Author: John Muchow

Some chargers, like the Efest LUC V4, can be used to charge batteries that have dropped to very low voltages, below 2.5V. While this is tempting there is a risk when doing this.

When a Li-Ion battery drops below 2.0V or so the copper electrode inside of it literally starts to dissolve. When the battery is recharged this dissolved metal is plated back onto parts of the battery that should not be conductive. This can cause an internal short-circuit which can lead to overheating, venting, or even bursting of the battery. Even if it still works after charging that battery might be damaged and wouldn’t be married to the other batteries you used with it anymore.

It’s impossible to say though whether any over-discharging of a battery is unsafe or not since the battery damage is cumulative. The more time it spends at around 2.0V, and the lower the voltage, the more damage is done and the riskier it is to use that battery. If the battery is recharged quickly then the damage is minimal. If the battery slowly self-discharged over months of storage then the damage is greater and the risk is a lot higher.

I’ll always recommend just replacing an over-discharged battery if you weren’t able to recharge it right away. If you do decide to use it though I recommend the following…

– Recharge it as soon as possible.

– Recharge it at the lowest current setting possible.

– Stay nearby! You want to be able to stop the discharge immediately if the battery starts overheating or there is some other problem.

So while the recovery feature can help bring back a battery that was overdischarged you need to weigh the risks versus replacing the battery. Remember, even if you recover the battery it might be damaged and no longer married to its partner(s). Keep an eye on the battery voltages and temperatures for a while to make sure the recovery went well.

Ignoring whether marrying your batteries is really necessary or not, ANY set of married batteries can be used in ANY mod as long as you’re not exceeding the limits of the batteries.

It doesn’t matter if you’re moving them from a series mod to a parallel mod, or vice-versa, the batteries won’t care. They don’t know what type of mod they’re in or how that mod is wired up.

You can remove any number of batteries from a married set and still use that set. For example, you can take one battery out of a married set from a 3-battery mod like the Reuleaux RX200 and use the remaining two married batteries in a 2-battery mod like the H-Priv.

Just don’t try to add batteries to a married set. They all need to be married from the start.

I’m often asked this question, or a variation of it. Can a certain battery can be used in a particular mod or type of mod? Especially for mods like the Noisy Cricket and other mechanical mods.

The answer is easy…you can use ANY battery in ANY mod as long as it fits and your power setting (for a regulated mod) or coil resistance (for an unregulated/mechanical mod) doesn’t exceed the capability of the battery.

You don’t need a Sony VTC5A or LG HB6 if you’re using 0.2 ohms coils, or higher, in a single battery mechanical mod. Or if you’re using 0.4 ohm coils, or higher, in a Noisy Cricket. You’ll be drawing less than 20A and can easily use 3000mAh HG2’s, 30Q’s, or VTC6’s instead and enjoy the extra vaping time before needing to recharge.

It’s the same for regulated mods. There’s no need to use high amp-rated batteries like the VTC4, VTC5A, or HB6 in mods like the RX200 because you can’t draw more than 23A from the batteries. Any good 20A battery can handle that since it’s pulsed.

This holds true for any mod, power setting, or coil resistance. What matters is matching your battery’s true capabilities to the way you vape. But be aware of exaggerated battery ratings!

Bottom Line: This is only a 23A cell that I am rating at 4300mAh. It is identical in appearance and performance to the Basen and Brillipower 4500mAh cells. It is damaged after just a single discharge at its 32.3A rating and the voltage at that discharge current level is very low. The Grown cell only delivers 181mAh down to 3.2V at its rated 32.3A.

Having said this, it is still one of the better performing 26650’s as it seems to use the same cell as the Basen and Brillipower 4500mAh cells. The 26650 ratings/performance table has been updated to include the Grown cell.

This testing has been part of a weeks-long series of events that have also involved Hohm Tech. I want to say that Hohm Tech strongly believes that their testing methods and ratings are valid and accurate and they stand firmly by them. They insist that the HohmGrown cell is an improvement over the cell that is used by Basen and Brillipower. I am unable to explain why I do not see that difference in my testing.

