Erlkonigin and Clone Comparison

[PLANofMAN]

Ok guys, I was afraid that this would happen. I didn't mean to start a clone vs authentic debate with this thread. I just wanted to do a comparison.

I have had clones and authentics of many different atty's. I have heard stories of other's clones performing flawlessly. I honestly have a hard time believing it. Because all of my atty clones were crap.

Only bought one clone of a mod. An hcigar copper Nemesis. Horrible piece of crap imo. That's with super cleaning of all parts and installing fat daddy's magnets. Junk! That's why I never bought another clone mod. I am sure that there are others out there that have acquired a decent clone but not me.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the authentic Nemesis is crap, so when you copy crap, you wind up with a turd (in my opinion). My Paragon and GP PAPS Lux clones are fantastic. My Nemesis clone never gets used, and my Orochi clone was...disappointing, to say the least. My authentic ProVari and Sturm V2 mod are exquisite functional works of art, and I don't regret purchasing them.

I finally built the clone from my original post. Does it work? Yeah, sorta. Filling it after the build was a complete disaster. Flooding to the extreme. I must've lost about 3ml of juice filling the thing. I built and filled it exactly like I have done dozens of times with my authentics. Unfortunately, not the same result.

Mine didn't leak at all. Just a little bit of seepage during filling. Are you sure you didn't lose the top o-ring?

Here's a little side note about my frugal father: He used to think that it was money well spent purchasing knock off jeans at walmart, Target, K-Mart, etc rather than brand named jeans. He bought 5 pairs of knock offs for more than I paid for one pair of Levis. Guess who needed to buy new jeans before I did? After that adventure and me telling my Dad that "You get what you pay for." he came to the realization. Yes, indeed, you do get what you paid for. Guess what brand of jeans that my dad wears today.

I hear you there. I pretty much only wear Polo, GAP, or American Eagle clothing. I have some Polo sweaters and button down shirts that are 15 years old.

Currently, one can purchase an authentic Erlprinz for $74.73 w/ the more expensive shipping. Yeah, you can buy a couple of clones for that but do those clones come with a manufacturer's warranty? Are parts readily available that will actually fit. Will you end up going through all of those clone before I have even started on my authentic? <== reference to my story about my dad.

Everyone has their own financial struggles and I understand that but some times, clones can end up being more expensive than just buying the original.

And that's all I have to say about that.

You have helpfully confirmed that virtually all the parts are interchangeable, and as for the warranty, FastTech offers a hassle-free warranty (I've used it twice).

Product Warranty (faulty / defective over normal use)

Unless otherwise noted on the product page, product warranty is 6 months counted from the date of shipment.
Within 3 months from shipment:
Upon returning, defective items are replaced and shipped back to customers for free. Return shipping reimbursement is USD 40 or 50% of the item's price, whichever is lower.

Within 6 months from shipment:
Upon returning, defective items are replaced and shipped back to customers for free. Return shipping reimbursement is unavailable.

Afterwards:
Customers may still send defective items back to FastTech. FastTech passes those items back to their manufactures and helps coordinating the repair. Customers are responsible for shipping charges both ways.

Depending on the problem, fees may be assessed by the manufacturers. FastTech will contact customers before committing the repairs.

 

[tchavei]

Although 6 months and not two years like the original

Regards
Tony

Sent from my GT-I9195 through Tapatalk

 

[Merlin21]

Oh no arguments here with anybody about clones vs original, that has been beat to death. I like the clone a lot, flavor is like you drinking the juice. Extremely well built, some flooding when refilling and some other quirks but it's user error on my part until I figure how to set it up properly and get used to it.

As for the Elprinz, due to the way the clone is performing I will most likely purchase it when it hits the US because of my experience with the clone. Extremely grateful for your thread and experience Jax......

 

[roxynoodle]

I may hold out for the Erlprinz then. Be nice if it was sold in the US so I don't spend a fortune on shipping. I do have some great clones. The Roses were a little "clonish". The SqR is junk. Not debating clones vs. authentics. Just trying to make a good decision. And can only get one expensive authentic for Christmas, and trying to decide which I want most. I do have some authentics, but they were inexpensive (Lemo, Doge).

 

[Millah]

The only differences I've experienced with clones has been a matter of fit/finish and overall polish. Functionally they've all worked the same. Granted, i've never gotten into a clone with serious issues (like the SqR), but I tend to find a quick consensus before getting a clone and if I hear of issues I just wait. I have a Rose v2 clone which performs flawlessly, and the fit/finish is beautiful (although not as polished as the authentic). Feels like a quality product. Even though its a fairly complex design, the cloners did a good job.

