Delivered today. I'm anxious to get home and check it out.
I will take some pics and give my humble feedback as soon as I can.
I will take some pics and give my humble feedback as soon as I can.
The Astro by Kato CLONE! $24 on FT
- Thread starter twistedchild316
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
-
- Tags
- fasttech nemesis revolution
- Status
My tracking still says HK......but so did my buddies and he got vapemail Saturday. Hope my new Astro is waiting for me!
Just unwrapped the astro a few minutes ago.
At first glance, I love this thing!
Locking ring is NOT reverse threaded.
Pin is adjustable via flat blade screwdriver.
Switch contact can be tightened via flat blade as well.
Threads feel decent.
This thing is TINY!
Loving it!
Pic is in 18650 mode.
At first glance, I love this thing!
Locking ring is NOT reverse threaded.
Pin is adjustable via flat blade screwdriver.
Switch contact can be tightened via flat blade as well.
Threads feel decent.
This thing is TINY!
Loving it!
Pic is in 18650 mode.
Welp..... Off to the shop!
It's not horrible, but it is every bit a $24 mod LOL
It's not horrible, but it is every bit a $24 mod LOL
How is the air flow "ridges" on the top cap? Is it actually engraved? I use drippers with the hole on the side, not the 510 post, but I'm still curious.
How is the quality of the logo? Can we remove it?
How is the quality of the logo? Can we remove it?
Top cap is etched not engraved so no airflow, and the logo looks like it could be removed with a good brushed finish. Considering this myself since I'm not a fan of fingerprints and such. I forgot how slippery polished tubes are too lol.
Working on a shorter throw and less wobble in the switch ATM.
The slotted positive pin intrigues me also since mine seems to float, not thread.
The slotted positive pin intrigues me also since mine seems to float, not thread.
Fixed the throw to about 1/2 mm, the spacer I made for that took care of the wobble. Locking ring only takes about 2/3 of a turn to lock.
It's pretty tiny in 350 mode- too small for my hand- but in 500 it is perfect. On a 1.4 ohm coil I'm getting 0.3 V drop. Not bad at all for stock everything.
Shown for reference:
Sigelei "ba gua" with chimbus in 350
Astro clone with AGI in 500
Sigelei 19 with AGI in 500
*Apologies for crappy lighting.
It's pretty tiny in 350 mode- too small for my hand- but in 500 it is perfect. On a 1.4 ohm coil I'm getting 0.3 V drop. Not bad at all for stock everything.
Shown for reference:
Sigelei "ba gua" with chimbus in 350
Astro clone with AGI in 500
Sigelei 19 with AGI in 500
*Apologies for crappy lighting.
Out of every clone I've purchased from FT the past few weeks, (Chi brass, Chi SS, Private V2, M16, Nemesis) this one is my favorite, no question. Build quality is amazing, form factor is perfect, conductivity is great.
lolz @ clone haters. Pardon me, you're standing between me and the new releases at the pirate bay. If you want an original, go get on a waiting list, or pay double to a flipper. In the mean time, this is going on my FT wishlist.
just got my astro clone/counterfeit/forgery/bootleg, whatever. its a very well built mod. worth every penny of the $20-something i paid for it. as for the no airlfow, i have been using it with a shorty 510adapter, and it works great with cartos. or with no adapter, i get a nice flush mount with all of my bootleg drippers.
i did have a question for anyone that has a real astro as well as the clone. are the caps interchangeable?
i did have a question for anyone that has a real astro as well as the clone. are the caps interchangeable?
Couple of side by side pics. Clone is very nicely done, and looks spot on except for the light etching on the top cap. Original is much deeper. I moved recently and can't find my caliper or scale at the moment, but dimensionally, they appear the same but the original feels more than a little heavier. The threads are the same diameter and pitch, so the parts all interchange. The only glitch here was my original bottom cap would not thread more than halfway into the clone kick ring section. Thread quality, however, is night and day. The original has far superior threading, nice and smooth. Running the telescoping section in and out on the original, it is almost silent. The clone threading is loose, loud, and sloppy. But, once you get a battery in there, even the clone feels nice and solid. I haven't disassembled the clone switch to see if it is the same as the original, but it feels about the same as the original when firing. Lock ring on the original is less than one revolution from full lock to full unlock, but it is more than a revolution and a half on the clone.
I hate the fact that this is more of what I consider a counterfeit than a clone. I believe I'll attempt my first brush job on this thing. I actually prefer a brushed finish over a polished finish, but I really, really don't want any of the original style logos on a clone. A few minutes with some emery cloth will take care of that.
Clyde
was doing some parts swapping just to see if any other caps would fit, so i could use other attys/cartos without needing an adapter, and i found out that the cap from the K100's fit perfectly. it threads right in, and once snugged down on a battery, there is zero thread slop. so if you would like to change up the look a bit, and have a K100 laying around, it will work.
curious to know if someone has some of the sigelei clones laying around, what other heads might fit.
curious to know if someone has some of the sigelei clones laying around, what other heads might fit.
Last edited:
I couldn't stand it any more. Gave my phony the brushed finish tonight and removed all of the markings on the tube and button. The top cap I will leave since it is covered anyhow, but it really is a bunch of crap having a fake serial # and the identical markings to the original. I was up in the air about it at first but it really is taking it a bit too far.
Damn. I hate you all. I've decided to cancel my Nemesis because of the complex button, but instead replace it with the Astro clone. Thanks for the pics and comparisons! The logos I wouldn't mind, but the serial numbers IMO is what I dislike the most about clones. I'm all for clones, but the serial numbers is what ticks me off.
Looks good! I just wish FT delivered faster....Can't find the clone on US sites either
What RDA and tip do you have on top? Looks good.
goy a vapeail from FT today and loving it....
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
