Are Clones Safe?

[spookyasian]

Hi there!

new vaper here, and im about to buy the istick 50w and i noticed there is a cheaper one but it is a clone, and
im not sure if is hould trust it or not. if therre is any help out there on telling me if they are safe or not, that would be great

And for some reason it doesnt let me post links so for the link please message me.

Have a good evening
Thanks!
S

 

[MoDmAnDaN]

I've had a couple clone regulated devices and they're both dead after a short time (under a year). At this point clone vs authentic you only pay a little more for the "real deal". I feel that you should buy the what you can afford, but know you could be buying junk.

If your talking about non-regulated "tube mods", then there can be a huge difference.

 

[roxynoodle]

Considering the price of an authentic istick, get the real one

I do have some clone attys and mechs though.

 

[CocoCamm]

I'm with roxy. I wouldn't trust a clone mod purchased online. Who know what kind of junk you might get? RDA? Absolutely! I actually don't have any experience with any authentics as the hubby and I always get the clones.

I will say, that I would trust a clone mod if I was purchasing it through a trusted retailer, like my local vape store. I know they count on my repeat business and value quality.

 

[TheThirdMan]

Like any electronics that are knock-offs I think it's pretty risky. I've seen several clones of the DNA devices that shorted and basically caught fire (not as bad as it sounds, but still, definitely not what you want happening less than an inch from a battery and your hand/face). There's a REASON they're cheaper and it's from using cheaper materials and less to no quality control. In the particular device I'm thinking of my friend found that instead of epoxy (capable of withstanding the heat and a 3500 ft/lbs strength) they used hot glue. The hot glue melted, broke away from one of the buttons which shorted against the 510 after a few days.

Yeah they're cheaper, but when it dies on you it'll be a much bigger hole in your wallet. As other posters have mentioned, a lot of the rebuildable dripping atomizers are so simple that there's little to no risk. But having built a mod before, there's a lot that can go wrong with electronics or wires involved.

Just remember, it's a lot cheaper in the long run than analogue cigs and a lot cheaper than replacing it with a real one after the clone craps out on you.

 

[Ou2mame]

It's one thing to get a clone tank that you have read reviews on and know the product you're getting, but I would try to buy the highest quality battery I could afford. I would much rather have my mvp and a kayfun clone, than a knockoff battery powering an authentic kayfun.

 

[Dryadsoul]

There are some great 1:1 clones when it comes to RTA's, RDA's & Mech mods that are just as safe and work as well as those they're cloned from.
But, when it comes to regulated mods you run a high risk of total disappointment for the sake of trying to save a few bucks.

For under $50 the original offers peace of mind.

 

[roxynoodle]

I had a mod with an authentic chip set on fire.

Istick chips are not exactly high end, but they're decent. However, clone istick chips might be pretty scary.

And ismoka does give you a 3 month warranty on the authentic istick.

I think the clone isticks only save you about $10. IMO, its not worth it.

 

[edyle]

Hi there!

new vaper here, and im about to buy the istick 50w and i noticed there is a cheaper one but it is a clone, and
im not sure if is hould trust it or not. if therre is any help out there on telling me if they are safe or not, that would be great

And for some reason it doesnt let me post links so for the link please message me.

Have a good evening
Thanks!
S

Well somebody might have bought one from the same place as you and read your post above, but they wouldn't know it because you don't say what/where clone that you are talking about.


Quality of one clone to the other will vary from clone to clone.

 

[juggler86]

I buy TONS of clones. The one cloned item I dont buy is regulated mods. Theyre cheap enough on there own unless you buy a high end regulated Like VS or SX .

 

[keepjeepin]

Everyone I know uses clones and we have never had any safety issues with them. Just 1 or 2 quality issues but nothing that would be unsafe. They are just a cheaper alternative usually made in china

 

[Ryedan]

Hi there!

new vaper here, and im about to buy the istick 50w and i noticed there is a cheaper one but it is a clone, and
im not sure if is hould trust it or not. if therre is any help out there on telling me if they are safe or not, that would be great

And for some reason it doesnt let me post links so for the link please message me.

Have a good evening
Thanks!
S

Hi spookyasian and welcome to ECF. When buying clones you really need to research the particular cloned item you're thinking of buying and the supplier of the item and decide from there if it's a purchase with an acceptable risk factor for you. With you being new to vaping I suggest you do not take the chance this time. If it goes bad you would lose your money and still not have anything in hand to vape.

Also, I don't think we can message you until you have at least 5 posts in.

 

[Blmeach]

I'd save my money and buy an authentic mod. Just my two cents...

 

[CynikalMindset]

the only clone regulated device I would buy is the HCigar Zero because the Authentic is just too damn much and its so pretty

 

[notherguitar]

I bought one DNA clone when I first started. Died in 2 days. Since than all authentic. At least when it comes to regulated mods, RDA's and mechs are a different story.

 

[Completely Average]

Yes, cloned regulated mods are safe.

Some are not reliable though. I certainly wouldn't buy a clone of a $50 regulated mod. The $50 is so cheap I would worry about it's reliability, and you've got to wonder where they are cutting corners on that to make the cloned unit.

But I've been using a regulated "clone" every day for a year now without a single problem. It's been so reliable and trouble free that I haven't bothered to use or carry anything else in probably 9 months. It was a $70 mod and used a known reliable chip in it, so I was reasonably confident in it's quality when I bought it. There are well built and reliable regulated clones, but usually once you get into the price range of finding them you can get a similar authentic mod for nearly the same price.

For example, my $70 clone. If I was to buy it today I could get an authentic IPV2 Mini for $15 LESS, and the IPV2 Mini has more power.

 

[Completely Average]

I bought one DNA clone when I first started. Died in 2 days. Since than all authentic. At least when it comes to regulated mods, RDA's and mechs are a different story.

Meh.

You can get an Authentic SX Mini for $200 that uses the SX350 chip or you can get a SX Mini clone that uses the exact same SX350 chip for just $100. Or, if you're against the cloned box, you could get an IPV2 Mini that uses the exact same SX350 chip for $70. Regardless of which device you buy you'll get the same chip.

 

[duc916]

The authentic REM SMPL 2.0 will arc and vent your batteries.

You'd think something matured and seemingly impossible to screw up like a mech mod switch would at least perform as good as a clone that costs 1/10th the price... instead it turns your mod into a pipe bomb, and vape stores are still selling them as if there was nothing wrong with them.