As someone earlier said, its not a matter of financial struggles, its a matter of value and what I'm willing to pay for products. I'm just not willing to spend close to $200 on an atomizer. 90-100 is much more realistic to me. ESPECIALLY when you don't even know whether you're going to like it. I got an authentic Zenith v2.5 (after 3 months of preorder shenanigans) and decided after that it would be the last authentic I get without some serious consideration after getting the clone to test first. I spent $115 on an RDA, and it literally just sits in a drawer. I actually want to try and trade it.

 

[Nitroturtle]

As someone earlier said, its not a matter of financial struggles, its a matter of value and what I'm willing to pay for products. I'm just not willing to spend close to $200 on an atomizer. 90-100 is much more realistic to me. ESPECIALLY when you don't even know whether you're going to like it. I got an authentic Zenith v2.5 (after 3 months of preorder shenanigans) and decided after that it would be the last authentic I get without some serious consideration after getting the clone to test first. I spent $115 on an RDA, and it literally just sits in a drawer. I actually want to try and trade it.

Couldn't agree more. I have hundreds of dollars wasted on vape gear that either sits around, was sold for a loss or gifted to friends. Vape preferences vary greatly, and just because something is well liked does not mean everyone will like it.

With that said, my clone from G Vapers arrived today. I slapped a coil and wick together in about 10 minutes, decent shoulders with very little in the channels. Had a bit of leaking initially, but from the suggestions in this thread to others with the issue I'm sure I can correct it next time. Hasn't leaked since the initial fill though and it's hitting like a champ. I had to force myself to set it down for awhile after feeling a bit nic sick.

I'm very impressed with the quality for the price. The only flaw I've been able to find is that the o-rings between the two top pieces fall out very easily. Just have to be careful when fully disassembling and it shouldn't be an issue. Also, of the two tanks I ordered from IBTanked, the top piece won't fit in one of the ends of one of the tanks. The metal is actually too large to fit into the glass on that end. Flipped it around and it fits, though a bit snug. Can't complain, as I assume they are sized for an authentic and I can get it to work.

Overall I'm very pleased. The weight and juice capacity are both incredible. I'd be surprised if we don't see additional RTAs based on this style hitting the market. It really feels like a great evolution of the kayfun design.

My order from Vapingtech that I placed a week and a half ago (and requested to cancel 3 days ago) finally shipped today. After getting a chance to use this one today though, I'm not too upset about having another on the way.

 

[elenamylove]

Couldn't agree more. I have hundreds of dollars wasted on vape gear that either sits around, was sold for a loss or gifted to friends. Vape preferences vary greatly, and just because something is well liked does not mean everyone will like it.

With that said, my clone from G Vapers arrived today. I slapped a coil and wick together in about 10 minutes, decent shoulders with very little in the channels. Had a bit of leaking initially, but from the suggestions in this thread to others with the issue I'm sure I can correct it next time. Hasn't leaked since the initial fill though and it's hitting like a champ. I had to force myself to set it down for awhile after feeling a bit nic sick.

I'm very impressed with the quality for the price. The only flaw I've been able to find is that the o-rings between the two top pieces fall out very easily. Just have to be careful when fully disassembling and it shouldn't be an issue. Also, of the two tanks I ordered from IBTanked, the top piece won't fit in one of the ends of one of the tanks. The metal is actually too large to fit into the glass on that end. Flipped it around and it fits, though a bit snug. Can't complain, as I assume they are sized for an authentic and I can get it to work.

Overall I'm very pleased. The weight and juice capacity are both incredible. I'd be surprised if we don't see additional RTAs based on this style hitting the market. It really feels like a great evolution of the kayfun design.

My order from Vapingtech that I placed a week and a half ago (and requested to cancel 3 days ago) finally shipped today. After getting a chance to use this one today though, I'm not too upset about having another on the way.

Did you finally fix the leaking issue (explain where and how please) you mentioned earlier in your post? Just curious and something to look out for as mine will be here any day now. The Russian 2.0 is set for delivery today so at least that will be here to toy with.

 

[Nitroturtle]

Did you finally fix the leaking issue (explain where and how please) you mentioned earlier in your post? Just curious and something to look out for as mine will be here any day now. The Russian 2.0 is set for delivery today so at least that will be here to toy with.

