The VAMO battery thread

[BigDaddyRog]

There is no better high drain battery than this new Panasonic

NCR18650PD High Drain Panasonic 18650 2900 mAh Li-ion Battery from USA

Someone please help me....the more I read this thread, the more confused I get.

I just won a new Vamo from Jwraps and am trying to figure out which batteries will put me where I want to be with the Vamo.
I currently stack a SilverBullet with 2 RCR123A batteries for 6v vaping.
I plan to vape at 6v with the vamo as well, but Ive never used a VV before and am not sure how they really work.
I want the best/safest/longest lasting battery known to the vaping world, but I know nothing about ohms, wattage, or anything else, really.

Is the battery that Ive quoted above the best one for me?
DO I need the BUTTON TOP or FLAT TOP?
If the BUTTON TOP is best for me, should I order it with protection or not?

I read the first 3 pages of this thread.....then realized I was actually MORE CONFUSED after reading so many different opinions about things Im pretty clueless on to begin with that I skipped to the last page here, hoping that the latest posts may clear things up for me...but Im still not sure what to order.

Thanks in advance for any "regular guy language" answers you can offer.

 

[meli.]

Hi BigDaddyRog,
Yes you can use NCR18650PD's in your Vamo, these are pretty much the newer/ improved versions of CGR'CH's.
They have the maximum discharge rate of 10A. Buying the protected version would bring the Amp rate down to 5.5A, not advisable. The Flat Top is 65mm, the Button Top 66.5mm, both will fit comfortably in your Vamo.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Now THAT....I understood perfectly!!!
Thank you!!!

 

[Proetus]

I found a good deal on Panasonic CGR18650CG Rechargeable 3.6V Li-ion 18650 Battery 2250mAh. Will these work good with the Vamo that i have in the mail? Huge thread to read thru looking for batteries only to be confused! I do see the link that Bigdaddyrog posted, but these are 1/3 of the price!

 

[meli.]

Yes the Panasonic CGR'CH will work in your Vamo.

Recently Sanyo Electric was fully integrated into Panasonic Industrial. This meant Panasonic had to change some of their product lines, integrate some technologies in order to bring forth new ones. It is also rumored Panasonic will be absorbing Sony's Battery devision.

Panasonic stopped manufacturing the CGR'CH a few months ago, the NCR'PD seems to be the replacement.
This is the main reason the CGR's are cheaper, they're viewed as old stock, once they have all been sold that's it. No more. They are still excellent batteries, many vapers and flashlight enthusiasts will agree. Unfortunately, we also have exceptions that will not. CGR'CH's are high drain, use safe chem, are recommend for use in Vamo's.

But if you want an improved version it is the NCR'PD. These batteries contain HRL (Heat Resistance Layer) Technology which is meant to improve the safety of Li-Ion significantly. You can read more about this technology, it's a PDF Download direct from industrial.panasonic.com:
Panasonic NCR18650 Lithium Ion/ NNP + HLR Technology PDF

 

[Proetus]

Thank you for the information Meli. The great $4.00 deal turned into 40 with shipping for 4 batteries. I ordered 2 of the batteries that Bigdaddy posted in the link above.

Thanks again!

 

[Strontium]

Hi BigDaddyRog,
Yes you can use NCR18650PD's in your Vamo, these are pretty much the newer/ improved versions of CGR'CH's.
They have the maximum discharge rate of 10A. Buying the protected version would bring the Amp rate down to 5.5A, not advisable. The Flat Top is 65mm, the Button Top 66.5mm, both will fit comfortably in your Vamo.

Meli, you should start charging for your good service

I would only add something, with ncr18650PD you are getting fresh batteries, and much more juice. Panasonic recently released them.
cgr18650CH, if they are too cheap you might get very old batteries, because this is 3 or 4 years old product line. Not good.

 

[meli.]

Strontium, that's so sweet of you and such a huge compliment, thank you.

I find Vamo forum members All try really hard to give the best advice they can. For me this forum is a friendlier, less argumentative one than some others on ECF.

