We get a lot of questions from customers unsure of how they should charge their vapes, so here is a quick guide outlining do’s and dont’s when it comes to charging your vape. Most vapes today are designed to be charged via a multitude of sources, however, it is always best to be as safe as possible due to the potential danger associated with faulty lithium-ion batteries.
Most vapes today have complicated internal charging regulation circuits to protect the battery from being overcharged. Most USB outputs are fine to charge your vape, specifically USB outputs from computers, TVs, game consoles or car chargers. These sources are good at regulating the voltage supplied and limiting the current that can be drawn by the vape.
The biggest cause for concern for charging via a USB wall adapter is a low quality charger. Cheap phone chargers are not commonly designed with a full range of protection circuits that keep you safe. Buy a USB charger from a reputable electronics store to be safe.
We advise against using chargers where the USB cable is fixed into the charger itself. If you have a phone charger that you can use to plug your own USB cable into, that's the safest option. It's always best to use the same cable that came with your device to charge your vape.
Most phone chargers are fine, however some phone chargers where the cable cannot be removed from the charger are designed specifically for the product they came with. There are thousands of different phone chargers out there, so it's difficult to be specific. For the best overall battery life, use a USB wall charger capable of delivering no more than 2A.
While lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries (e.g. 18650, 20700, 21700 and 26650 batteries) don't retain ‘memory’ like older nickel-cadmium batteries, it is best if you don't leave your vape on a charger for long periods of time regularly as this could affect the lifespan of your battery.
We would recommend using a dedicated battery charger for any vape with a removable battery, as they have the best-dedicated protection circuits to prevent your batteries from being overcharged, and will charge your batteries in a way to ensure best overall lifespan.
Don't let your lithium-ion batteries drop below 3.2V, or charge above 4.2V. Doing so may damage your battery and can be dangerous if left unattended.
If you can't remove your battery from your vape, you might have a lithium polymer (Li-Po) battery (common in smaller internal battery devices) and we would recommend not leaving these on a charger for long periods of time without use for best battery life.
Don't charge your vape if it is wet or covered in e-liquid. This increases the possibility of arcing and short circuits in your device which could damage your vape/battery. Don't charge your battery in a hot (e.g. hot car,) or high humidity environment (e.g. outdoors in the rain).
So in short
- Never trust a low-quality USB wall adapter, these can be dangerous.
- Try and avoid using a phone charger where the cable is fixed into the wall adapter.
- Don't leave your vape charging for long periods of time without use
- Use a USB port from a laptop, PC, TV, DVD player, stereo, game console or car charger
- Don't leave a charging vape or battery charger unattended
- Don't charge your vape in a high humidity environment
- Don't charge your vape in a hot environment
- Don't charge your vape if it's wet or saturated in e-liquid
- Don't continue to charge your vape if it gets hot while charging