This overrated QSO appears identical to and performs identically to the Samsung 35E, which a 8A, 3350mAh (minimum) cell.
The boldly printed 30A “max current” rating is useless and can be ignored. The 35E has a “non-continuous” rating of 13A in the Samsung datasheet. Running this cell at 30A increases your risks and results in HUGE amounts of voltage sag. The battery will not run for long at that level, about 87W for a one-battery regulated mod.
QSO told me on July 17th, 2019 that they rewrap Samsung and LG cells. That is no problem at all. But one of the documents I requested from QSO, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that lists the chemical composition of the cells and any hazards with those chemicals, says that this cell uses the same “chemistry” as LiPo’s.
QSO says that the testing lab sent them an incorrect MSDS…in February 2018. That is a big problem. No one at QSO noticed anything for almost 1-1/2 years, until I pointed out that the MSDS says they are LiPo’s? QSO is responsible for creating accurate safety documents for their products. Whatever happened, or whatever is going on, this is unacceptable. QSO is still ignoring my requests for the datasheets and they do not have UN38.3 safety test reports either. These safety reports are especially important as they are the most basic of tests to show that the cells can undergo some abuse without venting or bursting. They are required in order to ship Li-Ion cells by certain methods.
If these were LiPo’s that does not mean they are dangerous! If they did use LiPo battery chemistry though it would mean that if they are misused or mishandled they can go into thermal runaway, and possibly burst, at a lower temperature and that their reactions during runaway are more violent than the other Li-Ion chemistries we can use.
The wraps for these cells say “LI-MN” which I am pretty sure QSO wants us to think is lithium-manganese. This is consistent with the chemistry for some non-LiPo cells we use.
So what’s the big deal about having an accurate MSDS? They exist to inform employees and first-responders of the risks involved if they need to handle a spill or fire involving a product. If the MSDS is wrong that would make responding properly harder to do.
An incorrect MSDS would also mean that any vendor importing those cells into their country, like in the EU, would be submitting documents with the wrong info to the authorities. This means the wrong substances are being registered and could affect whether that vendor can sell those cells if the MSDS issues are discovered. I suspect that would be less than good news to the vendors.
If the MSDS is not accurate then QSO needs to fully explain what really happened and correct the MSDS. They also need to get their cells UN38.3 tested. Until this happens this QSO cell gets a Do Not Buy recommendation from me.
Two cells were purchased for the purposes of testing by me.
Ratings graphic and MSDS: https://imgur.com/a/XkmWR3U
Test report: https://bit.ly/2GhTSPv
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These tests only note the ESTIMATED ratings for these batteries at the time I tested them. Any battery that is not a genuine Samsung, Sony, Murata, LG, Panasonic, Molicel, or Sanyo can change at any time! This is one of the hazards of using “rewrapped” batteries or batteries from other manufacturers so carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing.
Misusing or mishandling lithium-ion batteries can pose a SERIOUS RISK of personal injury or property damage. They are not meant to be used outside of a protected battery pack. Never exceed the battery’s continuous current rating and keep the plastic wrap and top insulating ring in perfect condition.
Any rating in my ratings tables can change at any time as different grade cells appear on the market, we get swamped with fakes, or new information becomes available to me. Please, never assume that the ratings in the tables are permanent and will never change! Always download the latest version before considering any cell purchase.
To see how other cells have tested check out this link: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/list-of-battery-tests.7436/
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