This is a potentially dangerous design
This system is potentially dangerous and there have been several similar incidents. It should not
in any circumstances be sold without full instructions as to atomiser selection and use:
1. The ONLY atomiser that can be used is one with a centre 510 connector pin that (a) projects down well past the 510 connector outer
thread tube, or (b) is ADJUSTABLE so that it can be brought down enough to clear the outer tube by at least 3mm.
2. First screw on the atomiser AND ONLY THEN insert the battery. Only screw on the battery tube bottom cap VERY LIGHTLY. If the atomiser fires or fizzing is heard or heat is detected, remove the bottom cap and battery immediately - the atomiser is not suitable.
No-name system
This class of direct-connect
device has
no accepted name and
is not a hybrid (see below). It features a direct-connect top where there is no 510 connector and just a threaded hole in the top. The atomizer screws down through the hole in the top and directly contacts the battery. If the centre pin of the atomizer does not project well past the outer thread of its 510 connector, then the whole connector will short out onto the top of the battery, especially if it is screwed down hard.
Note well:
1. This incident involved an explosion, not a fire. Damage was done by shrapnel to surfaces 15 feet and 20 feet away. The user was very lucky to escape serious injury and only had minor burns. This was pure luck: the device completely disintegrated in an explosion.
2. The Efest battery used was clearly not suitable for APV use. It exploded very soon after being exposed to a dead short. This means it was either a counterfeit or the worst IMR quality we have seen yet. IMR cells do not explode when shorted out, that is the point of them. The quality of this battery was equivalent to the worst basic Li-ion cell quality since not even all unprotected Li-ion cells will explode when shorted-out, some will just catch fire.
3. The device itself has the usual very poor design seen in many mechmods: tiny gas vents or no gas vents at all. It is a potential pipebomb and no one should be surprised that a metal tube explodes when it has no large gas vents. It's been happening
for years.
4. If you own a potentially dangerous device then DO NOT attempt to save money on batteries: you need the safest, most expensive cells you can get. Safety is not cheap; cheap is not safe.
Only large gas vent slots or multiple holes in the casing can prevent an explosion. We have known this for at least 5 years. Gas-tight metal battery holders are not an accident waiting to happen - they are a
guarantee waiting to happen, not an accident: there have been enough of them. They
will explode when cheap batteries are abused, there is no maybe about it. Minuscule vents in the bottom cap are useless.
[design notes: the best-designed APVs have no risk of explosion as they feature large gas vents. The vents can easily be plugged with a fashion piece and as a result be not just unnoticeable but can add to the design attractiveness - see the Akston-Hughes for an example. Or, the vents can be part of the design - see the Reo LT and the AR tactical.]
NOT a hybrid
This device is not a hybrid and the issue has nothing whatsoever to do with hybrid mechmods, which are very safe in comparison.
Hybrids have a unique style of connector where the atomiser must come with the battery holder, as the two are matched and use a well-designed connection system not in use for other products. It is an extremely strong and safe system that cannot be confused with anything else, especially the potentially dangerous direct-connect system.
