Mech Mods rule.

[whosrandy]

I started vaping a few months ago with the IPv2 and Mutation X / kayfun 3.1 clone. Then, a few weeks ago, I ordered a Sentinel M16 clone from FT. $11.

I figured hey I might as well try one so I can ease my mind and know that it's inferior to my IPv2. It's only $11 - nothing to lose.

I haven't touched my IPv2 since the M16 arrived. I love it! Super solid, great form factor and it just plain WORKS. No fidgeting with power settings, power locks, computer chips, etc. It's built like a tank, feels awesome and looks awesome IMO.

Has anyone else made a similar jump?

All hail MECHS. =]

 

[Froth]

Uh oh, sounds like someone may have contracted "mech fever"...just wait for it, pretty soon you'll find yourself making hilarious excuses as to why you need a second, third or even a tenth additional mech mod. Ask me how I know...

You've been warned!

 

[whosrandy]

Trust me. I already have it. I am waiting on a few eBay auctions to sell and plan on picking up a few more. The Nemesis clone w/ magnet upgrade, maybe a Stingray X, Chi You anyone?

With my very limited fun money available, FastTech has my vote

 

[Miata GT]

I did a few months ago after getting my first Vanilla. I had 2 DNA30's, 4 ProVaris, and various other APVs. I sold most of the ProVaris and have been using mech mods exclusively since then.

 

[bullet08]

i went straight to mech mod. it works great for me. getting 2 days of charge out of a battery works ok.. tho, i might look in to 26650 set up if they last longer.

 

[Lord Vaako]

2 days out of 1 battery? LOL...I go through 3-4 18650 VC5's a day and replace them every 1-2 months.

 

[whosrandy]

2 days out of 1 battery? LOL...I go through 3-4 18650 VC5's a day and replace them every 1-2 months.

I go through at least 3, too. I have three batteries and have to charge one by the end of the day.

I literally was coming to this post to ask about that. Is burning through 4 batteries a day the norm?

So, you need to replace them that soon huh? Every 2 months?

 

[whosrandy]

Also, what can I do to maintain my sole mech mod? I have been using 90% isopropyl alcohol on the battery contacts but that's about it. Is there anything else I can do to an all brass mod to improve it's performance? The Sentinel M16 is an awesome awesome piece regardless

 

[Miata GT]

Also, what can I do to maintain my sole mech mod? I have been using 90% isopropyl alcohol on the battery contacts but that's about it. Is there anything else I can do to an all brass mod to improve it's performance? The Sentinel M16 is an awesome awesome piece regardless

Make sure that all the connection points are clean, including: the mod threads and inside the switch.

 

[bullet08]

not sure what the norm is. i just starting vaping. with 6mg of nic in my set up, i'm fine the way i vape. i'm sure if i do more vaping, i'll run out of battery quicker. or draw more from the battery using subohm or something.

 

[Bored2Tears]

I have been perfectly content thus far with regulated batteries. I have been curious about trying mech mods, though. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the advantages. Maybe it's one of those deals where you won't know till you try...but I am open to hearing everyone's thoughts on what the main selling points are.

I always thought that the relative inexpense of replacement batteries was a major reason but they are only lasting 1 to 2 months? Is that typical?

I sincerely don't want to start a debate about what's better. I only have experience with regulated...but elaborate on why mech mods rule for those of you who use them exclusively? I might be giving it a shot in the future. After all, Christmas is coming up....and my birthday shortly thereafter. LOL.

 

[Firestorm]

I started using cigalikes, moved to eGos, bought a used Provari, and my preference since then has been mechanical mods. I do have a 30W box mod, but everything else that I own is mechanical and I use them 99% of the time.

I primarily use AW IMR 18350 batteries and I go through about three a day and I've used some for well over a year. I used to go through about one AW IMR 18650 in a day. One must be vaping a lot of liquid when going through 3 or 4 VTC5s in a day. I mean no disrespect, but I don't understand why a battery would need to be replaced every 1 - 2 months (they no longer make Sony VTC5s so I'm not sure what Vaako will purchase to replace them in two months time).

As far as maintenance, I try to keep my threads, contacts, and switches clean. Every few weeks I take everything to bits and wash all of the parts in warm soapy water, rinse, brush the threads with a tooth brush, and thoroughly dry everything off before reassembling.

I like the simplicity of mechanical mods. I like the fact that there are no electronics to fail. I like the small form factor that 18350 batteries offer. I love the look of my mechanical mods, and I really enjoy the seamless look of pairing 22mm atomizers with my 22mm mechanical mods.

 

[wonkeypickle]

I have been perfectly content thus far with regulated batteries. I have been curious about trying mech mods, though. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the advantages. Maybe it's one of those deals where you won't know till you try...but I am open to hearing everyone's thoughts on what the main selling points are.

I always thought that the relative inexpense of replacement batteries was a major reason but they are only lasting 1 to 2 months? Is that typical?

I sincerely don't want to start a debate about what's better. I only have experience with regulated...but elaborate on why mech mods rule for those of you who use them exclusively? I might be giving it a shot in the future. After all, Christmas is coming up....and my birthday shortly thereafter. LOL.

as someone who built up a decent collection of mechs, then sold them, i'd go straight to an ipv3 or god mod, or even cloupor t8.


the battery round robbin game gets old fast with mechs, at .12 i am changing out my battery after a good 1 hour of light use.


pop a 1 ohm coil on an ipv3 and pump up the voltage till you hit 100w, then tell me you want to hit a mech again.