 

[John Alexander]

I purchased a protected battery for the Vamo that I have on order, but from what I read it won't work in the unit. Is there another unit it will work in? I don't want to waste the money. Thanks.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I ordered 2 of the NCRs posted above with a new Xtar WP2 charger......I used these batteries in my Silver Bullet and they work....of coarse the SilverBullet is not a Variable Voltage mod and its got the cooler 3.7v hit.....Im hoping that the Vamo being a VV will do what I believe its intended to do and vape at 6v even though its a 3.7v battery? Am I right in assuming that? And if so....how??? Does it just drain the battery twice as quick?

 

[awsum140]

I ordered 2 of the NCRs posted above with a new Xtar WP2 charger......I used these batteries in my Silver Bullet and they work....of coarse the SilverBullet is not a Variable Voltage mod and its got the cooler 3.7v hit.....Im hoping that the Vamo being a VV will do what I believe its intended to do and vape at 6v even though its a 3.7v battery? Am I right in assuming that?

Your assumption is correct. Vamo, and similar devices, use a so-called buck/boost circuit to get to the operating voltage you select. It "bucks", or regulates, down below 3.7 volts or whatever the battery is delivering, and it "boosts", essentially using inverter operations, to get the voltage up over 3.7 or whatever the battery is delivering. From an efficiency standpoint, ie battery drain/life, bucking is much more efficient resulting in longer battery life for any given battery capacity. As an example, two stacked 18350-800mah batteries will last as long as an 18650-2000mah battery. Remember that in stacked or series battery situation the voltages of the batteries add together, the amp hour capacity remains the same as one battery.

 

[Disconnect]

Might just be me, but I also find stacking to give a better vape. (I haven't gone back to check the actual output via the in-depth reviews, but it feels better. One of those lovely "this is probably better but maybe I'm making it up" feelings )

 

[awsum140]

I suspect that the circuitry does "struggle" when boosting, especially if the battery voltage is getting below 3.5 or so, or if being pushed hard with a higher voltage or wattage setting. Pbusardo had some good traces showing performance of stacked versus single and the stack does perform slightly better according to that test.

 

[xbassman]

cgr18650CH, if they are too cheap you might get very old batteries, because this is 3 or 4 years old product line. Not good.

Nothing wrong with the cgr18650ch's I bought for <$5 each.
I'm getting about a day and a half on them running 9-10W. That's with only 4 charge cycles so far.

Just sayin....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bunksteve]

Just out of curiosity, anybody order these: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-CGR...TF8&qid=1365474774&sr=8-1&keywords=cgr18650ch ?

 

[peraspera]

Just out of curiosity, anybody order these: Amazon.com: 4pcs Panasonic CGR18650CH 3.6 Volt Li-ion shipping free 18650 Battery 2250 mAh: Everything Else ?

Those are extremely popular, high quality batteries and will work perfectly in your VAMO. If you can wait a couple of weeks for delivery you can get them cheaper at Fast Tech, Panasonic CGR18650CH Rechargeable 2250mAh 3.7V 18650 Lithium Batteries. Use TENOFF for 5% off.

 

[bunksteve]

Those are extremely popular, high quality batteries and will work perfectly in your VAMO. If you can wait a couple of weeks for delivery you can get them cheaper at Fast Tech, Panasonic CGR18650CH Rechargeable 2250mAh 3.7V 18650 Lithium Batteries. Use TENOFF for 5% off.

Thanks, peraspera! I placed an order with Amazon.... but you can never have too many spares. May grab some more in the future.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

....Use TENOFF for 5% off.

Can we get 10% off if we used TWENTYOFF?

 

[Koman]

Those are extremely popular, high quality batteries and will work perfectly in your VAMO. If you can wait a couple of weeks for delivery you can get them cheaper at Fast Tech, Panasonic CGR18650CH Rechargeable 2250mAh 3.7V 18650 Lithium Batteries. Use TENOFF for 5% off.

Thanks for linking, good stuff!

 

[Kycap]

I have a question about carrying batteries, i have a plastic case which holds 2 18650 batteries, would it be safe to carry 4 18350's in the case or would the contacts cause a problem ? any help appreciated.