Beginner wants to get a little bit into Cloud Chasing

[Rakku]

Hi there.

Im pretty new to vaping (vaping since about a week) with a SubTank Mini on a Eleaf iStick 50W.

I love my setup, but Im a Cloud lover and need something to produce more clouds at home.

Since Im buying a huge bulk of stuff at fasttech atm anyways, I thought about trying out some clones.

The clones are:

1. Doge V2 styled RDA
2. Mutation X4 styled RDA
3. Plum Veil styled RDA

Since the clones are pretty cheap, its not a big deal for me to get 3 at once, still not so sure about the Plum Veil though (maybe I will replace that one with a Dark Horse clone).

Now, since Im getting these RDA´s I thought about getting a mechanical mod, since I would be quite limited with my iStick 50W.

This is the important part of my overall question, is it safe to go with a mechanical mod clone, like the nemesis clone on fasttech?

If yes, which battery would be best to go with?

I have the possibility to take up a Efest 2500 mAh with 35 Amps and a Sony VTC 5 2600 mAh (15C and 30 Amps).

Now the problem with the batteries.
I read that Efest isnt a good brand, using mostly batteries from other companies and rebaleling them.
Other way around, there are many many fake Sonys on the market, and its kinda impossible to check beforehand (for me even impossible when I got them in front of me).

If that should be true, I have the options between crap and fake, well ... not so great.

Additionally I have the choice to go with a Efest 26650 4200 mAh and 50 Amps (continuous disccharge only 20 Amps).

Dont have a clue what to take (IF it is safe and okay to go with a mechanical mod clone).


Additionally, I dont have any expirience yet with building coils, but Im pretty good informed, played around with a coil calculator for a few days.

What Im getting in the bulk buy from fasttech includes all sorts of Kanthal A1 wire (0,2mm, 0,25mm, 0,3mm and 0,32mm), Muji Cotton and a Ohm resistance meter.

So the core of my problem would be, is a mechanical mod clone safe and okay to use?

If yes, what battery should I choose with it?

Regarding liquid, I dont have any high VG liquid yet (still having 1L of 55/35/10 base), what VG concentration do you recommend for drippers for cloud chasing?

Would be nice to get a few anwers, since Im really stuck and want to place my order

 

[Thrasher]

most mechs on ft are fine, but always check the reviews and discussions on the product page, if there is an issue they will almost always be talking about it.

In all reality your gonna want to use that 50 watt mod for real chasing. A mech is going to get 25-35 watts at best.

And multicoil builds become a bit trickier to pull off effectively unregulated, it can be done Quite well, but takes a bit more finess, and understanding of wires and coil builds. You cant just slap a couple 10 wrap micros on a mech and expect great things, it just cant brute force a foot of wire like a regulated box mod.

With that said my fav ft mech would still be the brass nemisis, had one forever now and held up like a champ with very low voltage drop.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Some mech clones are fine, others can be poorly made, the reviews on fastech may help with weeding out the poor ones, if you believe / can rely on fastech reviews.
Some folks love fastech, Just me, I don't.

It is always best to buy batteries from reputable reliable vendors / dealers to help take the guess work out of getting good batteries.
The efest 35a is actually a well known re wrapped 20a cdr battery, the chances of receiving an authentic / legit vtc5 from any place is extremely low.

A mechanical has no safety features other than the one between the users ears, they are only as safe or unsafe as the user makes it.
Battery selection & safety, the accuracy of what is used to measure resistance and the users ability to recognize warning signs of unsafe conditions determines the safety of a mech / rba set up.
If you think the the istick 50 is going to be limiting for some reason I'd look into a higher watt regulated APV instead of a mechanical.

When using a mechanical / rda set up what battery you need & remain safe is dependent on what resistance ranges you intend to use & the accuracy of what you use to measure resistance.

If you need 30a CDR batteries;
VTC4 2100 mah 30a cdr
Xtar 2100mah 30a cdr ( re wrapped vtc4)
Orbtronic sx30 2100mah 30a cdr

If you need 20a CDR batteries;
AW 1600mah 24a cdr
Samsung 20r 2000mah 22a cdr
AW 2200mah 20a cdr
Samsung 25r 2500 mah 20a cdr
LG he2 / he4 2500mah 20a cdr (same battery re wrapped and mislabeled by efest as 35a)
I am not familiar with any vendors near your location, checking in the nearest location specific sub forum may give some insight.

I am sensitive to high VG liquids so I dont use anything over 40 pg / 60 vg, most folks concerned with cloud production use higher VG ratios like 70% up.

