Thank you so much! Best info so far! Have you ordered from fasttech before?
Need my first mech mod, help? :(
- Thread starter MissVixen
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Thank you so much! Best info so far! Have you ordered from fasttech before?
Heehee oh I have. He uses mine every now and then, mostly when were playin zombies and he cant stop for a smoke break, and im vapin it up
lol
I have done my research about safety, subohms, builds, batteries, ect. already. For a few months now.
My local b&m has k100 kits for $50, but again, thats my max limit.
I just wish Mr. Hubby-the-billpayer would see that its cheaper in the long run to vape. He still smokes, and isnt into vaping.
I hear ya MissVixen. You need 2 good batteries, a good charger, a digital multimeter and a mod. You can't get that for $50 no matter where you buy it from. If you already have the DMM, you could do it from Fasttech, but you would be waiting for anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks for it all. I also don't know how they are doing with shipping batteries these days. A while back that was a real issue.
BTW, some of those K100 kits come with Kamry batteries. I've never seen any max amp ratings on them.
That M16 has a great price on it, but be careful. I have a friend with one and I had to modify the switch assembly to make it usable for him. FT uses a bunch of different suppliers though so it may not be the same device anymore.
Plus the best delivery time I've got from them was 5 weeks.
Aw you're welcome!
Yes, I have. I ordered that same mod, some drip tips, etc. from FT. Everything got to me, no issues with credit card fraud, etc. The drawback is the wait time--it could take 2-3 weeks for your mod to arrive. Upside is the price. LOTS of people use FT.
btw I've had no problems with the m16. The only issue is that after a day of use, (for me) the firing button starts to loosen up, and needs tightening. Just grab it and tighten it. There are permanent fixes for that--read the discussion on that mod
Another one I'd recommend is the Launcher for 16.79: $16.79 Launcher Telescopic Mechanical Mod - stainless steel / copper contacts at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
It also hits really hard, and has a recessed button, which gets rid of the need for a locking ring. imo locking rings are a PITA.
EDIT: Do not order batteries from FT. Also, kits don't usually have the best chargers/batteries included, so you're better off ordering separately.
EDITING again: Just read Ryedan's post on FT. I've had good luck with FT (ie, I've never had to wait two months for my purchase). Read the discussions there, though. People have been known to wait that long, unfortunately.
Last edited:
If you shop around and are patient, you can get a quality mech setup for cheap.
My setup includes a NiteCore I4 charger ($16 + free shipping on Amazon), 2 Sony VTC4s ($12.50 + free shipping on FastTech), and a cheap DMM from Harbor Freight (free with purchase). First mech was the FastTech Stingray ($30).
NiteCore charger is no-frills basic, but seems to work fine.
The Sony batteries took about five weeks to arrive from China, but I've had zero problems with them once in hand.
The DMM from Harbor Freight sucks, but it works, and it was free. It's great for checking voltage, and with some patience, it works for checking resistance. I also double-check my resistance using a couple of regulated mods with ohms readers. No problems yet.
Total expenditure (sans mech mod) - $28.50
FastTech's Stingray is a'ight, but some places are now selling the Infinite version for about the same price, shipped from the USA, so I would look for a deal on one of those.
I do recommend FastTech for one reason - they have some of the best customer service I've found. Returns/replacements are handled promptly and with little fuss (though you still have to wait for shipping), and their service window is incredibly generous compared with any other company I've found (perhaps the Costco of the vaping world, lol). There are a lot of great US vendors, though, too - I will second the 101vape.com recommendation for good prices and fast shipping on mech components.
My setup includes a NiteCore I4 charger ($16 + free shipping on Amazon), 2 Sony VTC4s ($12.50 + free shipping on FastTech), and a cheap DMM from Harbor Freight (free with purchase). First mech was the FastTech Stingray ($30).
NiteCore charger is no-frills basic, but seems to work fine.
The Sony batteries took about five weeks to arrive from China, but I've had zero problems with them once in hand.
The DMM from Harbor Freight sucks, but it works, and it was free. It's great for checking voltage, and with some patience, it works for checking resistance. I also double-check my resistance using a couple of regulated mods with ohms readers. No problems yet.
Total expenditure (sans mech mod) - $28.50
FastTech's Stingray is a'ight, but some places are now selling the Infinite version for about the same price, shipped from the USA, so I would look for a deal on one of those.
I do recommend FastTech for one reason - they have some of the best customer service I've found. Returns/replacements are handled promptly and with little fuss (though you still have to wait for shipping), and their service window is incredibly generous compared with any other company I've found (perhaps the Costco of the vaping world, lol). There are a lot of great US vendors, though, too - I will second the 101vape.com recommendation for good prices and fast shipping on mech components.
