Vapcell 18650 F35 batteries with a claimed capacity of 3500 mAh
Today I'm reviewing Vapcell high-capacity 18650 batteries. I can say right away that there's nothing unusual about them, except that they aren't even listed on the Vapcell website.
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So, these look like ordinary 18650 cells, in Vapcell's original packaging, but it turns out they're not available in the Vapcell store on AliExpress—for some reason, there aren't any batteries there at all right now—or even on their website. Very unusual. But since they sent them over, let's test them. The batteries are actually pretty good.
The classic look: translucent heat-shrink wrap, basic specs, and a scratch-off code to check authenticity.
I was recently asked about the code and how to check authenticity. First, I'll say that so far I haven't had any major complaints about Vapcell. Yes, they're not a manufacturer but a repackager, but almost everything I've come across (with very rare exceptions) has met its claimed specifications. I'll also note that this company usually uses genuine branded cells and also sells them in their “original” form, i.e. without its own heat-shrink wrap.
Someone recently commented that the capacity of their 32700 cells didn't match the specs. To be honest, that surprised me, because I'd already tested those cells and even use them regularly.
But back to the code. Scratch off the protective layer and you'll find a 16-digit code, like the one on a bank card, as well as a QR code linking to the Vapcell website.
Go to the website, open the Antifake tab, enter the code, and if everything checks out, it'll tell you whether the cells are genuine.
Just out of curiosity, I checked one of the batteries shown today, and everything was OK.
Dimensions and weight.
The batteries arrived charged to about 75–80%, which is unusual; they're usually less charged. The first “conditioning” cycle delivered about 3500 mAh, which is nice.
Since there are no specs available for these batteries, I tested them using settings for a few similar models. Their F36 battery also caught my eye, by the way; I'll have to try one.
First, charging: two modes, standard at 1 A and fast at 2 A.
At 1 A, the battery charged in 3 hours and 42 minutes, a very good result.
The much longer charging curve at 2 A shows that this current isn't optimal for these batteries and should only be used occasionally, if at all.
I tested them in five modes: 0.2C, 0.5C, 1C, 2C, and 10 A.
The battery fell a little short of its 3500 mAh capacity rating, but delivered the claimed 12.6 Wh.
Temperatures at 1C, 2C, and 10 A were fairly moderate, but since these are high-capacity batteries, I wouldn't recommend letting them heat up above 60 degrees.
The second sample was much the same as the first.
Since I had four batteries, I decided to do a quick check of the second pair too. Well, “quick” means three tests compared with five for the first pair: 0.2C, 1C, and 10 A.
The results were about the same, perhaps a little worse, but the difference could easily have been caused by the ambient temperature.
Just out of curiosity, I plotted all four batteries on one graph at 0.2C and 1C. They look pretty good to me—the results are nicely consistent.
Impedance measurements after arrival, after the “conditioning” cycle, and at the end. I think these look fine too.
And of course, the main thing: comparing them with other similar batteries. The comparison included:
Samsung INR18650-35E
LG INR18650-MJ1
LG INR18650-M36
Murata VC7
Panasonic NCR18650BD
Panasonic NCR18650G
Sanyo NCR18650GA
Vapcell F34
The one under review
The comparison was run at 0.2C. The results are pretty average overall: some cells perform better than the one under review, and some worse, so I don't see any reason to criticize or praise it.
So that's the little mini-review for today. These batteries are quite good, and the consistency of the results is excellent. I'd even say it's close to exemplary, if not for the fourth cell, which fell a little behind the others at 10 A. Otherwise, everything is very respectable.
That's all for now, but there'll be another little review soon, and hopefully one more after that :)
As usual, a reminder: to keep up with new posts on the blog, I recommend following me on Instagram, where I'll post notifications about new articles and maybe write about something interesting too - link to my account
You can also subscribe to updates and new articles on the Telegram channel - https://t.me/KirichBlog
So, these look like ordinary 18650 cells, in Vapcell's original packaging, but it turns out they're not available in the Vapcell store on AliExpress—for some reason, there aren't any batteries there at all right now—or even on their website. Very unusual. But since they sent them over, let's test them. The batteries are actually pretty good.
The classic look: translucent heat-shrink wrap, basic specs, and a scratch-off code to check authenticity.
I was recently asked about the code and how to check authenticity. First, I'll say that so far I haven't had any major complaints about Vapcell. Yes, they're not a manufacturer but a repackager, but almost everything I've come across (with very rare exceptions) has met its claimed specifications. I'll also note that this company usually uses genuine branded cells and also sells them in their “original” form, i.e. without its own heat-shrink wrap.
Someone recently commented that the capacity of their 32700 cells didn't match the specs. To be honest, that surprised me, because I'd already tested those cells and even use them regularly.
But back to the code. Scratch off the protective layer and you'll find a 16-digit code, like the one on a bank card, as well as a QR code linking to the Vapcell website.
Go to the website, open the Antifake tab, enter the code, and if everything checks out, it'll tell you whether the cells are genuine.
Just out of curiosity, I checked one of the batteries shown today, and everything was OK.
Dimensions and weight.
The batteries arrived charged to about 75–80%, which is unusual; they're usually less charged. The first “conditioning” cycle delivered about 3500 mAh, which is nice.
Since there are no specs available for these batteries, I tested them using settings for a few similar models. Their F36 battery also caught my eye, by the way; I'll have to try one.
First, charging: two modes, standard at 1 A and fast at 2 A.
At 1 A, the battery charged in 3 hours and 42 minutes, a very good result.
The much longer charging curve at 2 A shows that this current isn't optimal for these batteries and should only be used occasionally, if at all.
I tested them in five modes: 0.2C, 0.5C, 1C, 2C, and 10 A.
The battery fell a little short of its 3500 mAh capacity rating, but delivered the claimed 12.6 Wh.
Temperatures at 1C, 2C, and 10 A were fairly moderate, but since these are high-capacity batteries, I wouldn't recommend letting them heat up above 60 degrees.
The second sample was much the same as the first.
Since I had four batteries, I decided to do a quick check of the second pair too. Well, “quick” means three tests compared with five for the first pair: 0.2C, 1C, and 10 A.
The results were about the same, perhaps a little worse, but the difference could easily have been caused by the ambient temperature.
Just out of curiosity, I plotted all four batteries on one graph at 0.2C and 1C. They look pretty good to me—the results are nicely consistent.
Impedance measurements after arrival, after the “conditioning” cycle, and at the end. I think these look fine too.
And of course, the main thing: comparing them with other similar batteries. The comparison included:
Samsung INR18650-35E
LG INR18650-MJ1
LG INR18650-M36
Murata VC7
Panasonic NCR18650BD
Panasonic NCR18650G
Sanyo NCR18650GA
Vapcell F34
The one under review
The comparison was run at 0.2C. The results are pretty average overall: some cells perform better than the one under review, and some worse, so I don't see any reason to criticize or praise it.
So that's the little mini-review for today. These batteries are quite good, and the consistency of the results is excellent. I'd even say it's close to exemplary, if not for the fourth cell, which fell a little behind the others at 10 A. Otherwise, everything is very respectable.
That's all for now, but there'll be another little review soon, and hopefully one more after that :)
The figures from this review are in the measurement database: Batteries
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