nope but I havent used it excessively as yet as I havent had the time to mess with it.
Pictures?!?!?
*GEM: A new RTA by MarkBugs
- Thread starter qorax
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Pictures?!?!?
The finish isn't a coating that can wear off or chip. Its a bead/shot blasted finish that basically roughs up the surface of the ss to give it the matte finish.
Well then there's something wrong with mine as it is was fine when I received it and is now looking like the finish is worn just from touching it.
I have the same problem. Both O-Rings have come out, & I too lost a tank of juice. I feel this is totally unacceptable on a RTA at this price.
Q can weigh in. He has had his for the better part of a year and hadn't reported any issues. I don't own one but have assumed it was finished the same way as the WAE II - media blasted. And although I have to be careful not to scratch it I never had the finish wearing away. It is possible that your particular one was blasted for less time or with different material but definitely post a pic or two.
If this was a general problem, Q would have alerted MB to it Im sure. It is weird because it is hard to imagine how bead blasted 316 SS could just wear out!!!
If you think about, how many times do you actually touch the atty during use. If he's wearing the finish of the GEM his mod must have a hole in it from his thumb [emoji15]
Good Morning folks 
WE/WAE & GEM's finishing is Glass Bead Blasted. It is a pressurized deliberate processing of the steel - and cannot wear off by regular 'touching'. It can get scratched tho - and thus would need extra care in handling (aka don't keep in your pockets with other metallic objects). Yes, the same applies to even polished and brushed surfaces ~ but with this blasted surface the scratches become more pronounced, visible.
None of my WE/WAEs or GEMs have any discoloration or scratches. And yes, I've used them daily since nearly a year. WAEs for two years. But I baby them. Keep them 'only' in that pocket which has just a kerchief and nothing else. And when they're kept horizontally on the table - I ensure that there's a soft material under them, viz. a piece of paper.
This is a signature finish of MarkBugs. And there has been many discussions over the forums, for many years, to have an alternate finishing (viz. polished or brushed) but most of the folks agreed to keep it as it is.
As you're aware, the Beta Testing period of the GEM was one of the longest in the history of vape gears And I'm not the only one who handled the prototypes. Ah yes, I'm the most vocal one But none of us found any issues with the finishing of the GEMs. Btw, even the 'pricing' strategy was discussed with us by MarkBugs. Similarly @petar k did it too, for the URBAs.
WE/WAE & GEM's finishing is Glass Bead Blasted. It is a pressurized deliberate processing of the steel - and cannot wear off by regular 'touching'. It can get scratched tho - and thus would need extra care in handling (aka don't keep in your pockets with other metallic objects). Yes, the same applies to even polished and brushed surfaces ~ but with this blasted surface the scratches become more pronounced, visible.
None of my WE/WAEs or GEMs have any discoloration or scratches. And yes, I've used them daily since nearly a year. WAEs for two years. But I baby them. Keep them 'only' in that pocket which has just a kerchief and nothing else. And when they're kept horizontally on the table - I ensure that there's a soft material under them, viz. a piece of paper.
This is a signature finish of MarkBugs. And there has been many discussions over the forums, for many years, to have an alternate finishing (viz. polished or brushed) but most of the folks agreed to keep it as it is.
As you're aware, the Beta Testing period of the GEM was one of the longest in the history of vape gears
And I'm not the only one who handled the prototypes. Ah yes, I'm the most vocal one But none of us found any issues with the finishing of the GEMs. Btw, even the 'pricing' strategy was discussed with us by MarkBugs. Similarly @petar k did it too, for the URBAs.
I have a small face towel on the table that I lay my WAE2 on along with a few other tube mods/setups, lol (I started using the towel when the WAE2 arrived, wanted to keep it safe from any nicker nackers) [emoji14]Good Morning folks
WE/WAE & GEM's finishing is Glass Bead Blasted. It is a pressurized deliberate processing of the steel - and cannot wear off by regular 'touching'. It can get scratched tho - and thus would need extra care in handling (aka don't keep in your pockets with other metallic objects). Yes, the same applies to even polished and brushed surfaces ~ but with this blasted surface the scratches become more pronounced, visible.
