Well I weighed all the opinions and advice and settled on a stingray clone. Should be here in a few days
Mech mod clones?
- Thread starter Tattedmatt
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
The nemesis clone is very good and I have one. Now I'm waiting also for a stingray...
Clones are the best way to go out and find/figure out what you like and what you don't... My fist mech was a hcigar nemesis... It's a great mod... I bought mine at a brick and motar place, and they helped to show me how to make my own micro coils for rba/rta... You'll spend a bit more for a clone at a b/m place, maybe 10-20 more, but you'll get better assistance (as well as supporting your local place).
I like my nemesis, but clones can have some shortcuts. Like many others I did the fat daddy magnet upgrade to the firing switch, and the pins. It worked with a spring, but it was a big crunchy after a short period. If you don't try a real one, you won't notice it, but if you try a new one...
. The spring/pins made it work better, but it's not as smooth as an authentic. I'm not a fan of the locking ring, its cheap, almost tinny, but it works. The threads to put it together, while good, also aren't as smooth as an authentic one.. If your an occasional user, no big deal, but if you use it a lot you can find yourself wanting a bit more. That said, even with the upgrades, its a nice way to get into mechs..
I keep it at work now as a backup if I forget to bring one... I've upgraded to two additional ones since.. What I have done is wait on other friends who have real or nicely modded clones, decide to upgrade, and I snatch em up.. It's how I got my diablo.. It looks almost retro, .... it may technically BE retro, but it works REAL well.. I wanted it for the recessed switch, its awesome, you can set it down without having to lock it, something I really wanted.. However, with no lock, it means I have unscrew it a bit, and/or take the battery out so as to not fire it by accident while in my pocket, something I hadn't considered prior. On a whim, I just picked up a pristine m16 sentinel from the classifieds here.. It's perfect, and I paid 5/8th the new price.. It's got a lock on the bottom, which has to be engaged before setting it down, which is a pain, buts its sweet.. The threads are buttery smooth, night and day difference to the clone. The build quality is way better than the clones I have played with and/or considered, but you do pay a significant bit more for that extra niceness
Try a clone or two, figure out what you want, and go from there.. It all in what you want.. Many continue to stay with clones, while others get at least one authentic..
good luck either way
I like my nemesis, but clones can have some shortcuts. Like many others I did the fat daddy magnet upgrade to the firing switch, and the pins. It worked with a spring, but it was a big crunchy after a short period. If you don't try a real one, you won't notice it, but if you try a new one...
. The spring/pins made it work better, but it's not as smooth as an authentic. I'm not a fan of the locking ring, its cheap, almost tinny, but it works. The threads to put it together, while good, also aren't as smooth as an authentic one.. If your an occasional user, no big deal, but if you use it a lot you can find yourself wanting a bit more. That said, even with the upgrades, its a nice way to get into mechs..I keep it at work now as a backup if I forget to bring one... I've upgraded to two additional ones since.. What I have done is wait on other friends who have real or nicely modded clones, decide to upgrade, and I snatch em up.. It's how I got my diablo.. It looks almost retro, .... it may technically BE retro, but it works REAL well.. I wanted it for the recessed switch, its awesome, you can set it down without having to lock it, something I really wanted.. However, with no lock, it means I have unscrew it a bit, and/or take the battery out so as to not fire it by accident while in my pocket, something I hadn't considered prior. On a whim, I just picked up a pristine m16 sentinel from the classifieds here.. It's perfect, and I paid 5/8th the new price.. It's got a lock on the bottom, which has to be engaged before setting it down, which is a pain, buts its sweet.. The threads are buttery smooth, night and day difference to the clone. The build quality is way better than the clones I have played with and/or considered, but you do pay a significant bit more for that extra niceness
Try a clone or two, figure out what you want, and go from there.. It all in what you want.. Many continue to stay with clones, while others get at least one authentic..
good luck either way
Last edited:
Received the brass astro from fast tech. Awesome mod, the threads are smooth, the locking ring is smooth, the switch is the best I have tried and it hits hard, think it hits better then the nemesis honestly and built alot better. Only con is it is a plated mod and the finish probably wont hold up over time. Besides that this thing owns.
