Whether you’re interested in buying wholesale vaporizers to sell to your own customers or just one for yourself, you’ll need to know a little bit about battery care. In today's guide, Puffr's smoke shop team outlines all of the information you need, either to pass on to your customers or to help you take care of your own batteries.

Caring for Replaceable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Many good-quality retail and wholesale vaporizers use replaceable lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries so we are going to start by taking a look at these and give you some pointers on how to keep them in the best condition for as long as possible. Before we get into it, it’s important for you to know that whether you buy vaporizers with internal lithium-polymer (Li-Po) batteries or vaporizers that take replaceable Li-Ion batteries, the batteries will have a finite lifespan. In other words, no matter how well you look after them, they won’t last forever. With that said, let’s go through some best practices that are designed to extend the lifespan of Li-ion and Li-Po batteries as long as possible.

Vaporizer Battery Care: Best Practices

If you own a modern smartphone, you already have experience of dealing with Li-Po batteries and while the electrolyte between the electrodes is not the same as the electrolyte found in Li-Ion batteries, the way you should care for them is much the same.

• Charge Your Batteries When You Receive Them – Li-Po and Li-Ion do not suffer from the memory effect that plagues nickel-cadmium and nickel metal-hydride batteries but it is still a good idea to charge them fully when you first receive them. Firstly, if a battery won’t accept a charge, it means that it has dropped below the acceptable voltage for chargers and needs to be returned for a refund or exchange so it’s best to find out as soon as possible if this is the case or not. Secondly, it will help to calibrate the charge indicator on the device in which you are using the batteries. If you’re buying wholesale vaporizers and batteries, you might want to spend a few minutes checking each battery before sending it out. There’s no need to fully charge each one though: just put them in an external charger and make sure they accept a charge.
• Don’t Let Your Batteries Fully Discharge – Full discharges can shorten the lifespan of Li-Po and Li-ion batteries so it is a good idea to get into the practice of charging them when they get down to around 20% rather than waiting for them to reach 0%. Using a battery that is nearly empty with a powerful vaporizer designed to draw a large current could also damage it, which is another reason not to let your batteries go completely flat.
• Don’t Fully Charge Your Batteries – You can fully charge your batteries occasionally, to ensure your device’s battery indicator remains properly calibrated but for normal usage, only charge it to around 80%. This practice could extend the lifespan quite considerably.
• Use Your Batteries Regularly – If you are buying wholesale vaporizers and batteries you won’t be able to follow this particular practice but you can prepare them for storage by following the steps in the next tip. If you are using batteries in your own vaporizers, you should try to keep using them on a regular basis so they don’t have a chance to sit around and go flat by themselves. Both Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries will lose a little charge over time if they are stored so keeping them in a regular rotation is the best practice.
• Storing Batteries – If you can’t keep your batteries in regular use, either because you are planning to stop vaping for a period of time or because you are buying wholesale vaporizers and batteries, you can still take measures to ensure they remain in the best condition possible. Industry guidelines for the storage of Li-Po and Li-Ion batteries are to charge them to around 80%-90% so that they have enough in reserve to deal with the slow discharge that will take place over time. The reason you don’t want to store them with a full charge is because batteries stored in this condition can form a layer of deposits in the anode that results in a loss of capacity. Once charged, keep them in a cool place where the temperature does not vary too much. They will lose a charge faster in hotter environments.

Common Questions About Li-Ion and Li-Po Vaporizer Batteries

Is There a Memory Effect When You Don’t Fully Charge a Lithium Battery?

No. This is a common misconception that arose from the way older nickel-cadmium batteries behave. A lithium battery will not remember where it was last charged to and only charge to that level the next time you use it. If you are buying wholesale vaporizers to sell to retail customers, you can put their minds at rest on this particular point.

Are Lithium Batteries Safe?

They are safe when used properly but if you put them in a device that draws more current than they can handle, they can get very hot and even explode.

Is It a Good Idea To Use an External Charger?

It is recommended to charge Li-Ion batteries in a standalone charger as they provide an even current, are more flexible, will not overheat and will display useful information on the voltage and charging time for each battery.