Is a Mech Mod Right For Me?

[vangroover]

Hi all,

I'm currently using a Vamo (v5) with a few different RBAs and clearos, and I've been eyeing some mech mods... I'm wondering if I should take the plunge and get one of these bad boys.

As I understand it, when using a mech, as the battery drains, the power going to the coil will decrease, thereby likely affecting the flavour.

I know that this can be prevented by using a kick, but then ask myself why wouldn't someone simply stick to a VV/VW mod in that case? Is there any performance benefit in having a mech with a kick, compared to a VV/VW mod?

Also, how do people manage the decreasing power and it's effects (on flavour, vapour, etc.) if they don't use a kick?

As I said, I'm thinking seriously about getting a mech (aesthetics alone are pretty tempting), but not sure if it would be worthwhile for me.

Thanks in advance for any input/guidance you can provide!

 

[danca90]

I don't use a kick. Yes, the flavor changes, but I use it to tell when my batteries need charged. It's bad to over drain them. Mechs are fun, and you can get a k100 cheap enough to try it out. Worst case is that you have a great backup.

 

[the wind]

i'm using one now and can't tell about lost power till it's time to recharge.i do live a sheltered life so my opinion is skewed.at least they make great backups(few parts to go bad)

 

[Paul.K]

Try it with a cheap mech mod and see if you really like it. It is different and can be very rewarding (vape and aesthetics). I really had no intentions of getting into mechanical mods but I discovered dripping on a RDA. Get ready to spend some serious cash if you like bling....

 

[patrao_n]

Just remember when buying a mech you need a digital multimeter. when building coils you need to check for a short prior to putting it in tour mech. There is no safety like you would get in your vv devices. Also you need high drain batteries. Preferably imr. You might also think about getting a safety fuse just in case if you arent getting into subohm vaping.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[vangroover]

Just remember when buying a mech you need a digital multimeter. when building coils you need to check for a short prior to putting it in tour mech. There is no safety like you would get in your vv devices. Also you need high drain batteries. Preferably imr. You might also think about getting a safety fuse just in case if you arent getting into subohm vaping.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

I should be able to check for a short with my Vamo, right? It comes up as "9.9" on the display if there's a short, I believe. Maybe it's not accurate enough, though?

 

[sawlight]

Sorry, I have to laugh! I remember back when this was all we had and we survived!
Yes, there is a drop, but if set up right, you really won't notice much difference as the battery dies. I like 1.3-2 ohm coils or atties, depending on the juice and my mood. A 1.5 is really my happy place most of the times, but I like a 1.8 on my Vmod for some reason?
Is it right for you, I've no idea! Do you mind shopping a little harder to get what you need to work on it? Do you mind putting in a little more effort to make the coil on the RBA/RDA just so that it's right where you want it?
The whole thing with VW/VV is you can make what you can get at the time, work! With a mech you will need to put the effort in to get what you need to make it work!

 

[Lessifer]

I should be able to check for a short with my Vamo, right? It comes up as "9.9" on the display if there's a short, I believe. Maybe it's not accurate enough, though?

You can check resistance on your vamo, it's a good idea to get a multimeter anyway so you can use it to check the charge of your batteries. It's important not to over drain your batteries, going below 3v(I think that's right but not positive) can be dangerous for the battery, or at the very least make it not charge properly. You can also use a fuse if you are doing sub ohm, just not super low sub ohm. Most fuses have at least a 5A switch, so you can run as low as .7~.8 "safely" on a fuse, depending on the voltage drop of your mech. I've only recently started using mechs and I can tell a drop in performance on my coils once I hit about 3.7~3.6v. BUT if you're going to do any of that, make sure you do your homework. Research what batteries to use, how to build coils, good chargers to use, how to use your DMM, etc.

 

[Ryedan]

As I understand it, when using a mech, as the battery drains, the power going to the coil will decrease, thereby likely affecting the flavour.

Correct. Flavor, TH and vapor production will decrease as the battery charge goes down.

I know that this can be prevented by using a kick, but then ask myself why wouldn't someone simply stick to a VV/VW mod in that case? Is there any performance benefit in having a mech with a kick, compared to a VV/VW mod?

Not that I am aware of.

Also, how do people manage the decreasing power and it's effects (on flavour, vapour, etc.) if they don't use a kick?

All I can talk to on this is my experience and what I do. I've found that a well setup RBA or RDA is so much more efficient at vaporizing that if I set it up to vape well at 3.8 volts it will be good (but a little hot) at 4.2 to 4 volts (for a short time), fantastic at 3.9 to 3.7 volts and good again (but a little cool) at 3.6 volts. The majority of the time is spent between 3.8 to 3.7 volts and I swap batteries between 3.7 to 3.6 volts. Vaping between 3.9 to 3.7 volts is much better than any vape I've ever had with any other juice delivery device at any power setting. The vape outside that range is still better than anything else I've ever vaped. But it is not a constant vape throughout.