Test results, discharge graph, photos: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/hohm-tech-hohmgrown-32-3a-4307mah-26650-bench-test-results-only-23a-same-as-basen-brillipower.755049/

There’s been some talk regarding the newly announced G-King graphene 18650 battery and I’ve been getting some questions about its capabilities. Here’s a video for it…

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/dongxu-graphene-battery-pack-15-minutes-recharge-news/

The most important thing to be aware of when watching this video and/or reading the press releases is that the 4800mAh battery they refer to and demonstrate is a battery pack, not an individual cell. The individual 18650’s used in the pack are rated at 1100mAh and 5.5A. You can see this in the video when they show several of the blue cells.

You can also see that these cells have a nominal voltage of 3.2V versus the 3.6V/3.7V nominal voltage of the cells we normally use when vaping. This means that they can’t be used in a regulated mod because it would very quickly signal weak battery due to the low voltage.

So while graphene batteries hold great promise for high-capacity, low to medium-amp batteries in the future the 18650 G-King 1100mAh, 5.5A battery isn’t a great choice for vaping with right now.

I’m still testing this 3000mAh battery but wanted to address some misinformation going around. Just like the other Sony VTC batteries, the max continuous current ratings are being read incorrectly.

As you can see in the attached datasheet image the Continuous Maximum Discharge Current rating is 30A, but only if the battery temperature does not exceed 80°C! It is a temperature-limited rating and this is critical. This means that the 30A rating is only a maximum current level for short-term discharges and is not a true continuous rating.

Below the 30A Continuous Maximum Discharge Current rating in the datasheet you can see the true continuous rating, 15A.

I should have my tests done in a few days as I am also directly comparing the VTC6 against HG2’s and 30Q’s.

If you’re thinking of trying any of the high amp-rated, high capacity 18650 batteries just remember…

There are no 3000mAh batteries rated above 20A (continuous).

There are no over-3000mAh batteries rated above 10A (continuous) and some are a lot lower.

If the wrap says otherwise, it’s a false rating and that company is not being honest with you.

Bottom Line: This is a poor performing cell that I am rating at 17A/2400mAh. While the wrap does list both the continuous and pulse ratings, normally a very good thing, its claimed 30A continuous rating is wildly exaggerated. Its high internal resistance, nearly double that of most good 20A cells, means that it suffers from considerable voltage sag. At 25A continuous it got hot enough to boil water and at its claimed 30A continuous rating its voltage quickly collapsed. Its pulse performance was significantly below that of most 15A-20A cells. Its appearance doesn’t match any battery I’ve tested so far.

Test results, discharge graph, photos: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/shockli-blue-30a-2400mah-18650-bench-test-results-a-poor-performing-17a-battery.752567/

Bottom Line: This metallic wrap Efest cell is a poor performer and I rate it at 4A. It is much worse than its predecessor, the 7A 700mAh V2 purple cell and performs very much like the V1 version. Its capacity is good for its rating though and I rate it at 800mAh. It lists both the continuous and pulse ratings on the wrap, which could be a good thing, but the continuous rating is exaggerated and the pulse rating is meaningless without knowing the pulse width, duty cycle, and the criteria for setting the rating (temperature? run time? voltage sag?).

Test results, discharge graph, photos: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/efest-metallic-purple-7a-700mah-18350-bench-test-results-a-poor-performing-4a-battery.751677/

Bottom Line: This Busbar cell is a great performer and is accurately rated at 25A. I gave it an 1800mAh capacity rating, a bit higher than the claimed 1750mAh. It lists both the continuous and pulse ratings on the wrap and is the first cell to also list the pulse length and duty cycle for the pulse rating! This is fantastic and is a great step towards completely open and accurate cell ratings, thank you. The criteria for the pulse rating isn’t known (temperature? cycle life? voltage sag?) but the voltage at 50A pulsed is good and is comparable to, or better than, other cells rated around 25A.

It’s supposed to be a “hybrid” chemistry cell (sometimes called INR), but its discharge curves are much more like an ICR cell than other hybrid cells like the 25R and VTC4/5. Like an ICR its voltage holds pretty steady before quickly dropping as the cell approaches empty. I haven’t directly compared Busbars against the Tesiyi 40A 2600mAh or Aspire 40A 1800mAh ICR cells but hope to do so soon.

Test results, discharge graph, photos: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/busbars-25a-1750mah-18650-bench-test-results-accurately-rated-25a-fantastic-battery.749931//