Price vs Performance... Is expensive always better?

[Amfamora]

Just thought I would share a bit of a conundrum I am experiencing right now...

Today received my M16 Sentinel and Trident from Myvapes and have completed my first build. Its a dual coil setup 3/4 wrap of 28g Kanthal metering at .4 ohms. I have an identical coil setup on my sigelei #20 and IGO W with enlarged dual airholes.

Right now I am experiencing a better vape out of my $75 sigelei setup than my $240 Grand Vapor setup. Slightly disheartened yes... So far believe it or not for me the build in the IGO W was easier than the trident and it is out performing it!

The culprits with a Titan thrown in below..... Im tempted to rebuild the Trident just to see if any improvements can be made with the coils but so far Im of the mindset any improvements will be minor.

So I ask the question have any of you experienced a situation where you have asked yourself is the extra money worth it?

Obviously in my situation the build quality of the mods is a factor but the end result is ultimately having the best vape experience. My Sigelei has yet to let me down hardware wise.

Any opinions?

 

[peterforpats]

what, you don't own a provari? of course, more expensive is better!(sarcasm)

 

[Amfamora]

Closest I come to VV or VW is my SVD and MVP Provari pfft..... Love my Mechanicals too much

 

[Fun-atic]

Is mechanicals better than vv or vw? Why do some people prefer one for the other. Please let me understand.

 

[murphyramone]

Is mechanicals better than vv or vw? Why do some people prefer one for the other. Please let me understand.

Quick and drity explanation: VV/VW you can adjust power output on the device. Mechanicals fire at the battery voltage so you adjust your coil build.

 

[Fun-atic]

Would it be easier to change your vv or vw adjustment and having a consistant vape all day be better rather than messing around with coils and when the battery voltage drops in a mechanical doesn't the vape change?

 

[HauntedMyst]

Price vs Performance... Is expensive always better?

Yes, more expensive things always vape better.

 

[mare ze dotes]

What are you going to do with those... rocket to the moon? Very nice looking.

Hello amfamora!

My expensive fancy delivery devices are for the most part parked in the cabinet. Too much futzing for me.

 

[tj99959]

Quick and drity explanation: VV/VW you can adjust power output on the device. Mechanicals fire at the battery voltage so you adjust your coil build.

The juice could care less what mathematical formula we use to get to our sweet spot. You can adjust the voltage/wattage, or you can adjust the resistance. all that matters is that you get it adjusted one way or another to taste the way you want.

Likewise the juice could care less what you paid for your PV or delivery system. The value comes from how long will they last.

 

[retrox]

I've got an IGO-W sitting on a Sig 20 right this very moment (looks exactly like yours, only with a brass drip tip ), and it's a great vape. Could it be better? Maybe. Would I notice the difference if it was? Probably not. You'll eventually hit that point of diminishing returns regardless of how much you spend on gear. With mechs especially, it's mostly about how well you build your wick and coil anyway. Now, as far as the tube itself... Yeah, I acknowledge that a Poldiac is gonna hit harder than a Sig 20 simply due to the differences in conductivity of the devices. But when I can grab a $20 V3 tube that boasts a comparable minimum of voltage drop, why the heck am I going to wanna spend 10X as much on that Poldiac?

Cuz it's PRETTY, that's why, and that is reason enough as far as I'm concerned!

Oh, and I also own a Provari, and always will. Got nothing to do with price, looks, or performance. With a Vari, it's all about the reliability. My mechs' job is to keep me enjoying the vape. My Vari's job is to keep me off the stinkies. Both perform their jobs admirably!

 

[Baditude]

I have both mechanical and regulated VV APVs. Aside from my VMod (mechanical bottom feeder), I prefer using my variable voltage APVs over the mechanicals.

I have up to a dozen cartotanks, each with their own flavor. I change between flavors at least 3 - 4 times a day. Each flavor has a different "sweet spot" as far as voltage. Fruit flavors less voltage; coffee and tobacco flavors more voltage. Even with my RBAs, I prefer using them on my Provari's than the Silver Bullet - again because I can adjust the voltage on the Provari's and not on the SB. I'm not a fan of sub ohm vaping with the RBAs, so I don't have an issue with the Provari's being unable to fire a sub ohm coil.

Do you need an expensive mod like a Provari for an enjoyable vaping experience? Absolutely not. However, my expectations may be different from others. I value quality workmanship and durability, as well as dependable customer service.

I have two Provari's because they are the most dependable and consistant APV I could buy; and despite using them on a daily basis, I know that they will last me years as opposed to months compared to the China-made APVs that I own. Even should one require repair service down the road, I know that the manufacturer can do so and I will have it back working again within a week's time - I also know that could never happen with the China-made APVs. Is that peace of mind worth the extra cost of a Provari? To me it is.

