Looking for my first mech mod

[erhodes2]

Hey guys and gals. I've been vaping for a while and rebuilding for a few months. Been having great luck with my pulse bf. After using it I want to go with a hard hitting tube mod.

I've been looking at the admiral since I have some 20700 batteries now and like the battery life over the 18650s.

However, since I don't know if I will like the tube mod experience I've thought of maybe going with a clone one and if I like it turn around and get the original.

Seeing what everyone's thoughts and opinions are on a better mod suggestion and clone first or not.

 

[papergoblin]

I pretty much mainly use mech mods (18650 tubes) and can say I'd go clone for first mod to see if you like it. They are very different from VV/VW as they are battery dependent. They may not hit as fast as a high wattage mod, which is why I still love them, it's just a different vape.

Now the first thing you need to ask yourself is, what resistance do you usually build at. Depending on that, a mech may or may not be for you, as no more super low coils are an option. You'll have to look at your batteries and see how many amps they are rated for to determine how low you can build, for example on mine, .25 is my limit that still leaves some headroom. I however rarely build below .4, just to have more headroom (difference between amps atty is drawing and max amps battery can handle).

You need to get a vape calculator, ohm meter, read up on ohms law and study about batteries (not all are created equal), if you haven't done already. Knowledge is your only safety with a mech, there's nothing else there to keep you from getting injured.

I'll be honest when I went to mech mods, it was back when we had no options really. VV/VW mods were expensive and low power (compared to now), the lowest they would fire was .9 I believe. Imagine .9 being the sub-ohm range, long time ago, lol. If I were new to vaping say within the last year, I don't know that I'd even mess with mechs, to be honest.

I know I said it's a different vape and it is but you're not going to GAIN anything over a high watt multi-battery VW mod. A single tube mech isn't going to hit harder (safely), it doesn't have the power.
Most of us mech people are just holding onto nostalgia and/or love the art over the convenience. They're like old muscle cars, they just go but VW mods are like supercars (more efficient, safer and have more power) downside is they just don't have the style (to some of us).

If you want hard hitting get the biggest VW you can, use an RDA with huge airflow, put a .2 (or as low as you mod can go) build of clapton, alien, tiger, staple or zipper coils in it, use a max VG liquid and crank it up. Just buy good batteries and look for a tri-battery mod, it'll hit harder than you'll ever need and be safer doing it.

If you still want a mech, nothing wrong with that, just see it for what it is, know and ACCEPT the limitations. Then study as much as you can about safety and ask all the questions you can, never assume with a mech. If you don't know or don't understand something, STOP and ASK, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[erhodes2]

I usually build at a .18 to .2 ohm build. I take the ohms down to .12 on my vw mods but know I am safe with my builds closer to .2 using 20700 batteries in my pulse bf. I am enjoying the way that the mech hits as of now. First started looking at the tube mods when I ordered the priest copper challenge cap for my dead rabbit. Thinking it would look really good on a copper mech

 

[stols001]

Papergoblin is giving you good advice. It's important to know your limitations and Ohm's law and your battery's TRUE specs, not just what is printed on the wrapper, and Mooch has tested some of those batteries, but not all. You may want to check his blog and see if yours has been tested if you haven't. Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Good luck, starting with a higher resistance on your first mod is probably recommended, not a super low build, though depending on your battery you may be able to go slightly lower. With that said, it sounds like you are building the skills to use a mech, I would probably go with a clone first to see if you like it.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[erhodes2]

Thank you guys for the good advice. I have checked Mooch's site several times for my battery specs and have some sanyo 20700a's coming to me now which should outperform the ijoys (5 prong) that I am using now

 

[papergoblin]

I usually build at a .18 to .2 ohm build. I take the ohms down to .12 on my vw mods but know I am safe with my builds closer to .2 using 20700 batteries in my pulse bf. I am enjoying the way that the mech hits as of now. First started looking at the tube mods when I ordered the priest copper challenge cap for my dead rabbit. Thinking it would look really good on a copper mech

Well always calculate amps with max voltage of battery 4.2 not 3.7 for example.
.2 @ 4.2 V = 21 A @ 88.2 W
.18 @ 4.2 V = 23.33 A @ 98 W
.12 @ 4.2 V = 35 A @ 147 W
V = volts A = amps W = watts

I don't use 20700 batteries, but from what I've read by Mooch, most are 30A batteries max, maybe there are higher ones, you need to check. Using the builds you listed ans assuming 30A battery, .12 is out it's too hot a build and .18/.2 don't leave much headroom.

