What kind of batteries and chargers do most people use for mech mods?

[Zelphie]

I'll step in with the links from Baditude.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/4848-9-battery-basics-mods-imr-protected-icr.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/5163-12-deeper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-i.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eper-understanding-mod-batteries-part-ii.html

This is helping already, thanks.

 

[Zelphie]

If you don't know about batteries you should get a regulated mod like a vamo, zmax, svd, tesla, e-lvt, or even a provari where you'd get short circuit protection.

The safe chemistry batteries are the ones called IMR batteries.

With a mech you can also get some protections by getting one that will take a dropin kick module and/or a fuse.

Another safety consideration with a mech is most of them are bottom switched; 18650 batteries were not designed for bottom switch and a tear on the labell on the cylinder will cause the mech to fire. One of the few top fired mechs is the poldiac.

That's kind of scary since so many take 18650. What is better for bottom switch mods since that is what I want. I want something smaller, maybe 18350, and even 14650/14500. What would be good for those?

 

[edyle]

That's kind of scary since so many take 18650. What is better for bottom switch mods since that is what I want. I want something smaller, maybe 18350, and even 14650/14500. What would be good for those?

They're all made the same way (18650 18350 14xxx 26xxx) with the negative can and a positive button on top.
But if you get a 26650 bottom switched mech and use 18650 to 26650 size converter plastic tubes you won't have to worry about it.

 

[Firestorm]

Another safety consideration with a mech is most of them are bottom switched; 18650 batteries were not designed for bottom switch and a tear on the labell on the cylinder will cause the mech to fire.

I would think that one would be more likely to tear the plastic wrap on the bottom of a battery slipping it in and out of a battery holder in a box mod than using it in a mechanical mod with a bottom firing pin. I know of some mods (like the Chi You) that had no insulator in the bottom switch and relied on the battery wrapping, but otherwise I don't share your concern about bottom firing mechanicals tearing the plastic wrap and stating that batteries weren't designed for use with a bottom firing pin puzzles me. I mean no disrespect, I just want to balance what I perceived to be some alarmist concerns that I've never heard or experienced before. I too take battery safety seriously. Any battery that has had its plastic wrap torn should immediately be removed from use and properly disposed of IMO.

 

[edyle]

I would think that one would be more likely to tear the plastic wrap on the bottom of a battery slipping it in and out of a battery holder in a box mod than using it in a mechanical mod with a bottom firing pin. I know of some mods (like the Chi You) that had no insulator in the bottom switch and relied on the battery wrapping, but otherwise I don't share your concern about bottom firing mechanicals tearing the plastic wrap and stating that batteries weren't designed for use with a bottom firing pin puzzles me. I mean no disrespect, I just want to balance what I perceived to be some alarmist concerns that I've never heard or experienced before. I too take battery safety seriously. Any battery that has had its plastic wrap torn should immediately be removed from use and properly disposed of IMO.

There are batteries that are designed with the main metal cylinder electrically connected to neither the positive nor negative of the battery:
I have one right now: its a duracell MN21/23; it's about an inch long and diameter of a AAA battery; it is a 12 volt battery; I've tested a couple of them with my multimeter.

But the 18xxx batteries we use are not designed like that; they are designed as a metal can which is the negative, and the positive is at the top in the middle. It merely is coincidental that the plastic wrap around it is electrically insulating; if one were to design it with bottom switched tube in mind, it would use a separate cylinder like the MN21/23, or else a much thicker insulator.

I expect as bottom switched mechs proliferate there will become a noticeable occurence of incidents due to tearing on the cylinder which is likely to result from frequent sliding in/out and scraping of the battery on the mod's threading.

With a top fired mech, such a tear of the plastic wrapper makes no difference.