Discontinued Zion vaporizer

RastaBuddhaTao

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
From my reading after I got into subohm mech mods, the highest discharge batts available are all 20A continuous 35A pulse. That's the LG HE/HGs, the purple efest 2500mah, Samsung 25R, Sony VTC4. All good picks.
Agreed. LG and Samsung seem to be a more solid battery than the Efest and real Sony's are arguably the best but there are many knock-offs. I am adding the Samsung and the I4 and D4 to the store over the next few days. It took some work to find a reputable supplier. We routinely check the authentication sticker from every shipment. Did you know Genuine Nitecore chargers are insured for $100k of fire damage? We could have went with cheaper batteries and charger but our customers safety isn't with the risk.
 
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aphidii

Well-Known Member
Agreed. LG and Samsung seem to be a more solid battery than the Efest and real Sony's are arguably the best but there are many knock-offs. I am adding the Samsung and the I4 and D4 to the store over the next few days. It took some work to find a reputable supplier. We routinely check the authentication sticker from every shipment. Did you know Genuine Nitecore chargers are insured for $100k of fire damage? We could have went with cheaper batteries and charger but our customers safety isn't with the risk.

That insurance is crazy! I recently ran over a li-ion out of a nokia 207 with a rideon lawn mower and holy shit, those things are jam packed with explody juice. Set fire to the neighbors paddock.

Battery safety is no joke, and the nitecore chargers seem to be the only ones with regulated low speed charging and an auto stop charging feature.

Whenever anyone asks me about battery safety I just show them pics of mech mods that have been running at too-high a current, and the resulting loss of people's fingers.
 

LBsEveryday

Member
Try fasttech for batteries if you don't mind the wait(lots of authentic 20a continuous for cheap).They have waterrproof battery cases too.
 
LBsEveryday,

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
@RastaBuddhaTao , do you recommend the D4 over D2, and minimum of 4 batteries? Any idea when you'll be stocking D4's, and will I be able to add this to my current order (current order: zion, 4 batts, already own an I2 nitecore)? Right now the D4 is $25 on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/NITECORE-vers...F8&qid=1441884949&sr=8-4&keywords=nitecore+d4

They really are the same, its just going to come down to what you want/need. D4 is more versatile ofcourse, especially if you plan on getting the single battery unit for stealth as well... I have 4 batts and the i2, and no problems so that'll definitely be fine (longest Zion user @MrPeanut uses one and he's round the clock, not sure how many batts ofcourse)

Ways to add to order are still under development, and he said in the next few days, so I'd say check the store sometime next week. But really there no rush to add to your order asap, we've got a few weeks still, and those weeks need to be firstly spent on production.

I know its hard to just wait, but when the time comes you will be able to ensure you have everything you need with your Zion when it arrives. As of now, I'd say you seem pretty set
 

Smoke1ForMe

Well-Known Member
@RastaBuddhaTao , do you recommend the D4 over D2, and minimum of 4 batteries? Any idea when you'll be stocking D4's, and will I be able to add this to my current order (current order: zion, 4 batts, already own an I2 nitecore)? Right now the D4 is $25 on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/NITECORE-vers...F8&qid=1441884949&sr=8-4&keywords=nitecore+d4

I would definitely recommend getting 4 batteries, i don't think more are necessary unless you are unable to charge batteries for more than a couple days. I went on a weekend trip recently and my 2 sets of batteries lasted through the whole trip.
 

MrPeanut

Zion, stealing faces since 2015
I have three sets in rotation torture testing them for RBT. I really only need 2. I stopped keeping track of # of stems etc when I realized I did not have to. I medicate 18-20 hours a day. My Zion Evangeline rarely gets a break. One set is all I really need for a day. I might swap out for the second set if I have company. I never worry about batteries anymore. I was always screwing around with butane and cheap custom vape batteries/chargers with my previous devices. Not anymore.
 

Bravesst

Full Steam Ahead
Manufacturer
thank you all for the great advice and saving me money, and helping me keep my VAS (just another word for OCD) - self, Otis, in check. Damn... I may have found my new Zion name -
Otis

yes, my AA's and Nano will still need some loving, and I'm just the guy to give it
 

darkrom

Great Scott!
Anyone know what my d4 charger should be displaying on the screen during charging of those lg 18650s? I don't know if I'm using this thing right and I've misplaced the manual. Is it just pop it in and charge like I do with the rechargeable AA and AAAs? Also how many hours roughly should it take to charge 4 dead lgs? They got pretty warm after being left charging for a few hours. The charger itself too. No sign of it being done but I pulled them out anyway. I want to avoid doing something incorrectly with this njce fancy charger.
 