 

[Lord Vaako]

I've got builds from .1-.14 that I use regularly on my brass Praxis and there is no need to change batteries every hour. You only notice a drop in power when you get below 3.85 - 3.8v. The Praxis with a Plume Veil 1.5 or Hobo v2 makes so much vapor that you can only handle 2 concurrent large lung hits. You can barely breath after the second. If you're vaping 18-24mg juice, you're going to get sick if you take much more 4 lung hits within 10 minutes of each other. There's just no way you're vape so much that you're going to go through so many batteries.

Funny you should mention the IPV3 because I just got mine delivered a few minutes ago. At 150w it's the only thing close to a mech in terms of vapor production. Keep in mind though that this is a large device. It holds 2 batteries and is as thick as about 3 iPhones stacked together. The Praxis is tiny. If I'm running out for a while, I'm not going to be throwing my IPV3 in my pocket, I'm grabbing my Praxis. I can throw a spare battery into a single case into my pocket and be good for the entire afternoon - and it takes up far less space.

I'm going to test the IPV3 for a while since it's new, but I can already tell that the Praxis has got it beat. As far as I know it's got the lowest voltage drop on the market (you're basically connecting directly to the battery) and the button design makes it safe throw in your pocket or take to bed.

 

[wonkeypickle]

I've got builds from .1-.14 that I use regularly on my brass Praxis and there is no need to change batteries every hour. You only notice a drop in power when you get below 3.85 - 3.8v. The Praxis with a Plume Veil 1.5 or Hobo v2 makes so much vapor that you can only handle 2 concurrent large lung hits. You can barely breath after the second. If you're vaping 18-24mg juice, you're going to get sick if you take much more 4 lung hits within 10 minutes of each other. There's just no way you're vape so much that you're going to go through so many batteries.

Funny you should mention the IPV3 because I just got mine delivered a few minutes ago. At 150w it's the only thing close to a mech in terms of vapor production. Keep in mind though that this is a large device. It holds 2 batteries and is as thick as about 3 iPhones stacked together. The Praxis is tiny. If I'm running out for a while, I'm not going to be throwing my IPV3 in my pocket, I'm grabbing my Praxis. I can throw a spare battery into a single case into my pocket and be good for the entire afternoon - and it takes up far less space.

I'm going to test the IPV3 for a while since it's new, but I can already tell that the Praxis has got it beat. As far as I know it's got the lowest voltage drop on the market (you're basically connecting directly to the battery) and the button design makes it safe throw in your pocket or take to bed.

tobh atty v2 with chuff top on a pb stingray, as far as voltage drop i think i have that covered.

pop a 1 ohm coil on the ipv, max out the wattage, get it fully charged and let's see how long that battery lasts!

 

[Lord Vaako]

pop a 1 ohm coil on an ipv3 and pump up the voltage till you hit 100w, then tell me you want to hit a mech again.

I did. Pros: It's instantaneous Cons: Just about everything else.

If I'm sitting at home on the couch, the IPV3 will be my go to device. I'll have it sitting on my coffee table with the rest of my books. When I'm out and about, I'll take my Praxis.

 

[whosrandy]

I plan on using my IPv2 again once my Magma, Veritas and Orchid v4 come in. Right now, I solely use my Mutation X and personally love my mech.

 

[wonkeypickle]

I did. Pros: It's instantaneous Cons: Just about everything else.

If I'm sitting at home on the couch, the IPV3 will be my go to device. I'll have it sitting on my coffee table with the rest of my books. When I'm out and about, I'll take my Praxis.

interesting. single or dual coil? which atty?

 

[Lord Vaako]

Right now I'm at the office and I've got dual parallel coils 26g g-plat elite .14 ohm in a Plume Veil v1.5.

The IPV3 is a beast without a doubt. Burns up the juice fast and hits instantly at full power. The Praxis takes a fraction of a second longer. Doesn't burn the juice up as fast. They both make a ton of vapor...so much that I can' really hit them back to back or I won't be able to breath and probably get sick from the nicotine. I think the IPV3 might be making a little more vapor but the Praxis is definitely making thicker vapor with better flavor and it's hitting almost as fast as the IPV3. It's so close that it's negligible - but the battery is fairly fresh.

I have never owned a mech mod like this all brass Praxis v2 before. Your atty connects directly to the battery. I probably should've bought the SS version since the top and bottom caps are brass anyway. I know that guy Rip Trippers is a complete clown, but he claims to have tested the voltage drop on the Praxis and it's the lowest on anything he's ever tested. By voltage drop I'm referring to the loss from connection to the battery, not the drop over time. If you're connecting right to the battery, you don't have to worry about the conductivity of whatever material your top connector is made out of. For example, my PapsX has a silver plated top button. The silver wears off over time so I replace the button...never again will I have to do that. It's also tiny because of this. The bottom button is like nothing else on the market. It's like the firing pin on a semi-automatic gun. It's impossible to fire it accidentally and you can leave standing up without having to worry about locking it. Look it up on youtube and you'll see some videos. It's definitely more practical for day to day use and for taking to bed and falling asleep vaping than the IPV3.

The IPV3 is going to win over time since the battery will start to drain..mech vs. regulated pros and cons. When I'm out in public the Praxis is just more practical. Bottom line is that I'm glad I have both.

 

[whosrandy]

I'm glad I have both as well.

All I can say is that my IPv2 is practically falling apart after a month of daily use and my mech is a tank, something that'll last forever with maintenance and it doubles as a weapon lol. I find mechs to have the ideal form factor: comfortable, hefty, relatively compact. They're cool, reminding me of an engine of sorts.

It's hard to argue in words why mechs are worth it when box mods are available. It's something you need to feel for and judge for yourself.