When it comes to battery safety and knowing which batteries should be used for vaping, we have no greater knowledge base than Mooch. While others invest heavily in “bro-science” and listening to what they were told at the vape shop, we have an un-caped crusader looking to do what’s right by the vaping community and have us all use only the safest batteries in our devices.
In a post from late last year on ECF, he gave us great scientific information on various batteries, broke down exactly what they are capable of and underscored the fact that the majority of “re-wrapped” batteries seriously over state their true power. While we have many batteries to choose from, it would be better to stick to the big 3, consisting of LG, Sony, and Samsung — for the sake of safety and the guarantee that you are actually getting what you pay for.
Know The Rule
Before we get started, there is a pretty important rule we must consider: use the right battery for the right job! While everyone is moving towards regulated devices with multiple batteries, there are a lot of newer vapers who haven’t had to go through the hardships of using a tube and having to do all the math to keep their fingers. Mooch suggests using cells that will give the best performance while remaining cool under fire. Not literally fire, but when they are in use.
The higher the Amp rating, generally, the lower the MilliAmp Hours (amount of juice in the tank) the battery will have, so you have to find the middle ground. If you have no intentions of running 0.15 Ω on a single 18650 tube, it is more than likely you will not need an LG HB 6, as it only has 1500 MAh.
Battery Brands: The Big 3
As we already mentioned, the Big 3 battery producers for vaping are LG, Sony, and Samsung. These companies have massive factories where they have spent many years on the design and creation of the cells that we use today. Mooch says that the majority of other companies on the market, such as those that purport to have been designed specifically for vaping are normally re-wraps of one of these offerings, generally pushed off the production line as inferior products. We always talk about battery safety, making sure that wraps aren’t torn or that you don’t throw loose batteries in your pocket with keys, but the most important lesson we can learn is to only use cells that are from trusted sources. Some of these other companies products may not be that bad, but in truth I personally wouldn’t gamble to save a couple of dollars.
What Does Mooch Suggest
In the image below, we have listed the Top 5 picks, their capacity, and continuous ratings. As vapers, we pulse our batteries which will allow them to run cooler, and in pulse they can be used at slightly higher amperage. The main reason that Mooch has not marked their “pulse rating” is because there is no specific information as to how they got to that number (there is no set test between the companies, so one guy could hold it for a 3 second burst and come to one number while another may hold it for 10).
Don’t forget to go to Mooches original post to get as much information as possible on these and many other batteries that are currently in use. While you’re there, don’t forget to leave him a comment just to say thanks for looking out for all of us.
I’ll by a rewrap if I know it’s been tested by somebody like mooch. The reason is some of the wraps look cool and makes them easier to marry to devices or to each other, but I’d never recommend this to a beginner.
Tim, I am honestly the same way. While my purchases always contain the batteries mentioned on this list, I have bought a variety of battery wraps for that exact reason. If you have 12 batteries that are all the same color, matching and marrying them can become a pain in the neck and having a set with Batman and Robin wraps is not only fun but useful too. I must admit, though, since the invention of the 3 battery setups, like the Reaulaux.. we need some pretty amazing threesomes on the wrappers..
First off, we cant thank Mooch enough. He does a lot of hard work. He’s accurate and very thorough, and his work is easy to find and comprehend. Couldnt ask for anything more. I’ve learned a great deal from him and I pass the knowledge along to every vaper I can.
Secondly, Daniel- about the wraps…Tim is talking about buying re-wrapped batteries, not re-wrapping them yourself.
My own personal rant: I wouldn’t ever imagine buying a re-wrapped battery such as an eFest for example. Even if they are indeed tested. Reason being is if you compare the results with the original version of that battery, the re-wrap would not beat it out. Plus it would likely cost more. eFest is infamous for that (and other deplorable acts). The reason it wouldn’t beat it out is the whole reason why its been re-wrapped in the first place. The brand name company keeps the best performing batteries for themselves, branded as the name brand. The lesser performing ones (called ‘lower binned’) are sold to other battery companies such as eFest, IMREN, TrustFire, etc.
Sony, LG, Samsung and Panasonic are the only manufacturers of 18650 batteries that I’m aware of. Buying another company’s batteries will still be one of those mentioned companies cells, but just a crappier version. So you end up paying more for an inferior cell. I’m not trying to dig at Tim, I’m trying to help him and other vapers make better buying choices.
Third, clear wraps are the best. I found that when re-wrapping your own batteries, clear works best because you can write the battery info such as model name, mAh, and date purchased on the bare metal, then after wrapping you’ll get an indelible label that wont rub off like it does if you write on the wrapper. Plus clear wrapped batteries just look cool.
Vape on,
Kemosabe
While most batteries are rewraps of the big three, there are a few manufactures in China that make them. They tend to be lower quality, and I don’t know how many there are.