What 18650 battery do I get?
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Definitely unprotected IMR. Never use an ICR or any protected battery for vaping.
Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or protected ICR?
Of the batteries that you listed, I'd use the Sony VTC4/5 if authentic. Just be sure to purchase from a reputable vendor who can verify that they get their stock directly from the manufacturer as there are a lot of counterfit batteries on the market. I recommend RTD Vapor, Illumination Supply, Lighthound, or Orbtronics. Don't purchase from Alibaba, Amazon, or Ebay. Sony VTC batteries will be soon discontinued.
Final word on Sony's production plans for the US18650 VTC4 and the US18650 VTC5 (April 9, 2015)
I'll also recommend the following as they will more likely be authentic name brands and not rewrapped fakes:
I'd stay away from anything made by Efest if I could help it. Purple Efest Batteries Not As Advertised
With the AW, Samsung, LG, or Orbtronic models recommended above, you can build sub-ohm coils down to 0.3 ohm overall; however I always recommend a little more safety headroom . . . like 0.6 ohm. Amps are more important than mAh when sub-ohming.
Ohm's Law Calculators: Explain it to the noob
Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries
Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or protected ICR?
Of the batteries that you listed, I'd use the Sony VTC4/5 if authentic. Just be sure to purchase from a reputable vendor who can verify that they get their stock directly from the manufacturer as there are a lot of counterfit batteries on the market. I recommend RTD Vapor, Illumination Supply, Lighthound, or Orbtronics. Don't purchase from Alibaba, Amazon, or Ebay. Sony VTC batteries will be soon discontinued.
Final word on Sony's production plans for the US18650 VTC4 and the US18650 VTC5 (April 9, 2015)
I'll also recommend the following as they will more likely be authentic name brands and not rewrapped fakes:
- new AW IMR 2200mAh 20 amp continuous
- Samsung 1865025R 2500mAh 20 amp continuous
- LG18650HE2 25mAh 20 amp continuous
- Orbtronic 18650 SX22 2000mAh 22 amp continuous
- Orbtronic 18650 2500mAh 21 amp continuous
- Orbtronic 18650 SX30 2100mAh 30 amp continuous
I'd stay away from anything made by Efest if I could help it. Purple Efest Batteries Not As Advertised
With the AW, Samsung, LG, or Orbtronic models recommended above, you can build sub-ohm coils down to 0.3 ohm overall; however I always recommend a little more safety headroom . . . like 0.6 ohm. Amps are more important than mAh when sub-ohming.
Ohm's Law Calculators: Explain it to the noob
Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries
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I started using IMREN batteries a couple months ago and I like them a lot more than my VTC4's, VTC5's, LG's, AW's, purple Efest, and Vamped batteries that I haven't touched since I got the IMREN's. They have quite a few different options available but the ones I use are 2600 mah 38 amp continuous. Best battery on the market IMO
I have been very pleased with these batteries.
Samsung INR 18650 25R Battery FLAT OR BUTTON TOP | Lightning Vapes
Good luck to you.
Samsung INR 18650 25R Battery FLAT OR BUTTON TOP | Lightning Vapes
Good luck to you.
It's hard to evaluate batteries by vaping them unless you push them hard and take a lot of notes. Have a look at the second chart here. The Samsung 25R is quite a bit better than all the Imren batts.
Sony VTC4 all the way. Samsung are good. Avoid Efest.
Incidentally I just tried out an Efest 3100mAh 18650 and was very disappointed even though my expectations were extremely low. The amp rating on the wrapper is nonsense which is pretty well known to be grossly exaggerated. I found that under a very moderate load the voltage dropped off to 3.8volts within the first ten minutes. It was effectively flat within 5 hours which is about a half of the time I get from the VTC4 which is only 2100mAh. The voltage seemed to fluctuate during use by as much as 0.8volts. Avoid this battery like beer fart. The Efest 2500mAh 18650 has similar lies on the wrapper, but seems to be a fairly decent 20amp battery.
