Can someone explain exactly how mechanical, vv, and vw mods differ?
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Mechanical vs vv?
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Mechanical mods are devices that are unregulated and rely solely on basic conductivity, optomizing full use of the battery.
APV(Advanced Personal Vaporizers) that are VV, VW, OR VV/VW are regulated. A chipset circuitry helps fully control a vaper's experience by dictating how much output power is applied to the atomizer(heating element). Their applications are subjective and is based on its users' personal preference.
APV(Advanced Personal Vaporizers) that are VV, VW, OR VV/VW are regulated. A chipset circuitry helps fully control a vaper's experience by dictating how much output power is applied to the atomizer(heating element). Their applications are subjective and is based on its users' personal preference.
Are APV's always more expensive? A lot of people recommend the nemesis clone but that's mechanical, would I be better off getting something more advanced? Do mechanical devices take regular batteries?
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Mechs can take regular batteries, if you mean regular as in 10a or lower rated batteries.. WHAT makes all the difference is what you place on top of the Mech.. Sub ohm building requires special IMR high drain batteries.. Anyone that owns a Mech should do their homework on battery safety and what proper batteries to use. If you are using a 2 ohm atty, for instance, Just about any battery will work.. High resistance attys do not require the same discharge rates as low ohm attys.. I always recommend AW, SONY or EFEST high drain batteries. They are the best for every one IMHO..
Mechs ( mechanicals) use the same batteries as VV/VW units ( IMR please)
with mech usage, you must know exactly what ohm value your coil is to determine the amount of power that is going to be delivered to the coil. As the battery begins to loose voltage, the power delivered to the coil will also diminish.
With VV/VW units, the chip controls the power supplied to the coil. The advantage of VV/VW is that the chip is always adjusting the power to the coil even as the battery voltage drops off ( down to 3.2 ish volts). Other advantages to VV/VW are the protective circuitry, ease of use in setting power levels, usually a built in ohm meter, and volt meter.
If you want to change the power level ( watts,volts) a simple push of buttons allows this in VV/VW. In a mech, you would have to change the coil or wait till the battery is at the proper voltage. One advantage of the mech is being able to get higher power levels by using lower ohm coils ( above 15W).
I guess a good analogy is mechs are like driving a car with a manual transmission and a VV/VW is like a car with an automatic transmission.
with mech usage, you must know exactly what ohm value your coil is to determine the amount of power that is going to be delivered to the coil. As the battery begins to loose voltage, the power delivered to the coil will also diminish.
With VV/VW units, the chip controls the power supplied to the coil. The advantage of VV/VW is that the chip is always adjusting the power to the coil even as the battery voltage drops off ( down to 3.2 ish volts). Other advantages to VV/VW are the protective circuitry, ease of use in setting power levels, usually a built in ohm meter, and volt meter.
If you want to change the power level ( watts,volts) a simple push of buttons allows this in VV/VW. In a mech, you would have to change the coil or wait till the battery is at the proper voltage. One advantage of the mech is being able to get higher power levels by using lower ohm coils ( above 15W).
I guess a good analogy is mechs are like driving a car with a manual transmission and a VV/VW is like a car with an automatic transmission.
And here lies the crux of mechanical mods. UNDERSTANDING the limitations of the battery you choose to use is paramount for both performance and safety.
Taking nothing for granted, I'm going to assume you are new to vaping. Mods require the use of IMR (Li-Mn) rechargeable batteries. Not protected ICR (Li-Ion) rechargeable batteries. Not the batteries that can be purchased from Radio Shack, Batteries R Us, or your convenience/hardware store. The IMR batteries generally are available only from online e-cig vendors or brick & mortar stores.
Regulated variable voltage mods are safer than mechanical mods. Their protective circuitry built into the micro processors protect against short circuits, over discharge of the battery, as well as having other safety features that a mechanical mod does not have.
