On-the-go vaporizer users wanting a little more power than a vape pen will opt for portable vaporizer devices. These tend to be less pocket-friendly than vape pens, but a lot more powerful when it comes to dry herb or concentrate vapor production. If you’re thinking of making the jump from pen to portable, one of the key aspects to take into account is the kind of portable vape battery you’ll be choosing.

Lithium-ion batteries dominate the portable vaporizer-sphere, with the 18650 battery being the swappable, more accessible kind of this battery. Let’s dive into why lithium-ion batteries are the preferred option, how 18650 units come into play and highlight some devices that utilize these batteries.

Lithium-Ion Vaporizer Batteries 

Lithium-ion batteries are equipped with high energy density, one of the big advantages over other types of batteries. The ability to hold more energy means your portable vape will have a longer run time between charges. If your a vape user who finds themselves on long day-trips or hikes, energy density should be important to you.

Self-discharge is another reason li-ion batteries are so ubiquitous in the vape-scape. Even when your battery isn’t in use there can still be chemical reactions happening inside your battery, draining its lifespan without you even knowing. Lithium-ion batteries have a much lower rate of self-discharge than other kinds of batteries, making performance more consistent.

With lithium-ion batteries, name brand does mean something. If you’re looking at an “elite” portable vaporizer device you can be sure that the battery inside will also be “elite. Here are three of the best lithium-ion powered vaporizers available right now!

Storz & Bickel Mighty - $349.00

Representing perhaps the most iconic vaporizer brand of all time, the Mighty Portable Vaporizer uses dual lithium-ion batteries to deliver hours of continuous vaporization. The Mighty features pass-through technology so you can vape during charging.

Heating wise the Mighty utilizes a hybrid convection-conduction system to ensure vapor creation from the first breath without charring your dry herb or concentrate. The Mighty has easy-to-understand controls and can power your sessions throughout the day delivering tasty vapor at a moment’s notice.

PAX 3 - $199.99 Basic Kit 

Another pillar of the vaporizer community, the PAX 3, utilizes lithium-ion battery power. The PAX 3 doesn’t have the same dual battery setup of the Mighty, but does boast a 3500mAh battery, 500 more than the PAX 2. Such a powerful battery means faster heating and extended sessions. The magnetic charging dock makes connecting the PAX 3 easy.

To allow for the full exploration of your dry herb or concentrate the PAX 3 features four heating modes to do everything from boost vapor production, extend sessions, and extract more flavor. A mobile app can be paired for precision temperature control and device security. the PAX 3 is truly the most advanced conduction vaporizer out today.

There are two versions of the PAX 3: the Basic and Complete Kit. The Pax Complete Kit includes a half-pack oven lid, concentrate insert, extra screens, multi-tool, and tweed carrying case. 

Firefly 2+ - $249.95

Firefly went an interesting direction with their Firefly 2+ Vaporizer’s battery. Instead of upgrading the perfectly-good-battery from the Firefly 2, the company decided to upgrade the firmware around the battery to get more life out of the device. This makes switching out batteries easy for those who might want to try the new Firefly vaporizer, since the old units work in the Firefly 2+. Charge time for the Firefly 2+ is a pretty-quick 45 minutes, with 80% battery being reached in just 20 minutes of charging.

The 2+ has much less draw resistance than its predecessor, faster heat up time, and more vapor consistency. Portable convection heating has never looked or operated this well. As with most elite devices, the Firefly 2+ Vaporizer has a companion app to give you ultimate control over your vapor.

18650 Battery Vaporizers

Now that you’ve got a rundown of lithium-ion batteries as a whole, let’s get into 18650 batteries. “18650” refers to the size of the battery itself: the width of these batteries is 1.8 cm, with the length measuring 6.5 cm. These batteries are a little bigger than AA, and A LOT more powerful. One of the things that makes 18650 a preferred vape battery is the fact that most units using this kind of battery have made it swappable for users, ensuring continuous vaping if you’ve taken the time to charge some extra batteries.

18650 batteries offer the performance of a lithium-ion cell, with a capacity in the range of 1800mAh to around 3500mAh, and an output of 3.7 volts. The 18650 cell battery offers the best performance of any consumer-grade rechargeable battery, putting this kind of lithium-ion battery in the “elite” category of vape batteries.

Camping and festival centric vape users will love a vaporizer powered by an 18650 battery. The swappable nature of the batteries makes sessions endless and consistent. These devices do tend to be larger than other lithium-ion battery-powered vapes, but the power and consistency are worth the extra bulk. We’re going to breakdown three portable vapes that utilize the 18650 battery in the best way possible below.

DaVinci IQ - $274.99

The DaVinci IQ is one of the more eye-catching portable vaporizers out, which is impressive given it houses an 18650 battery. The 3000mAh Sony 18650 that is inside the DaVinci IQ helps power the ceramic oven and keeps the three different vapor-cooling features consistent. As with most 18650 batteries, the IQ’s is swappable, keeping you sessioning as long as you’d like to. 

The aforementioned ceramic oven works with a ceramic zirconia mouthpiece to deliver cooled vapor full of your dry herb’s flavor. Since the oven is on the opposite end of the mouthpiece, your vapor has more room to cool down as you draw in. A well-designed app lets you program your own Smart Paths to perfectly tailor your vaping experience.  

Arizer ArGo - $184.99

Desktop-powerhouse Arizer put their home unit’s famed power into their pocket-friendly ArGo vaporizer. The swappable 18650 battery gives you around 75 minutes of vaping, but the fact you can switch batteries nullifies this time limit. Easily held in one hand, the ArGo is a discreet and high-powered portable dry herb vaporizer.

The ArGo has adjustable session timers, digital temperature control, brightness control, and can display your temperature in Celsius or Farenheit. Open airflow makes taking draws easy, and the hybrid heating system allows you to experience the full flavor of your material.

Boundless Tera - $199.99

We ended this list with the only portable vaporizer that features *two* removable 18650 batteries inside of it. The Boundless Tera has an absurdly long battery life, and if you run out of juice the swappable nature of the batteries make continuous vaping possible. Pass-through charging allows you to enjoy vapor during charging making this a true “24/7” vaporizer.

Boundless put full convection heating into the Tera, with a low draw resistance for convenient pulls. An included water pipe adapter lets your bring water-filtration into the mix, further smoothing out your vapor. You can pinpoint your temperature down to the degree thanks to the digital temperature control, and a bright LED display always keeps you informed of your vape’s status. A stainless steel concentrate pad is included to make the Tera a dual-use vaporizer.

Conclusion

Now that you're equipped with lithium-ion battery knowledge you can make the right purchase for your dry herb vaping needs. Let us know if you have any favorite dry herb portable vapes, and if you're still looking check out our Best Portable Dry Herb Vaporizer blog, recently updated for 2019!