As I said, I'm thinking seriously about getting a mech (aesthetics alone are pretty tempting), but not sure if it would be worthwhile for me.

It is not for everyone. You are responsible for the safety of the setup. You have no electronics to help with this like you do with regulated devices, so you need to do a lot more research and experimenting to get what you want from the equipment. Mess up badly and it can hurt you. Aesthetics can be a factor too.

 

[vangroover]

Correct. Flavor, TH and vapor production will decrease as the battery charge goes down.



Not that I am aware of.



All I can talk to on this is my experience and what I do. I've found that a well setup RBA or RDA is so much more efficient at vaporizing that if I set it up to vape well at 3.8 volts it will be good (but a little hot) at 4.2 to 4 volts (for a short time), fantastic at 3.9 to 3.7 volts and good again (but a little cool) at 3.6 volts. The majority of the time is spent between 3.8 to 3.7 volts and I swap batteries between 3.7 to 3.6 volts. Vaping between 3.9 to 3.7 volts is much better than any vape I've ever had with any other juice delivery device at any power setting. The vape outside that range is still better than anything else I've ever vaped. But it is not a constant vape throughout.



It is not for everyone. You are responsible for the safety of the setup. You have no electronics to help with this like you do with regulated devices, so you need to do a lot more research and experimenting to get what you want from the equipment. Mess up badly and it can hurt you. Aesthetics can be a factor too.

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it.

 

[Barbara21]

But you don't have to wrap your own coils or any of that stuff, right? I'm used to a regular ego battery and they are 'unregulated', correct?

I'm interested in a mech because I like the idea of being able to switch out batteries. And their simplicity. (And some of them look pretty neat. ) As long as I make sure to get a good-quality, protected battery, I should be fine.

(Please correct me if I am wrong.)

 

[Lessifer]

But you don't have to wrap your own coils or any of that stuff, right? I'm used to a regular ego battery and they are 'unregulated', correct?

I'm interested in a mech because I like the idea of being able to switch out batteries. And their simplicity. (And some of them look pretty neat. ) As long as I make sure to get a good-quality, protected battery, I should be fine.

(Please correct me if I am wrong.)

No, you don't have to use rebuildables with mechs, you can use regular cartos or clearos, though most mechs only have 510 threading.

Ego batteries are regulated, they're regulated to give you a constant 3.7v until the battery gets low enough to not supply the 3.7v, then it shuts off. Most egos will also somewhat protect you from a short, either it will blink and not fire, or it will actually short and the wiring fails and the ego is dead. A mech will start at whatever charge it has, usually 4.2v at full charge and then drain as you use it, and it will keep going as long as you keep pressing the button until it no longer has a charge, which is bad for the battery. That's why you check the voltage often to make sure you're not going below 3.2v or so. Mechs also have no short protection, some have a hot spring that will collapse if you send too many amps through it, but some don't.

 

[Myrany]

I should be able to check for a short with my Vamo, right? It comes up as "9.9" on the display if there's a short, I believe. Maybe it's not accurate enough, though?

You can most certainly check for shorts on the vamo. Also the vamo will give you the ohms of the atty even at levels low enough the vamo will not fire the atty (or mine will its a V2).

A multimeter is STILL a good idea. With a mech you will not have the automatic cutoff for the battery as it drains. And it is possible to drain it too far down. I try to change my batterys at 3.4v or so but I am sure other will kick in with the optimal number.

 

[patkin]

An upgraded ego c is 3.3 volts in regulated mode and 3.7 volts when in unregulated mode. The color of the manual button tells you which mode you're in. When unregulated it functions as a mechanical in terms of voltage but with built-in protection. Meaning as it drains the voltage decreases until it hits 3.2 volts then it has to be recharged. Most of the vape-time is spent around 3.5 volts when unregulated. It also has a light in regulated mode that tells you what your approximate charge level is but not in unregulated mode.

Edit: Ooops the above is for non-passthroughs. The voltages change on plugged-in passthroughs... 3.7 regulated and 4.2 unregulated.

 

[Baditude]

But you don't have to wrap your own coils or any of that stuff, right? I'm used to a regular ego battery and they are 'unregulated', correct?

I'm interested in a mech because I like the idea of being able to switch out batteries. And their simplicity. (And some of them look pretty neat. ) As long as I make sure to get a good-quality, protected battery, I should be fine.

(Please correct me if I am wrong.)

Despite the basic and simpler design of a mechanical, they are a little more complex to use properly and safely when compared to a regulated mod.

As others have pointed out, a regulated mod uses replaceable batteries. It will have built in safety features which acts as an artificial intelligence to safeguard against shorts or anything stupid that the user might try. The processor will shut the unit down to protect itself and the user. These devices allow manipulation of the voltage to adjust to different resistance attachments and to different flavors used.

