Thinking about getting the Vamo V5, need advice...

[DEAc23]

I have been looking to upgrade from my Halo Triton, and up until today I was going to get the MVP 2. However after giving it some thought I think I would prefer something that isn't a box mod, so in my research I found the Vamo V5. It's about the closest to what I want that's in the correct price range, and I am just curious which of these two kits would be better?

These are the two I'm looking at:

Vamo V5 Starter w/ Free 18650 - $55.00

1. Vamo V5 Mechanical mod
2. Battery Charger
3. (2) Trustfire 18350 lithium ion 900mAh 3.7v rechargeable batteries
4. Extension tube
5. (2) CE4 Clearomizers

-OR-

Vamo V5 Ultimate Starter Kit - $79.00

1. Vamo V5 Mechanical Mod
2. Deluxe Charger (there's no brand name mentioned)
3. AC Power cord for the charger
4. Auto 12VDC power cord for the charger
5. (2) Trustfire 18350 lithium ion 900mAh 3.7v rechargeable batteries
6. (2) Trustfire 18650 lithium ion 2500mAh 3.7v rechargeable batteries
7. Extension tube
8. Instruction manual
9. Innokin iClear30S Vaporizer


Is the second one worth the extra $24? Are the batteries/charger good enough?

Of course if those Trustfire batteries aren't good enough I wouldn't be against getting this one, and then buying the batteries/charger seperately...

Vamo V5 - $34.95

1. Vamo V5 Mechanical Mod
2. Tube extension & End Cap
3. Instruction manual
4. Gift Box

So if I went with this option, what batteries should I get? I would prefer 2 18350's and 2 18650's, also what charger should I get?


I'd appreciate any input/advice!

 

[ScottP]

double post.

 

[ScottP]

Everything I have ever read on batteries says to never use any battery with "fire" in the name, so you are going to want to get new batteries right of the bat. You can also bet that that charger is a bottom of the barrel craptastic charger that you are also going to want to replace. My suggestion is to avoid "kits" and pick and choose quality components to build your own kit.

For batteries, get AW IMR batteries, or maybe panasonic NCR PF batteries. For charger go with Nitecore Intellichargers or Xtar chargers.

 

[DEAc23]

That's what I figured, but I'm not experienced with the batteries I would need. I've been doing some research, but I figured I would get some opinions here, and then just research the opinions.

If it matters I am only looking to spend around $80-$100 on the following:

1. Vamo V5 basic kit (Black Chrome)
2. (2) 18350's & (2) 18650's
3. Battery Charger

 

[ScottP]

I bought an iTaste SVD, two Panasonic NCR18650PF batteries, and a Nitecore Intellicharger I2 from Fasttech for about $67. The Vamo's there are even less but the batteries and charger are good for the Vamo too.

 

[DEAc23]

I've already got the Nitecore Intellicharger i2 in my cart, and I will look into the Panasonic batteries as well, thanks!

 

[ScottP]

If you are going to get four batteries you might consider an I4 charger...same as the I2 but can charge 4 batteries at once instead of 2.

 

[DEAc23]

I was actually just looking at i4 V2, and since it's only $5 more than the i2 I will most likely get it.

 

[InTheShade]

Scott did a good job of answering your questions. I will just add that anything else than the stainless Vamo is probably not recommended as the coating is a fingerprint magnet and will wear off quickly. If you read through the APV forum and the archived Vamo forum, you'll see numerous reports of this being the case.

I have both the V2 and V3 in stainless and apart from some threading issues (which were common at one point) they have proven to be great little APVs.

Finally, a quick point about the batteries. In my humble opinion it's worth spending the extra few dollars and getting the AW IMR 18650's (or 18350's) from somewhere like RTDvapor.

The i2 or i4 are decent chargers and should work well. Amazon also has them for around the same price that fasttech have them.

 

[DEAc23]

Scott did a good job of answering your questions. I will just add that anything else than the stainless Vamo is probably not recommended as the coating is a fingerprint magnet and will wear off quickly. If you read through the APV forum and the archived Vamo forum, you'll see numerous reports of this being the case.

Thanks for the tip, that really sucks as I love the way the Black Chrome version looks, but I've had similar items and I never liked how oily they would get from the fingerprints. So I will most likely go with the Stainless version...

Finally, a quick point about the batteries. In my humble opinion it's worth spending the extra few dollars and getting the AW IMR 18650's (or 18350's) from somewhere like RTDvapor.

