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DAMN! Watch ""Controlled" explosion of a UltraFire 18650 batte…" on YouTube http://youtu.be/ZTzEHsJVZhA

Second batch is resting did a 30ml Hazelnut Im diggin this DIY First batch I made tastes better everyday

I do sometimes get a batch that tastes bad and is unfixable so I dump it in a bottle labeled not so good. Awhile back I tried it and it tasted pretty good, so I dumped it in another bottle and vaped it. Started another not so good batch, every once in awhile I try it. I know I can't duplicate any of it but that's OK.

I have not even seen them anywhere. Looking them up it says they are made by LG and have 20A continuous discharge, and 2500 mah. I assume since the specs are the same, they are a LG 18650HE2 so if you are paying over $5.00 you are paying a premium for Kanger to add their name to it. The new Aspire 18650 tests pretty good but it is a ICR. (less safe than IMR) I don't run rewraps unless I rewrap them myself. I am not going to pay extra to get a cheap battery with a fancy wrapper that has overinflated numbers on it. Good batteries are way too cheap to buy the unknown. This is totally an assumption on my part. I just know I put a fresh battery in, in the evening and it is nearly dead first thing in the morning. I could be vaping more than I think at night, or it is pulling a little power at rest. I guess it could be the cat...but I doubt it. If I have time I will build a rig to check voltage drop. I have been wanting to make one anyway to test the efficient of the board, but I was going to wait for my shunts to come in so I can measure it up to full amp draw.

Nice info! Looks like the old VTC 4 and the R25 should be what most people would want. When you factor in counterfeit batteries, your best and safest bet would be the R25s at the moment.

Jason will that charger also do AA-AAA rechargable type batts also?

I have a UM-20 that I keep in my work truck. It works great, and I have had no issues with it. My home charger is the LucV4, it's a work horse.

Haven't seen anything on the nitecore UM series chargers, they any good?

I just ran across some interesting information about the -25r batteries. I have read that there are quite a few fakes out there. I have checked all of mine, and the ones I thought might be fake are in fact real. Check it out here: Is it a fake 18650 battery? (Featuring the Samsung 25R) Here is another interesting one: Green Samsung 18650 25R5 vs. Blue 25R2

Hmm, I've got a walgreens about a mile away from me. May have to stop in And see if they have any.

I bought my first 2 Samsungs from Amazon. The next 2 and 2 35A Efests from a online Vape store. The last 4 Samsungs were from Illum. The 2 I got from the Vape store do not look like the others (rewrap?) and one of the Efests has already died. I probably will not buy from them again. I have had great luck with all of the other batteries I have bought. My original Sony VTC 4's from the Vapor Talk store, and Fadora Vapor are still going strong nearly a year later. I keep them and the EFest for my Mechanicals. If you take care of these batteries, they will last a long time! I am going to check this out. We are heading to Lubbock in a bit, to a Grandson's birthday party and there is a Wallgreens right down the street.

Something about a 0.99 makes me nervous. They're closed today, but I'll give em a call in the morning. They seemed to carry mostly only higher end mods and such, so I hope they wouldn't skimp on the batts.

I get it now, Rixter. Thanks! One of the beauties of this device is how airflow plays on temperature. Less airflow means more temperature. Dryness means more temperature. So this unit corrects for that automatically. That is awesome. I used to wonder why my wife was harder on coils than I am. Now I see the difference in vaping styles. I like an airy pull. My wife tends to just fire the coil and nurse the pull. This would correct that automatically. This is pretty awesome.

Even at lower voltages, when the wick dries out, the temperature of the coil skyrockets. TC effectively prevents that from happening by limiting the max temp to whatever you set for a limit. Ive heard that 420F is what most people use to prevent cotton wicking from burning.

Rixter thanks for the video. I wish i could hear what he says, he sounds informative. Maybe my next purchase should not be vaping gear but a hearing aid as my wife keeps yelling at me and my responce to her is what did you say? ;-)

Glad you asked :animier:

That is true Rixter. Temp control for under $70 is quite amazing. Hope this will drop the prices down on some of the other temp control devices out there some. But I doubt it.

Bcarter should be all over this with warmer weather coming. He was just asking if anyone knew of something that was waterproof.

Doesn't seem to grasp the significance of temperature control, does he?

The taxes on ONE PACK of cigarettes in New York is $5.36..... In Tennessee and Kentucky its $1.62.....That's from 2013 I hope we get off a little easier than that.

It certainly isn't a bad problem to have...lol. I didn't mean for it to sound like it was a bad problem either, (although I can see it does sound that way). It's more frustration geared toward the anti-vaping group for putting us in this position of having to defend because of their scare tactics.

