Very limited availability. Which 18650 will do?

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Animal Vapist

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Nov 21, 2020
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Hi,

I have been using Samsung 25 flat tops and AW button tops. They are about 4 years old now and still seem to be ok but I would like to replace them.

Unfortunately there is very little availability. I actually need button top batteries now and I can't find any high discharge ones.

I am an old school vaper using a protank4, vaping at max 23 watts on a .5 to .6 ohm coil with a single 18650, so it's a pretty tame setup.

Can I use one of the high capacity low drain batteries?

Can someone throw at a few battery models that would suit my needs so I can see if I can find them?

Thanks for your help.
Regards Animal Vapist
 
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UncLeJunkLe

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    Animal Vapist

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    So I just bought these "genuine" NCR18650GA button top batteries, they don't say Sanyo or Panasonic anywhere on them and the button looks like a seperate part and the battery is longer than my AW 18650s. How can I tell if the battery is genuine or not? I paid a premium compared to the other NCR18650GA listings because these ones were claimed to be genuine.
     

    Izan

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    So I just bought these "genuine" NCR18650GA button top batteries, they don't say Sanyo or Panasonic anywhere on them and the button looks like a seperate part and the battery is longer than my AW 18650s. How can I tell if the battery is genuine or not? I paid a premium compared to the other NCR18650GA listings because these ones were claimed to be genuine.
    Hi mate,
    From whom did you purchase the batteries?
    How much longer are they?
    Perhaps posting a few photos of the suspect battery could help with it's identification/validation.

    Cheers
    I
     

    UncLeJunkLe

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    So I just bought these "genuine" NCR18650GA button top batteries, they don't say Sanyo or Panasonic anywhere on them and the button looks like a seperate part and the battery is longer than my AW 18650s. How can I tell if the battery is genuine or not? I paid a premium compared to the other NCR18650GA listings because these ones were claimed to be genuine.


    These are OEM batteries, not consumer/retail batteries. They aren't typically packaged for consumer use and retail presentation - so you won't usually see company/brand logos on them. Usually just model # and maybe some specifications and warnings. As was stated in this thread, these batts you bought are likely a flat top with the button top added by a third party, which accounts for the added length. It also may have been rewraped due to adding the button top. If you bought from Liionwholesale, you can be reasonably sure they are authentic NCR18650GA cells.
     

    jwbnyc

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    The way they do button tops now is to just add a button top to a flat top battery. This makes them longer. The problem is, if you are using them with a ProVari, you don’t want to screw them all the way down, just screw them down snug. This will leave some thread on the battery cap showing, but they will work fine. If you screw them down really tight you risk breaking the board free from the added pressure.
     

    Animal Vapist

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    Thanks guys. The problem is I can't even get the top on my vape with these batteries they are just too long for the threads in the cap to catch. Am using am ambition mods sunbox SBS. Cheers.

    PXL_20210801_011221700.jpg


    PXL_20210801_011230621.jpg
     
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    UncLeJunkLe

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    Thanks guys. The problem is I can't even get the top on my vape with these batteries they are just too long for the threads in the cap to catch. Am using am ambition mods sunbox SBS.

    That's a 2019 mod so it's a modern mod. Today's mods take flat top batteries, not button top batteries. Been this way for about 8 years now.
     
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    Mooch

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    I'm a bit concerned about something. Your battery wrap says made in China, but I thought Sanyo are made in Japan?

    @Mooch do you know what country authentic NCR18650GA batts are made in?

    Sorry, I don’t. There are multiple factories being built, or have been built, in China though by the big manufacturers. Genuine cells can come from Japan, S. Korea, Singapore/Malaysia, China, and the Philippines. Probably other countries too as new factories come online.

    But since that is a button top, and no major manufacturer makes button top cells, that means that cell has been rewrapped since typically the wrap needs to be taken off to spot weld the button top on, probably in China. It could easily be an NCR18650GA but we have no idea.

    If the button top was added without removing the original wrap, the photo doesn’t show the usual button top setup IMO, then that may be a genuine NCR18650GA that has a different wrap or it’s a fake.

    But the counterfeiters can easily duplicate a genuine wrap. Why would they completely change the wrap and then try to pass the cell off as genuine?

    No way to know what’s going on though without examination with the wrap off and testing.
     
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    Izan

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    Thanks guys. The problem is I can't even get the top on my vape with these batteries they are just too long for the threads in the cap to catch. Am using am ambition mods sunbox SBS. Cheers.

    View attachment 951415

    View attachment 951417

    Sorry, I suggested the button top because that's what you said you needed - I assumed for a provari.

    That is the wrong battery for mods that take flat tops.
     
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