None of my WE/WAEs or GEMs have any discoloration or scratches. And yes, I've used them daily since nearly a year. WAEs for two years. But I baby them. Keep them 'only' in that pocket which has just a kerchief and nothing else. And when they're kept horizontally on the table - I ensure that there's a soft material under them, viz. a piece of paper.
This is a signature finish of MarkBugs. And there has been many discussions over the forums, for many years, to have an alternate finishing (viz. polished or brushed) but most of the folks agreed to keep it as it is.
As you're aware, the Beta Testing period of the GEM was one of the longest in the history of vape gears
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Congrats for grabbing one of the finest RTAs out there!
1. Any resistance would work equally fine with the GEM. The only consideration here is how many wraps, what OD and what gauge of wire. That's b'coz the 'work space' - the coil cup of the GEM's deck is tight. Upto 2.4 mm OD with a 28 AWG wire and a tad lesser OD with higher gauge wires would be ideal. I'd not like to go under 26 AWG tho (for different reasons as well).
2. Unless you've a large coil (length) you don't need to lift it up. Keeping the coil in line with the wick channel, as naturally occurred while keeping the drill bit / screwdriver for mounting it, is good enough. That's what I do. However you can definitely play around with it a bit ~ to find your preferred flavor and TH position. Going any higher than the screws top is not recommended nonetheless.
I passed on the pricing discussion but thought Id add my $0.02 anyway. The GEM is not overpriced. Asdie from the absurdly high quality of manufacture, the contents of the box (and the box itself!) alone justify the cost and it is competitive with virtually all high-end atty's around..
eg. Calix with a drip tip, glass and steel tank with postage comes to almost exactly 160 eu. No hybrid base adaptor and no firing plate (although its not really needed in this case).
Erlkonigin - with a steel DT configuration, spare glass tank and metal tank nearer 180 eu
Taifun GT2 (different situation really but anyway) with spare tank kit comes in around 180 eu
etc etc
Ok, no bag of o-rings and screws
and it could be argued that the extra glass tank and steel tank could be sold separately as optional but nonetheless, this is a beautifully crafted piece with a superb and pretty much unique set of features and specs....worth evry last euro cent....
there, I've said my piece!
eg. Calix with a drip tip, glass and steel tank with postage comes to almost exactly 160 eu. No hybrid base adaptor and no firing plate (although its not really needed in this case).
Erlkonigin - with a steel DT configuration, spare glass tank and metal tank nearer 180 eu
Taifun GT2 (different situation really but anyway) with spare tank kit comes in around 180 eu
etc etc
Ok, no bag of o-rings and screws
and it could be argued that the extra glass tank and steel tank could be sold separately as optional but nonetheless, this is a beautifully crafted piece with a superb and pretty much unique set of features and specs....worth evry last euro cent....there, I've said my piece!
And I loved it
I am very glad you approve sir!
I was going to add a bunch more examples, and there are lots...but the point is made I think! In fact, the more I think about it the more of a bargain it seems!
I feel the same way. If you remove the accessories & the shipping - it could be just around $100 - and that's defo a bargain for a fine piece of eqpt.
To be honest, the only thing I would probably give up is the metal tank but even that is such a nice thing to have it would feel incomplete if I didnt have that option. Spare glass tank is a no brainer. Its made for the wae's so the hybrid is, in some sense, the default. Its the 510 adapter that is the add-on...I really dont see what MB could have done differently really. Its just great as it is!!
..and yes, I am, it seems, a MB fanboy as of a week ago!!
..and yes, I am, it seems, a MB fanboy as of a week ago!!
We WON! But the Legislators won't rest
unfortunately democracy dissolves very efficiently in wads of cash...disgraceful!
I will always defer to Q but having done bead blasting there is always the risk that your one piece was not subject to the same amount of time as the norm. Think of it as rock tumbling.[emoji3]. Show us a pic
And then we can comment. Wearing away is unlikely though - scratches are inevitable. I don't baby my WAE II at all and it has no more than 1 or 2 scratches.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And then we can comment. Wearing away is unlikely though - scratches are inevitable. I don't baby my WAE II at all and it has no more than 1 or 2 scratches.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
