Before I blow myself up again...

[Papillon61]

Kindly confirm that this teeny weeny Caravella will take any atty I put on it... protruding pin or not... though I bought it to pair it with a kayfun Lite. But just in case I get a very senior moment it would still take something like a nautilus without another explosion happening, correct? LOL I'm leaving nothing to chance.

$5.40 Caravela Style Mechanical Mod - 18350 tube at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Bunnykiller]

the caravela looks like its safe to use with a KF lite... altho you wont get much time on it being a 350 size

and out of curiosity... what blew up before?? you did mention the word "again"

 

[Papillon61]

Yes I now this little Carvella won't go far. I bought it precisely for its small size for when I practically want to stealth.
The accident happened a week ago yesterday when I screwed a Kanger tank onto a SMPL.

 

[JMarca]

Bad things happen when you fire little 18350 mods at high power no matter what mech you use, know your limits with 18350 batteries and let me tell you those limits don't go very far.

 

[bussdriver]

Caravella clone is a pretty good one; can't say anything about that particular version, but the price is definitely right. I like the switch. Be sure that the inner screw is firmly tightened down to the firing button; if not tight you may unscrew it when locking it. It's hard to find the little springs when it flies apart inside the truck.

As stated above, an 18350 will have a pretty short life because it is small with a low mah capacity. One other thing to keep in mind is current draw. With a small battery like an 18350, you should probably not attempt to sub-ohm. The small battery doesn't have a high current capability; don't want anything else going wrong!

 

[Papillon61]

No problem with current draw. I'm a tootle puffer - practically nothing below 1.5ohm max. This model does not have any springs. It has an adjustable pin the the top cap and a knarled contact screw at the bottom. I'm sorry if I am not explaining myself well - not too familiar with the proper jargon - but it looks exactly like it does in the pictures above.

 

[tj99959]

There is a spring inside the switch (or magnets). And you use the "adjustable pin" to eliminate battery rattle with a caravela. It's not adjustable so you can make your tanks sit flush. A real Caravela came with 3 of those screws of different lengths for that.

I've put a lot of miles on my Caravelas' and they are by far my favorite mechanical mod.
With 18350-18490 batteries I would ONLY suggest AW IMR batteries, and pay close attention to their respective amp limits.

My Caravelas' are the opposite of yours (brass with SS switches) because a DIRTY brass switch has more resistance than a SS switch. So be aware of that if performance seems to drop off. Brass or copper switches require more maintenance.

 

[Papillon61]

Thank you. But let me place the right emphasis on my question. Can I use this mod with my Nautilus or my Kanger Aeortank... or even with my Karaken clone that does NOT have a protruding insulated centre pin. That is my real question. I assume I can but I really want to be sure. It's not the model in itself that I am asking about but the build in general. Would I be able to use this like all my other regulated mods. The SMPL that blew up was just a tube with a hole - what some call a hybrid. This one has an insulated adjustable pin in the top cap. That's just to make things clear and for you to know what I am really asking. Thanks.

 

[tj99959]

Yes, I even use my Caravelas' with toppers that have recessed center pins.
With my Caravelas', I use toppers with adjustable center pins so that I can screw them "IN", so that they will sit flush.
So completely opposite of what a hybrid top cap requires.

 

[Papillon61]

Thank you. That is the reassurance I needed.

Now I don't know what you all think, but me... I think they look purdy

 

[WharfRat1976]

Take the battery out when the mod sits idle and constantly check the tube for HEAT and listen to the atty to make sure it is not firing when you are not depressing the fire button. Surefire ways not to blow yourself up.

 

[Susan~S]

Bad things happen when you fire little 18350 mods at high power no matter what mech you use, know your limits with 18350 batteries and let me tell you those limits don't go very far.

And here are some 18350 batteries with their CDR (continuous discharge rating).

1. AW IMR 18350 800mah 12A (new) <== My favorite 18350 battery
2. Purple Efest IMR 18350 700mAh 10.5A
3. Efest IMR 18350 800mah 6.4A
4. AW IMR 18350 700mah 6A

 

[Papillon61]

Thanks @Susan~S . I have #2,#3 and #4 - 8 in all.

 

[CommaHolly]

you blew yourself up BEFORE?????????

 

[Papillon61]

you blew yourself up BEFORE?????????

Yep. Explanation in post #3 on this thread. No limbs lost - just a 4 inch livid bruise on my thigh which after a week has reached the itching stage.

 

[The Yeti]

After that (and I saw your original thread), I would stay far far away from mech mods.

 

[Baditude]

As a relatively new vaper about 3 years ago, I had a Trustfire 14500 ICR battery blow up in a mechanical mod. Blew the end caps right off and melted the cell. Caught my pants pocket on fire. The mod was actually in a pair of pants in my locker at work. The mod had a prominent horn fire button which got pressed continuously in the pocket and caused the battery to go into thermal runaway.

Funny, it was the specific battery recommended to be used at that time for that mod. IMR (unprotected) batteries were just coming onto the market, and many uninformed people were saying to use only "protected" batteries. Now ICR batteries are considered obsolete for mods.

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or protected ICR?

 

[hashtag]

No problem with current draw. I'm a tootle puffer - practically nothing below 1.5ohm max. This model does not have any springs. It has an adjustable pin the the top cap and a knarled contact screw at the bottom. I'm sorry if I am not explaining myself well - not too familiar with the proper jargon - but it looks exactly like it does in the pictures above.

I came really close to a blow up on my mech a few months ago doing the same thing. I didn't know that hybrids didn't work with subtanks. Luckily I stopped before any damage was done because it got so hot. Still tossed the battery afterwards and started reading everything I could about battery safety. That is what is scary with mechs, people like me don't realize how much they don't know until a mistake is made.

 

[Cacique]

Just want to point out the only issue why the SMPL blew up was the direct to battery connection. As long as the mod has it's own pin instead of a direct atomizer to battery, the only issues can be if there's anything wrong with the battery or if it's pushed too much, to my understanding.

IMO, as long as the battery isn't damaged in any way and you don't push it, it should give you no issues. The battery will be protected by the pin and it shouldn't cause the same problem that you had with the SMPL. Enjoy!

 

[Papillon61]

After that (and I saw your original thread), I would stay far far away from mech mods.

I could do that yes except that I acknowledge the fact that the accident happened through my own fault and my ignorance of what went with which. I am much more aware now. And have learnt my lesson to come and check here before I do something really stupid. That said, even regulated mods are known to cause accidents. More importantly, the reason I have purchased several unregulated mods is because of the future. I am pretty sure I shall very soon be unable to purchase any kind of mod or atomizer online when the EU TPD directive comes into force. Even the couple of vape shops that do exist where I come from will probably be so highly regulated they are very likely to close down. When you are thinking so far ahead into the future - meaning years - it is pointless to go into a whole lot of regulated mods which are worthless when the battery dies or the circuit board gives up the ghost. There's not much that can go wrong with a mech mod.... except blow up of course. Again that said, now that I have tested it, the Caravela has gone back into its box and into my cache for future use as needed.