You've purchased your new vaporizer and you picked up a set of batteries or two. You're on your way home, excited to set it all up and get straight to vaping. But wait! You need to charge those new batteries before you use them. So, how long does it take to charge a 18650 battery?

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This is an important question not just for the first time you vape, but for keeping your vaporizer ready to function day to day. How much time will you need to allot to recharging each day?

The First 18650 Battery Charge

Most battery manufacturers ship their batteries with a half charge. This keeps the batteries in good health as they wait on the store shelf to be purchased. As a result, it will usually only take a couple of hours to reach full charge the first time you plug your batteries in, but this is not necessarily indicative of how long it will take if your battery is discharged down to the lowest limit allowed by your vaporizer.

For the first charge, plan on two to three hours on the high side.

Daily Charging

The amount of time it takes to recharge your batteries day to day likely will be slightly higher than the first charge. It also depends on several different factors. First of all, the capacity of your battery measured in milliamp Hours (mAh). The larger the capacity of your battery, the longer it will take to charge, obviously.

You also need to think about the type of charger you are using. If you are using an external charger you will need to look at the specifications of the charger itself to see how much power it is supplying to your batteries. If you are using the built in USB charger on your device, you may have the benefit of the quick charge function. There are pros and cons to each of these methods.

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External Chargers

Batteries tend to last the longest when they are charged slowly and consistently at around 0.5 amps. If you are using a multi-bay charger that holds two, three, or four batteries, your external charger may change the amperage applied to the batteries depending on how many you have plugged in.

For instance, with four batteries plugged in they all charge at 0.5A, but with two batteries plugged in they charge at a full 1A. This effectively cuts the charging time in half, but it may take away from the life of your battery. This is because faster-charging causes the battery to heat up and will begin to breakdown the internal structures of the battery.

Over time you will notice that the battery holds less and less charge each time you plug it in even though it appears that it is fully charged by the charger indicators. This will eventually mean that you need to replace your batteries more often than if you always charge them at the slower 0.5A pace.

efest luc v2 18650 charger Investing in a quality external charger like the Efest LUC V2 can help extend the charge of your 18650s.

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Built-In Chargers

In the early days of the vaporizer, all batteries were built into the device, and a suitable charger was designed to handle the charging functions while protecting the battery as best as possible. Today, manufacturers are including quick charge ports on the side of devices even if the batteries are removable.

These quick charge ports are in high demand as vapers don't want to carry a full extra set of batteries in their pockets all day or deal with a vaporizer that only makes it through half the day. While this feature is a nice convenience, most people will tell you that you should limit your use of the quick charge feature.

Some of these devices offer up to a 2A quick charge that will top your battery off in under an hour. This really wears down your battery the more you do it. Use this feature sparingly and use an external 0.5A charger whenever possible to keep your batteries healthy.

How Long Do Vape Batteries take to Charge?

While there are several factors that can impact the charging time of your battery, the 18650 battery charging time averages four to five hours each evening. It is best to plug your batteries in and let them charge all the way up before you unplug them. Similarly, you should use your batteries until your device tells you that they are dead.

Keep in mind that your batteries will never discharge 100 percent because this would damage the internal battery structure. However, you should think of your battery like a muscle. You need to exercise the battery in its full range of motion whenever possible to keep it healthy.

You should avoid “topping off” your battery at random intervals if it isn’t nearing discharge. Constantly plugging your batteries in and out of a charger will cause unnecessary wear. Instead, keep them in your device as long as possible between recharges.

VaporFi

VaporFi has created some of the most dependable high-drain batteries in the industry. If you’ve been looking for a great battery for your vaporizer, check out our selection online today.

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