Other than when I initially filled it, I haven't had any more leaking. I suspect it's a combination of things that caused the leaking initially. I filled it fairly slowly, didn't use the juice control ring and didn't put much wick in the channels. The juice I use is 50/50 PG/VG, so I figure it's just a matter of filling it faster and determining how much wick is needed in the channels to work well with my juice. I may also have to replace the ring, but I'm going to wait until I rebuild before trying anything since it's not leaking currently.

 

[PLANofMAN]

This was posted in the FastTech forum. It's the silver box version.

 

[roxynoodle]

Which is the silver box version? The $17 one?

FC put theirs on sale yesterday for $13 . Tempted.

Wondering why most of the clones say 8ml capacity. Isn't the authentic 6ml?

 

[folkphys]

many cloners seem to be calculating their volumes/capacities using only the inside dimensions of the tank/tubes, without taking into account the inner decks and chimney parts which of course eat up significant portions of those volumes.

 

[KTMRider]

Pbusardo was able to fill a bit over 7ml into his.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Which is the silver box version? The $17 one?

FC put theirs on sale yesterday for $13 . Tempted.

Wondering why most of the clones say 8ml capacity. Isn't the authentic 6ml?

The silver box version is the $20 (plus change) version on FastTech. Sorry, should have made that clear, especially since FastTech has like 14 different versions of these now, ranging in price from $14-$20.

Yeah. 6ml capacity as is. 8 ml with a glass tank or with the 22mm tank. FastTech has the capacities mislabeled.

 

[rondasherrill]

I've been contemplating getting a clone to try it out, since it'll be a while before I can afford an original or even an ErlP with the super high shipping.

Does anyone offer a clone of the nano?

 

[elenamylove]

My clone will be here tomorrow, will try to nab it at lunch time and put a quick build in it and post back my experiences.

Can't wait, been wanting this device for weeks now.

 

[KTMRider]

Hopefully, the one from FT will be here tomorrow. Another week for the one from FC.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Does anyone offer a clone of the nano?

Not yet. But I'll be the first in line if they offer a full set with nano option, glass and PMMA tanks for nano and full size, assorted drip tips, drip tip adapters, 21, 22, and 23mm steel tanks and the open airflow posi post as an extra accessory. $50 sounds just about perfect.

 

[rondasherrill]

Not yet. But I'll be the first in line if they offer a full set with nano option, glass and PMMA tanks for nano and full size, assorted drip tips, drip tip adapters, 21, 22, and 23mm steel tanks and the open airflow posi post as an extra accessory. $50 sounds just about perfect.

On the "Discussions" link of the Erlkonigin clone on Fastech, I saw that several people were asking about the nano. Someone labelled as staff said they were looking into it already and it would be listed as soon as stock came in, so that sounds good.

 

[retic1959]

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the authentic Nemesis is crap, so when you copy crap, you wind up with a turd (in my opinion). My Paragon and GP PAPS Lux clones are fantastic. My Nemesis clone never gets used, and my Orochi clone was...disappointing, to say the least. My authentic ProVari and Sturm V2 mod are exquisite functional works of art, and I don't regret purchasing them. Mine didn't leak at all. Just a little bit of seepage during filling. Are you sure you didn't lose the top o-ring? I hear you there. I pretty much only wear Polo, GAP, or American Eagle clothing. I have some Polo sweaters and button down shirts that are 15 years old. You have helpfully confirmed that virtually all the parts are interchangeable, and as for the warranty, FastTech offers a hassle-free warranty (I've used it twice).

I agree about copying crap results in turds . I have an authentic copper Stingray given to me by a friend and a Hcigar Stingray X clone . My friend said he spent hours working on the copper Stingray's switch and I spent hours working on the Stingray X's switch . I also invested more time in the authentic's switch . Both were sticky and glitchy starting out . They are also on an equal footing regarding threading and fit and finish and overall quality . The Stingray switch design is the problem starting out , bad switch on the authentic results in bad switch on the clone . Thankfully they're both sorted out but the clone edges out the authentic in terms of voltage drop . I expect to do some sorting out when buying a clone but I'm glad the authentic was a gift or I would've been pizzed having spent $170 plus shipping on the authentic only to spend hours sorting it out . Sometimes you get what you paid for , sometimes you get screwed .

 

[retic1959]

Although 6 months and not two years like the original Regards Tony Sent from my GT-I9195 through Tapatalk

Getting a warranty on any vape gear is nice , 6 months on a $20 atty when most RDA/RBA's have none is exceptional IMO .