is whether or not I should get the 35A 2500Mah cells or would taking the chance on these new cells for the capacity be low risk since Efest typically uses really good cells and these cant be too far off? Has anyone used either of these cells for some super sub-ohming? Should I not go with Efest at all and if so what would you all use for the sheer amp draw of the cells? My mechs are already shipped and should be here from http://www.fasttech.com/ in ~2 weeks or so so its time to make the decision and bite the bullet and get the cells on the way now too.

Thanks in advance for any insight all you smart people out there can offer!

 

[Wraith504]

The 35A efest purples are in fact 20A rated cells. Just fine to use as long as u dont subohm below their amp limit threshold. Sony vtc4s vtc5s and xtar vtc4s orbtronics sx30s are 30 amp rated and allow you to build lower resistance coils. Problem is there is a battery drought and it is difficult to find.

 

[pnyc]

Efest has some spotty records of inflated rating claims:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...87759-purple-efest-18650-battery-warning.html


http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...17-purple-efest-batteries-not-advertised.html


http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...tery-other-than-vtc4-found-under-wrapper.html

 

[Topwater Elvis]

The efest 3100mah has a continuous discharge rate of 10 amps.
Efest consistently / typically overstates many of their batteries CDR's, this has been confirmed by testing performed by multiple reputable independent sources.

" Sheer amp draw" should never exceed a batteries CDR, equaling the CDR leaves no headroom as a safety cushion, exceeding the CDR can be dangerous.

As mah increases CDR decreases, no way around it.

 

[AzPlumber]

Never pick a battery based only on capacity, decide what your amp requirements are first.

 

[Susan~S]

Only buy batteries from a reputable supplier (not ebay or Amazon) as there are many counterfeit batteries being sold. Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.

* RTD Vapor
* Illumination Supply
* Lighthound
* Orbtronics

Check out a blog post by Baditude regarding batteries and chargers: Battery Basics for Mods

- choose the safest and right battery for your applications here. Includes a list of name brand, high-drain, safe-chemistry batteries with mAh & amp ratings in 18350, 18490/18500, and 18650 sizes.

 

[NealBJr]

Ok.. the reason Efests are not really recommended, or you find info on them that's not entirely accurate, is because Efest to my knowlege does not make the batteries themselves. Instead, they take the wrappers off of other batteries, and put their own logo on. Add to that, the fact that there is more than one type of "amp" reading on batteries further confuses the issue.

There is something called continuous and pulse amp ratings. Continuous is where if you were to just hold the button down until drained.. how many amps could it handle without venting. Pulse ratings are simply how much it can handle for a short ammount of time. You may say "I don't hold the button down for very long, so pulse should matter more"... and that would be a very unsafe thought. There have been several times when I set my mod down while driving... and even though it shouldn't have been firing, it rolled over, and had the button pressed for well over a minute. I know this because when I go to pick it up, the atomizer is blazingly hot. This has happened about 2-3 times, and one of those was while I was driving on vacation with my family. I don't build my coils to where it will draw more than half of the battery's amp limit. That's for safety reasons.

So, back to the Efest..... The Efest purples are stated as 35 amp batteries.. They are actually re-wraps of LG cells, which in turn have a rating of 20 amp continuous, 35 amp pulse. So, yes, efest does have a 35 amp battery, but it's a pulse rating.

To be honest, treat it like a 20 amp battery. That is good for a .4 ohm build or higher. I wouldn't take it any lower than that for safety reasons. Even at .4 ohms, that's a fairly warm vape.

 

[cammelspit]

Ok, I see the point. I had been a consumer electronics repair tech for almost 7 years and so I am familiar with CDR and so called pulse ratings and the C ratings but the whole 18650 thing in a mech was my only vague spot. It's sad that the Efest purples are not even close to the ratings on the battery. I know the Li-Mn use a magnesium alloy cathode and as such this type of chemistry has a pretty predictable CDR to capacity trade off. I am just so darn frazzled by the insane amount of types of batteries out there and the massive range in qualities. When u make or repair some CE device that draw maybe 1 amp at the MOST of .5 amp typical then it never even matters the CDR only really the capacity but with this stuff, geez. It seems to me that some company should go and make a series of 18650s made JUST for E-cig mods with very plain and simple ratings. "This is what it is and this is how good it does it" so I guess I will just have to do some more looking about and I will look over those sites listed above and see if I can find something I am comfortable with.

Also I hear AW brand is also kind of good any thoughts?

 

[Topwater Elvis]

I believe AW are the safest and most thoroughly & accurately tested & rated batteries available. They are always my first pick recommendation.
Multiple independent testing sources confirm their high quality & rating accuracy.

Re wrapped fakes of every brand are prolific on the market, only buy batteries from reputable vendors /dealers.

 

[cammelspit]

Hey guys, thanks so much for clearing this up for me... if I wanted a 20A battery I could just get those LG cells and spend less for the same cell then the efest... I guess its the re-wraps and the fakes that REALLY gets my goat. Makes it very hard for a non expert battery picker to be confident they are getting a decent cell at a decent price. If anyone has any other suggestions im open eared but I think I may have enough info so far to make an informed decision.

Thanks again all!

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Batteries are not the place for bargain shopping.

If you wanted a good 20a cdr battery;
AW 2200mah 20a cdr
AW1600mah 24a cdr
LG he2 2500 mah 20a cdr
Samsung INR -20R 2000mah 22a cdr
Samy INR -25R 2500mah 20a cdr
Orbtronic sx22 2000mah 22a cdr

 

[Rule62]

Labeling and marketing batteries according to 'Pulse Discharge Rating' is deceptive, dishonest, and dangerous. There is no 'Pulse Dischgarge Rating', as an official means of rating batteries. Repeat: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS 'PULSE DISCHARGE RATING' AS AN OFFICIAL MEANS OF RATING BATTERIES! It's pure fiction. If you're relying on a fictitious 'Pulse Rating' when setting your parameters for building coils or operating a mechanical mod, you're an accident waiting to happen.

 

[cammelspit]

I totally agree now knowing what I know... When building an electronics project I would never even DREAM of accepting a "PULSE" rating as anything but an oddity. If the battery cant take the current for the whole life of the discharge cycle then it's simply not good enough for the job, why would vaping be any different? In fact vaping it would be more of an issue as u have the battery like a couple inches from your flippin' FACE!