Have You Ever Broke An RDA/RTA?

[Zaryk]

Minus broken glass or the occasional stripped grub screw, how common is it to break an rda or rta?

I have not broken any myself (minus a couple of glass sections, and one stripped grub screw), and have only seen a couple of examples of posts breaking or other major damages that disable a rebuildable. I was wanting to ask here if anyone has any stories of their rebuildable breaking and what it took to do so.

 

[Baditude]

Having worked in a vape shop in the past, I have seen on a couple of occassions where a post broke off of the build deck. Probably just a poor weld job by the manufacturer.

I've seen insulators that "dissolved" into nonexistance, possibly from too much current or heat.

 

[Izan]

Minus broken glass or the occasional stripped grub screw, how common is it to break an rda or rta?

I have not broken any myself (minus a couple of glass sections, and one stripped grub screw), and have only seen a couple of examples of posts breaking or other major damages that disable a rebuildable. I was wanting to ask here if anyone has any stories of their rebuildable breaking and what it took to do so.

I stripped the threads on the 510 center post for my Spheroid V4. Replaced with 2mmX9mm screw from the hardware store. Works like new.
Otherwise, only ever had "china" sourced products break or become unusable.
I dropped some of my Oddy clones a few too many times and the 510 threads removed themselves from the base.

Cheers
I

 

[DavidOck]

Ignoring what some flavors do to some plastics - and that not from personal experience...

Nope, not a one. I diy and typically have an even dozen going at any time, all RTAs.

I suspect stripped threads would be the most likely case, either on grub screws, fill screws or tank sections. The suspected bad welds Bad mentioned are, imo, pretty rare. And disappeared insulators can be replaced, in many cases.

 

[HauntedMyst]

I busted an awesome atty trying to drill out the air hole The drill bit snapped inside.

 

[Zaryk]

I dropped one of my Oddy clones a few too many times and the 510 threads removed themselves from the base.

Wow, those threads must have been very poorly cut. Or it took one heck of a fall...

And disappeared insulators can be replaced, in many cases.

I agree that wouldn't totally disable the atty, unless a replacement isn't avaliable. But on a mech that could end up being a pretty bad day.

 

[englishmick]

I've had a couple of Nautilus cage tank sections die. I cross threaded them where they screw onto the top of the head. They are replaceable though. I dropped a KFL and partly tore out the plastic section in the middle. Had to use channel locks to get the plastic section out, but they are replaceable too and the rest of the tank was fine.

I got a couple of really nice and fairly expensive real stone drip tips. Both of them broke off at the end of the part that fits into the top of the tank. I had wanted those drip tips for a long time and finally treated myself. They didn't last long at all.

Tanks seem to be pretty tough actually.

 

[Letitia]

I managed to destroy a post on one STM rba head, believe I took it one turn too tight. When first starting to vape I over tightened everything. The worse were the damn Nauties.

 

[Eskie]

I had a Pharoah on top of a Triade that jumped off the bed in an act of defiance. The mod was fine (good thing too or I would have killed it) the glass was fine, but the base of the tank got all messed up. Couldn't get it together no matter how much I tapped it (OK hammered away at it) so that sucker was toast. Only tank I ever lost. I kept the other sections as backups for my other Pharaoh tanks.

 

[Canadian_Vaper]

Velocity V1 (Clone)... Had a mod autofire in a leather tool belt while I was working, didn't even notice until I smelt burning leather.. Reach my hand it to get it out welp if you've ever touched a very hot coil part of the burn was the same as that, but the crappy thing was is the POM drip tip had completely melted and poured over the rest of my hand. The top cap was essentially red hot.. The mod wasn't very hot at all. Working around other people I didn't want to scream but sure felt like it... Held it in...

Next day I chisled out the remaining POM, insulators still looked good, disassembled it and gave it a cleaning, put in the 510 adapter and a 510 drip tip, all new orings and the thing still ran like a champ. I guess technically I didn't break the RDA but instead completely annihilated a drip tip. Still use the RDA from time to time.

As for broke? 2x Verlocity V2 (Clones) broke 2 of the center posts tightening some coils..

 

[suprtrkr]

I have located a few poor design features the hard way a time or two. I don't really think of that as "breaking" it; Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw. I'm talking about interference fit pressed parts that should have been welded or threaded, that sort of thing. What can I say? Buy cheap get cheap. Sometimes you get cheap when you buy expensive, but less often usually.

Now, there have been a few toppers who have just wantonly me off. Recalcitrance is a terrible thing to behold in an atomizer. So I put them out of my misery to avoid them poisoning someone else's life in case somebody found it after I had merely thrown it away. Usually by crushing in a vise, occasionally by smashing with a hammer (more fun), and once I melted one down into a puddle of slag with an oxyacetelyne torch (that one was just evil, no other word for it).

 

[Ryedan]

Not counting plastic or glass tank sections, I have never 'broken' one.

I did receive one really cheap clone that was so poorly made it failed beyond my ability to repair it after about a year. I also have a couple of authentic Augvape Merlins that I could not get to stop leaking occasionally due to their design. That was a shame because I really liked the way they vaped. It did teach me to stay away from press fit assemblies and from Augvape, so it wasn't a total loss

 

[Ryedan]

Usually by crushing in a vise, occasionally by smashing with a hammer (more fun), and once I melted one down into a puddle of slag with an oxyacetelyne torch (that one was just evil, no other word for it).

I like the way you think suprtrkr

 

[suprtrkr]

I like the way you think suprtrkr

If the shoe fits...

 

[Eskie]

I like the way you think suprtrkr

Pretty hard core torching it to slag. Probably deserved it though.

 

[DavidOck]

And was probably a LOT of fun!

 

[Izan]

Wow, those threads must have been very poorly cut. Or it took one heck of a fall...

Terminator/Nautilus/Choddy/Oddy Clone Pics, Tip,Tricks and Quirks
Photos/info thru the link

Cheers
I

 

[Letitia]

Terminator/Nautilus/Choddy/Oddy Clone Pics, Tip,Tricks and Quirks
Photos/info thru the link

Cheers
I

Way more fun to throw them about.

 

[suprtrkr]

Pretty hard core torching it to slag. Probably deserved it though.

It was. An Old Skool MT tank it was. I have 4 or 5 of them still, a fine piece of gear. It was my go-to tank before Roxy-- whose avatar I still proudly wear-- helped Augvape design the Boreas V1. The MT was very nice, but beastly hard to wick. Huge juice ports, and tightening the tank up tended to wipe wick away from the up-thread corner; it wasn't easy to get enough wick in one to make it work until I discovered the trick. I used to joke if you weren't packing the wick in with a hammer and punch, it wasn't enough. Anyway, this one wouldn't stop leaking. I had all the rest dialed in, but this one would not behave. I tried everything: swapped seals, swapped glasses, everything. Eventually I figured it out with a pair of calipers. Somehow the base was a couple thousandths out of round; I can't even imagine how it happened. And the design was such the glass was well enough cushioned by the seals to not break when you tightened it down. It just wouldn't seal.

Viking funeral time...

 

[sonicbomb]

I've had posts snap off, or spin freely and post holes strip out. All on cheapo clones.