Some people don't worry about headroom, I do. If you build to the max of the battery, you're asking for it to work correctly 100% of the time, with no/little room for error. I don't own, nor have I ever owned one thing that works correctly 100% of the time (including my toilet paper holder, lol).

Now going by your builds, realistically to get a harder hit you need a 200W mod at minimum. I don't think a mech will help you. I'm not saying don't buy a tube mod but don't want to see you throw out the money just to be in the same spot.

Got to thinking your Pulse is unregulated so, a mech tube won't really be much different. If you're not satisfied with how it performs, a tube probably won't do for you either as it's the same principle basically. If it's for looks (tube mech) I get it, don't blame you but if it's for function go high watt box. So you just need to decide what your want/needs are, lol.

EDIT: Your post about the Sanyo batts. came up as I was typing, they are 30A batteries, so you're not going to really want to build below .25, lower will be harder on batteries and drain them pretty quick.

 

[erhodes2]

Those are he calculations I was getting as well. I figured I'd be fine at the .18. I have never gone down to the .12 build on my pulse as I saw that wasn't safe. Although I have had several people say they go down to .1 on there mech squonkers. Not sure why they go down that low as it seems super unsafe to me.

I kinda understand head room so I figured if I was at 23 amps with my .18 build that left a decent amount of head room. Not sure how much is a good amount of cushion though

 

[papergoblin]

Those are he calculations I was getting as well. I figured I'd be fine at the .18. I have never gone down to the .12 build on my pulse as I saw that wasn't safe. Although I have had several people say they go down to .1 on there mech squonkers. Not sure why they go down that low as it seems super unsafe to me.

I kinda understand head room so I figured if I was at 23 amps with my .18 build that left a decent amount of head room. Not sure how much is a good amount of cushion though

.18 does leave room and just how much is a matter of personal preference, some people won't go above 50% of the battery's max, I generally stay at 70 to 80% or less. It's not just about leaving room for safety but also as the battery ages, it produces more SAG, basically it just doesn't have the same capacity (charge length) or max output anymore.

Headroom is just taking account the max amp of a battery and building below it, the difference is the amount of headroom, EX: 30A battery with 20A build equals 10A headroom.

Don't take too much into what others are building or saying when going low. Do the math yourself and see if it is safe or not, just because Jo can run .1 and hasn't blown up, doesn't mean Jo won't blow up. I've seen plenty of people say they are building at .1 but their meter only reads .00, so the numbers are rounded up. A meter with .00 saying .10 could actually be .07, .08, or even .05. That's why it's best to find a meter that reads .000 and always lean to the side of safety.

I got a guy fired from a vape shop years ago because of building and telling people it was okay to put a .16 build on 18650 Efest batteries (single tube mech mods. Long story short, over heard him with a customer, we argued and owner came out. I showed the owner the math and explained the deal, guy was told to leave then and there.

 

[Baditude]

I've been looking at the admiral since I have some 20700 batteries now and like the battery life over the 18650s.

However, since I don't know if I will like the tube mod experience I've thought of maybe going with a clone one and if I like it turn around and get the original.

I'd go with the clone first. I've seen a few clones that were actually of better quality than the original. YMMV.

I'd suggest choosing a mechanical that has some vent holes, preferrably near the top, however any vent holes are better than none. Mechs which have some sort of non-metalic shielding/insulation in the battery compartment is also a welcome feature. A fire button which can be locked when in a pocket is also welcome.

I always advise against mechs which are a faux hybrid/direct battery mod. There are more mod explosions with this type of mod than any other, chiefly because novices are unaware that the center pin in the atomizer needs to be extended.

