New to mechanical mods, need advice.

[Skeebo]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently using a MVP2, so the world of mechanical mods is something totally foreign and new to me. The particular mod I was looking at is hcigar's Caravela. I don't know too much about it and to be honest, chose it for no particular reason. So, with that in mind, I am open to suggestions and/or feedback regarding the Caravela or better mods. I wanted to use this mod mainly to drip, and perhaps also to use with a RBA as well. In terms of RDA's the particular one I had my eye on is a Veritas clone.

I'll be honest, it's all a bit intimidating to me. In particular, I don't know if certain mods need to be used with a tank due to adjustable pins or lack there of. Same goes for the 510 connection on the tanks. To really divulge my utter ignorance on this matter, if I haven't already, I don't even know what I'm talking about.

I need some help, badly.

 

[8dragon9]

I used a caravela for a while, I found it very irritating with the bottom button backing out, needs a lot of fiddling etc. For a starter mech mod you almost can not go wrong with the Nemesis, they are inexpensive, easy to use, and very functional. These last few days though I personally have had a ton of success with the Cronus mod. Great hit, firm button, no adjustments need be made up top, and the telescopic seems to hold without backing out.

 

[Asbestos4004]

I agree ...the nemesis is easier and probably a better performer. Still sleek and simple like the caravela but a better design.
The Veritas is a great dripper but not the easiest to build. A TOBH or a Tugboat are both incredible rdas and very easy to build on.
Get Sony VTC 5's and a multimeter. Do a bit of research regarding battery safety before diving in. Have fun!

 

[Skeebo]

Thanks for the replies and helpful advice.

 

[wrath186]

+1 for the Nemesis.

 

[State O' Flux]

The particular mod I was looking at is HCigar's Caravela. I don't know too much about it and to be honest, chose it for no particular reason. So, with that in mind, I am open to suggestions and/or feedback regarding the Caravela or better mods. I wanted to use this mod mainly to drip, and perhaps also to use with a RBA as well. In terms of RDA's the particular one I had my eye on is a Veritas clone.

I'll be honest, it's all a bit intimidating to me. In particular, I don't know if certain mods need to be used with a tank due to adjustable pins or lack there of. Same goes for the 510 connection on the tanks. To really divulge my utter ignorance on this matter, if I haven't already, I don't even know what I'm talking about.

I need some help, badly.

The Caravela clones come in 22 and 23 mm diameters. Perhaps important if you want a sleek, single diameter appearance... other than that, there are far too many clone mechs for anyone to recommend a generic "name", without being very specific as to the maker, and perhaps even the vendor. There can be several brands of any popular name clone, with dozens of variations... and some are pure crap.

The authentic Veritas is excellent (and 22mm in diameter), along with the Origen V2, one of the best "flavor" RDAs there is... and yes, hard to build if you don't know what you're doing. The EhPro Veritas is very near 1:1 - the Tobeco version, although good, does not have the countersunk insulator "nut" like the current authentic version.
I made a pattern duplicate fixture just for the Veritas... makes building nice looking coil sets much easier, and works nicely for the Origen as well.

Most mechs have a decent range of battery and atty adjustment, and work with most 510 attys... I wouldn't dwell on it too much. It's the mechs that use a hybrid type adapter (the 4Nine comes immediately to mind) where you can run into issues with the atty 510 connector not being long enough, or not having the right battery. The authentic makers tend to address this quickly, while clone makers can sometimes lag behind.

 

[Skeebo]

Are there particular batteries you guys can recommend? Charger?

 

[Baditude]

Are there particular batteries you guys can recommend? Charger?

You can't go wrong with a Sony VTC battery, probably the best battery on the market and very versatile for different applications.



I recommend a charger manufactured by Xtar or Nitecore. I use both an i2 (2 bay) and i4 (4 bay) Nitecore Intellicharger.

Battery Basics for Mods

I buy all my batteries and chargers from RTD Vapor, a reputable/trusted e-cig vendor who sells authentic name brand batteries/chargers. There are some vendors knowingly/unknowingly selling counterfeit AW and Sony batteries. Be extremely cautious buying from ebay or amazon. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-how-identify-counterfeit-sony-batteries.html

 

[Skeebo]

Thanks so much Baditude.

I'm looking at all these mods and there's so many, is it normal to feel overwhelmed? I'm sitting here looking at my MVP.... and well, don't feel so outta place with it. lol

 

[Baditude]

Thanks so much Baditude.