The price can vary widely with both regulated and mechanical mods, depending upon build quality and features.
Yes the problem is the understanding, but if you do a considerable amount of research before making purchases you should be ok. I spent a week searching for information on a new mod (went with a Vamo v5 which should be here in a few days). I had looked at all the possibilities... mechanical mods, VV/VW mods, etc etc and so on and so forth. My point being is that if you put forth the effort to understand exactly what it is you're looking for and exactly what you need for it you'll be fine. Don't just go out and buy a mechanical mod on a whim without doing research first!
That used to be true in the days before IMR Safe Chemistry came along. These days though, there really isn't much to learn about battery safety for a normal user.
Buy IMR or IMR Hybrid High Drain batteries.
There, that was it.
Unless you're intent is to subohm you don't need to know any more than that. Any real IMR High Drain battery can easily and safely handle any retail topper coil or RDA/RBA build that isn't subohm. There isn't any legitimate reason why someone shouldn't buy a mech on a whim. Not everyone wants to do subohming, and your "considerable amount of research" isn't necessary for anyone who isn't subohming.
Before you jump in with all of the "You've got to know all of this stuff" mantra why don't you find out what the user wants from their PV first? After all, you may find that they are like my wife who just wanted a small form factor device that wouldn't break down like her SVD did. She just wanted a big eGo that would last 2-3 days on a single charge. A mech mod with a Kick provided exactly what she wanted, and since she's using an iClear 30S topper with a 2ohm coil as well as a Kick all of this information you deem so vital is really irrelevant to her.
I'm brand new to vaping so I've been asking lots of questions that might be about things that you think are common knowledge but for me its all new info.
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For a beginner or for a first mod, I have to recommend and will always recommend a regulated device, either variable voltage or variable wattage. The reason being, it will provide you the flexibility to taylor your vape to your liking, whish tends to vary a lot, specially when you are starting out. It also provides the posibility to more safely move into rebuildable atomizers further along the way, since now variable devices include overcharge & undercharged protection, short circuit protection, resistance meter... They just work and provide you with a learning tool while giving you a great vape. Once you're into rebuildables, if you are ever into rebuildables, and have a deeper understanding of ohms law and your decired resistance vs battery output, the transition to mechs will be easier if you ever want to go that route.
It's not only understanding battery safety, its also the ability to taylor your vape. I asume that you had experience with mechs and rebuildables prior to your wife moving to a mech with a kick, making the transition easier and a good choice in your household. That is not always the case for new or casual vapers and a lot of people like to adjust their volts or watts throughout the day or don't want to mess with rebuildables, which a regulated device might be best for them. I'm glad you and your wife both have a stellar vape setup, but don't forget that there are different strokes for different folks.
Agreed. The only "group" of newbie vapers that should even consider starting out with mechanical mods, are the ones with a well above average understanding of electronics and battery safety, and the willingness to tinker twice as much as necessary in order to find their preferred vape.
For everyone else, the first mod should be regulated. You have to learn to crawl before you learn to walk.
BTW, I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about electronics, but still I used a regulated mod for a while before I bought my first mech. Not only because regulated mods are generally more "fool proof" in the aspects that really matter, but for the added flexibility and usability of a variable regulated mod.
I like my mech, but when I need something that just gives me the vape that I want with a minimum of effort, I use a regulated mod instead. (Yes, I prefer to keep my Ohms above 1.)
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I assume you had zero experience with mechs and rebuildables before you bought your first ones.
Everyone has to start somewhere. But do you really think the virtual Ph.D in electronics is necessary before you can even start? Be honest, did YOU know everything there was to know about battery safety and ohms laws and calculating resistances before you bought your first mod? Or did you know a little and then learned a lot more after you made your purchase?
Allow me to make an analogy here.
