3 months and my SD is dead!

[Hex13]

I was a HUGE fan of the screwdriver MK2 and recommended it to anyone who wanted a reliable mod. Here I am 3 months later and the threads on the body are shaving off, and the atty connection (the top bit that the atty connects to) is loose! Amazing for a mod that is so highly reguarded for its sturdy build would be falling apart like this! I can understand certain things, but the threads shaving off? This seems a little premature to me. It's a steel body screwing into a steel top for gosh sakes, and the threads are wearing already?!? For $50 I COULD get another SD body, or I could search for something a little more reliable (roughstack anyone?). Seems like poor manufacturing to me and I'd rather not take the chance. FYI, I take amazingly good care of my mods, alcohol cleaning body and connections nightly, case kept and cherished for keeping me analog free.

Any one else have a similar experience where they were severely disappointed in a product they received? Because it seems everywhere I look, I see "good" reviews and I would like some honest answers about what may not live up to expectations.

IMHO, maybe I was expecting too much out of the SD, but the atty I was using with it is still working after 3 months (I take very good care of my attys as well). It's never a good sign when your atty outlasts your mod!

 

[Firefly13]

IMHO... the screwdriver is not a good mod at all, and that's why it's always on sale. You are better off spending the money on a better mod like a Roughstack or better, depending on your budget.

 

[Automaton]

Wow, that sucks! Can't say I've ever owned an SD, but I've seen the good reviews too. They've been through many iterations and, well, like anything, sometimes one iteration is better than another. Maybe this one isn't up to par with the others. Hard to say.

But, if I'd had your experience, yeah, I might look elsewhere. It does sound like you're taking good care of it, and there's no reason you should be having these problems so soon. The RoughStack does have good reviews. Probably a pretty good bet, in the kind of price range you're talking about, though I haven't owned that one either.

I don't know what the warranty on the SD's is like, but perhaps you should contact the supplier. One of the reasons people buy metal mods is because they outlast proprietary e-cigs. 3 months is so-so for a proprietary e-cig, but pretty bad for a mod.

 

[floridamale]

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with it. The one I have is doing fine you mght try contacting TW to see if they have reports of people with these issues.

 

[Hex13]

Unfortunately I did contact TW. Basically they said this was normal and there was nothing they can do. I understand that TW cannot offer a lifetime warranty on mods and products, but this is a little ridiculous. I think they're a little too busy with the casino right now to care. Hence the reason I just dropped $250 at Madvapes. Bought an eGo and a roughstack, and a bunch of other stuff. Was going to order the tornado, but I don't think that I want to deal with them any longer. The whole thing has left a bad taste in my mouth. They didn't even offer to contact the manufacturer, or maybe even discount a new body for me.
But hey, whatever. I have money that I can spend elsewhere. My grandfather had a saying that reminds me of my situation; "never buy a new car that was made on a Friday." Because in his day, the employees at the factory paid less attention to detail on fridays, instead concentrating on starting their weekends and thus poor quality standards happened. I know I sound like a disgruntled harpee right now, but a metal mod should last a bit longer.

Are there any other mods out there that are notorious for short lifespan? Or perhaps you could tell me what to avoid in future purchases.

Besides my SD, all I had was my mini that I bought a year ago. The lucky slicks retro. I'm still using all origional parts and batts with the little guy, but battery changes and refills are getting out of hand again. 2 hour battery life and the carts only hold 5 drops of juice. I modded one atty for drip, but still not a good match for my schedule.

 

[mauzey]

Good to know Hex, I hate it when that happens, 3 Months is too soon for that to happen. It may be a isolated incident but they(TW) should do their best to make it right. This market has a lot of options, vendors can't throw customers away.

Good Luck,
Jeff~

 

[Maxine]

"never buy a new car that was made on a Friday..."

...or a Monday. Too many hangovers!

 

[des09]

FWIW, as a daily roughstack user, for 3 months now, I don't think its the "perfect" mod as far as reliability/toughness. It is close, but it has it's flaws. Here's the ones that glare out at me:

The switch is a highly rated c&k 3amp switch, but its position can lead to it getting a juice bath.
Internally, under the atty connection, theres a small piece of drinking straw like tube, hot glued in place as a spring guide, it can come out of place, requiring a "field stripping."
The internal resistance has got to be quite high... theres several mechanical contacts, including: battery pos to a solder "nipple," and solder nipple to a weak internal spring.
The threads are rough, and large, in aluminum of course. They haven't tried to cross on me, but if they do, theres only about 4 half turns total to strip out.