Incidentally I just tried out an Efest 3100mAh 18650 and was very disappointed even though my expectations were extremely low. The amp rating on the wrapper is nonsense which is pretty well known to be grossly exaggerated. I found that under a very moderate load the voltage dropped off to 3.8volts within the first ten minutes. It was effectively flat within 5 hours which is about a half of the time I get from the VTC4 which is only 2100mAh. The voltage seemed to fluctuate during use by as much as 0.8volts. Avoid this battery like beer fart. The Efest 2500mAh 18650 has similar lies on the wrapper, but seems to be a fairly decent 20amp battery.
If you get an efest get the 35amp one. Even though its actually only a 20amp 1 its still a good battery. Its an LG HE2 which I used forever.
Even repubattle vendors have found VTC5 fakes so Id probably stay away from them. If you want a 30 amp continuos battery id go for the Ortronix 30a. I have 1 on its way, so i havent used 1 yet, but its hard to find anybody with a negative thing to say about them.
Even repubattle vendors have found VTC5 fakes so Id probably stay away from them. If you want a 30 amp continuos battery id go for the Ortronix 30a. I have 1 on its way, so i havent used 1 yet, but its hard to find anybody with a negative thing to say about them.
I'm not a sub ohm vaper, but I've had better results from AW 2000mah and Efest 2500mah batts over the years. If you are sub ohming, make sure the ratings you see are compiled by a trustworthy source. Manufacturers tend to publish the numbers that make them look good without disclosing just how those ratings were obtained. A case in point is the 35A stamp on the Efest purple 18650 that's actually been confirmed to be a 10A continuous battery. The 35A rating is a short pulse number, not a continuous rating.
The more you learn about battery safety and how the ratings are compiled, the safer you will be. Lithium Ion Polymer batteries may just be the new chemistry of the future since they don't swell and spew at high discharge rates. The iStick 50W is said to use self contained LiPo batts for that reason.
This article talks about and compares lithium ion and lithium polymer chemistry in batteries.
Advantages & Limitations of the Lithium-ion Battery - Battery University
The more you learn about battery safety and how the ratings are compiled, the safer you will be. Lithium Ion Polymer batteries may just be the new chemistry of the future since they don't swell and spew at high discharge rates. The iStick 50W is said to use self contained LiPo batts for that reason.
This article talks about and compares lithium ion and lithium polymer chemistry in batteries.
Advantages & Limitations of the Lithium-ion Battery - Battery University
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Based on what people had been saying about the Orbtronics SX30, I bought 4 of them (quick shipping, I received them in 2 days) and I am alternating them in my IPV Mini 2 and the SX Mini M Class. I also have a pair of Samsung 25R's and a pair of LG HE4's.
For starters, there is no such thing as a 38a IMR battery. Overrating batteries is a big problem. So always look for independent test results.
Looking for the latest spectacular battery is a mistake, opt instead for batteries with a good track record.
More important than which battery you choose to use is where you choose to buy that battery.
If it's of any benefit, the only battery I've ever used in my Caravela is the AW IMR 18650 1600mAh.
Looking for the latest spectacular battery is a mistake, opt instead for batteries with a good track record.
More important than which battery you choose to use is where you choose to buy that battery.
If it's of any benefit, the only battery I've ever used in my Caravela is the AW IMR 18650 1600mAh.
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Sony VTC4
That's what I use...at least that's what my vendor advertises and I believe I'm buying. I trust my vendor, but there are no discernible markings on the sleeve. It is possible that my vendor is being scammed by counterfeit batts? Is there some other way to confirm the actual manufacturer of a batt? If the Chinese can clone a $180.00 RBA/RDA and sell it for $20, that is so close to the authentic where not even an expert user can tell the difference, how can we be sure about the authenticity of anything? In the case of batts, it would be nice to be able to contact Sony directly to make a batt purchase.