California has had trouble balancing their budget for several years now. They barrow against future (projected next fiscal year) sales tax. Not sure how much CA is losing from BT MSA year over year, but it probably must be significant. Ecig tax is inevitable. I think states that have real trouble balancing their fiscal budget will push harder and harder for a ban, and then placate the public by "compromising" with a sin tax solution.

I honestly believe that one of the biggest problems to the vaping community with regard to battery safety is Ebay itself, I have just seen two 18650 batteries on Ebay for 99p with free delivery from China, If Ebay was to have tighter regulations with regard to dangerous batteries being sold on its site then maybe one less accident would take place, but who is at fault, the manufacturer for producing dangerous batteries on the cheap trying to make a quick buck, or ebay for allowing them to be sold or for the guy buying a product so cheap it has to be fake and potentially dangerous, I personally would like Ebay to stop selling any batteries for e-cigs unless it is from a verified vendor, and even though Ebay here in the UK have a no E-cigarette rule, the site is still awash with authentic and fake products, anybody with an internet connection can purchase and distribute fake products on Ebay. So a noobie just starting out with little or no knowledge of battery safety and no desire to endanger himself or anyone close to him, will ultimately turn to Ebay and buy on the cheap incase vaping is not for them. Just my two cents worth.

*conspiracy theory incoming* Similar to the way that the govt. (both Federal and State) don't want other possible health improvements left alone (and or legalized [i'm not naming anything I promise]), they don't want anything "e-cig" or "vape" related to be left alone. There's a lot more money in "Big-Pharma" and "Big Tobacco" than there is in an industry that has already exploded. There is no room for them to come in and regulate this industry in a way that could be equally profitable. Instead, they are going to stick with their previously accepted (and otherwise ignored) cash-cow, Tobacco taxes. A quote from a previous rant " I understand that the increased taxes supposedly fund tobacco related medical treatment, but it strikes me as odd that California seems to have fewer smokers per capita than other states, but some of the highest taxes on tobacco products in the country. " If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Especially when it comes to the money fountain. These are simply my thoughts/opinions. Take nothing too seriously. Just food for thought. Chew it apart.

The site Taste Your Juice is owned and operated by Phil Busardo. pbusardo on youtube, on here and other forums. He is a great voice for vaping, he also has many great reviews on the fine products we use daily in our vaping journey. I have learned a lot about many great vaping devices from tanks to cartos and VV/VW electronic mods. Devices to make building easier like the coil-master. Check him out, he gives a lot of technical data about all things vaping and does it with a sense of humor. Very informative and entertaining.

For obvious reasons I can't share any recipes, but I can offer advice on testing. I build a coil at 1.2-5 ohms and yes I change cotton and dry burn before each test. Also keep some coffee grounds handy to reset your taste sensors.

Damn, right, pretty crazy, reminds me of those office chairs that blew up in China

Oh dear jebus. I've heard of some crazy stories. But that was intense.

I 've read the warning on the battery MOD package:To ensure optimal battery performance, we advise that the battery contacts are regularly cleaned. Our electronic cigarette batteries contain micro-electronic circuitry and microprocessors. Users should store and handle these items with special care, and we advise our customers do not to store their electronic cigarettes near metallic or magnetized objects, or electronic transmitting devices, such as keys and mobile phones and to avoid extremely high or low storage temperatures.To ensure optimal battery performance, we advise that the battery contacts are regularly cleaned. Our electronic cigarette batteries contain micro-electronic circuitry and microprocessors. Users should store and handle these items with special care, and we advise our customers do not to store their electronic cigarettes near metallic or magnetized objects, or electronic transmitting devices, such as keys and mobile phones and to avoid extremely high or low storage temperatures. The storage rules should apply even to the best battery. The product I bought is on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vaptio-Inc/376693832506086

okay, I haven't been doing this long, nor have I been cloud chasing for long. But let's have some common sense about something before we go judging someone. As long as you know what voltage your battery is putting out and you are using only the safest of batteries(FRESH ONES AT THAT) and what your resistance is and make sure there are no shorts the likelihood of loosing teeth, and or appendages is slim to none. This isn't like handing a child dynamite? I have to ask...how much do you really know about battery chemistry and electricity outside of vaping? Like I said above...your chances of a quality fresh battery failing in this way without any shorts are slim! Even then you would suffer massive burns from the battery venting and the temperature of your mod heating up long before the battery in the video catastrophically failed. Everyone was like "OMG YOUR GETTING AN RDA DONT LOSE YOUR FINGERS DONT LOOSE YOUR HAND BLAHBLAHBLAH" when I decided to get into rebuildables and cloud chasing. it just takes some common sense folks. Does it have it's dangers? Of course it does....anything dealing with a high drain battery pumping out 30+ amps on an extreme sub ohm build has it's dangers. However you can mitigate a lot of your chances of harm or loss of equipment with some common sense and battery safety.

