Author: John Muchow

This is an accurately rated cell that performed slightly better than the Sony/Murata VTC5A and about the same as the VTC5D in my testing. The Molicel P26A still performs better than the Hohm Work 2 though. I am rating the Hohm Work 2 at 25.3A.

The four cells I tested delivered 2625mAh to 2667mAh. This is decent consistency for a cell not manufactured by one of the big OEM’s (Samsung, Murata, etc.). I am rating them at 2547mAh.

In my opinion the ratings set by Hohm Tech are confusing. Especially considering that normal cell-to-cell differences are greater than the 0.1A precision Hohm Tech uses for their current ratings and the one mAh precision they use for the capacity ratings. Any cell could easily have a current rating difference greater than 0.1A and a capacity difference greater than two or three dozen mAh from another cell in the same batch.

The tiny print used for some of the ratings on the wrap is hard to read too and is made even more so due to the patterned background they’re printed on. I also don’t like the large “max” current rating on the wrap.

These are minor complaints though and Hohm Tech is already redoing all their wraps to focus on wattage-based ratings and without the “max” rating being so prominent. This is great to see happening.

These cells were were sent to me by Hohm Tech for the purposes of testing (www.hohmtech.com). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/DskXyT6

Test report: https://bit.ly/2CptuB5

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/

I was really looking forward to testing these two new chargers because they looked different and the LUC V8’s display was gorgeous in the promotional images for it.

They’re both unusably dim in my opinion though: https://imgur.com/a/yK5TLWU

Compare their promotional images to the photos I took. The differences are huge.

My lighting is not that bright (it’s what I use when shooting my mech testing videos) and the display for the Xtar ST2 looks great in the same lighting as used for the Efests. You can barely tell the Efests are on though.

Efest told me they were aware of this issue. The design team asked that the cover over the display be dark to better match the rest of the charger and that the display is already set to full brightness.

Efest just recently posted on their Facebook page saying “Next batch will update the LCD display!” I don’t know what that means but hopefully it’s MUCH brighter.

No word though about the iMate R4’s dim LEDs and the big difference in appearance between the promotional images and the charger’s actual display.

If you have a dimly lit room it might be okay to use either one of these chargers but otherwise the displays are quite difficult to see. This might be something you would want to consider before purchasing the LUC V8 or iMate R4. I don’t know if the iMate R2 has the same problem or not.

Some web sites were selling a “Molicel P30A” 20700 in what looks like a Molicel OEM wrap but I am told by NPE, global distributor for E-One Moli to the vaping community, that there is no such cell.

Efest created this “P30A” by taking cells with plain wraps and printing “MOLICEL INR-20700-P30A” on them. E-One Moli is developing a P30A but it is an 18650 and won’t be available for at least a year.

Efest’s Alibaba pages had this cell listed too, as recently as August 27th: https://imgur.com/a/L2VRLUa.

I contacted Efest about this. They got angry and frustrated with me that they had to talk about this. Umm…I don’t frakkin’ care.

Efest took plain wrap cells, made up a model number, and made the cells look like original-wrapped Molicels. There was no indication on the wrap that this cell was printed up by Efest. They say it’s the Molicel INR20700A but I cannot confirm that.

This cell has been available since at least January 2019 and Efest had no problem selling it for months on their Alibaba pages and had no problem with vendors selling it either.

But a few hours after I tell them I am going to post about this cell they have an apology posted (https://imgur.com/a/ODXqvs4 or their Facebook post at https://www.facebook.com/1191181284245217/posts/2844653925564603) and they remove the “P30A” cell from their Alibaba pages. Hmm….

As far as I’m concerned Efest has learned nothing from this incident and would still be selling this “P30A” if they weren’t confronted. Seems like it’s still business as usual at Efest…try to get away with doing something but if we get caught then apologize and hope it all goes away.

VENDORS: I’d be very interested in hearing what Efest told you, and didn’t tell you, about this cell. Anything we discuss will be kept strictly confidential unless you say it’s okay to reveal.

My sincere thanks to the member of Aussie Geek Vaper’s “Vape Club” (and who prefers to remain anonymous) who spotted this cell for sale on an Australian web site and contacted me!

