mAh (Milliamp Hour) – What It Means for Vape Battery Life

mAh (Milliamp Hour) – Definition

mAh (Milliamp Hour) is the unit that tells you how much electrical charge a vapebattery can store. Think of it as the size of your tank of petrol: the higher the mAh rating, the longer you can puff before you need to recharge. In vaping, it’s printed on every vape pen, pod, or external battery to let you estimate real-world battery life. A 1 000 mAh device can theoretically supply 1 000 milliamps for one hour, so a 0.5 A coil will drain it in roughly two hours of continuous firing. Choosing the right mAh balance gives Aussie vapers the freedom to stay out all day without carrying spare cells or a power-bank.

Technical Details

Battery chemistries used in vaping—Li-ion, Li-Po, or Li-Mn—deliver a nominal 3.6 V–3.7 V. The mAh figure is measured under standardised 0.2 C discharge (one-fifth of the rated current) down to 2.5 V cut-off. Modfirmware then applies a safety buffer, so only 80–90 % of that capacity is ever used.

  • Internal pods: 300–800 mAh, 7–15 W MTL (Mouth to Lung) devices.
  • Tube pens: 1 000–2 000 mAh, 10–25 W, single fixed 18650.
  • Dual-18650 box mods: 6 000–7 000 mAh total (3 000 mAh × 2), 40–200 W.
  • 21700 mechanical mods: 4 000–5 000 mAh, 30–35 A continuous for low-ohm mesh coils.

Remember, wattage matters: doubling power halves run-time, so a Max VG 0.15 Ω build at 100 W empties a 3 000 mAh cell in roughly 12 minutes of fire-time, equating to 150–200 puffs.

Usage & Tips

  • Match your mAh to your style: MTL vapers at 12 W can survive on 1 000 mAh all day, whereas a 80 W sub-ohm cloud chaser should aim for 2 × 3 000 mAh batteries.
  • Break-in cycles: lithium cells reach peak capacity after 3–4 full charge/discharge cycles; don’t judge life on the first day.
  • Problem—battery sag: if voltage drops early, check for worn wraps or dirty contacts; high-drain 25 A+ cells minimise sag with mesh coils.
  • Charge safely: use the mod’s balanced port or an external 1 A charger; never leave cells in a hot car or overnight on a 2 A fast charge.
  • Storage at 50 % charge (3.6 V) extends shelf life when flying or taking a break.

History & Context

When cig-a-likes appeared in 2007, cells were tiny 90 mAh Ni-MH sticks. The shift to 18650 lithium-ion around 2010 delivered 2 000 mAh and birthed the first variable-voltage tube mods. Today’s 21700 format offers 5 000 mAh while staying within IATA 100 Wh carry-on limits, giving Australian vapers more runway between charges than ever before.

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