Thirty amps is the number that governs this cell
It sets a ceiling near 86W on one cell and 173W on a pair, which makes this the first genuinely high-drain battery on the Vapesoko shelf. Every 21700 sold here before it was a runtime cell: the LG INR21700 M52V 5200mAh Battery at 7.5A and the Vapcell F60 21700 6000mAh 12.5A Battery at 12.5A both hold more and deliver far slower.
It also settles a question the other battery pages here have had to leave open. VAPORESSO specify cells of twenty-five amps or better for the Armour Max, and until now nothing on this catalogue met that. This cell does.
What it fits, and what it does not
Not sure it is the right one? Message us on WhatsApp with your mod and the wattage you actually run it at. The two things that matter are the cell format the mod takes and its continuous discharge rating, and neither is printed on the device.
- Fits: VAPORESSO Armour Max Mod Kit 220W Dual Battery, two cells as a matched pair. It clears the 25A minimum VAPORESSO specifies and supports about 173W of the mod's 220W ceiling
- Fits: VOOPOO Drag X3 Pod Mod Kit 80W, one cell, comfortably inside its 80W rating
- Fits: any other 21700 device, including at wattages the older cells here could not reach
- Does not fit: VOOPOO Drag 5 Mod Kit 177W Dual 18650, which takes 18650 cells only. A 21700 will not go in
- Does not fit: any mechanical mod where nothing limits the current the coil can draw
- Note: the Armour Max ships with sleeves that let it take 18650 cells instead, but no 18650 on this shelf meets its 25A requirement
Why this page says 30A when the datasheet says 45A
Because the two numbers describe different things, and Vapcell's own website prints both. Their Vapcell-branded listing of this cell says thirty amps. Their Molicel-branded listing of the same cell says forty-five. Molicel's datasheet says forty-five with the note that cycle life is reduced at high rates.
The independent tester settles it. His conclusion on the Molicel-branded cell, tested twice across two production years, is that the forty-five amp rating is not a true continuous rating because it is temperature-limited to eighty degrees, at which point you have to stop. His own assessment is thirty amps continuous with a forty-five amp non-continuous rating on top.
The UK trade has followed him rather than the datasheet: the sellers that publish a figure all print thirty amps, and one states outright that its capacity and discharge figures are the tester's rather than the maker's. This page uses thirty amps for the same reason. It is the number that describes what the cell can do all day.
The arithmetic that turns amps into watts
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 rather than the nominal three point six, because a regulated mod draws more current as the cell empties and the worst case is a nearly flat battery.
Thirty amps gives about eighty-six watts from one cell and about one hundred and seventy-three from a pair.
Read that against the Armour Max honestly. The mod is rated to two hundred and twenty watts, and reaching that from two cells needs roughly thirty-eight amps each. This cell holds thirty. So it clears VAPORESSO's twenty-five amp requirement comfortably and supports about three-quarters of the mod's ceiling, which is a different claim from running it flat out, and the honest one.
On the 4200mAh figure
Four thousand two hundred is the typical capacity. Molicel's datasheet gives a minimum of four thousand, and independent measurement of four cells across two production years came back between four thousand and eighty-five and four thousand one hundred and fifty.
So the cell delivers above its stated minimum and consistently a little below its advertised typical figure. That is ordinary, and it is the pattern you want to see: a printed number the cell nearly reaches rather than one it comes nowhere near.
On its origins: one UK retailer states plainly that this is a rewrapped Molicel P42A. Vapcell do not say so on their own page, although they sell the Molicel-branded cell alongside it under the same model number. Rewrapping is normal in this trade and says nothing about quality on its own.
Charging without shortening its life
Molicel's datasheet allows a maximum charge current of eight point four amps, which is far more than you should use. A seller who has looked at this properly recommends two amps or lower for the longest cell life, and that is the better guide.
An external charger with independent bays is worth owning for a cell of this size. It treats each cell separately and keeps a pair matched in a way that charging inside the mod cannot.
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
This cell is unprotected, which means there is no internal circuit to stop an external short. The wrap and the insulator ring are the only protection it has, and the metal case is live and connected to the negative terminal.
If a wrap is damaged, stop using the cell. A proper heat-shrink sleeve and a fresh insulator ring restore it; tape does not. VAPORESSO give the same instruction in the Armour Max manual: do not use batteries with a broken surface, overheating, leakage or a strange odour.
Never carry a bare cell loose in a pocket or bag. A coin or a key across the terminals shorts it, and a 21700 holds more energy than an 18650 to release when that happens. Carry them in a plastic case.
Buying in pairs, and keeping them together
For the Armour Max or any dual-battery mod, buy both cells at once, same brand, same model, same age. Charge them together, use them together, and never add a third cell to an existing pair. Pairing belongs to the cells rather than to the mod, and a set has to start life together.
Mismatched cells in series discharge unevenly, and the weaker one is worked hardest, which can drive it below its safe cut-off. The UK product safety study on vape batteries makes the same point: imbalanced cells increase the strain on all of them. Mark yours A and B and always return them to the same slots.
Ordered early, this leaves Vapesoko Nairobi the same day for Nairobi and the towns around it, and reaches the rest of Kenya by courier in 1 to 2 business days.
Best for
- The first 30A cell on this shelf, and the only one that clears the Armour Max
- About 86W on one cell and 173W on a pair
- 4200mAh typical, independently measured near that
- A 21700 built for power rather than runtime
- Not for the Drag 5, which takes 18650 only
Specifications
- Category: Accessories
- Consumable type: Batteries
- Format: 21700, flat top, unprotected
- Chemistry: INR
- Rated capacity: 4200mAh typical; 4000mAh minimum per Molicel's datasheet
- Independently measured capacity: 4085mAh to 4150mAh across four cells over two production years
- Continuous discharge: 30A
- The 45A figure: A temperature-limited, non-continuous rating from Molicel's datasheet, not a continuous one. Vapcell prints 30A on their own listing of this cell and 45A on their Molicel-branded listing of the same cell
- Safe ceiling, one cell: About 86W
- Safe ceiling, two cells: About 173W
- Nominal voltage: 3.6V
- Charge to: 4.20V maximum
- Discharge to: 2.50V minimum
- Maximum charge current: 8.4A per Molicel's datasheet. 2A or lower is recommended for cell life
- Internal resistance: 15 milliohms or less when fresh; measured at 12.9 and 13.1 milliohms
- Cycle life: At least 500 cycles to 80% of capacity
- Dimensions: 21.40 x 70.00mm
- Weight: 70g maximum
- Meets the Armour Max requirement: Yes. VAPORESSO specify 25A or better; this cell is rated 30A continuous
- Not suitable for: The VOOPOO Drag 5, which takes 18650 cells only, and any mechanical mod
- Sold as: A single cell. Buy two at once for a dual-battery mod
- Source note: No independent bench test of the Vapcell-wrapped cell exists. The measured figures come from the Molicel-branded cell of the same model number. One retailer states it is a Molicel rewrap; Vapcell do not
- 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
