Author: John Muchow

This appears to be a rewrap of the great performing YDL 18350D cell used by other companies, probably the best 18350 available now. The 9A rating seems to be accurate but, like the other cells using the YDL 18350D, this cell has a slightly exaggerated capacity rating.

The Yong De Li New Energy Company (YDL) gives their 18350D a 15A “max discharge current” rating. Notice that this is not a continuous current rating. It seems to be for non-continuous use as the 18350D gets much too hot at 15A for that to be a continuous rating.

The capacity of the four cells I tested was 1073mAh, 1091mAh, 1118mAh, and 1131mAh. While this is decent consistency for cells from the smaller manufacturers like YDL, two of cells failed to meet their 1100mAh rating. The cells I have cannot be the lowest capacity cells in the batch either. I am rating the Epoch at 1000mAh and this is typical for the YDL 18350D cell.

Four cells were donated for the purposes of testing by 18650BatteryStore (http://www.18650batterystore.com). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/d6YJlg3

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/2Ny8n59

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

This is a great performing, ultra-high capacity 26800 size cell. Why test such a large cell? I was curious about it and other sizes like 20700 and 21700 weren’t used until manufacturers decided to support those sizes. I always like to see what is available in different sizes in case there are great performing cells out there we’re not using right now. This is one of them.

If more 26800’s become available then the larger manufacturers might be willing to make the investment and create 26800 devices. Or a smaller company could 3D print some 26800 battery sleds and create a device using these cells for a relatively small investment.

The QB26800 is 26mm in diameter and 80mm long, weighing about 121gms. Think of it as a long 26650.

It is rated at 3C (20.4A) continuous by the manufacturer. There is a 5C (34A) “max pulse discharge current” rating for 30 seconds but that could be for just a single pulse so we cannot use that as some sort of “pulse” rating.

This cell performed pretty well at 20A, staying at a decent temperature and without a lot of voltage sag, so the manufacturer’s rating of 20.4A sounds reasonable.

This is a great cell for low to moderate power levels, up to 60W or so, beating the best high-capacity cells in other sizes. The QB26800 outperformed the Vapcell Red 20A 5500mAh 26650, delivering 15.5Wh of energy at 15A down to 3.2V versus 12.8Wh for the Vapcell 26650. The great performing (5000mAh) Vapcell G50 21700 only delivered 10.2Wh of energy.

The capacity of the two cells I tested was 7177mAh and 7203mAh. This is decent consistency for cells from a China manufacturer and they significantly exceeded their 6800mAh rating. This kind of underrating rarely happens and I am wondering if there is either a large inconsistency between batches (or within a batch) or this cell has had its chemistry adjusted or might do so in the future. I am rating them at the manufacturer’s rating of 6800mAh.

Two cells were donated for the purposes of testing by Oskar Triebe. Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/YNaocNN

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/3ePBMDW

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

The Vapcell K30 is an average performing 3000mAh cell. It is outperformed by the Samsung 30Q, Sony/Murata VTC6, and LG HG2. Even the 20A 2500mAh Vapcell K25 runs for a bit longer at 10A. These appear to be China-manufactured cells and the 15A rating seems reasonable.

The 30A “max“ rating on the wrap cannot be used to compare these cells to any others. While Vapcell says they have done some testing the max rating was also set based on marketing needs.

The capacity of the two cells I tested was 2962mAh and 2991mAh. While this is decent consistency for China-manufactured cells they failed to meet their 3000mAh rating. The cells I have cannot be the lowest capacity cells in the batch either. I am rating the K30 at 2900mAh.

Two cells were sent for the purposes of testing by Vapcell (www.vapcelltech.com). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/Y1exCW6

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/2WBy6ha

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

The Vapcell K25 performs essentially the same as the Samsung 25R, an average performing 20A 2500mAh cell. These appear to be China-manufactured cells and the 20A rating seems reasonable.