Clones are awesome. No reason to buy an authentic unless you are a collector. Other than that, don't waste your money on authentics.
wow... i always assumed clones were cheaper knockoff aftermarkets. i think i will picl up a good clone to try out before i spemd some money on a non clone unit
Only if you buy them from B&M stores.
The past 3 clones that I've bought were all bought from Ebay. Two $35 Kayfuns and a $40 Nemesis. You can't say clones are expensive when I'm paying about the same price for a Kayfun as most people pay for a Nautilus.
I have a Nemesis, Origin, and M16, all clones from HCigar. There are things I like and dislike about all of them. In order of most to least, I like:
M16 - It is sturdy, solid, has a nice and easy to use locking ring, no battery rattle, and the fire button configuration is great. What I dislike is that the fire button unscrews itself after use (fixable, though, with aluminum foil or locktite), and worst of all is the "floating" positive pin that you need pliers to adjust. Also, there are no airflow holes built into the top cap for flush mounted devices that require such.
Nemesis - Adjustable contact pins (pos & neg) for flush mounting atomizers and getting rid of battery rattle, sleek and smooth design, adjustable airflow holes in top cap. I dislike the cheap and flimsy locking ring that feels like you can easily strip it (actually did slip from locked to unlocked on me with slight pressure), that you have to adjust contact pins for every different atomizer you put on it (non floating pin), and again the miserable fracking locking ring.
Origin - 21mm design (however, not many atomizers sit flush as they are bigger in diameter than 21mm), in 18350 mode with igo-w it looks great, adjustable airflow holes. I dislike the locking ring, not as much as I hate it on the Nemesis, but it's tiny and flush with everything so it's hard for people with big fingers to use. What I really hate is how you adjust for battery rattle (cheap piece of white plastic that you unscrew or tighten depending on the battery). For example, I have a grey flattop Panasonic CGR 18650 that no matter what I do, I cannot get rid of the battery rattle. Loosening the cheap white plastic piece will stop the rattle, but the firing pin won't make contact with the battery, even after that is fully lengthened by further adjustment.
I would love a clone mech with the fire button configuration of the M16, a nice locking ring with reverse threading like the M16, with a better floating positive pin or adjustable pin like on the nemesis, along with airflow holes like on the nemesis or origin.
M16 - It is sturdy, solid, has a nice and easy to use locking ring, no battery rattle, and the fire button configuration is great. What I dislike is that the fire button unscrews itself after use (fixable, though, with aluminum foil or locktite), and worst of all is the "floating" positive pin that you need pliers to adjust. Also, there are no airflow holes built into the top cap for flush mounted devices that require such.
Nemesis - Adjustable contact pins (pos & neg) for flush mounting atomizers and getting rid of battery rattle, sleek and smooth design, adjustable airflow holes in top cap. I dislike the cheap and flimsy locking ring that feels like you can easily strip it (actually did slip from locked to unlocked on me with slight pressure), that you have to adjust contact pins for every different atomizer you put on it (non floating pin), and again the miserable fracking locking ring.
Origin - 21mm design (however, not many atomizers sit flush as they are bigger in diameter than 21mm), in 18350 mode with igo-w it looks great, adjustable airflow holes. I dislike the locking ring, not as much as I hate it on the Nemesis, but it's tiny and flush with everything so it's hard for people with big fingers to use. What I really hate is how you adjust for battery rattle (cheap piece of white plastic that you unscrew or tighten depending on the battery). For example, I have a grey flattop Panasonic CGR 18650 that no matter what I do, I cannot get rid of the battery rattle. Loosening the cheap white plastic piece will stop the rattle, but the firing pin won't make contact with the battery, even after that is fully lengthened by further adjustment.
I would love a clone mech with the fire button configuration of the M16, a nice locking ring with reverse threading like the M16, with a better floating positive pin or adjustable pin like on the nemesis, along with airflow holes like on the nemesis or origin.
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