I'm looking at all these mods and there's so many, is it normal to feel overwhelmed? I'm sitting here looking at my MVP.... and well, don't feel so outta place with it. lol

That's normal. There are so many mechanical mods to choose from its hard to keep up with what is available on the market.

I'm not a fan of bottom fire buttons on mechs. If you aren't careful and set your mod down without locking the fire button, you can unintentionally over-discharge the battery and cause it to go into thermal runaway. Plus, my pinky finger is not as strong as my thumb or index finger, so I prefer the safer and more comfortable side fire button. Not many mech mods use a side fire button.

I love my side-firing Silver Bullets from AltSmoke; I own two of them. They are made in Ohio, so should one ever need repair it can be returned to the manufacturer to be fixed. Its a finely made mod with a long-standing reputation, a staple in many vaper's collection. It can be purchased with an optional sleeve to use a Kick for wattage regulation (essentually turning your Silver Bullet into a variable wattage PV) and which provides protection circuitry against short circuits. Just $85. A fully mechanical version Silver Bullet is also available.



Inexpensive Setup for Your First Mech/RDA

 

[Skeebo]

Is that wattage regulation the kick sleeve I see on the site for $24, or is that something I have to find somewhere else?

 

[Skeebo]

Oh I see it now on the other page. That definitely looks like something up my alley.

 

[JoppaRoadCruiser]

Go with the stingray clone from hcigar. Already has the magnetic switch on it. I have one and love it.

 

[Skeebo]

I know this might be a dumb question-- when using a mech mod do I have to be careful to not run the battery all the way down? And, do I have to constantly check the volts on the battery as I use it for safe usage?

 

[jaxgator]

I know this might be a dumb question-- when using a mech mod do I have to be careful to not run the battery all the way down? And, do I have to constantly check the volts on the battery as I use it for safe usage?

In a word, yes.

However, I have found that after you get used to using mechs, you will recognize when the battery voltage has decreased enough that it needs changing. For me, I usually notice this from decreased vapor production and flavor and when I take the battery out and measure the volts, it is right around the 3.6 - 3.7 mark.

 

[JoppaRoadCruiser]

Yes. Check out some of Baditude's blog posts on battery safety.....will tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Skeebo]

Checking it out.. another question though. When the mod calls for a 18500 battery, is the 18490 able to be used? I was only wondering because I'm checking Baditude's blog with the place to buy batteries link.

 

[JoppaRoadCruiser]

Many mods now come with different size tubes that allow you to use different size batteries. My stingray accommodates 18650, 18500, and 18350. If the mod says it only takes that battery, other sizes wont work. I recommend going with one that comes with different tubes if you are interested in using different battery sizes.

 

[Seanchai]

I wanted to use this mod mainly to drip, and perhaps also to use with a RBA as well. In terms of RDA's the particular one I had my eye on is a Veritas clone.

Just in case you weren't aware, you can drip and use RBAs/RDAs just fine on the MVP - I do it all the time. Nothing wrong with getting a mech either, so I'm not trying to discourage that. I just see a lot of mech fans claiming that you *can't* use rebuildables on an MVP, and that's not true. I run a one ohm single coil at 7-10 watts and it works fine... what the MVP *does* have trouble with is powering dual coils effectively. The low amp limit means that powering dual coils *well* requires some tinkering and finesse.

I'm just now getting into mechs myself so I'll leave any detailed mech suggestions to those who've been at it longer than I. For me, the learning curve was made much less overwhelming by figuring out rebuildables and dripping *first* and then moving to mechs, so I only had one new set of things to learn at a time... but that's just my experience.

Hope you find a mech you enjoy.

 

[Skeebo]

Just in case you weren't aware, you can drip and use RBAs/RDAs just fine on the MVP - I do it all the time. Nothing wrong with getting a mech either, so I'm not trying to discourage that. I just see a lot of mech fans claiming that you *can't* use rebuildables on an MVP, and that's not true. I run a one ohm single coil at 7-10 watts and it works fine... what the MVP *does* have trouble with is powering dual coils effectively. The low amp limit means that powering dual coils *well* requires some tinkering and finesse.

I'm just now getting into mechs myself so I'll leave any detailed mech suggestions to those who've been at it longer than I. For me, the learning curve was made much less overwhelming by figuring out rebuildables and dripping *first* and then moving to mechs, so I only had one new set of things to learn at a time... but that's just my experience.

Hope you find a mech you enjoy.

I was also thinking about doing that just to get the coil building aspect down pat a little.

I want to thank you all for being so kind with the help. This will probably be an ongoing process for me.

Skeebo