That said, I have dropped it quite a few times, flooded it daily, and it keeps on ticking. The weakest parts (switch and board) are a replaceable unit for $10, and swapping them out requires a wrench or pliers for the switch ring.

Was your SD one of the latest mk II series ones with the new switch?

 

[Automaton]

Hex - Nah, you don't sound like a harpee at all. 3 months is bad for a mod. Mods generally cost more money, and supposedly the reason they're worth it is because they're supposed to last. I'd be ticked off too if I'd dropped money on a mod and had it fall apart after a couple months.

TW really didn't respond to that very well, and I've heard of problems with their customer service before. Good call on taking your business elsewhere. I hope you have better luck with the eGo and RoughStack.

 

[Big Hitter]

I was under the impression that the screw driver quality had gone down hill as production went up.
I think they just tried to make them cheaper and cheaper and it shows.

Sorry about your troubles. I don't really know any serious mod collectors that regard them very highly.
They are not really a true mod anymore, just another massed produced PV.

If you can afford it, any of the precise line from super-T will last your whole lifetime. Well worth the price.

 

[Katya]

TW really didn't respond to that very well, and I've heard of problems with their customer service before. Good call on taking your business elsewhere.

Yup! Good advice. I really wonder how they still keep their ECF supplier status, after all the problems, complaints and total disregard for their customers.

Hi, MistressNomad!

 

[jagstang]

The Screwdriver MKI is made in the UK and seems to be very high quality.

The Screwdriver MKII is a redesign of the original so it can be mass produced in China.

 

[Automaton]

He he, hi Katya.

Yeah, I wonder that too. But if this keeps up, they'll get removed eventually. Seen it happen before.

The good reviews of the SD I read aren't exactly recent, so I suppose it is possible (and from the sounds of things likely) that they've taken a dive in quality as the production has gone up. Perhaps they're banking on their formerly good reputation. Unfortunate, but it happens in every industry.

 

[yvilla]

He he, hi Katya.

The good reviews of the SD I read aren't exactly recent, so I suppose it is possible (and from the sounds of things likely) that they've taken a dive in quality as the production has gone up. Perhaps they're banking on their formerly good reputation. Unfortunate, but it happens in every industry.

As jagstang just above you posted, the original SD (MKI) bought from Trog in the UK is a different product altogether. It's a still hand made, and quality device. I, for one, still use nothing else since it enabled me to stop smoking entirely in November 2008.

The SD MKII, while I've never tried one, must be differentiated, as it is mass-produced in China, and sold by TW using the SD name under license by Trog.

 

[Automaton]

Ah, ok. So there are two types of Screwdriver currently in production? Man, good marketing by TW...

 

[Zen~]

The Chinese manufacturers are not exactly well know for their quality machining on these PVs. The UK made SD is built like a tank... the SD MKII is a pile of junk by comparison.

But... the threads on several US made Higher end PVs are questionable at best as well... (cough... cough... protoge')

I seriously doubt you could trash the threads on my ProVape or many of the other well designed US made Devices.

 

[jagstang]

Ah, ok. So there are two types of Screwdriver currently in production? Man, good marketing by TW...

To make matters worse there is also a DSE 905 that is a Screwdriver clone. In the video review by Grimm Greene it broke in two during the review.

Neither of these comes close in quality to the MKI from Trog.

 

[nicadd]

The Screwdriver MKI is made in the UK and seems to be very high quality.

The Screwdriver MKII is a redesign of the original so it can be mass produced in China.

Good point. My MKIs are in perfect shape after 9 months of steady use.

 

[floridamale]

Not to be a fan-boy but the MKll I have seems to be built solid hits hard and works every time. I'm not happy hearing about what happened to Hex13's SD. I would like to know if he had the silver or black one, not that I would think it would make a difference.
The other thing is I did a google search and I found nothing about what you are having trouble with, these days there would of been something about this listed somewhere on the net I would think.
Anyways good luck with your replacement PV

 

[JonnyVapΣ]

The threads will never strip out on my box mod.