does anyone mind telling me how long your darwin batteries last and should I be turning it off when not in use. (That would be when I am sleeping) I am not getting the published battery life others are reporting but I am a chain vaper.
Too many variables for a reliable number. Only general averages apply. The primary two variables are the amps number on your screen and aggregate button time. Using lower resistance attys/cartos will draw a higher amps number. Using standard or higher resistance will yield a lower amps number. Amps is battery life so the higher that number the faster the battery will drain. Combined amps drain along with total aggregate button time will yield use "hours" but you cannot calculate this number. Obviously, at the same amps number, someone with an aggregate button time of 5 minutes per hour will get more "hours" compared to someone with an aggregate button time of 10 minutes per hour. But there is really no way to count or calculate your aggregate button time to compare with anyone else (thus, as I said, too many variables for a reliable number).
On average, using a standard resistance carto (around 2.8 ohms) and vaping at about 8.5 watts yields an amps draw of about 1.6 or 1.7 amps. Batt life can last me anywhere between 12 to 20 hours depending on how much I am vaping in that particular day. But, remember, these are rough averages.
Leaving the arm open will have no appreciable reduction in batt life. I have tanks on all my Darwins and always leave the arms open. While it is not necessary, I do take my tanks off and close the arm when I charge each night.
However, those posting 2 or 3 days are not doing you or themselves any favors. I know this is a long thread but it has been discussed many times. It is not good to run Darwin to cut-off on a regular basis. Doing so will, over time, shorten the life you get per charge cycle and may shorten the overall life length of the battery. I charge mine each and every night when I sleep. Darwin has "smart charge" circuitry so there is no concern about overcharging. Also, the on-screen gauge is not exactly accurate because it hangs at full for hours. Similar to some car gas gauges that hang near full and then drop faster, Darwin does this. Best to recharge if you see the gauge at half.
Hope this helps.