How Much Do You Know About 18650 Battery Wraps

There are few things as important as battery safety especially for 18650 batteries and their wrapping. Lithium-ion 18650 batteries are slightly larger than AA batteries and power many types of popular devices. When using these batteries it’s important to know about battery safety. More importantly, you should know and be able to determine if your battery needs a new wrap.

What Are 18650 Battery Wraps

Although they serve a great purpose, most consumers view battery wraps as just a label for marketing the battery brand. In reality, battery wraps are so much more than just a plastic coating around batteries. 18650 battery wraps provide a solid barrier of protection for the batteries and work to reduce battery shorting.

Although 18650 batteries are common, they can be dangerous. This is especially true when using any 18650 battery without or with damaged wrapping. 18650 batteries come in two variations, protected and unprotected. Protected 18650 batteries have a button top which is commonly identified as the positive terminal, like most batteries. The unprotected 18650 has no button top and has a flat positive terminal. Regardless protected or unprotected, the body of an 18650 battery is the negative terminal. This means using batteries without a wrap can lead to a battery short or even worse catch fire or explode.

Anytime you purchase 18650 batteries from a questionable third-party or try to salvage them from other devices, it’s wise to re-wrap them. Even a small puncture, nick, or tear is reason enough to re-wrap an 18650 battery. However, before you attempt to try and re-wrap the batteries it’s always important to follow safety protocols. For instance, before attempting to remove the old wrap to replace you should ensure the batteries are not fully charged. In the event of a short or a battery cell puncture, all the batteries energy won’t be released.

Types Of Battery Wraps

If your batteries are at the point where their wrapping has become worn or discolored, you have a few options for replacing your battery wrap. Often when searching online you will find that you can purchase battery wraps fairly inexpensively. You will also notice that you can buy the wrap in an entire roll or you can opt to buy wrap that has been pre-cut to easily fit the batteries. Going with a pre-cut option is often a popular choice. This is because it saves time and takes the hassle out of having to measure and cut all the wrap needed for your individual batteries. The wrap is very thin, however, using multiple layers of battery wrap can make fitting the battery into some devices difficult or near impossible.

When it comes to finding battery wrap to replace on your old batteries, you will find there are wraps to please even your wildest imagination. Made by tons of different aftermarket manufacturers, there are hundreds of different colors, design patterns, and images that you can choose to wrap around your batteries. From Amazon to eBay and every company in between, just a quick Google search of “18650 battery wrap” will result in pages of battery wrap suppliers. You can find cool battery wraps with Star Wars, race cars, even one’s with Sponge Bob on them. If you can imagine it, it’s most likely on a 18650 battery wrap already.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of 18650 Battery Wrap

Most often, when you purchase 18650 batteries, they already come covered with their own wrapping. Major brands like Energizer or Duracell batteries, for example, come with a good quality battery wraps and should not be altered. An 18650 battery offered by a third-party may not even come with a wrap. Although this does not happen with most companies, it can and does occur. And while it is certainly not the safest thing to do, you can use an 18650 battery without the wrap on it. However, this can only be done in very specific applications and should be avoided. This is not a good practice nor is it considered safe.

As mentioned earlier there are some strong disadvantages for using 18650 batteries without any form of battery wrap. Besides the potential of damage to the battery, you can also end up damaging the device. A tear in the wrap can lead to a short during the device operation, rendering the device inoperable. You also have an increased risk of venting as well as fires and possible explosions by using batteries without or with damaged wraps. Although there are disadvantages for not having a battery wrap on your 18650 battery, there are few to no disadvantages to using a battery wrap.

As for the advantages of 18650 battery wraps, there are many. If you properly wrap your battery, you seriously reduce the chance of corrosion. Corrosion and rust are very bad for batteries and can even in very bad cases, cause the battery’s acidic solution to leak out. Battery wraps help to prevent the battery’s negative terminal body of coming in contact with other metals. By doing this, the wrap prevents sparks and shorts from occurring, which can lead to other serious problems. Also, consider that 18650 battery wraps a very economical and very easy to use. So you won’t need to spend a lot of money to replace the wrapping when you choose to do so.

In Closing

18650 battery wraps may seem like simply a brand label, they actually serve a much greater purpose. Protecting your 18650 batteries is a top concern and by using battery wraps you will prolong their use. Just like anything, dealing with electronics, knowing how to safely use and care of your 18650 batteries is important. Knowing when and how to replace your 18650 battery wraps means one less potential problem and a longer battery lifespan.