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 Patreon patron and supporting my testing efforts: https://www.patreon.com/batterymooch

This is a retest of this iJoy cell and they are still overrated to the point of absurdity. While they performed better than the last time I tested them the iJoy’s perform no better than the Keeppower/Vapcell/YDL 18350’s I recently tested (9A-10A, 1000mAh-1100mAh rated).

To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 7A-9A or under for these iJoy’s. That’s about 20W-27W per cell.

These cells have a VERY thin paper top insulating ring. While paper will not melt if the cell overheats, which is good, I strongly recommend not allowing any eliquid to get on the top of these cells. It could possibly soften the ring and allow it to become damaged easier.

The two cells I tested delivered 1415mAh and 1443mAh. This is decent consistency for a China-manufactured cell. I am rating this cell at 1400mAh. Its very high internal resistance means that it has a huge amount of voltage sag though and it will not run for any longer than the better performing 18350’s.

Like all the small cells I’ve tested the cell-to-cell performance consistency for these iJoys is not good. There’s not a huge difference between cells but you might notice it if you have one of the better ones and one of the worst ones.

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

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/TC34DjG

Test report: https://bit.ly/2TXKeHH

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/

I recently tested the YDL 18350D and three sets of cells that, in my opinion, are all rewraps of the YDL cell. In the attached discharge graph below you can see how they perform at 10A. If these were Samsung, Sony, Murata, LG, Panasonic, or Sanyo cells the graph lines would be very close together, almost as one thick line. That‘s how we can see their good performance consistency.

Graph: https://imgur.com/a/WSmvTf3

But that is clearly not the case with these 18350’s. There is a fairly large difference between the best performing cell I tested and the worst. It’s not a “grade” issue in my opinion as each set of two cells had a decent performer and a poor performer.

The average performance of each set is roughly the same but the worst performer delivered about 280mAh down to 3.2V at 10A and the best performer delivered about 480mAh. That difference in capacity, which affects vaping time, will be noticeable if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the worst and one of the best.

What can we do about this? Unfortunately, nothing.

These are probably the best performing 18350’s we can choose from now. None of the big manufacturers make 18350’s and I don’t think they ever will. The market for these cells is incredibly small and not worth the investment in R&D and the assembly line that would be needed.

All we can do right now is hope the cells we buy are the better performing ones. But if we think we see a difference between the ones we’re using then at least we know we’re not going crazy. There can be a real difference between 18350’s wrapped by the same company!

These Keeppowers look the same, and perform almost the same, as the good performing YDL 18350D. The average performance for these Keeppowers is not quite as good as the average performance of the 10A-rated YDL cells so I am giving this cell a 9A continuous current rating. They all run at about the same temperature. It’s the differences in voltage sag that affects their current rating.

To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 7A-9A or under for these Keeppowers. That’s about 20W-27W per cell. This is a good performing 18350 but all 18350’s are a poor choice for anything above low power levels.

The two cells I tested delivered 1062mAh and 1086mAh. This is decent consistency but they do not meet Keeppower’s 1200mAh rating. I am rating this cell at 1000mAh.

Like all 18350’s I’ve tested the cell-to-cell performance consistency for these Keeppowers is not good. There’s not a huge difference between cells but you might notice it if you have one of the better ones and one of the worst ones.

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

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

Test report: https://bit.ly/33K2B7h

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/

Vapcell has two versions of this cell. The 9A-rated version is the newer one but the older 10A-rated version can still purchased since everyone has not sold out their stock of the older cell yet.

These Vapcells look the same, and perform almost the same, as the good performing YDL 18350D. The average performance for these Vapcells is not quite as good as the average performance of the 10A-rated YDL cells so I am giving this cell a 9A continuous current rating. They all run at about the same temperature. It’s the differences in voltage sag that affects their current rating.

To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 7A-9A or under for these Vapcells. That’s about 20W-27W per cell. This is a good performing 18350 but all 18350’s are a poor choice for anything above low power levels.

The two 9A-rated cells I tested delivered 1042mAh and 1054mAh. The two 10A-rated cells I tested delivered 1013mAh and 1053mAh. This is decent consistency but they do not meet Vapcell’s 1100mAh rating. I am rating this cell at 1000mAh.