I drive race cars. I've been to a performance driving school and have an SCCA Competition License as well as a NHRA Sportsman Competition License. I've learned all about weight shift, traction, tire deformation, and car control. I can drive through a corner, 2 wheel drift through a corner, or 4 wheel drift through a corner at will. I can explain to you how different suspension systems work and how to adjust each one to a specific surface. I can push a car to it's very limits and hold it there for as long as I want.
I can give you hundreds, possibly thousands of examples every year of people dying because they didn't know as much about car control as I do. I can show you a hundred common mistakes people make with the way they drive because they do not understand how their car works under extreme situations.
Do you believe it's necessary for everyone to know what I know about car control in extreme conditions in order to safely drive?
Not everyone needs to know every aspect about extreme subohming in order to safely use a mech mod. Tailor your information to the user, you don't need to treat everyone like their planning on being a race car driver.
Tailor your information and advice to their needs, don't automatically assume they need to know every little aspect of every extreme possibility, ASK them what they want from the device and then give them the information that best fits their needs without overloading them with warnings and concerns that do not apply to them.
For the majority of people looking into mechs, simply telling them to buy High Drain IMR?Hybrid batteries and then explaining what a Kick module is and how to use it is enough. Then, if you want, point them in the direction of the information regarding battery safety and rebuilding and everything else with the explanation that IF they want to get into more advanced rebuilding and subohming, then they need to learn that stuff first. But don't automatically treat everyone like they are ALL going to be using their mechs to that extreme. The vast majority do not.
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Not much I can add to several good posts and agree totally that a regulated mod is really the best starting point for new users.
One element I don't see stressed much or not enough in regards to mechanical mods and safe usage is over-discharge or draining the battery below a 3.2v charge. This directly impacts battery life and in some cases can cause a battery to become unstable if it's drained below 3.2v too frequently or too far.
Had this come up with several mech users who complained of wearing out batteries in just a couple of months. Mention it... and they ask "Is that bad?" These weren't newbies...
I've also taken to strongly recommending a real digital multimeter is a must buy before you purchase a mechanical mod. Not only essential for testing for shorts, coil resistance, battery charge but imperative for troubleshooting any firing problem.
One element I don't see stressed much or not enough in regards to mechanical mods and safe usage is over-discharge or draining the battery below a 3.2v charge. This directly impacts battery life and in some cases can cause a battery to become unstable if it's drained below 3.2v too frequently or too far.
Had this come up with several mech users who complained of wearing out batteries in just a couple of months. Mention it... and they ask "Is that bad?" These weren't newbies...
I've also taken to strongly recommending a real digital multimeter is a must buy before you purchase a mechanical mod. Not only essential for testing for shorts, coil resistance, battery charge but imperative for troubleshooting any firing problem.
Actually I did have experience with rebuildables before I bought my first mech. I learn how to rebuild on my Provari before I got my first mech, which is why I gave the suggestion that I gave earlier, with proper explanation as to why in my previous post. I'm not sure why you take offence to this and it strikes my as your post being a little hypocritical since you assume that everyone shares YOUR needs or YOUR wifes needs.
If you re-read my post I wasn't disagreeing with your stance on battery safety if using IMR and not sub-ohming, I was expanding on the other point so concider before making a purchase.
My 2 cents, take it or leave it...
Rebuildables and mechs are two entirely different things and do not relate to each other.
You can use a rebuildable on a VV/VW mod. You can use a mech with a non-rebuildable topper.
One does not need to know ANYTHING about rebuildables to safely use a mech mod. For example, my wife who uses an iClear 30S tank with a premade 2ohm coil exclusively. Teaching her anything about rebuildables is a waste of time, she doesn't and will not use one. For them the whole Ohms Law and Battery speech, as well as any information regarding rebuilding is a waste of time and effort because it simply does not apply to them.
Like I said, tailor your response to the person's needs. Don't assume they are going to use their mech for the same purpose you use yours. My wife (And others) use them as nothing more than oversized eGos and have no intention of ever rebuilding a coil.
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