 

[Thrasher]

depends on what you consider better, i have 6 dollar drippers here i guarantee can hold their own.
cheap? yea, performance? 100% spot on to the original, What if it breaks? who cares it was 6 bucks i get a couple months ill get another.

mechs and apv's act differently, i have some attys i really like the performance on a mech better and a few just dont seem right unless they are on my provari or semovar. i have one atty that taste downright weird on my vamo, but i switch it to another and its fine.

sometimes devices are temperamental, sometimes it takes a while to get the perfect build for the exact device its sitting on. in a mech things like voltage drop and efficiency come into play, personally i dont care if it promises i trip out and see unicorns bursting into rainbows im not spending 60 bucks on a dripper.

with enlarged dual airholes.

is the trident opened up the same way? if it doesnt match the igo in setup it cant match the igo in performance, remember that airflow is the #1 factor in rba's. setup is right behind that, and the two have to work together.

i get some drippers and it seems to take a few different builds before i find the one that works best in the device. in the beginning i tried to build every dripper with the same set up and i quickly discovered it just doesnt work like that for me one wick, two strands, double loop etc. even then sometimes all it takes is just loosening the airhole just a touch, my ol phoenix was like this, it was so so and then i drilled it out a bit and KAPOW, mammoth vapor clouds lol
experiment before becoming disheartened and you may find its better then you think.


(how did provari end up in this? i see no mention in the op's question lol)

but generally speaking yes, you get exactly what you pay for most of the time ----generally----

just look how many people say, oh man this clone mech is da bomb--right after i files the pin and sanded the............. clone or not you shouldnt have to do anything if it was made right, and sometimes this is exactly what you are paying for.

 

[albcig]

this is a question that more and more people are asking. you can clearly see and understand the difference between a ferrari and a ford fiesta, but when it comes to simple metal tubes. hmmm

 

[Ref Minor]

(how did provari end up in this? i see no mention in the op's question lol)

It just does, the question is unimportant.

 

[Fun-atic]

What ever will take me to piont A to point B

 

[Cjax]

More expensive usually just means better materials are used in the construct. The vape experience (with rba's at least) is mostly dependent on the user's ability to build a well working coil and wick set-up. You could have bought the $3000 Otto Carter Chi You and some equally priced whatever rba, but if you can't set it up to save your life, well you get the point.

 

[Vincent_Diesel]

So my quick thoughts.

Had a RSST Genesis Atomizer at $30. Also have a DID Short Atomizer at $110.

Put a blindfold on me and ask me to vape each one of them, I probably couldn't tell you one from the other. Vapewise.

Now beyond taste the differences are:

One leaks and the other doesn't. The RSST had a strange leak down the positive post that made its way down into my mod. It was fixed by the use of silicone o-rings along the post. Cheap fix, but I surely didn't expect it to do that. Also I had wicking issues when the fill hole was sealed. The remedy was to remove the silicone plug from the fill hole and leave it open. When the unit was placed on its side for a few minutes expect a puddle of juice. Drip... Drip... Drip.

The DID on the other hand out of the box has been flawless so far. Maybe I rolled a perfect coil the first time, but it has been such a good performer. Time will tell.

Now is it approximately 3.5x better in terms of price. I'll let you decide. At the end of day I got the RSST to perform well -- it took some time and a bit of tweaking to get it acceptable. Dry pockets for me alone are worth the price difference.

 

[aPandaz]

Price has nothing to do with how enjoyable a vape is. It comes down to build when using RBA's and the design of the RBA itself. I find that I like my IGO-W as much as my Nimbus...and I really am not enjoying my Trident. Some people love the Trident...I'm not a fan so far. I love my Kayfuns over anything else. If the Russian is just as good as a Kayfun, I'll pick up one of those too. As far as mech mods go, you are really paying for craftsmanship and in some cases rarity.

 

[Bern Diesel]

IMO, some of the high prices are simply because they are "limited" and has very little to do with performance. But what do I know. I've only been vaping since April and have never hit a mech. mod. So far, I'm doing perfectly fine with my little Zmax Mini v3 and regular pyrex carto tank. At least I'm not smokin cigs no more or even had a craving

 

[retrox]

At least I'm not smokin cigs no more or even had a craving

And that's what it's all about!

Oh, Amfamora, I was going to mention also: Please be extra cautious running sub-ohm on the Sig 20. I'm not sure if you've heard about the unfortunate switch design and how it's susceptible to catastrophic failure when you crank a lot of amps through it. Just keep an eye on it, make sure that sucker doesn't keep firing when you set it down and be ready to yank your atty at a moment's notice.

I'm keeping my wraps in the .9-1.1 range for anything on the Sig 20 until I can figure out a way to mod that switch into something a little less dangerous.