Like all 18350’s I’ve tested the cell-to-cell performance consistency for these Vapcells is not good. There’s not a huge difference between cells but you might notice it if you have one of the better ones and one of the worst ones.

Two cells were donated for the purposes of testing by Vapcell and two were purchased by me.

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/X1gvBHm

Test report: https://bit.ly/31DXt2O

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/

I’m testing this cell because I believe it’s the one rewrapped by other companies.

The Yong De Li New Energy Co. (YDL) rates this cell at 15A “max. discharge current” in the datasheet. But at 15A continuous it only delivers about 60mAh down to 3.2V (a common cutoff voltage for vapers). The voltage sag is huge if you go above about 10A with this cell.

I am giving this cell a 10A continuous current rating. To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 7A-10A or under per cell. That’s about 20W-30W per cell. This is one of the best performing 18350’s but they are a poor choice for anything above low power levels.

The two cells I tested delivered 1101mAh and 1121mAh. I am rating this cell at 1100mAh.

Like all 18350’s I’ve tested the cell-to-cell performance consistency for this YDL cell is not good. There’s not a huge difference between cells but you might notice it if you have one of the better ones and one of the worst ones.

Two cells were donated for the purposes of testing by a source that prefers to remain anonymous. Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/Ce7Ql4v

Test report: https://bit.ly/2Z0EzGE

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/

This cells looks and performs identically to the great performing Molicel P42A.

Xtar rates this cell at 30A continuous and 45A “max pulse discharge”. While both ratings are spelled out on the wrap in tiny text a different larger “45A” is much more clearly seen on another part of the wrap. I prefer to just see the continuous current rating shown this way to allow for direct comparison between cells.

The Molicel datasheet for the P42A only lists a 45A “maximum discharging current” rating with a max temperature cutoff of 85°C. This means you can use the P42A at up to 45A as long as the cell stays below 85°C. This should be easy to do as 85°C is frakkin’ hot. Just realize that this cell in an autofiring device, or a mech that accidentally has its button being pressed, could easily exceed this temperature by a LOT if you are set up to vape at 45A.

I am giving this cell a 30A continuous current rating since that is as high as you can go while not exceeding the 85°C cutoff. This matches Xtar’s 30A continuous rating. To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 25A or under per cell. That’s about 75W.

The two cells I tested delivered 4073mAh and 4145mAh. This is not very good consistency. While it meets Molicel’s 4000mAh minimum capacity rating for the P42A it does not meet Xtar’s 4200mAh rating. I am rating these Xtar’s at 4000mAh.

Two cells were donated for the purposes of testing by Xtar (http://www.xtar.cc). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/zPQzs9d

Test report: https://bit.ly/2N5qkc9

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/

This cells looks and performs identically to the good performing Molicel INR20700A.

Xtar rates this cell at 30A continuous and 35A “max pulse discharge”. While both ratings are spelled out on the wrap in tiny text a different larger “35A” is much more clearly seen on another part of the wrap. I prefer to just see the continuous current rating shown this way to allow for direct comparison between cells.

The Molicel datasheet for the INR20700A only lists a 35A “maximum discharging current” rating with a max temperature cutoff of 85°C. This means you can use the INR20700A at up to 35A as long as the cell stays below 85°C. This should be easy to do as 85°C is frakkin’ hot. Just realize that a malfunctioning or autofiring device could easily exceed this temperature by a LOT if you are set up to vape at 35A.

I am giving this cell a 30A continuous current rating since that is as high as you can go while not exceeding the 85°C cutoff. This matches Xtar’s 30A continuous rating. To extend cell life, minimize voltage sag, and increase your safety margin, I recommend staying at 25A or under per cell. That’s about 75W.

The two cells I tested delivered 2932mAh and 2964mAh. This is decent consistency and meets Molicel’s 2800mAh minimum capacity rating for the INR20700A. It does not meet Xtar’s 3000mAh rating though. I am rating these Xtar’s at 2900mAh.

Two cells were donated for the purposes of testing by Xtar (http://www.xtar.cc). Thank you!

Ratings graphic: https://imgur.com/a/4rqtHq2

Test report: https://bit.ly/2KylH8X

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 and testing 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/