The AW 18650 battery is considered by many to be the best in its class. With high-quality materials and construction, it’s no wonder that this famous brand has become so sought after for vape mods everywhere!
When you see a product for sale online, be sure to check if it’s genuine. The AW batteries are no longer being produced, so low-quality Chinese counterfeits may pose as authentic products when they’re not the real thing! See here for an up-to-date list of which vape batteries we recommend.
Genuine batteries
Quality rechargeable cells are required to use vape mods and mechanical mods safely.
We prefer safer-chemistry cells like those made by AW, usually of Li-Mn chemistry, or hybrid varieties with Li-Mn plus various technologies. The high charge density of lithium-ion cells (i.e., all rechargeable lithium batteries used in e-cigarettes) necessitates that they are treated with the appropriate care.
When it comes to product selection, quality is critical, and only well-known vape brands can currently be trusted. When a vape mod is driven severely, low-cost batteries are not a good idea because they might cause fires.
Counterfeit batteries
Batteries are a significant investment. As a result, fakes exist in abundance; and the danger is that consumers may acquire counterfeit cells, which they then put to heavy usage in a power-hungry vaping device. If fake batteries are utilised, there is an increased risk of injury due to high loads and rapid recharges.
Ideally, high-quality batteries should be used, and in practice, this implies that consumers should utilise a recognised secure supply chain to avoid fakes. Counterfeit batteries are inherently hazardous when used in a high-performance e-cigarette – only genuine batteries should be used.
Note: The genuine label glows in UV
Counterfeit AW Cells
See here for authorised dealer lists per country.
According to experts, approximately half of AW batteries produced worldwide are counterfeit. There is no mainland China distributor for AW Batteries: Alibaba or vendors such as Heaven Gifts don’t sell real AW cells – they’re all fakes.
Since December 2013, all AW batteries have included a hologram label. Counterfeiters began producing this label again in May 2014, but the copies were not exact. A genuine AW hologram label is UV-reactive and glows in UV light; counterfeit labels do not glow under UV light.
Disclaimer
We approve genuine AW batteries for high-performance vaping equipment. As long as the correct battery is utilised for the intended service: verify the load rating. This is particularly important for sub-ohm RBA vapers who must use a cell with a sufficient load capacity for their coil resistance.
