Best 26650 Batteries: A Powerful Cell for High-Drain Vapes

The Best 26650 Batteries for Vaping

Even though the 26650 batteries are being slowly phased out, there are still a few cells that are worth checking out for their extended life and amperage output. Below are a few selections that are compatible for use with 26650 mods or mods that have special 26650 adapters.

Choosing the Best 26650 Battery

The best 26650 battery can easily outlast smaller capacity cells, as their larger mass allows them more capacity. But they are not all alike. These cells have varying abilities and perform in different ways. Choosing the best one means knowing what you want it for and how you expect it to perform.

Unregulated mech mods that use 26650 cells are very rare and usually are in the realm of advanced, expert vapers who create their devices to support tri-coil or quad-coil setups specifically. Users could also try 26650 regulated mods, even though they are not huge power-pushers and max out at around 100W of power.

Those regulated mods, however, are not always in production and may be hard to find as manufacturers pivot to creating 20700 or 21700 mods that have higher capacity but are more compact and portable. Looking for the best 26650 battery should then entail knowing:

• The capacity
• The discharge rate
• The resistance range
• The life cycle

How We Picked the Best

The batteries were chosen after careful review of their test results and parameters. There are many online resources that many vapers use to make sure they are getting quality, safe batteries that are not fakes or have misleading metrics.

For these reasons, the Battery Mooch is an invaluable resource for finding and choosing the best cells of any class. Only, even BM has stopped rating and reviewing 26650 cells, as they are quickly falling out of favor, given the rise of 20700 and 21700 batteries.

Who Makes the Best 26650 Battery?

It is hard to say who makes the best 26650 battery, as all the major battery makers – LG, Sony, and Samsung – do not make them anymore. But other manufacturers have stepped in to fill the void, like Aspire, Hohm Grown, iJoy, and Nitecore. The latter is a well-known maker of battery chargers, so it has the expertise and knowledge needed to develop a safe and long-lasting cell.
Hohm Tech is another vape maker turned battery maker that also makes chargers. All these brands have good reputations among vapers and consistently put out well-made batteries.

Battery Comparisons

26650 vs. 18650

The 26650 cell has a broader diameter and generally more mass than a 18650 battery. Because of these parameters, the larger cell has a larger capacity and can last longer than even a dual-18650 setup.

The 26650, however, is not as universal as the smaller cell, which is the power source most used in modern-day vapes but regulated and unregulated devices. The 26650 cells, though, does have more extensive applications and is found in many other electronic devices.

26650 vs. 21700 vs. 20700

The 21700 and 20700 cells are the mid-way point between the smaller 18650 cells and the larger 26650 battery.

The mid-size class of batteries has become more popular, as they can output more and last longer than dual-18650 devices that are also bigger and more unwieldy than machines that can take only a single 21700 or 20700 battery.

26650 vs. AA

The main difference between large batteries like the 26650 and a regular AA battery is their chemistry. 26650 batteries and others in its class are lithium-ion batteries that can store more power and are often rechargeable.

AA batteries are primarily alkaline and cannot be recharged. However, AA or AAA batteries that feature nickel-metal hydride or some other build material can be renewed but also have a more limited shelf life than large, lithium-ion cells.

FAQ About 26650 Cells

Final Thoughts

26650 batteries were never as popular as the 18650 for most regulated vaping devices. They always stayed within the stratified air of custom-vape makers who wanted to push the limits of their devices. There are, or were, 26650 regulated mods that used the cell as its primary power source. Still, as the other two battery-types emerged as the heirs-apparent to the 18650, the older, larger-model battery was pushed to the side in favor of efficiency and compactness.

Still, some people enjoy, even seek out, 26650 mods because of their status, and they have something of a mythical status in the vaping community. The cells offer unprecedented power output, as well as a capacity, and are more suited to those vapers who want extended battery life from their mods.

Have you used 26650 batteries? Have you used any 26650 mods? Did you like their performance? Did they last longer than other types of cells? Let us know in the comments section below.