Good point.I have 12 18650's in rotation that my son and I both used for the past year. Probably 12 mods between us, all used for sub ohm vaping regularly. I figure that's some heavy usage. My personal preference is to replace once a year regardless. Some years the usage is heavy some years not as much. I figure a years worth of usage from batteries, especially as much as we used them this past year, is great in terms of getting my monies worth. Have ten new 18650's on their way to me now.
Considering the best LG/Samsung batteries can now be found for $5-6 each, no point screwing around. I use mechs a lot as well, so a $30-50 annual battery expense for my wife and I is negligible