My review of the Fasttech Russian 91% (meh)

[Vaep]

I received the Russian (type-A) clone last week along with the nano kit... Its a sweet looking setup but unfortunately the bads outweigh the goods when it comes to the performance. I have tried a few different coils but my current setup is 11wrap-26gauge-5/64diam = 1.2ohms
My complaints:

1. Center pin doesnt stay tight....this means when I unscrew/screw the atty into my mod it slightly twists the center pin which in turn mis-aligns the airflow hole. Im not sure if owners of the genuine Russian have this problem but its annoying as f.

2. The taste is the main problem. It tastes like METAL. Ive cleaned out all of the parts with iso over 3 times, shoved a q-tip into the airhole in attempts to clean out whatever is making it taste like butthole but no...metal scratchy throat syndrome.

3. Nano kit holds about as much as an Evod (1ml?) but its twice the size and puts out only a little more vapor than my rebuilt Evod did.

4. Sometimes I get dry hits. To counter this you have to put your finger over the airholes and gently suck in some juice. This isnt so bad because ide rather do this then have it flood. It doesnt happen that often so its no biggie..

By the way, prior to receiving the Russian, Ive been vaping on a dual coil RDA which obviously is the best for flavor/vapor but something tells me this Fasttech Russian is just crap. How anyone could handle that metallic butthole taste is beyond me... Maybe these people havent tried dripping?

Anyone else notice this?
Other then that, the production is good for a single coil...airflow is good...

Please let me know what the best setup is using 26 gauge (diam/wraps)

 

[Vaep]

aaaand no one cares

 

[vaperature]

LOL, I care. Thanks for the review.

 

[KitchenSoap]

From what I've seen on my friends authentic Russian, I don't think it has any of the problems you are encountering as expected from such a well-praised RBA. My trident clone has the same problem with the posts and it really is annoying. China really needs to make sturdier posts yet I can't really argue with the price.

 

[Tmartin63]

Not sure why you're getting the metal taste. I have 2 original Russians and neither have a strange taste. I also have two FT clones no strange taste there either.

The pin issue is common. It is actually two pieces. If you unscrew the center pin both will most likely come out. The pin that makes contact with the battery screws into the center of another piece and that holds the deck tight. Put that one back in and tighten the deck down tight (it has a groove for the screwdriver.) Then insert the smaller center pin into the hole and adjust to the desired depth.

I use 7 wraps of 28gauge on a 1/16 drill bit at .8 ohms with cotton wick. With 26 gauge you might try 9-10 wraps. Cranks out the vapor and flavor is wonderful. That's how I can usually tell its time for a coil clean and wick change, flavor drops off dramatically.

Nano kits, I have learned are really pointless. I bought four that are collecting dust after using it about two times. Makes no sense to have so little juice. I use a nemesis in 350 mode with a hybrid connector and it is extremely small with over 4ml of juice.

I went with the less is more theory for a long time when using cotton, then I tried adding more and boom, found the sweet spot. No more dry hits or priming to prevent them. Once it is going it works great and I use 100% VG juice.

Good luck hope it gets better for you. I love every one of mine and they are all I use anymore.

 

[stevegmu]

It is a counterfeit made of mystery metal. Of course it isn't quite right...

 

[Vaep]

Just a little follow-up on this thread:

-Metalic taste took at least a week to go away...Its fine now.
-Center pin has gotten more loose but as long as its lined up properly, it doesnt give me problems..
-No real problems with flooding...and as for dry hits, I still have to cover the AF hole and suck in some juice..it has become second nature to do so and I don mind it...Its better than it being a flooder.

Overall it wasnt a bad purchase.. Thought I went back to using a dripper atty, this russian is still good for going to the store or if I feel like taking smaller, hotter hits... good flavor, just doesnt have that MEATY thick cloud feeling I like..

 

[rc3po]

Just a little follow-up on this thread:

-Metalic taste took at least a week to go away...Its fine now.
-Center pin has gotten more loose but as long as its lined up properly, it doesnt give me problems..
-No real problems with flooding...and as for dry hits, I still have to cover the AF hole and suck in some juice..it has become second nature to do so and I don mind it...Its better than it being a flooder.

Overall it wasnt a bad purchase.. Thought I went back to using a dripper atty, this russian is still good for going to the store or if I feel like taking smaller, hotter hits... good flavor, just doesnt have that MEATY thick cloud feeling I like..

If it doesn't have a 2 piece 510 pin, it's a KF clone, not a 91 clone.
As far as your metal taste - I just cleaned the coil in my authentic 91% earlier, and I used a cotton wick that was thinner than usual to test the "less is better" claim. The cotton was not snug in the coil and I got a metallic weird taste. I took it back apart and put a new piece of cotton in it as I usually do: I lick my fingers and roll the cotton down so that when I pull it through the coil, it's kind of snug.
Now the flavor is great again!
Here is a picture of my coil after I cleaned it.

 

[stanthemanchan]

If you're getting dry hits, you may be using too much cotton. Dry hits could also be the cause of the metallic flavour-- it's coming from the coil overheating due to dry spots. If your tank is flooding or leaking, you may be using too little cotton. You'll need to experiment with it to find the sweet spot, but with the right build it can be a decent RTA.