Kanger Subtank Mini - Copper Parts?

[rickyrickeric]

I have been using, and thoroughly enjoying, my Kanger Subtank Mini for a little over three weeks now.

But something has always bothered me about the rebuildable deck, and I finally decided to ask about it. One of the deck posts where one of the wire holding screws sits has one side that shines with a vague hint of copper. I tried to file it a bit, and it seemed to make the copper fade down, but not go away entirely. I cannot seem to scratch a mark across it. All other parts of the deck and tank appear to be steel, or at least, chromed.

The Kanger site only mentions SS, and no other metals.

I know that some tank makers use brass and/or copper parts, but I have a hard time believing Kanger would do so in an area that requires screw threads.

I have included a couple of not-so-clear pictures. Opinions?



I sent an email to Kanger, but I don't expect to hear back from them until at least tomorrow. I also spoke with the shop that sold me the Subtank Mini, and they assured me that it is made entirely from SS. They figured that the copper color is from discoloration of the SS during the manufacturing process, and I found several images on the web suggesting this is a real possibility. But after hearing horror stories of poisoning due to vaping on copper after it has patina'ed, I just want to be sure.

 

[underwhelmd]

Man... needs a good cleaning eh? You vape on that?

It's SS.

 

[rickyrickeric]

Man... needs a good cleaning eh? You vape on that?

It's SS.

LOL! Nah, Bro. It was just my bad camera phone at work. Before I took the pictures, I totally washed all the parts. What you are seeing is glare, and poor quality from my phone.

 

[rickyrickeric]

OK....this is confusing.

Here is my original email to Kangertech USA:

I have had my Subtank Mini for almost three weeks, and I absolutely love it. But one thing has always bothered me about one side of the mounting screw section. It has a faint appearance of copper. I was informed that the Subtank is made entirely of SS. Is there copper anywhere on this tank? I have included two pictures to show where this is. Please advise.

And....here is Kanger's reply:

Eric,

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the inconvenience the product has caused you. Please utilize our company warranty policy at the link below. Please follow the quick 4 step process to have your item repaired or replaced. Please follow the steps completely. You must include a copy of your original receipt to verify purchase date and vendor. Again we apologize for any inconvenience this outage may have caused. You also can purchase parts on the same website in the parts section of the same site.



Sooo....here is my reply to their reply:

Hello, and thank you for your reply. I was simply asking if the build deck on the Subtank Mini is really all stainless steel, or if it is actually copper. Can you please confirm?
Also, if it is defective, and if it poses any sort of potential health risk, I would like to have it replaced. But I am not certain if I still have my original purchase receipt. It was purchased brand new from Mt Baker Vapor in early February, and I still have all of the original materials and the box. Please advise further.

We'll see where this gets me.

 

[rickyrickeric]

Soooo....after I received two more obviously automated responses to my inquiries, I got frustrated, and answered back with the following:

IF THERE IS AN ACTUAL PERSON WHO WILL READ AND RESPOND TO MY EMAIL, INSTEAD OF GIVING ME THESE AUTOMATED RESPONSES, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

Hello, and thank you for your reply. I was simply asking if the build deck on the Subtank Mini is really all stainless steel, or if it is actually copper. Can you please confirm?
Also, if it is defective, and if it poses any sort of potential health risk, I would like to have it replaced. But I am not certain if I still have my original purchase receipt. It was purchased brand new from Mt Baker Vapor in early February, and I still have all of the original materials and the box. Please advise further.

I guess it made a difference, because I got the following reply shortly afterwards:

Hi Eric,

Thank you for your email, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. We have forward your inquiry to our headquarter in China. We will inform you once we receive the answer. Thanks again for your time.

Best regards,

KangerTech US Sales & Service Center

KangerTech US Electronic Cigarettes - Kanger Official Website

So we'll see where this goes from here, I reckon.

 

[rickyrickeric]

.......aaaannnndddd........what do I get from Kangertech in China?

Hello eric,

I am sorry for your issue.
I suggest you take your part to dealer for helping.

Thanks & Best regards
Daisy

Soooo....after thinking a bit, I came back with:

Look....my question is very simple....does the Subtank Mini build deck contain copper or not?

And I already took it back to my dealer, and they said that I needed to take this issue to you.

So I am going to ask that same question I have been asking all along:

DOES THE SUBTANK MINI BUILD DECK CONTAIN COPPER PARTS, OR NOT????

Ever since I began vaping in November of 2013, I have been a faithful customer of Kangertech. I expect a straight answer about this.

Thank you

It's a very simple question, and so far, I have had around half a dozen responses from Kanger, none of which have been in the slightest way informative or helpful.

I'll keep ya'lls posted.

 

[crxess]

Take a stainless Bar
Pass heat over it
Adjust heat to achieve the desired final color
Brownish around 450F

 

[rickyrickeric]

Yeah, I am more and more convinced the discoloration is the result of some slight defect, probably from over-heating.

I finally heard back from a tech in China who showed my pictures to the assembly team. They all assured me that the Subtank Mini is entirely SS, and that the color was from some manufacturing goof.

Given the fact that I can't seem to hardly put a dent in the colored area with a file, I am inclined to believe Kanger.