The 35A “max“ rating on the wrap cannot be used to compare these cells to any others. While Vapcell says they have done some testing the max rating was also set based on marketing needs.

The capacity of the two cells I tested was 2517mAh and 2545mAh. This is decent consistency for China-manufactured cells and I am rating the K25 at 2500mAh.

Two cells were sent for the purposes of testing by Vapcell (www.vapcelltech.com). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/nEbnD7a

Full Test report: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/threads/bench-test-results-vapcell-k25-–-20a-2500mah-18650-equals-samsung-25r-ignore-max-rating.940899/

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

This video has been uploaded to my Battery Mooch YouTube channel.

On April 17th, 2020, the Golisi S4 charger was recalled in the European Union (EU) for having two serious safety defects. As of May 14th Golisi has said nothing about this!

https://youtu.be/cobmN-FWtTY

You can contact Golisi at info@golisi.com.

This appears to be a rewrap of the Murata VTC6, rated at 15A continuous by Murata, but the Orbtronic cells performed a bit worse than a Murata VTC6.

The VTC6 has a “temperature-limited” rating of 30A if you do not let it get hot, over 80°C. You can use it at up to 30A but at above about 17A-20A you could get more run time from the more efficient 25A cells like the Molicel P26A and the Sony/Murata VTC5A and VTC5D. This is because there is less voltage sag with these higher performance cells and that means the voltage stays up for longer when being used hard.

One issue I have with this Orbtronic cell is that the wrap has a big, bold “30A“ on it and only in the tiniest lettering can you see that it‘s not a true 30A cell. You cannot use that 30A rating to compare this cell to any others that just list their true continuous current rating!

The 40A “max pulse“ rating on the wrap is just something they made up. It’s not listed in the VTC6 datasheet and there is no standard for setting a “max pulse” rating. It cannot be used to compare these cells to any other cells.

The VTC6 has a rated capacity of 3000mAh and a nominal (typical) capacity of 3120mAh. While the capacity rating that Orbtronic uses is the nominal rating for the VTC6 be careful when using this 3120mAh rating to compare this cell to any other one. Other cells typically use the lower rated capacity number, as they should since it is a guaranteed minimum capacity.

The capacity of the two cells I tested was 3090mAh (below Orbtronic’s rating) and 3122mAh. Since the two cells I tested cannot be the lowest capacity Orbtronics out there I am rating them at 3000mAh, the rated capacity of the VTC6.

I am very disappointed to see that Orbtronic seems to be playing the same ratings games as some China battery wrapping companies.

This Orbtronic cell uses a paper top insulating ring so I recommend not allowing it to be exposed to any liquids as they could be absorbed and cause rusting under the ring. Paper rings can be more resistant to extreme heat though than plastic insulating rings.

Two cells were purchased for the purposes of testing by me.

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/B9l24e4

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/2UQHg8D

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

This is a decent 10A cell but I recommend staying under 7A/20W for better performance and less voltage sag.

The capacity for the two Vapcells I tested was 957mAh and 958mAh at 200mA (0.2C) down to 2.5V. This is incredible consistency but these cells fail to meet their 1000mAh rating. I am rating them at 900mAh.

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/vB5aD16

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/3bxwFq0

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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 and you use them AT YOUR OWN RISK. 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/

Right now this cell has the highest capacity rating for any 18650 at 3550mAh (“typical nominal”). You’ll often see that rounded up to 3600mAh.

The capacity for the two NCR18650G’s I tested was 3462mAh and 3481mAh at 710mA (0.2C) down to 2.5V. This is great consistency and is typical for cells from the big manufacturers. The capacity I measured exceeds this cell’s 3400mAh minimum rated capacity but falls short of its 3550mAh typical nominal capacity rating. Possibly due to the cells I tested being a slightly lower grade? I am rating these at at 3400mAh as I am sure I do not have the lowest capacity cells that are being sold.