Id just like to point put that f1 racing, nascar and moto GP are all dangerous extremes of relatively safe practices of the average populace. And yes, they are also regulated, but mostly for a fair playing field, not safety. Just because its potentially dangerous doesnt mean it should be frowned upon.

Well said Tam.

Differing personal opinions are always welcome, that's what makes interesting discussions. Personal attacks, however, are not.

Joe, education is always good. Just remember that other members are going to read this in the future, and instead of education it could be more like entertainment.... Facts are the best way to educate, banter will likely not help the cause IMO.

You want to compare apples to oranges go right ahead. Pssst, your comparing apples to oranges dude!

That was also due to a lot of really BAD fireworks as well though, LOL. Can't count how many rockets have ended up in the field because they couldn't get 10 feet into the air! Never the less, good point.

I couldnt agree more with this Chris. It is a disturbing trend to see some of the questions that are asked. I do not chime in because I have vaped for about a year and a half now and never even considered anything I have to build or rebuild because its not in my forte' of skills lol. It really should be an activity practiced by the top few % of vapers that have an honest and true understanding of it. Like I have said many times, the misuse of Mechs and batteries by noobs not ready for advanced PVs are in my opinion the single biggest threat to the future legality of vaping.

Someone mentioned coffee so I made some with coffee grounds and heated it with a small amount glycerin, then strained it to get a very dark flavor I added some stevia & the coffee to a VG base and no nicotine.. I think I got a caffeine buzz.. Taste good..

Yup, heard that about the tobaccos, got a recipe for the vanilla. Never had a coffee / latte so thought I'd better ask.

I'll be starting my DIY journey this weekend! Got some tobaccos and trying for a good Vanilla mix. Flavorshack sent me some latte samples, I'll be using the ejuice calc. What % should I start out with these latte flavors to try?

menthol flavoring works a bit better, but the creme de menthe helps.....just very small amounts !! ya, I've lots count of all the flavorings. I have my staples, but keep all the rest just in case or to spice up a flavor.

As you can tell, I love DIY. For me it started as a search for stronger flavors, as I am flavor challenged. I love the endless possibilities. If you have any questions or trouble, just ask. There are quite a few of us that love to help out.

Its all about personal taste. That is the best part of DIY...making to your own personal tastes. TPA has some great flavors. Mind you I have Been DIYing for 2 years and have been collecting flavors along the way. It takes a while and a bit of experimenting to find the flavors you like best. With the fruit flavors...have you tried adding a bit of flavoring to any existing premixed liquids? sometimes that works better than mixing from scratch.

ive only been mixing 15-20% flavoring though i will try some different types of flavorings, all the ones i have are the TPA

Here's some cuban flavoring http://www.ecigexpress.com/flavoring-tobacco-flavor-c-16_24/cuban-supreme-tobacco-p-308

LOL--sounds like you will be having fun. You have a good set up to get started. The Wiltons vanilla extract work great. can't wait to hear how your creations turn out !!! I love being able to change flavors to suit my taste. Just be extremely careful with the 48mg/ml--getting it on your skin can cause you to feel sick--wash immediately or wear gloves. small spills can be lethal to animals and make small children very, very ill. Merry Mad Mixing !!!!

LOL--I can't say anything--I do the same thing !!! I ruined a few mixes that way.... more is better right....

I promise you won't end up with menthol liquid. The trick is only a couple drops. I usually add about 3-4 drops/5ml. I was never a menthol smoker and never even really cared for menthol--still don't really. A 5 ml bottle of flavourart menthol has lasted me almost a year.

Wow wow wow~!! Thanks so much for this!! My kit's came with diy instructions consisting of: use X amount of X to achieve X... say what? lol Your help is very very much appreciated! Thanks!!

