It was brought to my attention in my last tutorial, that I left out a few basic safety pointers when using any unregulated device, and rebuildable atomizer. This entire post will be dedicated to everything safety. From what to look out for, to what to test, and what to buy to continue vaping safely. In a later article I will go over rebuildable atomizer and mod safety to be more specific.
1. Don’t buy knockoffs!
One of the most overlooked, but most important parts of using any unregulated, or mechanical mod safely is choosing high quality, authentic name brand batteries. No, this is not one of those “Clone vs. Authentic” battles. Whenever buying batteries, make sure they are authentic, and exactly what they say they are. The problem with buying knockoff batteries, even if they save you a few bucks in the long run, is you don’t know exactly what you’re getting under that brightly colored wrapper. And, in the long run, buying authentic batteries will be less expensive than a trip to the hospital to treat burns from a knockoff venting in your hand.
2. Ohm’s Law
Before you even touch an unregulated mod, make sure you have memorized Ohm’s Law, and know how to apply it to what you’re doing. Ohms law is extremely simple; all it is, is Amps = Voltage /Resistance. For safe calculations, always use 4.2 as your battery voltage. A fully charged battery will be 4.2 volts, and should be put on a charger around 3.4-3.6 volts. So say for instance, you’re running a .5 ohm build. 4.2/.5=8.4. So, every time you push that firing button, 8.4 amps will be pulled through that battery. Whenever putting together a new build, find out your resistance, find out how many amps you will be pulling, and double-check that with your batteries rating.
This tool will be very beneficial: Steam-Engine | Ohm’s Law
3. Battery Choice
There are many good, safe choices out there for rebuildables, and it all depends on what kind of builds you will be doing. One of my personal go to batteries are any of the Sony VTC Series batteries, whether it be a 3, 4, or 5. They all have the same amperage rating – the only difference is your mAh, meaning how long they last, VTC5s lasting the longest. Another one of my favorite batteries, that I just recently picked up a few weeks ago, is the Samsung 25Rs. They seem to be holding voltage better, and put out better than the Sony’s, but won’t be as safe for those super sub ohm builds that some of you may be trying, since they have a lower amp rating. Whenever looking at batteries, and choosing which ones you want, keep in mind your target resistance that you’ll be using those batteries with. Run those numbers through ohms law, and make sure you won’t be exceeding the limit of the battery.
In conclusion, unregulated mods, and mechanical mods are not for those of you who are beginner vapers. They are fantastic devices, but should only be used by those who understand the information mentioned above, and have a basic understanding of how electricity, and DC current work.
Understandingly, you’ve heard it many times, but… think safety first.