At 5A/15W this cell doesn’t perform quite as well as the 3500mAh LG MJ1 or the 3450mAh Panasonic NCR18650GA, with the NCR18650GA being the best performer of the three. It’s not a big difference though.

If you are down under 2A/6W per cell (12W in a two battery regulated device) you might, perhaps, get a bit more run time from the NCR18650G.

The NCR18650G has no current rating in the datasheet but it shows a pretty severe loss of cycle life at 6A and the datasheet only shows discharge curves for up to 8A. I’ve seen it rated at anywhere from 4.87A to 8A on various web sites.

For the NCR18650G I recommend staying under 5A/15W or so and I am rating it at 5A. The cycle life is too low and the voltage sag is just too large when above that. As I do for any cell, I recommend not using it near or above its rating. This helps to keep the risks from rising even more, increases performance, and increases the overall life of the cell.

So while this is the highest capacity 18650 its high internal resistance means the better performing NCR18650GA is still my #1 choice for low power 18650 users (up to about 7A/21W).

Two cells were purchased for the purposes of testing by me.

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/miyE0bP

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/33jSRRr

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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/

Shared with permission: https://imgur.com/a/gQgwvDD

You might have heard about LG’s and Samsung’s efforts to get vendors to stop selling their batteries. This letter was sent to Gregory Conley by Samsung’s attorneys as part of that.

Samsung claims these sales are illegal and asks the AVA to help them prevent injuries (a good thing) and to help stop sales of Samsung batteries (not a good thing). The attorneys also have a long list of things they say the AVA could do.

Let that sink in…Samsung, a multi-billion dollar company, is asking the AVA to start a safety campaign, add warnings to their newsletter and web site, send a blast e-mail to all their members, send separate notices to all AVA shops and employees, make announcements at all AVA events, meetings, etc., and post an AVA press release.

Gregory Conley’s response to the letter on Twitter was awesome: https://twitter.com/GregTHR/status/1235383737623498754

When I tested the Sony version of this cell in 2018 and the Murata version in 2019 it performed a bit better than the Sony/Murata VTC5A. The two sets of cells from two sources I just tested performed a bit worse that the VTC5A now though. Perhaps some of the VTC5D’s that are available now are a lower grade? I don’t know.

The VTC5D is still a great performing cell but right now I personally wouldn’t pay more for them than what VTC5A’s cost. I don’t think you’ll notice any difference in performance between them.

All of the VTC5D’s I have seen have the secondary bottom venting ring. If your “VTC5D” cells do not have the ring I cannot guarantee that this means they are fake but I have never seen a VTC5D without the ring.

The bottom battery contact of a mod will press against the bottom venting ring of this cell. This could potentially interfere with venting of the cell if there was an accidental short circuit or incredibly rare internal defect. I don’t know how much of a safety issue this might be. As with all of the round cells we buy, use this cell at your own risk.

Murata gives this cell a temperature-limited rating of 35A. This means Murata says you can use it at up to 35A as long as the cell temperature does not go above 90°C., which is incredibly hot. There is no continuous current rating in the datasheet. I am giving it a 25A rating as that is as high as you can go before exceeding my 80°C temperature limit.

Using this cell at levels higher than this just accelerates its aging, shortens it overall life, increases the risks, and results in lower performance. If you are above 25A then I recommend using the Samsung 20S instead.

The capacity for the four Murata VTC5D’s I tested ranged from 2740mAh to 2745mAh at 540mA (0.2C) down to 2.5V. This is astoundingly good consistency and is typical for good cells from the big manufacturers. I am rating these cells at at 2700mAh.

Four cells were purchased for the purposes of testing by me.

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/PNGuXVg

Full Test report: https://bit.ly/2VTa3f4

I want to work for the vaping community full time! If you feel what I do is worth a couple dollars a month and you would like early access to battery availability, battery and charger testing and news, and a say in what I test, then please consider becoming a patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch.

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/