All About Batteries: What you need to know and How to stay safe

Ever notice that piece of card you get that tells you something about batteries upon opening the box of your brand new mod? Well it is there not just for the sake of including it but because it is important for you to know about battery safety. I guess some didn't care about it at all since they want to try out their new mod but after what we are going to tell you, you just might.

Know your battery

The most common type of battery used to power our mods is an 18650 battery. An 18650 battery (which is measured at 18mm by 65mm) is a lithium-ion battery that has a similar shape to an AA battery that you use on your T.V remote but is slightly bigger and has a higher capacity.

There are other types of batteries such as 20700 or 21700. The only difference is their individual capacities.  The capacity of an 18650 battery is measured in mAh (milliamp hours) which is the rate at which the battery can last before it needs to recharge. Another specification of the battery that you need to be aware of is the maximum continuous discharge (measured in amps) which is the rate that your mod can draw power from the battery without overheating.

Now you don't need to go spick and span about your batteries and compute for mAh against the maximum continuous discharge because as a vaper, I have my batteries stockpiled so when they are about to be drained I simply charge them and swap out a couple of fresh ones.

What you need to be keen on when selecting batteries is the brand. I personally prefer Sony VTC 4 or 5 for either my mechanical or regulated mod due to its outstanding performance. But of course there are other brands out there that are as good as Sony but this is entirely up to your personal choice. Just make sure that you are purchasing them from known companies or your local store whom you have a good relation with because you might get the ones that are re-wrapped.

Stay Safe

Since vaping generally gained an increase in popularity, a lot of counterfeiters took this as an advantage to produce substandard batteries known as re-wraps. These are 18650 batteries that did not pass quality checks upon manufacture but is labeled and marketed as such. Think of it as a discarded battery that was re-branded and rated with inaccurate readings all wrapped up in a new packaging. Using these type of batteries can cause potential injuries due to its poor performance which leads to leaking and possibly an explosion.

Aside from using re-wrapped batteries, they tend to explode for a number of reasons but it is mainly due to personal error. If you are not aware of at least the capacity of the battery you are using and you are pushing it unknowingly past beyond its intended rating then that would be a problem.

It does not mean that because your batteries are Sony VTC you can use it for whatever build you have and it will not fail. That is not true. Even if you have legitimate batteries it can still fail if you use it past against its limit. We said earlier that you don't need to perform calculations on the mAh and amps of the battery but that does not mean you should not make yourself aware of it.

Another factor that you often neglect is the battery orientation. Say you are used to a series regulated mod and you've been using it for quite some time. Then you decided to switch to a mechanical mod with a parallel circuit. Being that you are used to a series mod and its battery orientation, you got excited and installed your batteries on your new mechanical mod just like you would on your regulated mod. Since it is a mechanical mod with no safety feature that will prevent it from a short, the battery heats up and...

One might argue and say that 'Oh, I am not that dumb. Of course I know the correct battery orientation of my mod'. Well guess what, some are.

Now might be a good time to check the cards that come with your mod which is something about battery casings since this is another factor that causes battery explosion. If you look at your battery, you will notice that they are sealed with a colored plastic known as wraps. These wraps get torn in time due to excessive use. Using a torn battery leaves it exposed thereby making contact to some parts of your mod that should not be in contact with in the first place. This will result in a hard short causing your battery to overheat and leak and you know what comes next. What you can do in this situation is replace your battery wraps or if you don't know how to go about doing that, go to your local store and have them re-wrap it for you.

The simple act of charging your batteries could also pose a potential danger if not done properly. For instance, charging your batteries through your regulated mod is not advisable since it can fill your batteries continuously even it is fully charged which can cause overheating. That is why a separate charger is always the best option when it comes to charging your batteries since they have a power cut-off when it is full.

Having knowledge of the specs of your batteries as well as knowing how to take care of them goes a long way. It is simple yet extremely helpful to your overall vaping experience.

In Conclusion

1. Select the right battery. 
2. Invest in a good charger. 
3. Don’t mix chargers. 
4. Properly store your batteries. 
5. Properly transport your batteries.
6. Never use damaged batteries