 

[Foggyroomz]

Look to see if they have a nice copper vanilla mod or an all copper penny mod. Copper mods have the least amount of voltage drop which results in less strain on your battery cell and longer battery life with more energy reaching the coils. I have an all copper hades clone and it is a beast, my Pegasus mod was stainless with brass contacts and it wasn't nearly as hard hitting as my friends all copper Pegasus so I got a copper switch, contacts, and 510 top section wow what a difference. Gold-plated or silver plated copper contacts are becoming very popular in mechanical mods and work outstanding for conductivity. If you are going to get into dripping please invest in an ohm reader / volt reader by eleaf so you can be sure to maintain safe builds I wouldn't want to hear about a vented battery incident. Download an ohms law calculator app for your tablet,smartphone, or computer this will allow you to input your resistance and voltage which will give you the amps being created as well as the watts generated. Battery safety is crucial and knowing that your build is within the batteries capacities is the only safety feature you have.

Go with a good battery like a Samsung 25R or a Sony VTC4 they are a couple of the top cells for 18650 mechanical mods if you decide to go 26650 mechanical mod Mnke 3500 mah 30 amp 26650 cells are all I use and they are the toughest cell I've used.

 

[Susan~S]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

With a mechanical mod the only way to "fine tune" your vape is to build a new coil. With a high vv/vw regulated mod (and its buck/boost circuitry) you can "fine tune" with a push of a button. On a mechanical mod your voltage drops as you vape, with a regulated mod this does not happen. Your first hit is just as good as your last hit.

A high vv/vw mod is a lot more versatile than a mechanical mod (not to mention safer, less upkeep, etc). The beauty of a high vv/vw mod is that you don't have to build low sub-ohm coils to get a great vape. In fact, building low sub-ohm works against you. Higher ohm coils use more wire which means more surface area to vaporize juice. This increases both heat and vapor production.

With a mechanical mod you increase the warmth of your coil by building lower ohm coils. However, the electronics in a regulated mod boosts the power coming from the battery so the ohms of the coil no longer control the warmth.

Here's a good thread on the subject: My thoughts about sub-ohm and latest VV/VW devices...

Also check out State-O-Flux's blog on the "Steam Engine": Steam Engine: From Basic Use to Advanced Features

 

[Jdurand]

I just don't get the mech mentality anymore. With the high wattages you can get safely from regulated mods, it just doesn't make sense to me. I use a plume veil on a segelei 100W and get better clouds on lower quality builds than some of the mech guys in the vape shops.

 

[Rakku]

Okay, makes sense.

So the mech mod mentality was pretty standart, because you back in time there werent many good regulated mods with high wattages.
Got it.

But now the problem.

Like I said, I want to take a look into it.
Not totally sink into cloud chasing.

A mech mod clone with batteries and charger costs around 40 - 50$,

A high wattage regulated VW/WV mod costs about 120 - 140$ in my country.
Thats quite a difference.

Are there any good high wattage regulated mods for a reasonable price?
And how much wattage is really needed to go cloud chasing?
I thought I would be limited with my 50W mod, since it cant pump out that many amps.
With 50W at a resistance of 0,7 Ohm I would be limited to 8,45 Amps, which pretty low if you compare it to mech mods which batterys can pump out amps to 30.
Thats what Im thinking about.

Even with a 100W regulated mod, you are limited at 12 Amps with 0,7 resistance.
If you go lower with the resistance, lets say 0.2 (What my 50W mod can take at its limit) I would be at 16 Amps, which is half of that, what a mech mod could produce.
I think thats the reason, why people still stick to mech mods.

Any thoughts on this?

Edit:

I have the feeling I still miss some information or Im kinda misinformed.
Thought till know, the more amps you push through it, the more heat you get.

Edit 2:

Okay, read this post which Susan-S posted.

Makes sense.
Still, I think my 50W device will not be enough to create enough vape.
I think I will have to go higher then 50W.

So still, any good affordable reg mods around 100 - 150W?

 

[Thrasher]

I just don't get the mech mentality anymore. With the high wattages you can get safely from regulated mods, it just doesn't make sense to me. I use a plume veil on a segelei 100W and get better clouds on lower quality builds than some of the mech guys in the vape shops.

And you never will get it either, we all dont vape for moer clowdz. I vapefor thick tasty vaper I can enjoy, 4cubic yards of pg in your lungs doest appeal to a lot of people.

Takes skill not wattage to produce fog on a mechanical.



( I dont know how I could ever enjoy this lowly pittance of 26 watts, boo hoo)

 

[Topwater Elvis]

You can cloud chase with 15w & 3.5a if you know how to match resistance, coil type, wire gauge, wicking & airflow with available power.
IMO, your istick50 is very capable of producing clouds with the right set up on top.
I suggest trying different rba builds on it before thinking of a mechanical.

