First impressions of the Vamo

[Altaire Versailles]

Just used my Vamo today from vaporbreak.com and I have to say, I dont see what the hype is about. Ill give my pros then my cons on this thing.

So things I like about it...
It doesnt look bad, people complain about the lcd screen, I think its kind of interesting, almost retro looking.

Battery well is fine, no rattling issues, 18650 fit perfectly.

Vapes better than my ego knockoff. To a certain extent. It definitely produces more vapor and doesnt require as slow a draw.


Things I dont like about it: which will be a longer list for sure.
For one, the threading is very course, its difficult sometimes to screw the carto on, its crunchy.

The threads arent parallel to the unit. My cartos look like the leaning tower of Piza on this thing. Ive attempted to correct the issue with screwdrivers knives hammers, bending a clearo on top of it, no dice. So its ugly.

It doesnt read the cartos resistances correctly. Sometimes the same cart will be 1.8, sometimes 2.4, sometimes 4.4, it depends. On the Vamo. As a result, I cant use the VW feature very effectively because if it reads that my 2.4ohm carto is a 5 ohm, my heating coil instantly goes beet red at a normal wattage setting of 7 or 8W and burns the juice and my coil.

The buttons arent secure and click and clack when touching or depressing them, feels like metal on metal and they rattle when moving the unit around.

Has a really deep juice catching well which makes it impossible to clean. Which I didnt see as being an issue until I attempted to unscrew a ce4 from it, unscrewed the core instead because the threading is so much more course than the threading on my carto core, and dumped juice all over the well, which I couldnt clean out very well after a half hour or so dabbing at it with qtips or even thin paper towel because the well is so deep.

Its very heavy. I mean surprisingly so being that its not that big. Definitely over a pound, maybe 2 with the 18650.

So all in all I guess you get what you pay for, I dont see myself using this very much if at all, it is entirely unreliable as far as the VW features and its incredibly annoying that I have to screw my cartos on the skewed threading on a wobbling axis and then vape on a cocked carto tip. And the flavor honestly isnt any better than from my VV Ego clone. Just more vapor. I am entirely unsatisfied and if I had paid more than 30 for this I would be really ticked. This is my first APV if you can even call it that, I am hoping there is something to them that I didnt get from this Vamo from all the raving about them on this board. Maybe Ill try a Provari next, they seem to be of higher quality...

 

[Spike64]

Just used my Vamo today from vaporbreak.com and I have to say, I dont see what the hype is about. Ill give my pros then my cons on this thing.

So things I like about it...
It doesnt look bad, people complain about the lcd screen, I think its kind of interesting, almost retro looking.

Battery well is fine, no rattling issues, 18650 fit perfectly.

Vapes better than my ego knockoff. To a certain extent. It definitely produces more vapor and doesnt require as slow a draw.


Things I dont like about it: which will be a longer list for sure.
For one, the threading is very course, its difficult sometimes to screw the carto on, its crunchy.

The threads arent parallel to the unit. My cartos look like the leaning tower of Piza on this thing. Ive attempted to correct the issue with screwdrivers knives hammers, bending a clearo on top of it, no dice. So its ugly.

It doesnt read the cartos resistances correctly. Sometimes the same cart will be 1.8, sometimes 2.4, sometimes 4.4, it depends. On the Vamo. As a result, I cant use the VW feature very effectively because if it reads that my 2.4ohm carto is a 5 ohm, my heating coil instantly goes beet red at a normal wattage setting of 7 or 8W and burns the juice and my coil.

The buttons arent secure and click and clack when touching or depressing them, feels like metal on metal and they rattle when moving the unit around.

Has a really deep juice catching well which makes it impossible to clean. Which I didnt see as being an issue until I attempted to unscrew a ce4 from it, unscrewed the core instead because the threading is so much more course than the threading on my carto core, and dumped juice all over the well, which I couldnt clean out very well after a half hour or so dabbing at it with qtips or even thin paper towel because the well is so deep.