I do hope you know that the Admiral is a "hybrid" top (direct battery) mechanical mod and how they are different from normal mods that have an insulated 510 center pin. If not, please direct your attention to the direct battery mod discussion in:

A Beginner's Guide to Your First Mechanical Mod

• Covers the differences between a mechanical vs. regulated mod, essential safety accessories, optional safety accessories to add layers of safety to your mech, routine maintanance, use of proper batteries, proper ventilation, low resistance vaping, and faux hybrid mods.

I also suggest that you review this:

Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations

• As simple as it is to use, some people have a tough time grasping the concept. Recently revised to be even more simple. Warning: Includes graphic photos of mod explosions.

Know your gear and how to use it. Be safe.

 

[erhodes2]

If I have reviewed the admiral correctly I do not think it is a hybrid connection. Correct me if I am wrong but I think it has a floating connector

 

[Ben85]

The admiral does indeed have a 510 pin.

 

[Baditude]

If I have reviewed the admiral correctly I do not think it is a hybrid connection. Correct me if I am wrong but I think it has a floating connector

The admiral does indeed have a 510 pin.

Picture looked like a hybrid top to me.

Admiral mechanical mod

 

[Ben85]

Defo a pin. Has one of those annoying pins that you have to keep minor adjusting to ensure there is no gap between the top cap and the body. Nice mod though. I have a copper Broadside clone which is spot on.

 

[erhodes2]

Just giving an update. Grabbed myself an admiral clone and man it's freaking awesome! Hits way harder than my pulse bf

 

[KenD]

.18 does leave room and just how much is a matter of personal preference, some people won't go above 50% of the battery's max, I generally stay at 70 to 80% or less. It's not just about leaving room for safety but also as the battery ages, it produces more SAG, basically it just doesn't have the same capacity (charge length) or max output anymore.

Headroom is just taking account the max amp of a battery and building below it, the difference is the amount of headroom, EX: 30A battery with 20A build equals 10A headroom.

Don't take too much into what others are building or saying when going low. Do the math yourself and see if it is safe or not, just because Jo can run .1 and hasn't blown up, doesn't mean Jo won't blow up. I've seen plenty of people say they are building at .1 but their meter only reads .00, so the numbers are rounded up. A meter with .00 saying .10 could actually be .07, .08, or even .05. That's why it's best to find a meter that reads .000 and always lean to the side of safety.

I got a guy fired from a vape shop years ago because of building and telling people it was okay to put a .16 build on 18650 Efest batteries (single tube mech mods. Long story short, over heard him with a customer, we argued and owner came out. I showed the owner the math and explained the deal, guy was told to leave then and there.

I'd like to add that resistance readings also get increasingly less accurate the lower one goes, and below .2 ohms even a .01-.02 makes a huge difference.

Sent from my Thor E using Tapatalk

 

[Ben85]

Just giving an update. Grabbed myself an admiral clone and man it's freaking awesome! Hits way harder than my pulse bf

For a value mod the Pulse is great - but it if far from a hard hitter in my experiences. It got shelved because of this.

 

[Baditude]

I'd like to add that resistance readings also get increasingly less accurate the lower one goes, and below .2 ohms even a .01-.02 makes a huge difference.

I'll agree, that resistance readings become more critical the lower one goes. For example:

Lets say we want to know if our 30 amp battery can safely be used to fire a 0.1 ohm coil. We know the coil resistance (0.1 ohm) and we know the battery voltage (4.2 volts), so we insert those two values respectively into an Ohms Law Calculator. Click Calculate.

The value that shows up in the Current window is the amps the coil will draw from the battery -- 42 amps! This resistance is TOO LOW to fire safely with a 30 amp battery because the amp draw is 12 amps over the amp limit. We will need to use a coil with a higher resistance.

Voltage: 4.2 volts
Current: 42 amp draw
Resistance: 0.1 ohm


If we increase the resistance just a little to 0.14 ohms, the amp draw and amp limit match up. The difference of 0.04 ohms is huge when comparing the amp draw of the two coils.

Voltage: 4.2 volts
Current: 30 amp draw
Resistance: 0.14 ohms

Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations for a Mechanical Mod

 

[Vic Vape]

Wismec Machina! Great starter mech or for anyone! And just $40.

 

[erhodes2]

I believe I have gone off the deep end at this point lol. I have a black aluminum Broadside, a copper dreamer, and a brass XXX with original good rda on the way.