The vaping industry is changing faster and faster every day. To help you keep up on some of the latest tips, tricks, and information, we want to provide for our subscribers a weekly newsletter with information you may find useful.
For the first few issues of this newsletter, we're going to be discussing battery safety. Because of the vastness of this topic, we'll focus each week on a particular aspect of battery use. Join me this week as we discuss the different types of batteries used in vaping.
IMR batteries
These are the high-drain lithium ion batteries that are the most recommended for vaping by manufacturers, and are widely considered to be the safest batteries available for the purposes of vapers. They will typically have a LiMn (lithium manganese) composition which makes them a safer chemistry battery than other varieties. These batteries are known for their ability to support withstand high current draw (measured in amps, or amperage). They come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are produced by several different manufacturers, including Sony, Panasonic, Efest, PVTSO, LG, and Samsung. When people refer to 20+ amp batteries, they are talking about IMR batteries.
ICR batteries
These lithium ion batteries are less common, but we see them frequently sold in kits online or may come packaged with a device purchased through a third party or overseas vendor. These batteries are typically blue in color, and should never be used in mechanicals or high-wattage devices because they lack the current-bearing properties of IMR batteries. Also, in the event of catastrophic failure, these batteries can be quite dangerous to handle. WVS does not sell ICR batteries because anything an ICR can do, and IMR battery can do more safely.
Protected batteries
Protected batteries may still be stocked by some shops, and they are designated as protected batteries because of a small protection circuit mounted on top of the battery under the wrapper. Though they may sound safer because of their “protected” name, this is a misnomer, and they are not recommended for use in high-powered or mechanical devices. There are two reasons for this. First, the added protection circuit nearly always makes the battery either too long or too wide to fit into most devices comfortably, if at all. Secondly, if the protection circuit is not functioning properly, the battery has similar failure risks to ICR batteries.