A vape battery is just a replaceable lithium-ion battery. Not a battery you find in a convenience store, but a regular battery nonetheless. Although vape batteries are often thought of as particular to vaping, they are the same types of batteries used in other electronic devices, like power tools, flashlights, lanterns, laptops, radios, electric bikes, and even electric cars. That said, no major battery manufacturer publicly endorses the usage of their batteries in the context of vaping, and no batteries from other devices should be swapped for usage with your vape mods.
While there is nothing inherently dangerous about using replaceable batteries in a vape device, serious risks to the user and device can happen without basic knowledge of ohms law and safe battery practices. For the stories you hear about a “vape exploding,” at the heart of the issue is basic battery safety, especially for lithium-ion cells. The basic safe practices are:
Do NOT store loose batteries in pockets or purses
NEVER remove the battery wrapper unless rewrapping
Use plastic cases to store extra batteries
Never use or charge a hot or extremely cold battery
Do not push the limits of your battery
Do not force batteries if they don’t comfortably fit
Discard or rewrap batteries with damaged wrappers
Always use trusted and reliable brands and retailers
Never bargain shop for batteries
Recycle batteries when it’s time to discard
Different battery sizes for vaping
Battery types
The most distinguishable feature between vaping battery types is size. These are the most common battery sizes used in vaping:
18650
20700
21700
26650
The less common sizes are:
18350
18490/18500
20650
The specific size is a naming convention pertaining to the dimensions of the battery in millimeters. Therefore, an 18650 is 18 mm x 65 mm. While these measurements are the identifier of the various sizes, cross-compatibility is not always a given due to different positive contacts, particularly with larger batteries like 20700, 21700, and 26650. Some button top batteries can be a bit longer than their flat-top counterparts. Even among flat-tops, some variation can still occur. But by and large, most batteries are cross-compatible with each other for the devices used in vaping with only the occasional few that won’t fit like expected.
