Mechanical Mods in 2016: What's the point?

[suprtrkr]

This is all absolutely up my street! Right.... I'm going to have to develop some skill in building coils to justify buying a super duper hand made and engraved mechanical and perhaps it should be in copper. Lots of polishing though.....

I let mine patina...

 

[Vaper Bob]

I think that Chinese copies over the last couple years reduced the demand for some of the originals, leading some makers to go under or most often come up with new varieties to fend off the clones. That does occasionally lead to some sweet deals on beautiful mods and some of us are taking advantage of it!

Aha! Makes sense.

 

[Vaper Bob]

I let mine patina...

Verdi gris?

 

[suprtrkr]

Yup. Now, if I could just find a Tree of Life/Elm combo in good shape at the right price

Verdi gris?

 

[Vaper Bob]

Yup. Now, if I could just find a Tree of Life/Elm combo in good shape at the right price

Right. And vape Myrrh on that.....

 

[Vaper Bob]

I quote @Baditude below

Pro's for a Mechanical APV:

• Ability to sub-ohm. Early regulated devices were not designed to sub-ohm; recently the higher wattage regulated APV's can vape sub-ohm, but with all of that power the same effect can be obtained with normal resistance coils.
• Durability and longevity. With no internal electronics to fail, a mech is considered to be a more durable choice over a regulated APV.
• Aesthetics. Many prefer the simple and elegant appearance of a mechanical.
• Simplicity. A mechanical is simply a glorified battery holder, fire button, and 510 connector.

Cons for a Mechanical APV

• No processor protection circuitry. This feature protects against many short circuits, reverse battery protection, over-heating, over-discharging the battery, etc. Without this feature, YOU THE USER must be constantly aware of potential dangers of short circuits. The vast majority of mechanical mods use a bottom-firing switch; IMO these may result in a potential auto-firing event if the APV is set down on its bottom or placed in a pocket. Some of these have a locking mechanism to prevent auto-firing, but who locks their fire switch each and every time they stop vaping?
• The quality of the vaping experience will gradually and progressively decline over the course of the battery used between charges.
• The only way to change the vaping experience is to change the atomizer (coil) resistance (ohms).

Pro's for Regulated APV's

• Protection circuitry against short circuits.
• Power regulation. You can increase or decrease the voltage or wattage to suit your vaping preference. It will also keep your chosen power output constant regardless of the charge on the battery.
• Built-in voltage and resistance meters.
• Some regulated mods use a built-in, rechargeable (non-removeable) battery using a common USB charging cable.

Cons of Regulated APV

• Often not as durable as a mechanical mod, because of the internal electrical components.
• Until the advent of the more recent high wattage APV's, they could not power sub-ohm.
• Aesthetics. Often not as physically attractive as many of the finer mechanical mods.

That certainly sums it all up. The bummer for me is the loss of vaping quality as the battery gets weaker. I worry about re-charging batteries if they are only half used. I feel that the overall battery life will degrade. I wonder if thats right?

 

[Asbestos4004]

Tattooed and pierced people are the folks who use drippers? Dude, it was a pretty interesting post. Too bad you had to lace it with all that arrogance.

 

[Lessifer]

That's enough of an explanation for me to want to invest in a high quality mech mod. Thanks. BTW, Lessifer, is that you in the picture? Looks exactly like an English gentleman I know who is descended from one of the biggest names in tobacco products. Very curious.

That would be Sigmeund Freud in my avatar, I'm a psychologist at heart, if not in profession.

That certainly sums it all up. The bummer for me is the loss of vaping quality as the battery gets weaker. I worry about re-charging batteries if they are only half used. I feel that the overall battery life will degrade. I wonder if thats right?

The batteries we use do not have "memory" so recharging them at "half" drain isn't an issue. You don't want to overcharge them(most good chargers won't) and you definitely don't want to over drain them. I usually put mine on the charger at about 3.6v which is about when I start to notice the drop in vapor production. If you vape at high watts, you will notice the battery drop more. I usually vape at around 0.7ohm so roughly 20w and I can go a day or more without needing to change batteries, but that depends on how much you vape.

Dripping also isn't just for the hipster crowd. My REO is a beautiful, durable mech, that can handle sub ohm but is perfectly suited for "moderate" vaping as well. It is also a bottom fed mod that allows me to drip without dripping, I just squeeze the bottle in the mod itself. Dripping is simplistic, if you want it to be. I use a simple micro coil, minimal wicking, and each hit tastes fresh and clean.

 

[fitzinthewindow]

5 weeks into vaping exclusively and not a single cigarettes since. But if I hadn't found two or three e-liquids I really like, it wouldn't have happened. I've had to try out and throw away more e-liqid than I care to admit to get to this point. And I've deliberately turned vaping into a hobby in order to keep me away from the analogues. But we all know that a hobby leads to expense and the pleasure you get trawling through vaping websites, forums and you tube reviews when planning your next purchase of a shiny new mod or tank. I've made my mistakes buying things I don't use now: A Triton 2 tank (I don't sub-ohm....yet), the latest Vaporflask (too big, too rubbery, too much tech and no class) an iStick 20 (useless). My carry-around is an Aspire starter kit with K1 Glassometer and that's good. And then I hit upon Provari and I found my niche. I like quality stuff (who doesn't) and the P3 is just my style. I have two and a Radius as well. They don't introduce new models every six months and that's good in my book. Good high quality reliable products that are not mass produced in the East. I have two p3 Kabukis, both sizes of Nautys and an unpacked Kayfun 4 that I'm going to play with and build my first coil over the holidays.