Its very heavy. I mean surprisingly so being that its not that big. Definitely over a pound, maybe 2 with the 18650.

So all in all I guess you get what you pay for, I dont see myself using this very much if at all, it is entirely unreliable as far as the VW features and its incredibly annoying that I have to screw my cartos on the skewed threading on a wobbling axis and then vape on a cocked carto tip. And the flavor honestly isnt any better than from my VV Ego clone. Just more vapor. I am entirely unsatisfied and if I had paid more than 30 for this I would be really ticked. This is my first APV if you can even call it that, I am hoping there is something to them that I didnt get from this Vamo from all the raving about them on this board. Maybe Ill try a Provari next, they seem to be of higher quality...

Interesting...other than the clacking buttons (which really IMHO is a minor metal on metal thing and doesn't annoy me much) and overall weight (it's quite portable and easier to travel with in short mode), both of which I fully expected before I bought mine after watching several video reviews, my experience has been just the opposite of yours. It pulls and vapes much better than my eGo 1100 and my eGo 18650 MOD, the tanks and clearos screw on nice and straight and the resistance measurements have been quite accurate. I've found no issues cleaning the well on the couple of occasions that I've felt the need to....I find it quite sturdy, well built, and to be of excellent quality. I like it a lot and feel that I got excellent value for the amount money spent. No buyers remorse here.

 

[Altaire Versailles]

Interesting...other than the clacking buttons (which really IMHO is a minor metal on metal thing and doesn't annoy me much) and overall weight (it's quite portable and easier to travel with in short mode), both of which I fully expected before I bought mine after watching several video reviews, my experience has been just the opposite of yours. It pulls and vapes much better than my eGo 1100 and my eGo 18650 MOD, the tanks and clearos screw on nice and straight and the resistance measurements have been quite accurate. I've found no issues cleaning the well on the couple of occasions that I've felt the need to....I find it quite sturdy, well built, and to be of excellent quality. I like it a lot and feel that I got excellent value for the amount money spent. No buyers remorse here.

yeah Im really surprised how disappointing the Vamo was for me given the reviews and opinions Ive seen on this board, the general consensus seems to parallel your opinion of it. Dunno maybe somebody found out they were getting fired at the end of the day and screwed mine up lol

 

[Spike64]

yeah Im really surprised how disappointing the Vamo was for me given the reviews and opinions Ive seen on this board, the general consensus seems to parallel your opinion of it. Dunno maybe somebody found out they were getting fired at the end of the day and screwed mine up lol

I have no way of knowing this, but it almost sounds like you got one with defective electronics and some crossed threads...

 

[stillnotsmoking]

I have no way of knowing this, but it almost sounds like you got one with defective electronics and some crossed threads...

China QC at it's best! Undoubtedly since the vamo has become so popular they are churning out more and more of them each day. Quantity over quality, unfortunately.

 

[Talyon]

This sounds like u got one that the chrome plating is to heavy and nor even on the threads, this well work in with time.
Your correct Yhe ohm reader isn't even close to accurate, but I didn't expect it to read like a Fluke.
The buttons do rattle, but no big deal.
To bad about the crooked threading wish it had been proper for u.

I love my Vamo for the price and have 2 that work and fit great, with either 18650, or stacked 18350 batts.

I'm not big on how much vapor is produced by any PV, so not a concern to me, as my main priority is TH, which I get from all my PV's.

I've done the same with my nova unthreaded it at wrong place but got lucky as liquid got all over my pants (work) and not in the battery well.

Hope u have a good experience with it just the same. And I second the Provari as I'll be getting one down the road to.

 

[Talyon]

This sounds like u got one that the chrome plating is to heavy and nor even on the threads, this well work in with time.
Your correct Yhe ohm reader isn't even close to accurate, but I didn't expect it to read like a Fluke.
The buttons do rattle, but no big deal.
To bad about the crooked threading wish it had been proper for u.