The i2 or i4 are decent chargers and should work well. Amazon also has them for around the same price that fasttech have them.

Are these the batteries you mean - 18350 & 18650?

 

[ScottP]

Thanks for the tip, that really sucks as I love the way the Black Chrome version looks, but I've had similar items and I never liked how oily they would get from the fingerprints. So I will most likely go with the Stainless version...



Are these the batteries you mean - 18350 & 18650?

Yes those are the right ones.

 

[InTheShade]

Thanks for the tip, that really sucks as I love the way the Black Chrome version looks, but I've had similar items and I never liked how oily they would get from the fingerprints. So I will most likely go with the Stainless version...



Are these the batteries you mean - 18350 & 18650?

EDIT - I type too slow, already answered...

 

[tick22]

I have both the V2 and V5 versions. They are fingerprint magnets, so I finally got a wrap for both of mine. J wraps have them for the vamos and also Ebay has some. Same design, just not sure if they are as good. So $13 vs $7 on ebay. plus J wraps is having a coupon sale right now, 15% off. Not sure if they are listed here or not. I saw it on twitter. I agree with everyone else, get the Vamo V5 by itself and buy the charger and Batteries alone. batteries can be gotten online, or in any big stores or shops. My Vamo V5, with a charger and 3 batteries, 1, 18650 and 2, 18350 total cost was 50 or so dollars. Good luck and enjoy it.

 

[DEAc23]

Thanks guys, I think I got all the info I need to make a good decision

I will come back and update after I do a bit of research and figure out exactly what I'm ordering, but as of right now it looks like:

1. Vamo V5 Stainless Steel
2. Nitecore i4 V2
3. (2) AW IMR 18350's
4. (2) AW IMR 18650's
5. (2) Protank 2's & a 5 pack of Replacement Coils
6. Some 30 & 32 Kanthal and Ekowool wicks for rebuilding the PT2's

So far it looks like it's gonna be a bit more than I was hoping to pay (around $135-$140), but I'm fine with paying a bit more to get the good batteries/charger.

 

[Train2]

Boom - you already got and are listening to great advice, so I'll just add confirmation!
1 - better deal probably to get BETTER batteries and charger like you're doing, than either kit contains
2 - RTD is a trusted vendor - you know the batteries are "real" (there ARE fake AW batteries around)
3 - SS for the Vamo. I got a "gunmetal" in a trade, and the finish just wears off.

I would look to find some online vendors people here recommend, or buy CAREFULLY on eBay...meaning, know a lot about the product, and check out the seller if you can. I'm OK with FastTech - they TELL you if you're buying a clone (or at least don't blatantly SAY that a copy of a ProTank is a Kanger ProTank - they'll have a Kanger Protank AND a "ProTank Style" available). But Ebay, I worry about people getting, for instance, a $20 Kayfun clone for $60, or batteries that were rejected by AW (that's what happens - AW rejects batteries, then someone puts a wrapper on them and sells them).

Anyway - VAMO is a good device - enjoy it!!

 

[Bunnykiller]

Vamo's are ok units.... Get an SVD, its better
( I had 2 vamos v3) both died from minor falls... so I bought an SVD and its still going strong after 8 months

 

[DEAc23]

I will definitely look into the SVD, as I do like how it looks more than the Vamo V5. My only issue with it is the fact that the LED screen is on the opposite side of the button, but I doubt that would be much of an issue.

 

[DEAc23]

Also if anybody has any pics of the Vamo V5 and/or the iTaste SVD with various tanks I'd love to see them...

 

[Bigflyrodder]

I have a V5 in SS and love it. Looks like you got good advice here and put together a good package for yourself. Personally I ran mine in 18650 mode for a while, then set it up in 18350 mode and that is how I run it now. I did switch it back to the 18650 once when I went on the road and it felt like vaping with a light saber after being used to running it in 18350.

The V5 fits every size tank well, will check ohms, battery, is vv and vw, has been very reliable for me, all the things I was looking for in a single mod.

Let us know how you like it and good luck!

 

[jjordan]

I have the black chrome one got it off of eBay for 34.99 just the mod itself, purchased the batteries and charger from Vaperalley.com. I love my Vamo, I lost it and am in a mild panic because I can't find it and it is my second go to mod...so I think I will tear apart my bedroom this afternoon to find it!