With a regulated APV there is no need to use low Ω, you simply adjust the power up/down going to the delivery device. The chip set boost feature uses battery amps to increase voltage above battery voltage which increases the wattage the delivery device sees.

With a mechanical the only way to adjust power is to build various coils with various resistances, sizes, wire gauges to find what you like.
Smart / safe sub Ω / mechanical vapers leave amp headroom below the battery's CDR for safety.
I use a max of 70% of the batteries CDR others use 50%.

Bottom line with the high watt regulated APV's available there is no reason to use a mechanical unless you like the look & fiddle factor.
Seems you're confused about the workings of regulated vs mech.

 

[Asbestos4004]

Sometimes I laugh when folks seem to get stuck on the numbers rather than the results. If the numbers are so important, sell all your vape gear and buy some math games.
A 50w box mod is more than capable of making cloudz bro. But no battery or mech mod or any piece of hardware will override junk builds. Learn how to build and you'll be fine.

 

[TrollDragon]

Hi there.


3. Plum Veil styled RDA


Would be nice to get a few anwers, since Im really stuck and want to place my order

Just a tip... Do not get the Plume Veil with the Gold plated deck!
The plating is very cheap on this, it will flake off and you will be inhaling the little pieces. Stick to Stainless Steel whenever you can.

 

[NCCTC]

Start building single coils and get them dialed. Move to duals after that ... get them dialed.
Play in a safer zone (.5-.8) while learning how to build and wick. Don't forget a great (not cheap) battery
charger. Take care of your batteries and they will take care of you.
Learn your stuff, SAFETY FIRST, and clouds will come with time. Have fun!

Some great tutorials on building and safety here:
Big Lou (safety search)
Trevor Jones
Ray Lopez
Maestro Vapes

 

[Rakku]

Thanks guys!

For starters I´m gonna just go with my iStick 50W then and learn how to build good RDA´s builds and look at the result.
If Im not satisfied, I can get a higher wattage regulated mod or even a mech mod after that (meaning in a few months or so).

Just one thing left, are the RDA clones okay for trying out Cloud chasing?
Or is there a major difference in authentic RDA´s?

 

[TrollDragon]

Regarding the sub $40 RDA's like the Doge V2 and the Mutation X V4 (Which is really the Yep by Kingtu).
You are actually better off buying the authentic version as the build quality is much better than the $12 clones on FT IMHO.

 

[Rakku]

Regarding the sub $40 RDA's like the Doge V2 and the Mutation X V4 (Which is really the Yep by Kingtu).
You are actually better off buying the authentic version as the build quality is much better than the $12 clones on FT IMHO.

Well, getting 3 authentics would be over my limit.
If I get an authentic, I can get only one.

Any idea on which to get?
I really have no idea.

Edit:

The authentic must be avaible on Fasttech, since Im buying much stuff and want to ship it over to germany.

 

[Asbestos4004]

A nice single coil on a tugboat would be perfect on your istick 50. 8 wraps of 26 ga on a 2.5mm bit and you'll love it.

 

[Rakku]

A nice single coil on a tugboat would be perfect on your istick 50. 8 wraps of 26 ga on a 2.5mm bit and you'll love it.

Would be a build around around 1.0 Ohm, is that correct?

And btw, on fasttech, there are mostly only clones avaible...
Do you think a Tugboat clone would work out too?

 

[NCCTC]

"Just one thing left, are the RDA clones okay for trying out Cloud chasing?
Or is there a major difference in authentic RDA´s?"

No clone (see:counterfeit) can guarantee the material quality. Who knows what metal it's really made from,
and what comes off of that metal when heated? Starting to build on an authentic UD IGO W would run
you $15 (maybe), and you'd know it's made from safer materials. You could get 3 of them under $50 and rotate
your builds. My opinion only. (Forgot to click Reply With Quote, ugh)

 

[TrollDragon]

I really cant tell you that answer, I have a VapourDNA Mutation X V3 and the CCI Militia with 6 holes. I am not really a cloud chaser and like the Origen V2 Dripper beter as it provides amazing flavour. The builds I have put on both the Mut and the CCI do push some serious clouds though with 100% VG.

If I was going to only get one then the Doge V2 would probably be my choice.
Others will chime in as well I imagine.

 

[TrollDragon]

The Dark Horse and the Doge V2 would be your best choices. Also the CLT V2 might be an option.

Too many Atty's... Set aside a budget for much more juice as you will need it once you start dripping.