18650 Battery Safety Grades

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A "Fail" grade does not mean the battery fails, vents, or bursts at that point! A Fail grade only means that the battery has risen to a temperature that risks venting if continuously discharged. When vaping, we pulse the battery. You can set a power level, or use a coil, that exceeds the settings below. But if you do you might be risking battery damage or worse if you have a problem (a regulated mod autofires or a mechanical mod's button breaks or gets accidentally pressed in a pocket). This table is for those who want to know the actual battery rating and how hard they can push it while still retaining a safety margin against a mod malfunction. If you understand the risks, Ohm's Law, and battery safety, you can exceed the Fail grade settings. If you are new to vaping or want a good safety margin until you've learned more about battery safety, then let the settings below be your limits when vaping.

18650 Battery Safety Grades -- Based on testing by Mooch @ ECF Wattage uses 3.2V mod low voltage cutoff Resistance uses 3.9V battery from 5A-20A, 3.7V for 25A-40A Battery

mAh

Mfg CDR

My CDR

Max Amps

16W

32W

48W

64W

80W

96W

112W

128W

0.78 ohms

0.39 ohms

0.26 ohms

0.195 ohms

0.148 ohms

0.123 ohms

0.106 ohms

0.093 ohms

5A

10A

15A

20A

25A

30A

35A

40A

Caution

Fail

Fail

212°

2200

40A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Aosibo Brown 60A

2600

30A

25A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Aspire ICR

1800

40A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

AW Red Button-Top

1600

24A

24A

35A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

AW Red Button-Top

2200

20A

15A

20A

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

AW Red Flat-Top

3000

20A

20A

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

AWT Purple

2600

40A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

AWT Yellow

2600

40A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Basen Black

2600

30A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Brillipower Green

3100

40A

15A+

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

CLRD

2800

35A

20A

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Efest Purple

2100

38A

20A

38A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Efest Purple

2100

30A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Efest Purple

2800

35A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Efest Purple

2900

35A

15A+

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Eizfan Blk/Red

3000

40A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Imren Orange

2100

35A

20A+

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Imren Purple

2500

40A

20A

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Imren Yellow

2000

40A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

LG HB2

1500

30A

30A

40A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Caution

LG HB6

1500

30A

30A

40A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

LG HD2

2000

25A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

LG HE2

2500

20A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

LG HE4

2500

20A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

LG HG2

3000

20A

20A

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

LG MH1

3200

10A

10A

15A

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

LG MJ1

3500

10A

10A

10A

Pass

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

ModWorx

2100

38A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

MXJO Yellow

2500

35A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

MXJO Yellow

2800

35A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Orbtronic ORB25

2500

21A

15A+

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Orbtronic SX22

2000

22A

22A

35A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Orbtronic SX30 Button-Top

2100

30A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Orbtronic SX30 Flat-Top

2100

30A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Panasonic NCR18650A

3100

5.9A

5.9A

10A

Pass

Pass

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Panasonic NCR18650B

3400

6.8A

6.8A

10A

Pass

Pass

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Panasonic CGR18650CH

2250

10A

10A

15A

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Panasonic NCR18650GA

3300

10A

10A

15A

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Panasonic NCR18650PF

2680

10A

10A

15A

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Samsung Blue 25R (25R2)

2500

20A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Samsung Green 25R (25R5)

2500

20A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Samsung 30Q

3000

15A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

1500

30A

25A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Damage Fail

Damage Fail

Damage Fail

Sony VTC4

2100

30A

20A

30A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Caution

Fail

Fail

Sony VTC5

2600

20A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

SubOhmCell

2800

35A

15A+

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Vamped Black

2300

40A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Vappower Green

2500

35A

20A

25A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Vappower Green

3000

30A

15A+

20A

Pass

Pass

Pass

Caution

Fail

Fail

Fail

Sony VTC3

Caution Caution

Pass

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Fail

Mfg CDR = The continuous discharge rating (CDR) given by the manufacturer/reseller. My CDR = The continuous discharge rating (CDR) assigned by me based on my testing. Red = my rating is below the manufacturer's/reseller's. Green = my rating is above the manufacturer's/reseller's. Max Amps = The maximum continuous discharge current you can draw from this battery without exceeding my 100°C safety limit. Much higher than this and you risk cell venting or worse in case of a mod malfunction. This can be considered its "pulse" rating since it is the maximum you can draw from it while vaping but still have a bit of safety margin in case your regulated mod autofires or your mechanical mod's button gets stuck or gets accidentally pressed in your pocket. You can often significantly exceed this rating when vaping without overheating the battery but you increase the risk of battery venting in case of a problem. N/A = Not applicable. The cell shut down, stopping all current flow, when discharged at these levels. The cell reset after several seconds. Caution: You are responsible for your own safety! This table is only meant as a first step for you to use in narrowing down the best choices for the way you vape. Do not use it as the only source of information when picking a battery to use! This is especially true if you intend to use a battery at over 50% of its continuous current rating. The conclusions and recommendations I make here are only my personal opinion. Carefully research any battery you are considering using before purchasing. I am not responsible for any damage or injury sustained by anyone using this table to select a battery.

This table assigns a grade of Pass, Caution, or Fail based on the battery's maximum temperature and the damage sustained during a continuous discharge at different current levels, from 5A-40A. If chain vaping you can raise the battery temperature a lot, accelerating the aging of your battery. If there's a problem with your mod or the button gets accidentally pressed (for a mechanical mod) then continuous current is drawn from the battery. This can heat it up to a dangerous point depending on your coil resistance. This table does not take battery performance (capacity, voltage sag, etc.) into account, just safety. The grades are defined as follows: Safety Grade

Battery Temperature

Pass

45°C-75°C 113°F-167°F

Slightly reduced battery life possible if chain vaping, good safety margin.

Caution

76°C-85°C 169°F-185°F

Additional battery damage with each time it reaches this temperature, reduction in the safety margin in case of mod malfunction.

Caution

86°C-99°C 187°F-210°F

Significantly reduced battery life if it reaches this temperature from chain vaping or very high power/low ohm builds. Significant reduction in your safety margin in case of mod malfunction.

Fail

>=100°C >=212°F

Significantly increased chance of battery venting and possibly bursting if the mod malfunctions ("autofires") or a mechanical mod's button gets accidentally pressed. Use caution if chain vaping with a build, or a wattage setting, that results in temperatures this high.

Damage Fail

n/a

Significant damage to the battery occurs even though the temperature should not be high enough to worry about cell venting. Use caution though as the batteries are being used beyond their ratings.

Comments

This table is updated often. The latest version is available here: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blog-entry/18650-safety-grades-picking-a-safe-battery-tovape-with.7447/