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Battery Safety for Vaping

Here are a few things that may help some of you with your future building and vaping!!

Battery Basics:

As mod users, we depend heavily upon batteries. To assist novices to choose which battery to use in their mod I have written this guide. Our choices are Lithium IMR, protected ICR Li-Ion, and a new class of Hybrid batteries.

High quality IMRs are currently recommended in place of protected ICR Li-Ion for all applications. reference - Rechargeable Batteries

IMR (Li-Mn) are the safest batteries available for vaping. They use safer chemistry, so they don't require a built-in protective circuit like ICRs do. They have higher tolerence to stress, and although they may vent during failure it is less likely to be as dramatic as a ICR. Should protective circuits fail in ICRs they can vent violently in flames and possibly explode. ICR battery explosion

High Quality, Brand Name Batteries. Batteries are not created equal. I recommend buying only the batteries from the list below, paying attention to model numbers:

AW IMR
18650 2000mah 10Amp
18650 1600mah 24A
18490 1100mah 16.5A
18350 ​700mah 6A

LG18650HE2
2500mah 20A

MNKE IMR
18650 1500mah ​20A
26650
3500mah 20A

Panasonic ​or Orbtronic hybrid
CGR18650CH (IMR/hybrid) 2250mAh 10A
NCR18650BD 3200mAh 10A
NCR18650PF (LiNiCOMnO2) 2900mAh 10A
NCR18650PD (LiNiCoAl) 2900mAh 10A
Orbtronic 18650 SX22 2000mAh 22A
Orbtronic 18650 2500mAh 21A
Orbtronic 18650 SX30 2100mAh ​30A
Panasonic 26650 CGR2650A 2650mAh 50A

Samsung hybrid
(LiNiCoMnP)
INR18650-22P 2200mAh 10A
INR18650-20R 2000mah 22A
INR18650-25R 2500mAh 20A

Sony hybrid
18650VTC3 1600mAh 30A
18650VTC4 2100mAh 30A
18650VTC5 2600mAh 30A
26650 2600mAh ​26A

Efest IMR
18650 2250mAh 10A
18650 2000mAh 10A
18650 1600mAh 30A
18490 1100mah 8.8A
18350 800mah 6.4A
purple 18650 2500mAh 35A* (rebranded LG18650HE2 2500mAh 20 amp*)
purple 18650 2100mAh 30A (rebranded Sony 18650VTC4)
purple 18500 1000mAh 15A
purple 18350 700mAh 10.5A




  • Lower Quality Brand-Name Batteries. Trustfire, Ultrafire, and Surefire are a lower-tier name brand battery in terms of quality and safety. Not recommended.




  • ​Generic Batteries. ​Not recommended. Seen at Amazon & EBay at cheap prices or thrown in for free in a kit when you purchase a mod from China. These are unknown batteries of unknown quality by an unknown manufacturer, and not worth the risk using in your mod. Never assume because they were included with your mod that they are safe or the correct battery to use.






  • If uncertain about the quality or type of a battery, don't buy or use it. Do not use over-the-counter batteries like those from Radio Shack, etc. Buy only from trusted e-cig vendors such as RTD Vapor AW Batteries, Bearbrass Mods. Use the type of battery that your mod calls for. For example, Provape recommends using only AW IMR button top batteries in the Provari; using magnets on flat top batteries will void the warranty because this is an unsafe battery practice.



  • Battery Chargers. Get the best charger that you can reasonably afford. Statistically most battery incidents occur while charging. Pila, Xtar, and Nitecore Intellicharger ​are the most recommended brands.



  • Always use safe battery practices and common sense with all batteries. Even the safest battery available to us can fail. IMR battery failure Most common user error battery failures are the result of rapid discharge, either from the fire button inadvertantly pushed for too long, or the battery being shorted from metal objects (keys, change, etc) completing the circuit when carrying a battery in a pocket or purse. Use Battery Cases. Do not stack batteries.



  • If you are using sub-ohm coils in an RBA/RDA, it is extremely important to use the highest quality IMRbattery. Coils < 0.6 ohm require an IMR battery that has a maximum continuous discharge rate over10 amps, preferably with a 30 amps continuous&#8203; discharge rate. Sub-Ohm Battery Chart

PROTECTED or IMR BATTERY: &#8203;Which Lithium battery is best for your application?

IMR Li-Mn. Lithium manganese batteries. Also called "high drain", "safe chemistry", "unprotected".



  • These are used in regulated mods that use buck boost circuitry to achieve variable voltage-wattage, but they are now also recommended for single voltage mechanical mods as a safer alternative to protected Li-Ion batteries.

&#8203;

  • This class will have less capacity in mAh rating compared to protected batteries, but are superior when maximum load current is required, such as in regulated mods, mechanical mods using a Kick, or using an RBA. Why High Drain Batteries?

&#8203;IMR/Hybrid batteries.


  • New mixed chemistry batteries that are both safe chemistry/high drain and extended capacity in one. &#8203;A good choice for applications that demand both maximum load current and longer battery time. Can be used for either mechanical or regulated mods. Some of these have 20 or more amps continuous discharge rate which are ideal for sub-ohm.

Protected ICR Li Ion. Lithium ion class batteries, also called "protected batteries".



  • These batteries are now considered obsolete for mod use because of their potential for flames & explosion.


Resources:

Mods, Batteries, & Safer Vaping

PBusardo's Mod Battery Information Guide

IMR Battery Specification Comparison

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries

What does IMR mean

Sub-Ohm Vaping: Discussion, Safety, Battery Info, Warnings

Battery Data | Deus Ex Vaporis

What does a battery's C Rating mean?

Battery Specifications and Online Calculators

Hope this helps!!

More to come!! Most information can be read at the Batteryuniversity.com, yes it is not very exciting to read but if keeps us safe, I would highly recommend reading it when you can. I was told if there were enough of you in here to make a sticky on the battery info as well as the Battery University, you fellas would have to show some interest!!
Wook
 
Last edited:
Thanks very much, though I have one criticism from personal experience with what you have written about inexpensive Ultrafire batteries, where you say "Not Recommended".

I do not feel this is strong enough. A more emphatic "Don't Waste Your Money" or "Avoid At All Costs" would be more appropriate, in my opinion.
Regards,
Renato
 
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