I received this Ice Spider Mechanical mod free of charge from 5GVape for the purpose of this review. Regardless of this, it will not color my opinion on this review in any way, shape or form.
Packaging
This comes in a black box with the Ice Spiders logo on top, at the bottom you will find a scratch and sniff to ensure authenticity. You will also find web address, the address for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
When you open the box the tube sits in a cut out and above it the 20700 hybrid top cap sits with the spring for the switch inside it.
The Tube
When I opened the box and had a look at this tube I must say that it looked nice enough. The one I got is the brass tube and it does also come in copper and painted black on copper.
It features a really big etching on it and it is of a spider with the text Ice Spiders underneath it. I wouldn’t stretch it and say that it is a good looking spider, in my mind it is way to big to have on a tube. It would be something else entirely if it was like a theme with a spider that was covering the whole tube.
I know there is a movie called ice spiders and this might be something they have picked out from that movie. The spider itself looks really similar to the spider they used as a logo for that movie.
For the first time when I have gotten a mechanical tube mod I had to clean it before I could use it since the threads were all full with machine oil residue from production. And the inside of the tube was also totally dirty and just by touching the tube I got oil on my fingers. After a thorough clean however it looked much better and it was ready to be put to use.
It is delivered with two hybrid top caps, one for the use with a 18650 and the other for the use with a 20700 and both has the serial number on top of them. The threads on the top caps are nice and smooth but since the threads are so fine it takes a bunch of turns to get it on or off properly. Both top caps are 26 mm at the base and tapers to 24 mm where the RDA sits.
It has a magnetic switch which also can be turned into a spring loaded one by using the spring attached in the package. The throw is fairly short and pretty firm and isn’t bad at all to use. The contact part of the switch that sits in a thread inside the tube is a disk made out of ultem or some other plastic and in the middle a silver plated contact point is attached.
I am not sure how the threads on this ultem/plastic disk will be lasting over time since you need to take it out in order to clean it and with it being ultem/plastic it can be easy to .... up the thread on it. I think that I rather had seen this disk made out of brass with an insulator on it where the contact point is seated.
The magnets in the switch gives it a pretty firm throw and from using it I can say that it is working just fine and it has never had a misfire of any sort. The throw might be a couple of mm and it isn’t too long. I am a guy that really like short throws and this qualifies to be short.
In the time I have been using it I haven’t experienced any hot button at all. The tube itself might get warm thanks to the heat from the RDA going down the tube but that is all.
The venting on this tube is through the top cap and both caps got 2 bevels that goes from the bottom of the thread to the top of it and that is supposed to be enough to vent the tube in case of a battery venting. When I tested if the air goes out through these bevels it is working so I just hope I won’t have to find out how well or not it is working in case of an emergency. Would have liked to see a better venting option though.
The switch doesn’t have a locking function so as always be careful if you pocket this tube while shopping or walking around. It hasn’t auto fired on me yet but you never know what happens and since the button is sitting flush with the switch housing you need to be a bit careful.
This like many other hybrid tube mods doesn’t have any delrin lining inside the tube or the top caps and this means that you need to be extra careful and make sure that your battery wrap is undamaged. If it isn’t and you use it you might be in for an unpleasant surprise with a battery venting or going thermal on you and that is something none of us would like to happen.
When you tighten the top cap with an RDA on top you need to be careful so you don’t dent the negative side of the battery. Why is that you might ask… The reason is since the tube itself got such a big inner diameter the battery can move around quite a bit and you will feel that you need to tighten down the top cap fairly much to prevent the battery from rattling.
For a low priced hybrid mechanical tube mod I must say that it hits fairly good. Maybe not as hard as one of my other more high end mods but nonetheless really good.
Assessment
For a low priced mechanical mod I would say that this mod is performing really good and thinking of what it does cost it isn’t a bad mod at all. Price worthy is the word that comes to mind.
Can I recommend it to others?
If you are after a decent mechanical tube mod and don’t wanna pay a fortune for it this might be what you are after and I would say go for it.
Pros
Threads
How it hits
Usable with 18650 and 20700
Magnet or spring loaded switch
Price
Cons
Dirty, machine oil residue
Can dent the negative side of the battery, be cautious when tightening the top cap
Parameters
Width: 26mm
Height: 85mm (18650), 90mm (20700)
Brass, Copper, Black, Silver plated
Package includes
1 x Ice Spider mechanical mod
1 x 20700 hybrid top cap
1 x Spring for the switch
You will find it here
At 5GVape, Efun for $46.99, Fasttech for $47.10 at the time i wrote the review.
And before ending this review I want to point out a few things of importance to those new to mech mods and also the seasoned user. Remember to always pay attention to…
Battery safety
Ohms law
Having a hybrid connection you must make sure to have a protruding enough 510 pin on the atomizer and make sure it isn’t a floating 510 pin
Keeping your mech mod clean at all times. Meaning the connections, switch, threading and internally
Thanks for reading this far and Vape on!
Norseman
