Understanding MAH And Batteries For Your Device

The vast majority of reviews you read, or videos you watch, or even the product pages on your favorite vendors website, will tell you what ‘size’ batteries you will need to purchase for the device you’re reading about, and whether or not those batteries sizes require a flat-top or button top, but that’s about it. No one ever really gets into the mAh ratings of batteries.

For every device you’ll see the following in some form or another:

“The JoyeTech eVic takes a flat-top 18650 battery”

“The ProVape ProVari takes a button-top 18650 battery”

“The Innokin iTaste Cool Fire 2 takes a flat-top 18350 battery”

“The VAMO Rev 5 takes a flat-top or button-top 18650 battery”

You will especially need to know the bit about whether or not that particular battery is a flat-top or bottom-top. But where is the explanation for mAh? You do need to know this in order to best utilize the money you’re going to spend on the device.

When it comes to buying a battery, if you don’t know what the mAh rating means, and more importantly, what it means to you and the device you’re going to purchase, how do you know which battery to purchase? Do you choose the least expensive battery to save money?

Before you answer that, consider your personal vaping habits. Do you vape only once in a while during the day, or are you a Pacify-Vaper, with your hardware always topped off with eJuice and never leaving your hand? How often are you swapping out batteries?

The 800mAh 18350, the smallest battery and the lowest mAh rating will need to be recharged much more often than a 3400mAh 18650.  Where do your needs fit in? Do you want to go two days without the need to swap out a battery or is it okay to vape for 8-10 hours without swapping the battery? In a nutshell, that is the only question you need to ask yourself before choosing the compatible battery.

If you’re wondering if the mAh rating on the battery serves any other purpose, it does not. The mAh rating has one function, and one function only. The mAh rating gives you an idea of how long that battery will last while you are using it. A higher mAh rating will not have any affect on the quality of your ‘vape’. It will not help produce more vapor, it will not add flavor to your eLiquid. These are all controlled by other factors, including the ohms that the atomizer outputs and the voltage regulator of the device itself, not the mAh rating.

The mAh rating will not increase or decrease the quality of your vaping experience in any other way than the length of time you’ll use that battery before having to recharge it.

To recap, the mAh rating does matter, but only in the length of time you can use that battery before having to recharge it. It will not improve your vape experience, except in the aforementioned manner. Once you understand that you can begin making better decisions about which battery is right for you by thinking in terms of your own vaping style and whether or not you’re spending too much time attaching batteries to chargers. As long as the battery you are buying is compatible with the device you’re using the mAh rating will not affect its operation in any other manner.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to buy the highest mAh rated batteries you can find that are compatible with the device you’re using. As I began replacing batteries for my devices that use 18650 batteries I have made it a point to buy the higher mAh rated batteries for the added number of hours I can enjoy my device before having to switch out that battery. If your budget only allows 1100mAh batteries you’re getting the same quality from your device, you’re just recharging them more often.