So where do I go from here? Dripping atomisers? No, not my thing. And anyway I don't have the tattoos and piercings to go with the concept. Mechanical Mods? Yes. YES! Yayyy! Plenty of beautifully manufactured shiny products from Europe and the States to keep me drooling in front of my computer screen for weeks. But then I read somewhere that the point of a mechanical was to allow the "unharnessed" power of your battery to deliver more current through your sub-ohm coil to produce more clouds. Huh? In 2015/2016? What about those 200W regulated mods? All mech mod reviews I see on you tube are dated early 2014 or before. Nothing of late. Does that mean with all the high power regulated devices now available, mechanical mods are now obsolete? Are they legacy products now? Like a 30 year old Mercedes SL with stick shift? That has a kind of appeal.........

Would somebody be kind enough to elucidate?

I'm with you on just about everything you say. Yesterday was my one month vaporversary. I still have an occasional cigarette, maybe one every two or three days, but they really are not enjoyable. They stink, don't taste good, and I have no idea why I still have one every now and then.....I'm trying.

The gear and the hobby is what is getting me. I just love it. I tend to run off with hobbies and get extremely serious about them. I am already up to three mods and four atomizers, two of which are RTA's. If you watch enough youtube videos, building is a snap, especially if you enjoy that sort of thing, which I certainly do. (I have extensive collections of lighters, watches, and razors which all require small tools and fiddling with your "finds" which I really enjoy. Vaping is the same way, except there is no "vintage" market. Interesting. I am waiting until the after Christmas sales to jump on the 200 watt mod bandwagon and I can't wait!! More stuff to buy! I have not yet entered the mech mod world, but that's only a matter of time. Right now, I find the TC mods much more interesting.

 

[Vaper Bob]

That would be Sigmeund Freud in my avatar, I'm a psychologist at heart, if not in profession.

The batteries we use do not have "memory" so recharging them at "half" drain isn't an issue. You don't want to overcharge them(most good chargers won't) and you definitely don't want to over drain them. I usually put mine on the charger at about 3.6v which is about when I start to notice the drop in vapor production. If you vape at high watts, you will notice the battery drop more. I usually vape at around 0.7ohm so roughly 20w and I can go a day or more without needing to change batteries, but that depends on how much you vape.

Dripping also isn't just for the hipster crowd. My REO is a beautiful, durable mech, that can handle sub ohm but is perfectly suited for "moderate" vaping as well. It is also a bottom fed mod that allows me to drip without dripping, I just squeeze the bottle in the mod itself. Dripping is simplistic, if you want it to be. I use a simple micro coil, minimal wicking, and each hit tastes fresh and clean.

Good to know this. Thank you.

 

[Vaper Bob]

I'm with you on just about everything you say. Yesterday was my one month vaporversary. I still have an occasional cigarette, maybe one every two or three days, but they really are not enjoyable. They stink, don't taste good, and I have no idea why I still have one every now and then.....I'm trying.

The gear and the hobby is what is getting me. I just love it. I tend to run off with hobbies and get extremely serious about them. I am already up to three mods and four atomizers, two of which are RTA's. If you watch enough youtube videos, building is a snap, especially if you enjoy that sort of thing, which I certainly do. (I have extensive collections of lighters, watches, and razors which all require small tools and fiddling with your "finds" which I really enjoy. Vaping is the same way, except there is no "vintage" market. Interesting. I am waiting until the after Christmas sales to jump on the 200 watt mod bandwagon and I can't wait!! More stuff to buy! I have not yet entered the mech mod world, but that's only a matter of time. Right now, I find the TC mods much more interesting.

Nice to know I'm not alone in this regard. thank you for that.

 

[Vaper Bob]

Tattooed and pierced people are the folks who use drippers? Dude, it was a pretty interesting post. Too bad you had to lace it with all that arrogance.

Its truly what I've observed here in the UK so far since I've started vaping. Vaping is far more widespread and mainstream in the U.S. It will happen eventually here too, law permitting.

 

[B2L]

My , here on the verge of 2016 (with upcoming legislation and all) mechs are more relevant than ever.

Simple, built to last, easy to repair. Most anyone, with any mechanical apptitude, can put together a great performing device with a trip to your local Home Depot. That may be all that is available pretty soon.

Not to mention, I just like them

 

[440BB]

I suspect there are quite a few average vapers around you that you don't notice because they aren't calling much attention to themselves. Before big clouds, many of us had never seen another vaper in the wild.

 

[BackDoc]

What you need is one of these Bob

 

[Vaper Bob]

My , here on the verge of 2016 (with upcoming legislation and all) mechs are more relevant than ever.

Simple, built to last, easy to repair. Most anyone, with any mechanical apptitude, can put together a great performing device with a trip to your local Home Depot. That may be all that is available pretty soon.

Not to mention, I just like them

Hope you're wrong about the legislation. And right about the mechs.

 

[Vaper Bob]

What you need is one of these Bob

260 Watts!! Good grief! I vape at around 10 to 12 watts.

 

[montara]

With a good assortment of high quality mechs and toppers. Add a little (or in my case, LARGE) box spare parts & hardware, toss in DIY juice... I'm set for life. Makes a great hobby and will never go obsolete.

 

[BackDoc]

goes down to 5 watts.......takes 3 18650s..........you could vape for a month at 12 watts before swapping batteries(maybe not a month)......and it serves as a back up generator , I have one....bigger than my sony Walkman in the 70s.....a tabletop monstrosity from china feeding the American need for bigger,bigger..........

 

[Vaper Bob]

With a good assortment of high quality mechs and toppers. Add a little (or in my case, LARGE) box spare parts & hardware, toss in DIY juice... I'm set for life. Makes a great hobby and will never go obsolete.

You're all giving me every encouragement to buy another toy. Must learn to build coils first.....