Last updated on June 17th, 2023
Are Your Ecig Batteries Safe?
If you’re considering vaping, you’re probably wondering which e-cigarette vape batteries, or e-cigarette brands are the safest. You’re most likely looking for products that have built-in safety features. That’s smart – after all, there have been some sensational stories about exploding ecig batteries.
Why Do Some E-Cigarette Batteries Explode?
If you’re wondering why some electronic cigarette batteries have exploded, it’s because they, along with thousands of other electronic devices (including cell phones and laptop computers) are made with lithium ion batteries which can be dangerous under certain conditions.
According to Battery University, lithium ion battery explosions are very rare – 1 in 10 million when they are charged correctly.
Lithium batteries, if defective or misused can experience “thermal runaway” which is defined as,
“A situation where an increase in temperature changes the conditions in a way that causes a further increase in temperature, often leading to a destructive result. It is a kind of uncontrolled positive feedback.”
Explosion and fire risk incidents do occur, but as mentioned above, they are not limited to electronic cigarettes. Since 2002, there have been more than 40 recalls due to risks from lithium ion batteries in laptops, phones and other electronic devices.
According to NicotineSurveys.org, the chance of an e-cigarette exploding while you’re using it is roughly 0.0000001%.
That’s not to say it can’t and won’t happen.
E-Cigarette Batteries Can Explode If:
- They have been modified by the user.
- They are charged incorrectly
- You leave them near an extreme temperature such as a cooking appliance, or the dashboard of your car in summer.
- They get wet, causing contacts or circuitry to corrode.
- The battery was made cheaply and did not undergo proper inspection.
- The product uses a powerful battery and does not have built-in safety features.
Not All Vaping Devices Have Built-In Safety Features
Highly reputable vape companies use precautionary measures to make sure your vaporizer or mod’s is safe to use.
These include:
- Testing the hardware’s internal batteries and other electrical components.
- Making sure devices display internal warnings
- Including a device-compatible charger in the kit
- Insuring devices will shut off if there is a battery or atomizer problem.
Here Are Three Excellent Sellers of Vaping Products Worth Mentioning
Known for their wide selection of electronic cigarettes and vaporizers including high wattage/high-performance devices, VaporFi designs and tests their own ecig devices. They also sell other reputable brands. The company is committed to safety and performance for all products. This includes making sure the products they sell have built-in safety features.
DirectVapor sells only the highest quality vape products. All devices are guaranteed to be genuine, (not clones or knock-offs).
All products include safety features. There are over 42 different brands sold on the DV website. The most popular are SMOK, INNOKIN, ELEAF, KANGER, ASPIRE, SIGELEI and VOOPOO.
Apollo was one of the first pioneers in the vaping industry. They now serve customers in over 90 countries. Apollo sell e-cigs and vaporizers for all levels of vaping, and all their products include the necessary safety features.
Does Every E-Cigarette Model Need to Have a Full Suite of Battery Protections?
Not necessarily. Vaping devices come in many shapes and sizes.
All models use a battery; however, batteries have different power levels (listed as mAh – a milliampere hour). They represent the energy charge within the battery and they determine how long it will run.
Batteries with lower mAh are made for light-weight vaping devices such as ultraportable pod vapes. They are not known to encounter any safety issues, so they have only basic protection features. Using a device with a low mAh battery will power your e-cig safely and is very safe to use, but you will need to charge it more often.
These Safety Features Are in All Quality E-Cigarettes and Vaporizers
- Low Battery or Over Discharge Protection
If you get a Low Battery Warning, it’s likely your battery is either low, or installed incorrectly. Make sure you are using the correct battery, and that it is not damaged in any way. Most vapes have charge indicator lights that turn red when the battery is low.
NOTE: If you think your battery will perform better and last longer if you wait until it’s depleted before you recharge it, you’re making a big mistake! Just the opposite will occur. The Over Discharge protection feature prevents this by giving you the “red light” when your battery needs to be put on the charger. This feature is present in all vapes, large and small.
- Cut Off or Timeout Protection
This means that if your vape has an activation button and you hold it down too long before you vape, you won’t get any vapor. Times vary with each product, but there is usually an 8, 10, or 12 second cut off.
- Overcharge Protection
This prevents the battery from overcharging, which can cause damage and may create a safety hazard. Overcharge protection shuts off the current when your device is fully charged. All quality vapes, regardless of battery size have this type of protection, although it is not always listed within the product description.
It doesn’t matter if it is a small or large device.
The Best High Powered Vape Mods Include These Additional Safety Features:
- Short Circuit Protection or Overcurrent Protection
- Overheat, or Overload Protection
- Reverse Battery Protection
- Low Voltage Protection
- Low Resistance Protection
- No Load Protection
- Safety Locking Switch
Here Are Descriptions of the Most Important Safety Features for Vaping Devices:
- Short Circuit Protection
Short circuit protection senses any circuit damages within your device. As soon as the short is detected, the device trips and breaks the circuit. This protects your vaping device from overheating. Without it, your mod can get damaged or totally destroyed.
- Overcurrent Protection
Overcurrent protects against a battery current that is too high for your device and can cause a short circuit, or damage the electrical components.
- Overheating or Overload Protection
This is a very important feature that prevents the power bank in the battery from charging or discharging when battery temperature exceeds its normal temperature range. Not only can it protect it from exploding, it can also prolong the life of your battery.
- Reverse Battery Protection
If your Mod uses external batteries, and you put the batteries in the wrong way, you’ll get a warning For example, you put the negative pole in the positive terminal and vice versa, reversing the flow of electricity.
- Low Voltage Protection
Just as a higher input voltage could cause damage to your device, lower voltages can also cause problems. Some features may simply stop working. If your vaporizer senses low voltage, it will cut off the voltage entirely.
- Low Resistance Protection
This is when you use an atomizer coil that has an oHm resistance lower than the suggested minimum resistance. The mod will stop firing and will show a warning of Low Resistance.
- OverCharge/ Discharge Protection
This prevents your device from firing if your batteries have become over charged or over discharged.
- No Load Protection
In a No Load condition, no current is flowing through the circuit. For example, you’ll get a message if you have a connection problem with the device. For example, the tank isn’t properly connected to the battery.
- Safety Locking Switch
Advanced Mods like the Voopoo Argus GT Box Mod has a locking switch mode that allows you to lock the firing button. This prevents accidental firing of the mod if it is in your pocket or purse,….or gets into the wrong hands.
Here’s to Your Good Health
Don’t let sensational news stories about exploding e-cigarette batteries deter you from switching from smoking to vaping. According to many scientists and Public Health England, vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking…that is, if you’re responsible and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Also, I would never buy cheap imitation brands. The industry is (to date) still self-regulated, so it’s smart be an educated consumer.
Conclusion:
Vaping device safety features are important for safe vaping and peace of mind, particularly when the e-cig has a battery size greater than 600mAh.
Many reputable sellers of e-cigs, vape pens, pod vapes and Mods will display the battery specifications of each device on the product information page. If the product is made with added safety features, they will also be displayed.
We recommend trusted sellers such as DirectVapor, Vaporfi and Apollo who are all known for selling highly reliable vaping products.
You can even search for “safety features” on each website to see related products. DirectVapor and Vaporfi both have free shipping with no minimum purchase.
No matter which brand or device you buy, always follow the directions that came with the product and never attempt to modify any component.
1 comment
Yes that’s probably the best advice. Just buy devices from big brands like Vaporfi, which has a good reputation. And from retailers that don’t sell cheap imitation. Elementvape or vapordna is a good source for that too. Then you shouldn’t worry about your batteries exploding.