Helio is a great RDA. Try building single coil on it. 30g tight micro should heat up pretty fast even at 1.2oms.
Mech mod isn't anything special and don't expect different experience from it. Helio with a good coil setup should give you awesome vape even on MVP.
Save your money and go straight to DNA30 mod. These mods will blow away any mech mod on performance.
Mech mod isn't anything special and don't expect different experience from it. Helio with a good coil setup should give you awesome vape even on MVP.
Save your money and go straight to DNA30 mod. These mods will blow away any mech mod on performance.
In my mind, there are two reasons to get a mech mod:
1) You like the form factor. This was the primary reason I wanted my first mech. It's small, it's pretty, and there's little that can break. Mechs are pretty much the most reliable/fixable pieces of vape gear I own - should keep me going strong well after the FDA has banned everything but the crappy disposables… ;-)
2) You want to run massive coil setups. It's still the only really viable option for running, say, a quad-coil build (and even some of the hotter dual-coils). Mechs will allow more power draw than any regulated mod.
The biggest drawback (apart from safety, which can be mitigated), is the lack of power regulation. Mechs will run hot (maybe even too hot) with a fresh battery, will settle into it's sweet spot at around 3.9-3.7, and then start limping along until it's time to swap out the battery. Regulated mods give you consistency from the first hit until the time the battery needs to be swapped out (actually, a bit before that point, IME, but that's the concept…). You also need to swap batteries less often with a regulated battery due to the power boost capability.
One of the biggest things I don't get around the "OMG! Sub-ohmming is CRAZY!" hysteria is that no one can get particularly good performance on a mech *without* building a sub-ohm coil.
At a battery's most consistent operating voltage (3.7v), a 1 ohm coil is only pulling 13w - hardly "OMG! Cloud chasing!" power (and honestly, it would be a super-mild, cool vape at that). If you really want a nice warm vape with good flavor and decent vapor, you kinda *have* to build a sub-ohm coil. Or swap batteries every half-hour...
Honestly, one of my RDAs is currently set up with a .7 dual-coil, and I have to swap out the battery at 3.6/3.5v, as the vapor at that point is inferior to a Kanger Mini ProTank. I'm not a cloud chaser, but I like a decently warm vape with good flavor, and that just doesn't happen (IME) above 1 ohm on a mech.
1) You like the form factor. This was the primary reason I wanted my first mech. It's small, it's pretty, and there's little that can break. Mechs are pretty much the most reliable/fixable pieces of vape gear I own - should keep me going strong well after the FDA has banned everything but the crappy disposables… ;-)
2) You want to run massive coil setups. It's still the only really viable option for running, say, a quad-coil build (and even some of the hotter dual-coils). Mechs will allow more power draw than any regulated mod.
The biggest drawback (apart from safety, which can be mitigated), is the lack of power regulation. Mechs will run hot (maybe even too hot) with a fresh battery, will settle into it's sweet spot at around 3.9-3.7, and then start limping along until it's time to swap out the battery. Regulated mods give you consistency from the first hit until the time the battery needs to be swapped out (actually, a bit before that point, IME, but that's the concept…). You also need to swap batteries less often with a regulated battery due to the power boost capability.
One of the biggest things I don't get around the "OMG! Sub-ohmming is CRAZY!" hysteria is that no one can get particularly good performance on a mech *without* building a sub-ohm coil.
At a battery's most consistent operating voltage (3.7v), a 1 ohm coil is only pulling 13w - hardly "OMG! Cloud chasing!" power (and honestly, it would be a super-mild, cool vape at that). If you really want a nice warm vape with good flavor and decent vapor, you kinda *have* to build a sub-ohm coil. Or swap batteries every half-hour...
Honestly, one of my RDAs is currently set up with a .7 dual-coil, and I have to swap out the battery at 3.6/3.5v, as the vapor at that point is inferior to a Kanger Mini ProTank. I'm not a cloud chaser, but I like a decently warm vape with good flavor, and that just doesn't happen (IME) above 1 ohm on a mech.
I don't know - I have a Sigelei 20w (SX200 chip), and I do get slightly better hits from my mech with the same atty (though fewer of them). I can only imagine that there is some significant voltage drop in a regulated mod as compared to a good mech.
*shrug*
Fastech is not shipping batteries anymore due to restrictions in the postal service. Just a heads up.
But they're awesome for everything else if you don't mind the wait.
But they're awesome for everything else if you don't mind the wait.
- Status
Similar threads
