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- Questions & answers
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« E-cigarettes are complicated »
That’s not true. It was for a while, but that’s in the past ! Technology is evolving and so are e-cigs. With many beginner kits on the market today, nothing could be easier than to start vaping ! Each e-cigarette has its own way, ergonomics, size, weight, autonomy, type of draw and power. The only difficulty is choosing the one that works best for you (this choice is very personal), but our expert advice online or in-store can help and guide you to the right product.
« E-cigarettes are unreliable »
Again, not true. The accidents/explosions that have been reported in the media were associated with electronic cigarettes when they were actually about batteries. It’s important to underline that these incidents were linked to material misuse (using an unsuitable charger, DIY, etc.) and that these phenomena were often over-mediatised. As with any battery (mobile phone or any other electrical device), some precautions are necessary.
« A battery can explode at any time and for no reason »
Wrong. The media have conveyed the image of real time bombs by over-mediatising the rare accidents that have occurred with e-cigarettes. As mentioned above, these accidents happen as a result of equipment mishandling, especially batteries.
Indeed, a battery explosion (and not an e-cigarette !) can happen when it overheats (lien article canicule) because of a shock or a short circuit.
An e-cigarette battery is not a simple AAA battery ! You should not carry them around in your pocket next to your keys.
There are different solutions to carry your batteries in a totally safe way and therefore prevent any risk : silicone cases, cases, holsters, etc.
« Always fully charge a battery before using it for the first time »
Wrong again. At the time, batteries were made of nickel and had to be "calibrated", which meant they had to be fully charged before they were used for the first time. Today most batteries are made of lithium-ion, which has a "self-calibration" system that makes this unnecessary.
When leaving the factory, batteries are charged 40-70% (not more to prevent them from deteriorating with the cold of an aircraft hold or the heat of a warehouse, no less so that they don’t arrive completely discharged).
You can fully charge it before the first use, but it is not a problem if you don't.
« The more a battery is recharged, the more it wears out »
A battery has a limited life span which is called charge cycles (between 500 and 1000). One cycle corresponds to the entire capacity of the battery, in one or more times. This means that if you use 50% of the battery, recharge it, and use 50% again, you will have completed a full cycle. Same thing if you use another percentage of the battery and it doesn’t matter how much time goes by between each charge : only the discharge counts in the calculation of the cycles.
« The battery must be completely emptied before recharging it »
That’s not true. Nickel batteries had a "charge memory", so it was necessary to let them discharge completely. With lithium-ion batteries this problem no longer exists. Quite the opposite ! If you get into the habit of discharging the battery completely, you risk reducing its charging capacity, damaging the battery and making it less safe. This is because batteries are sensitive to heat and get hotter if you charge them for a long time. It’s therefore better to partially charge them.
Basically : charge it when you have the opportunity and before it gets to 5% !
« You can leave your battery charging all night long »
Yes and no. The latest generations of batteries have a system that stops charging when it has reached 100%. There’s therefore no risk of overcharging. On the other hand, if you do not disconnect your battery from the power source when it’s fully charged, it will discharge slightly and resume charging, which can reduce its life span as it will start charging cycles unnecessarily. And don’t get us started on the economic and ecological consequences of this practice...
« You can leave your battery charging all night long »
It’s important to know that a battery discharges itself, even when not in use.
A 0% stored battery may enter a deep discharge state and the cells may be destroyed. If it’s kept close to 100%, the voltage within the battery is too high and this will result in a degradation of its capacity over time. A battery will retain most of its capacity if it’s charged to 40% before storage.
Also, the longer the battery is stored at a low temperature, the less capacity it will lose (e.g. a battery charged at 40% and stored at 0° will lose 2% of its capacity, whereas if it’s fully charged it will lose 4%. A battery stored at 25°C and charged at 40% will lose 4% of its capacity, whereas it will lose 20% of its capacity if it’s 100% charged). To sum up : store your batteries in a cool place (avoid the fridge, humidity could damage them) and charged at 40%.
