To bad some people have to be so defensive about where their new toy came from.
I received my FT Ithaka clone. Looks Great, with the exception of the o-rings all staying in plain view. Originals seams hug up better.
Also a shame I received my Hercules clone a few days before the FT version.
Having had time to play with each and compare / rebuild / compare again, I can definitely tell the difference.
Built as Twins, with the FT rebuilt 2 times, they do not perform the same.
Hercules worked perfect out of the gate.
All parts hit Perfectly together.
All tolerances are very close with no slop.
Zero issues with false start cross threading.
No dry hits - No leaks > even with flow open 3/8"
No flooding if left with control open for hours with a full tank
FT Version:
1) Cannot place capture ring over wicks and screw down - Repeated attempts(30-40) Failed
Must thread up from bottom, but will easily screw off top, just will not start from top.(so, work around useable)
2) Stack to wick section(Flow Control) Horrible loose tolerance. How horrible? Mouthpiece can be threaded fully down without bind and be cross threaded.(yep, did it a few times)
1/4 turn from sealed yields an extremely wobbly mouthpiece.(hidden with tip cap in place)
Replacing with the Hercules mouthpiece yields a snug fit with no binding. Much closer tolerance.
3) Opening mouthpiece even slightly causes flooding within minutes. <Remember -
identical builds>
I have no issue with Who builds the piece, but rather the time and machining accuracy to build it properly.
i.e. Many will get perfectly good units but many may have similar or different issues due to lax manufacturing policies.
As to the Who of manufacture - this argument can go on and on. For myself, I am of no doubt mine is From Tobeco and sold by Fasttech. The reason for my decision is simple, Research .
While others argue single points for reference, I go out and look for verifications and discrepancies.
This Review was my final stop and satisfied me that my information is reasonable to assume Tobeco is correctly identified.
Tobeco Ithaka Clone
This unit is an exact duplicate of the one I received from Fasttech and am currently testing.