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phattpiggie

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
When you put a battery in my D2 it displays the remaining voltage in the cell and then it shows the amount of charge its being given in mah.
Once its charged it cuts off around 4.16v and displays 'ALL'. It also shows the time its been on charge. As it charges the amount of mah delivered gets less. Usually around 6 hours.
Its not the fastest of chargers but at least I know its safe.
I have four batteries and have only lunched it once. I only use one at a time in my 05 but try and make sure I am using one pair and have a full spare set.
I also alternate which pair I am running so they get about the same amount of use.
My batteries are 3000/3200 mah the D2 delivers 500mah which is where the 6 hours comes into it.
 

darkrom

Great Scott!
@phattpiggie tthanks.

What about the modes etc? Can you take a pic of the front of your D2 while its charging? I don't mind charging slow as long as I'm charging SAFE haha.

In normal use with a D4 and D2 etc can you charge AAA and AA batteries, then pop in an 18650 and change no settings? Its just smart enough to charge everything safely on its own? I charge a lot of AA and AAAs so I want to feel confident in my charger. I know its safe, I just don't feel confident that I'm using it right. I'll be looking for a PDF of the manual later.
 
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pakalolo

Toolbag v1.1 (candidate)
Staff member
You need to hold down the mode button until it switches to li4po setting.

Whoa, careful here! The stock batteries for the Zion and Air are IMR, not LiFePO4. It can be dangerous to charge any Li-Ion battery improperly. Although charging IMR with the LiFePO4 setting might not cause serious problems, it also won't work.

@phattpiggie tthanks.

What about the modes etc? Can you take a pic of the front of your D2 while its charging? I don't mind charging slow as long as I'm charging SAFE haha.

In normal use with a D4 and D2 etc can you charge AAA and AA batteries, then pop in an 18650 and change no settings? Its just smart enough to charge everything safely on its own? I charge a lot of AA and AAAs so I want to feel confident in my charger. I know its safe, I just don't feel confident that I'm using it right. I'll be looking for a PDF of the manual later.

The Nitecore D4 is a versatile charger (see this thorough review) but it's pretty slow. The rate depends on the number of batteries you're charging, and even if it's just one battery, the rate is only 750mA. That means it would take about 3 hours to charge one Zion battery from completely drained. Of course nobody would drain them completely, but almost certainly you'll be charging a pair, so the time doubles. I'd expect at least a four hour charging time. It's much worse if you charge three or four batteries because it drops into low current mode (300 mA or 150 mA). Four completely drained Zion batteries would take about 15 hours! The D2 is a bit slower than the D4 for a single battery, but faster for two batteries since it uses 500 mA per battery. That's still pretty slow, 4.5 hours or flat Zion batteries.

The D2 and D4 can tell NiMH and NiCad from Li-Ion, but if you want to charge LiFePO4 then they have to be switched to the correct mode as seaofgreens mentioned. It's dangerous to charge LiFePO4 in IMR mode.

It's normal for the charger and batteries to feel warm while charging, but not hot. You should be able to handle them easily. If you can't, something is wrong and you need to determine whether it's the batteries or the charger.

Edited to clarify IMR-LiFePO4 difference.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
Just FYI and a data point, one of my matched pairs took 3:17 for my D2 to charge to 4.20v from 3.62v last night. That is pretty typical of my 2 sets of Zion batteries. Whenever I swap a set I put them in the charger and then in a carrier the next morning or as soon as I notice them finished charging. I always charge in pairs.
I'm thinking about getting a D4 after I get the next beta Zion but I am happy with how my D2 works. The display cycles between current charge level, time on charger, and charging voltage which is typically 500mah until the charge is nearly complete where is drops down to lower voltage to complete the charge.
I have thrown NiMH AA camera batteries in the charger and they like it fine.
 

phattpiggie

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
@seaofgreens LiFePo was mentioned a while back when @pakalolo had a 'oh fuk what if ' moments.
All about parallel/series configuration with 18650/350's and life's and lion's being of a slightly different voltage. 3.2 and 3.7.
If you're unsure about batteries etc. then just stick with the ones recommended.
As @aphidii pointed out a healthy respect is needed for these things they've a nasty bite when pissed off.
 

vapen00b

Many vapes & accessories. Always happy to help
Wonder why no one suggested an i4? Detects every supported cell/battery type in each of the 4 slots and charges it after its needs. IntellliCharge 2x 750mah/ 4x 375,mah - no display but with this thing you don't really need one.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
The I4 is fine and works well. That is what I had at first. But I must say I like the D's as they provide detailed info rather than just lights so I know more about my battery's status and when it should be charged or how long it might take.
But if the difference in price matters the I4s are just fine.
 
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