With a mechanical there are no built-in safety features. YOU ARE THE INTELLEGENCE (hopefully). A Kick or a Vape Safe Safety Fuse will add a layer of protection. Although collapsable hot springs and vent holes are a necessity in a mechanical, they may not be adequate to stop a battery from going into thermal runaway. A battery in thermal runaway swells in size and shape, potentially blocking of vent holes, and turning a metal tube mod into a potential pipe bomb. (see pic below)

IMR (safe chemistry) batteries are now preferred over protected NCR/ICR batteries as a safer alternative in mechanical mods. - reference http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html

Below is a battery which hard shorted and went into thermal runaway. What you see is the betal battery casing with its contents blown out like an accordian. Imagine this happening in your mechanical mod with no protection.

 

[Barbara21]

An upgraded ego c is 3.3 volts in regulated mode and 3.7 volts when in unregulated mode. The color of the manual button tells you which mode you're in. When unregulated it functions as a mechanical in terms of voltage but with built-in protection. Meaning as it drains the voltage decreases until it hits 3.2 volts then it has to be recharged. Most of the vape-time is spent around 3.5 volts when unregulated. It also has a light in regulated mode that tells you what your approximate charge level is but not in unregulated mode.

Edit: Ooops the above is for non-passthroughs. The voltages change on plugged-in passthroughs... 3.7 regulated and 4.2 unregulated.

Maybe I should have been more clear. I'm speaking of plain old 'regular' ego batteries. It was my understanding that - when fully charged - they put out 3.7 volts and that gradually declines until it hits (3.2 volts?) and then it stops firing until it's recharged.

Isn't that how a straight mechanical mod would work? Doesn't it cut off at some minimum voltage??

Edited to add: I also want to mention that I have no intention of using anything other than standard vivi novas. No sub-ohm stuff or anything like that.

 

[Lessifer]

Maybe I should have been more clear. I'm speaking of plain old 'regular' ego batteries. It was my understanding that - when fully charged - they put out 3.7 volts and that gradually declines until it hits (3.2 volts?) and then it stops firing until it's recharged.

Isn't that how a straight mechanical mod would work? Doesn't it cut off at some minimum voltage??

Edited to add: I also want to mention that I have no intention of using anything other than standard vivi novas. No sub-ohm stuff or anything like that.

NO, a mechanical mod is just a tube with a 510 connector, the battery has no microchip in it, it will keep going until you drain it completely or it has an internal short and goes into thermal runaway. You have to know when to change your batteries before they drain that far.

 

[JulesXsmokr]

a solidly well built mech mod is a work horse. I have had mine fallen a bunch of times down to a hard surface. only damage would be to the drip tip or some scrapes here and there.. yes the setup involves a few other safe decisions on what to use with it. But it will last a very long time. no chips to fail - dunkings in water won't hurt it, of course you need to clean and dry it back out before use again.
Go for it---

 

[Ryedan]

Maybe I should have been more clear. I'm speaking of plain old 'regular' ego batteries. It was my understanding that - when fully charged - they put out 3.7 volts and that gradually declines until it hits (3.2 volts?) and then it stops firing until it's recharged.

There are a bunch of manufacturers making eGo style batteries. Joytech is I believe the original one. Vision makes the Spinner which is very similar but looks a bit different. Most eGo batteries will hold their voltage until they are almost empty. Some give you the option of bypassing voltage regulation. If you have a Joye eGo it is regulated and stays constant.

Isn't that how a straight mechanical mod would work? Doesn't it cut off at some minimum voltage??

No. ... Lessifer said, there is no intelligence in a mechanical mod. Let the battery go below about 2.5 volts and it's toast. If the mod activates in your pocket, it will continue to fire until either the battery is empty or you've stopped it. The user is the only intelligence in this system and failure involves heat and sometimes fire.

Edited to add: I also want to mention that I have no intention of using anything other than standard vivi novas. No sub-ohm stuff or anything like that.

IMO, Vivi Nova's or any other clearo are the last thing I would put on my mechanical mods. They don't have enough tolerance for voltage change. Cartomizers would be much better, but they don't require a mech mod to function at their best. The good thing is that you can use a fuse with a carto or a clearo as they do not use high power, so you have short protection. You could also use a kick which gives you all the typical protections you are used to with regulated mods, but of course then it is a regulated mod.

 

[tj99959]

Personal opinion of course, but everyone should get a mechanical, and learn how to use it. They just allow a person to build a more solid knowledge foundation of what is required to provide a quality vape better than any other type of PV. Once a person knows how to produce what they want with a mechanical, they will know how to do it with almost any kind of PV they are handed. (and it's a comfortable feeling to know that you can get a great vape no matter what is available)

Provided that you use good batteries (IMR), voltage drop off isn't nearly the problem that folks make it out to be. It just takes a little getting use to knowing what the battery is telling you. With a fresh bat you do not preheat the coil before taking a hit. As the battery drains you start pressing the button a little longer to heat the coil before taking a hit.

BTW, the first "mod" commercially available was a mechanical mod. It came out long before there were such things as VV/VW, RBA's, or even clearos. To this day, I still use my mechanical mods with a conventional 510 dripping atty probably 75% of the time.