I love my Vamo for the price and have 2 that work and fit great, with either 18650, or stacked 18350 batts.

I'm not big on how much vapor is produced by any PV, so not a concern to me, as my main priority is TH, which I get from all my PV's.

I've done the same with my nova unthreaded it at wrong place but got lucky as liquid got all over my pants (work) and not in the battery well.

Hope u have a good experience with it just the same. And I second the Provari as I'll be getting one down the road to.

 

[Spike64]

China QC at it's best! Undoubtedly since the vamo has become so popular they are churning out more and more of them each day. Quantity over quality, unfortunately.

The only complaint i have with mine is that the oled display is not exactly centered in the window. It's "off" just a little....yep, that's some awesome Chinese QC!....LOL

 

[Spike64]

And I second the Provari as I'll be getting one down the road to.

I can see that in my future too...down the road....it just takes time and money....mostly money....and a covert attempt to slide the expenditure past the little woman....lol

 

[Altaire Versailles]

This sounds like u got one that the chrome plating is to heavy and nor even on the threads, this well work in with time.
Your correct Yhe ohm reader isn't even close to accurate, but I didn't expect it to read like a Fluke.
The buttons do rattle, but no big deal.
To bad about the crooked threading wish it had been proper for u.

I love my Vamo for the price and have 2 that work and fit great, with either 18650, or stacked 18350 batts.

I'm not big on how much vapor is produced by any PV, so not a concern to me, as my main priority is TH, which I get from all my PV's.

I've done the same with my nova unthreaded it at wrong place but got lucky as liquid got all over my pants (work) and not in the battery well.

Hope u have a good experience with it just the same. And I second the Provari as I'll be getting one down the road to.

the threading not allowing the carto to screw on easily is a minor annoyance. The threading being asymetrical is a major thing for me. I buy something new, I dont want defects of that magnitude. It would be the same as if they sent me one with burnt carbon or rust on it, they should keep that or throw it out, or sell it as defective, dont give it to me...actually this Vamo did have rust around the rim that I couldnt completely rub off. But thats the thing. Thats thier job, not mine, I shouldnt have to fix thier product, thats what Im paying them for. And the coil unscrewed because the threading isnt smooth on the Vamo, it wasnt loose on the coil or anything. Ive done that myself before, and tightened the coil with pliers and its never happened again on the ego. Its tough screwing on and screwing off the Vamo threading. The rattling buttons isnt a big deal for me either, its the sideways threading and the VW feature not functioning correctly, which was essentially my motivation to buy it...

 

[stillnotsmoking]

OP: If the crooked 510 threads really bug you, you could try running a tap down it making sure to hold the tap center line with the vamo and "tweak" the threads straight, if you will.

7 mm x .5 High Speed Steel Bottoming Tap - Amazon.com

 

[nahoku]

Did you contact the vendor to see if you can exchange it?

 

[Sheila Michele 1971]

I LOVE my VAMO! Crazy how different these same pvs are from person to person.
My threads are straight.

 

[jamentertainment]

I have three from different vendors, all of the cartos/tanks sit perfectly, exchange that one

 

[Relaxed5311]

In addition to you considering the ProVari, you may want to take a look at the eVic.

Sorry about how your vamo turned out, I have three and have not experienced too many of the problems. The ohm readings could be an issue with the insulator around the center pin. Some of my clearomizers seem to be tilted a bit, but not where it is noticeable. All of my carto tanks look correct and straight when attached. I hope you find something that works for you!

