Mechanical Mod Safety Guide
Mechanical Mod Safety Guide
Before using a mechanical mod (or mech mod) there are a few things to take into consideration.
Mechanical mods use lithium-ion batteries, but unlike regulated mods mechanical mods have no safety features (e.g short protection, overcharge protection or overheat protection). Without safety features a lithium battery can be dangerous without the proper precautions. It is crucial you understand these before choosing a mechanical mod, especially for vapers new to using an unregulated device.
Mechanical mods are great to use with the proper understanding. Mechanical mods dont have screens or adjustable settings so you are left with unadulterated power and no complex electronic components, making them generally more reliable, efficient and sturdy than most regulated mods.
Proper Precautions
Only use reputable batteries
The big battery manufacturers are Sony, Panasonic, LG and Samsung. It’s best to get a battery from one of these manufacturers as they are reliable, consistent in quality and have been manufactured specifically for high drain devices like vapes.
Batteries not sold by the aforementioned suppliers are likely rewrapped batteries, and possibly lower quality batches, often with false or misleading limits on them. If the battery information sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Batteries not sold by the aforementioned suppliers are likely rewrapped batteries, and possibly lower quality batches, often with false or misleading limits on them. If the battery information sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
All of the batteries available on our website are authentic and sourced from reputable suppliers.
Only use a battery within safe limits (and know the safe limits of your battery)
All 18650 batteries have a “continuous discharge rating” measured in amps. Do not draw more current (measured in Amps or "A") than what is rated on your battery or you risk venting or damaging your battery and/or mod. If the battery draws an excessive amount of current for too long it will go into thermal runaway and start venting, potentially catching fire and/or exploding.
Different models of batteries have different ratings, be sure to get one appropriate for what you’re using it for.
Know how to calculate your current
You need to know the current (how many amps) you will be drawing from your battery with a given build to ensure you arent drawing more current than the battery can safely provide. For this you need an ohm reader or a regulated mod which accurately measures resistance.
To calculate your current use the following rule; current = voltage/resistance.
For example you’ve got a 0.5ohm build on your RDA and you’re using a 4.2V(max voltage) Sony VTC4 18650. Therefore, current (A) = 4.2/0.5. You will be drawing 8.4 amps, well within the 30amp rating a VTC4 battery can safely provide.
Make sure you’re not shorting your battery
If your battery has a hard short you can quickly vent your battery. Check your builds on a regulated mod if you’re unsure of them.
Dont over discharge your batteries
Do not over discharge your batteries, only discharge your batteries down to 3.2 volts. Going lower than this will quickly shorten their
life span. You will notice a decrease in power when they get this low. Use a multimeter, regulated mod or advanced battery charger to check the voltage of your batteries.
Do not invert your battery/batteries
The body of your mechanical mod is negative, this means if your battery wrap gets nicked or damaged and the negative of the battery touches it will be less likely to short.
Only use batteries which have undamaged wraps.
If the wrap of your battery is damaged the metal outer of the battery can come into contact with the mod and cause it to short.
Only use batteries which have undamaged wraps.
If the wrap of your battery is damaged the metal outer of the battery can come into contact with the mod and cause it to short.
Get someone who knows how to rewrap your battery or dispose of it.
Hybrid/direct connection
Some mechanical mods, such as the Noisy Cricket or Avid/Comp Lyfe mods have a hybrid top cap connection. This means the 510 connector from your RDA makes direct connection with the battery. When using a mod like this there are additional precautions to take:
- Only use an RDA with a protruding positive pin. The positive pin of your RDA needs to protrude further than the threads (the negative) on 510 connector. If you use something with a floating pin, where the positive doesn’t protrude, you can cause a hard short.
- Remove the battery before changing or removing your RDA. If you don’t do this the battery can short on the 510 connector.
Above are the bare minimum safety precautions you need to take when using a mechanical mod. We strongly advise continuing to read and learn more about using mechanical mods before using one, there is lots of great information about them online. Stay safe and happy vaping!