The wrap says 35A. The tested figure is 20A, and 20A is the number that decides what this cell can safely run.
The wrap says 35A. Two independent testers rate it at 20A continuous, and one of them describes the 35A pulse figure as useless. Use 20A for every calculation on this page. No 18650 in existence has a genuine continuous rating above 30A.
Mod Cells it takes Rated at Safe on this cell VOOPOO Drag X3 Pod Mod Kit 80W One 18650 or one 21700 80W About 57W VOOPOO Drag 5 Mod Kit 177W Dual 18650 Two 18650 177W About 115W VAPORESSO Armour Max Mod Kit 220W Dual Battery Two 21700, or two 18650 on the supplied sleeves 220W Not suitable, VAPORESSO specify 25A or better and this cell is 20A
- Fits
- VOOPOO Drag X3 Pod Mod Kit 80W, one cell
- VOOPOO Drag 5 Mod Kit 177W Dual 18650, two cells, bought and used as a matched pair
- Any other 18650 mod, kept inside 57W on a single cell or 115W on a pair. Does not fit ✕ Any device that needs a 21700. A smaller cell will rattle in a larger bay and lose contact ✕ Any mechanical mod where nothing limits the current the coil can draw
Not sure it is the right one? Message us on WhatsApp with your mod and the wattage you actually run it at, and we will tell you whether this cell clears it. The two things that matter are the number of bays and the continuous discharge rating, and neither is printed anywhere on the mod.
A cell rated honestly, which is not how it is labelled
Efest are a rewrap brand; they buy cells from the companies that actually manufacture them and put their own sleeve on. That is normal in this industry and says nothing about quality on its own, but it does mean the number printed on the wrap is a marketing decision rather than a measurement. Whatever a wrap says, in Kenya or anywhere else, the continuous rating is the figure that decides what a cell can do.
This one says thirty-five amps. Two independent testers have put it on a bench, and both settled on twenty amps continuous, with one describing the thirty-five amp pulse figure as useless and best ignored. Twenty amps is the number this page uses throughout, because it is the number the cell will actually hold.
The arithmetic that turns amps into watts
The formula every mod owner should know: safe watts equals the cell’s continuous rating, multiplied by the number of cells, multiplied by three point two volts, multiplied by nought point nine for chip efficiency.
Three point two volts rather than three point seven, because a regulated mod draws more current as the battery empties and the worst case is a nearly flat cell. That gives a single cell of this type a ceiling around fifty-seven watts and a pair around a hundred and fifteen.
Reversed, it tells you what a mod demands. Eighty watts from one cell needs about twenty-eight amps. A hundred and seventy-seven watts from two needs about thirty-one each. Two hundred and twenty watts from two cells needs about thirty-eight amps each.
Which mods this suits, and at what setting
This is a capable everyday 18650 within its limits, and the limits belong in plain sight rather than in a footnote. Read the fitment list as a set of ceilings instead of a simple yes.
The single-cell mod is the harder job, not the easier one
Most people assume a single-battery mod is gentler on a cell than a dual. It is the other way round, and the reason is series wiring.
Two cells in series double the pack voltage, so the same output power is drawn at half the current from each cell. A dual-battery mod at a hundred and fifty watts is easier on its cells than a single-battery mod at eighty.
That is why a Drag X3 at full power needs a genuine thirty-amp cell, which nothing in the Vapesoko range currently reaches, while a Drag 5 at a hundred and fifteen watts is comfortable on twenty-amp cells. If you run one mod hard and one mod gently, put your best cells in the single-battery device.
Charging without shortening its life
Every mod that takes a removable cell also charges over USB-C, and for occasional use that is fine. If you swap a pair regularly, an external charger with independent bays and automatic termination does a better job, because it treats each cell separately and keeps a pair matched in a way in-mod charging cannot.
Charge at half an amp to one amp rather than the maximum the charger offers. Charge indoors, on a hard surface, and not unattended overnight. Never leave a lithium cell on a trickle charger.
Wraps, rings and the things that actually cause accidents
The metal case of this cell is electrically live and connected to the negative terminal. The plastic wrap and the white insulator ring around the positive end are the only things stopping it from touching the positive contact. A torn wrap or a nicked ring is not cosmetic.
If a wrap is damaged, stop using the cell. A proper heat-shrink sleeve and a fresh insulator ring restore it; tape does not, and a taped cell is a cell waiting to short.
Never carry a bare cell loose in a pocket or bag. A coin or a key across the terminals shorts it, and a shorted 18650 goes into thermal runaway with no warning. Carrying them in a plastic case prevents the most common real accident in this category.
Buying in pairs, and keeping them together
For a dual-battery mod, buy both cells at once, of the same brand and the same model. Charge them together, use them together, and never mix them with other cells.
Mismatched cells in series discharge unevenly, and the weaker one is driven hardest, which can push it below its safe cut-off. Mark them A and B on the wraps and always return them to the same slots. It takes a moment, and it is the single most useful habit a dual-mod owner can have.
Nairobi and its neighbouring towns are same-day from Vapesoko Nairobi; courier delivery reaches the rest of the country in 1 to 2 business days.
Another 18650 has arrived
Vapcell M35A 18650 3500mAh 10A Battery holds more than this cell, 3500mAh against 3000mAh, and delivers a third as fast at 10A against 20A. This one stays the cell for a Drag X3 run at its rating; that one is for runtime at gentle wattages.
Best for
- A Drag X3 run at around 57W or below
- A Drag 5 run at around 115W or below
- An honestly stated 20A rather than a wrap claim
- A tested capacity established on a bench rather than claimed on a wrap
- Anyone who needs the arithmetic explained rather than asserted
Specifications
- Category: Accessories
- Consumable type: Batteries
- Format: 18650
- Rated capacity: 3000mAh
- Measured capacity: 2878 to 2988mAh
- Continuous discharge: 20A
- Figure printed on the wrap: 35A
- Nominal voltage: 3.7V
- Charge to: 4.20V maximum
- Discharge to: 2.50V minimum
- Terminal: Flat top, unprotected
- Brand: Efest
- Format: 18650, flat top, unprotected
- Continuous discharge rating: 20A, the tested figure, not the 35A on the wrap
- Rated capacity: 3000mAh, measured at 2878 to 2988mAh
- Safe ceiling, one cell: Around 57W
- Safe ceiling, two cells: Around 115W
- Recommended charge current: 0.5A to 1A on an external charger
- Sold as: A single cell. Buy two at once for a dual-battery mod
- Who it is for: Adult smokers and vapers, 18+. Not suitable for non-smokers or for anyone who has never used nicotine.
- Delivery: Same day in Nairobi and nearby towns on an early dispatch; typically 1 to 2 business days elsewhere in Kenya
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