Peter
That's what I use...at least that's what my vendor advertises and I believe I'm buying. I trust my vendor, but there are no discernible markings on the sleeve. It is possible that my vendor is being scammed by counterfeit batts? Is there some other way to confirm the actual manufacturer of a batt? If the Chinese can clone a $180.00 RBA/RDA and sell it for $20, that is so close to the authentic where not even an expert user can tell the difference, how can we be sure about the authenticity of anything? In the case of batts, it would be nice to be able to contact Sony directly to make a batt purchase.
Peter
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There's is no really definitive way of checking that I'm aware of. If you google fake vtc4 you will get some guidance. The fact that there are no markings on the cell would cause me great concern. Remember if you exceed the amp limit of your battery, you may be picking shrapnel out of your face.
Let me google that for you
The battery industry is VERY competitive, and most manufacturers are reluctant to publish anything but the basic specs, let alone the specific chemistry profile. The best batteries in the past came from Japan (Panasonic, Samsung, Sony), but those companies have begun manufacturing in China to lower production costs. AW (a Chinese battery distributor) used to buy huge lots of Japanese batteries, tested every single one of them (batteries are not created equal), and sold the upper tier as AW brand. I personally suspect that AW makes all of his IMR batteries now in China.
Then you have the China companies who make their own batteries and those who re-wrap Japanese brands (AW ICR and Orbtronic IMR/hybrid). Efest allegedly doesn't make any batteries, but re-wraps other brands and often exaggerates the original specs to make them appear superior to the original manufactured cells. Brands with "fire" in their name (Trustfire, Surefire, Ultrafire, etc) are considered to be lower quality batteries, and may possibly be re-wrapped used batteries harvested from other sources like old computers and then sold as "new" batteries.
AW has gone to great lengths to prevent counterfeiting their popular batteries, and gone on to say that all the AW batteries sold by Alibaba (a huge Chinese distributor) are fakes. Many of the cheaper AW batteries (fakes) found on Ebay and Amazon were purchased via Alibaba.
Sony has made the announcement that they are discontinuing their VTC line of batteries. They were never intended to be sold to the general public in the first place. Final word on Sony's production plans for the US18650 VTC4 and the US18650 VTC5 (April 9, 2015)
As you can see, the battery industry runs the gammet from reputable high quality name brands to downright disreputable companies looking to make a quick $$ on unknowing customers.
There are some sources to research the quality of a battery, like Candle Power Forums and independent lab researchers like Dampfakkus which publish their findings for the public.
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I didn't realize that the VTC4 was getting pulled from the market as well. I better get buying them up.
Just switch to Orbtronic SX30s. They have the exact same specs as VTC4s, they actually outperform the VTC4 in testing (slightly) and you buy them directly from Orbtronic so there is no guess work on the authenticity.
Plus they come with their own plastic insulating case so you've got a safe place to keep them when they aren't in your mod.
High Drain IMR 18650 Battery 30A Orbtronic SX30 rechargeable Li-ion Li-Mn
Plus they come with their own plastic insulating case so you've got a safe place to keep them when they aren't in your mod.
High Drain IMR 18650 Battery 30A Orbtronic SX30 rechargeable Li-ion Li-Mn
Battery - $12
Shipping to the UK - $52
Having a reliable 30amp battery - *Priceless
I have as yet been unable source any UK supplier, let alone one I can trust.
I normally use Sony VTC4/5s, but I just started using Xtar's XT-VTC 4 /18650/2200 mah/ 25AMP batteries. Xtar manufactures them and they ship from Xtar-Direct, which is located in California. I like them because, their readily available, perform just as well as the other top brands (LG/Sony/Panasonic/MNKE/etc..) and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer (Xtar).
http://www.xtardirect.com/collectio...h-high-drain-25a-battery-unprotected-flat-top
http://www.xtardirect.com/collectio...h-high-drain-25a-battery-unprotected-flat-top
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