 

[vintagerider]

i also got mine from vaporbreak the only issue i have had is the center seems to want to seperate from the top body not a problem in shorty mode but i do preffer stacked so i find myself pushing it back together all the time the vendor said that i would get a free gift on my next order not sure there is gonna be one though but other than that i like my vamo very much

 

[White Rabbit]

Altaire, Evidently you did get a defective Vamo, which is not uncommon from Vaporbreak or Healthcabin, both overseas vendors. The stainless steel Vamo "seems" to be better made, although there probably are a few defective ones floating around also. There are at least four factories that make this mod in China and from all of the posts that I have read there are quite a few with problems like you encountered. When purchased from a reliable USA Vendor, they usually are replaced without a problem, however the vendors from China not only give you a hard time, but want you to ship it back first and wait another 4 weeks plus pay shipping both ways, so you might as well keep it, or buy another from a USA Vendor. I have had a stainless steel Vamo for 5 months without any problems except tanks fitting too tight on the top causing a lack of air flow. I solved that by drilling a 1/16th inch hole through the drip well.

Bummer you got a bad Vamo!

Wabbit

 

[peraspera]

Your beef should be with Vapor Break rather than your VAMO. They obviously don't weed out QC problems before shipping and are difficult to work with for exchanges or refunds.

My chrome VAMO came from Vapor Beast and my stainless steel one from Health Cabin. Neither have any of the QC issues you describe and both have been working flawlessly since I got them in December.

My threads work perfectly and my juice devices are perfectly straight when attached. The oHm readings are always the same or within .1 of my cartomizer/atomizer meter.

My buttons do not rattle and have the expected clicky feel to them. They make a barely detectable clicky noise when pressed—nothing that could be described as a metal sound or anything else out the ordinary.

The juice well isn't an issue confined to the VAMO. Fold a paper towel over the end of a toothpick or a tiny flat head eyeglass type screwdriver to clean up the last of the residual spilled juice.

The unexpected power problem can be a problem in AVG mode even if the VAMO is reading the ohms of the juice delivery device correctly. This is true for any PV run in AVG mode. Press and hold down either the "+" or "-" buttons for 10 seconds. Reading the mode changes it so if the screen reads NO1 (AVG mode) it was previously in NO2 (RMS mode). If that is the case change it back by holding down the "+" or "-" buttons for 10 seconds. Otherwise, leave it in NO2 (RMS mode.

Also, it is possible that using incorrect batteries could be causing issues although I wouldn't think that they would cause the erratic oHm readings. Use IMR 18650 or 18350. Panasonic hybrid CGR18650CHs also work very well and are highly regarded in the vaping community. These batteries will provide adequate power for the VAMO to operate correctly.

Shoot a video of your VAMO showing the issues you have with it and send a copy to Vapor Break. Ask for a refund or replacement. If they don't give you a refund or shipping notice for a replacement within a week file a claim with PayPal. Don't put up with any stall tactics.

Altaire, Evidently you did get a defective Vamo, which is not uncommon from Vaporbreak or Healthcabin, both overseas vendors.

Please do not put Health Cabin in the same category as a sleazy vendor like Vapor Break. Health Cabin is a well-regarded ECF vendor with very good customer service. They also have an ECF forum where someone can post if an issue slips through the cracks. Health Cabin were the ones who first identified a problem with the high resistance spring on the first stainless steel VAMO. They put up a big warning on the front page of their website and sent replacement springs free of charge.

 

[nahoku]

This is the most probable cause of your "leaning tower of Pisa"... please excuse the crude drawing.

View attachment 203126

The Vamo head (blue) has a cutout at the bottom and accepts the 510 connector plate (grey). The plate is press-fit into the cutout during assembly. If the plate is offset during installation (shown at right), then the 510 connector will certainly lean to one side. The Vamo connector threads and body is not very robust, while the press-fit plate is tapered and pressed in very tightly... I don't recommend you attacking this problem from the top by using the connector as leverage.

What you need to do is pull the Vamo head off, and assure the plate is pressed in evenly into the head and that should fix your problem.

See THIS video on how to disassemble Vamo. Once you get it disassembled, you can attempt to straighten things out without unsoldering any wires... although unsoldering would make it easier. Note that disassembling with a pair of pliers is not my preferred method! Be careful if you're going to do it this way.

 

[lulu836]

Sure do wish I had done more research before ordering one of these disastrous devices.