Hopefully Last but not least...... Supplies: 1.Empty dropper bottles- 3ml, 5ml, 10ml sizes are great for mixing. 2. Pipette or syringe with blunt needle. Personally, I prefer using a syringe for mixing--More accurate. 3. paper towel or rag for handling any spills or messes 4. Labels are good for identifying your new mixes. If using paper labels I have found that applying scotch tape over the label keeps the label legible. 5. mixing calculator helps with acheiving the correct nicotine strength. There are other calculators out there, but I like Todd Muellers: http://www.todmuller.com/ejuice/ejuice.php . I usually put my flavor at 30 - 40%. I like lots of flavor. Mixing -can be simple (combining premixed liquids to create a new flavor) or more complicated, mixing from scratch. Or somewhere in between. 1. Always start your mixing or experimentation with small amounts. Its much easier to throw out a small amount of liquid if it turns out bad. The 3ml bottles are great for experimenting. 2. Its a good idea to keep track of what and how much you have added to your mix--just in case you want to make more. **It is easy enough to mix 2 or more premixed liquids together to get a new flavor. This is easiest if you are using the same nicotine strength. i.e.- Tobacco 18mg/Watermelon 18mg/menthol 18mg/pina colada 18mg. The amounts would depend on taste. Start with 5 drops of each in a 3ml bottle, shake and vape--can adjust the flavor as you want by adding more of one of the flavors. with the menthol--using just 1-2 drops/3ml will give a nice cool throat hit without tasting like menthol. ** Can use PG/VG or both to cut a higher strength liquid. i.e.- 24mg premixed liquid 1ml can be mixed with 1ml PG or VG to make 12mg/ml liquid. If cutting a premixed flavor, keep in mind, it will also decrease the flavor. If you don’t want the flavor loss you can cut with 0 nicotine strength in the same or a different flavor. You can also use flavorings to boost the flavor. use the calculator to determine how much PG/VG to use to achieve the desired strength. Just put 0 in the water and flavor boxes. ** Adding Flavoring to premixed liquids This is actually one of the easiest forms of mixing and is a great place to start the DIY journey. We all have flavors we don’t really care for, but by adding flavoring you can create a flavor you like. Keep in mind--when adding flavoring it will dilute the nicotine strength of the premixed liquid. one way around this is to get some unflavored higher nicotine liquid- i.e. 36mg that can be added to your mix to keep the nicotine strength at your desired level. My preferred nicotine level is 12mg/ml--so I will use that dose for mixing examples. i.e.-- cappuccino 36mg/ml, 1.7ml + FlavourArt apple pie flavoring 1.5ml + VG 1.8ml for a total of 5ml 12mg/ml. This is where the calculator comes in handy. Just put in the numbers, hit enter and the calculations are done for you. This is where having a syringe is helpful. However if you are using drops, I have found that 30 drops of PG = 1ml and 20 drops of VG = 1ml. You can use more than one flavoring: cappuccino 1.7ml + apple pie flavoring 1ml + Vanilla 1ml + VG 1.3 ml = 5ml 12mg/ml Don’t be afraid to mix more than one flavor. When cooking, most dishes require more than one flavor to get the right taste. ** mixing from scratch You will need PG and/or VG Unflavored Nicotine liquid ( I usually use 36mg/ml) Flavorings of choice i.e. Easy Watermelon 12mg/ml 3 ml PG or VG 1 ml Lorann Watermelon flavoring 2 drops Menthol flavoring (Flavourart) 2 ml 36mg/ml Unflavored liquid i.e. using multiple flavors: Apple Pie (6ml) 18mg/ml 3 ml 36/mg unflavored 1 ml FlavourArt(FA) Apple Pie 6 drops (Flavourart) Irish Cream 2 drops (FA) perique black (tobacco) 3 drops (FA) menthol .5ml PG .5ml VG 3 drops hazelnut 6 drops vanilla ** Misc Notes Tobacco Flavorings are very, very strong--a little goes a very long way. A couple drops to 5ml will give a nice background flavor. If using more, add a drop or 2 at a time to taste. Lorann flavorings are very concentrated. You would use less Lorann than you would with other flavorings. Avoid flavorings with oils or sugars--both can damage your atomizer. If you find your mix needs to be sweeter there are a couple of options: 1. Loranns cotton candy or Marshmallow flavorings are great for adding sweetness. 2. DIY flavor shack carrys Eythol Malto which is a sweetener. 3. I actually prefer the Lorann--overall sweeter tasting. 4. I add a few drops of Menthol to all my mixes-adds a cool throat hit and enhances the flavor. Just a little does not taste like menthol. If you like menthol, just add more. 5. always start mixing with small amounts and keep track of what and how much. 6. For taste testing--dripping works best. Mixing is a lot of trial and error in the beginning. Add flavoring a little at a time until you find the balance you like will help keep waste to a minimum. I am hoping others will be able to add their tips and ideas. the above is just my own opinion and my own experience. If all or part of this is confusing please let me know-writing documents is not my strong suit !!!! Merry Mixing