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kwalka

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All right. Here is the pic.

View attachment 115985

What I did was remove the center tube and top loose wick, cut the grooves in the center tube to a depth so that when the tube was inserted 'upside down' back into the base, the groove would be just below the ring the cap screws into. Then I fed the wicks through the top of the tube, with the solid end being pushed into the base, and placed an o-ring that fit tight against the tube and sealed with the cap to stop the bugger from leaking out the top. Took me a few tries to get the groove just right, but it works fairly well. It is much better than it was out of the box for me. But it really isn't worth the effort, as the tank continues to crack and leak. If I could find a decent tank that would fit, it might be a good parts donor!

kwalka, I was one of the 'talk you out of it' people! I had the same idea until I really took into consideration the design.

hmlessalky,
Thanks for coughing up about being the talk guys... I agree good, effective approach but not worth the effort. If I was the bean counter calling the shots at GV, I would have to say "no go" on these.. IMHO.
Between all the vision stone tanks, the Vivis and countless other items on hand that require some tinkering, these just aren't worth the effort for what comes of it.

Alpha Leaders,
This is kwalka's official final thought and opinion on this Alpha product. Thanks for the chance to test it, at the price point, I had no problem trying out the 2 that I did.
 

luvinit

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Got my pass through today and gonna play later....On a sad note two of my rockets are no longer vaping. One will not power on no matter what I do and the other turns on and I change the voltage and wham it sends the voltage back to 3.0 and refuses to vape BUMMER. I am really not sure why ...well ok just wanted to touch base. Enjoy and happy vaping

That is EXACTLY what my Rocket is doing.. it now sits in the box, unusable. I thought it was because I tore it apart and cleaned the leaked juice out of it, but maybe not? Either way, it's toast and that makes me sad :(
 

bjannr

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Well, I tried out my PT on the way to and from work. I changed voltages a few times, and it worked like it should.
I like the feel of it, but because I was chain vaping most of the time I wish it was just a bit longer. I had to really bend my arm to vape. I actually felt my arm starting to cramp. But It is a real nice piece.
 

tinajfreeman

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Apr 27, 2010
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That is too bad about your Rockets. Mine is still working very good and I find myself using it more than my other three VV PV's. I think juice leaking into them is the main flaw but if you use a Vivi Nova with them you don't have anything to worry about.:)

Same here, I am using my Rockets the most and the Vivi not only doesn't leak, the Rocket balances the weight of the big tank a lot better than ego batts (other than my ego mod).

Oh, one of my rockets won't make a connection with my Vivi's though, unless i put on a 510 to Ego adapter then it works fine. Somebody suggested trimming the plastic at the top around the connection, but it's doing fine with the adapter so I haven't tried that.
 
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BonnyC

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For those of you who want a longer cord, go look on Amazon. In fact, here's a search page I pulled up:

Amazon.com: usb extension cords: Electronics

There are a lot of options there. Heck, you can get 32 feet of extra cord for only 13 bucks :laugh: Not too shabby!

On another note, I decided to remove the tape and tube mod I put on the Zongle. I realized that attempting to protect the cable from potential loosening wasn't really in the spirit of testing. I love this thing, but I have to be a little cold hearted and clinical about it. Ah well. I noticed that if I push or pull on the wire at the base, gently of course, there's zero play. Seems like I recall the dongle did have some play. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

My preliminary review was the first one on here about it so I figured I'd recap a little. Large eGo cones for the fluxo/phoenix will not fit. I'm not sure why. It won't thread. Well, it kind of will but it doesn't really catch and you can just pop it back off by pulling on it. Skirted cartos (large phoenix, stardust) will thread just fine. So will the sleeves I have. One of those is the tapered sleeve that GV sells and the other was from another vendor. It's a straight, short cylindrical sleeve that reaches the top of the battery and goes no further. The kind you generally pair with large tanks like the vivi and stone for aesthetic reasons.

This means that you CAN put a lanyard on this one. I'm doing that because I don't like putting batteries in my lap. I forget they're there and it takes me forever to realize the battery has slid off my chest and into my lap :laugh: I'm still a little concerned that I'll forget it's on the lanyard and get up to do something without taking it off.

It's performing like a boss. The button hasn't stuck again and I'm guessing maybe mine needed a little button break-in? No biggie. The Zongle gets kinda warm with frequent use, no more than any other battery. It gets a fair bit warmer at higher voltages, but I'm sure that's to be expected.

3.0 & 3.6 volts work great on my 2.4-2.6 ohm Phoenix 1.5ml tanks. It gets too harsh for me and the flavor is very muted at the next voltage (4.2) and that goes right along with the chart posted earlier. Strangely enough, my 3ml Phoenix tank with the same ohms does fine at 4.2 but no higher. 3.0 is actually a little weak for all of them. I don't currently have cartos of any other ohms to test, but I'll get some.

***Briar*** The vape is a lot warmer on this battery from the Phoenix!

The juices I have seem to be kind of fussy about voltages, too. All of them are from VaporBomb, 80/20 pg/vg except for one that's 70/30. 24mg nic. Fire'n'Ice is awesome up to and including 4.2 volts, which is what's in my 3ml tank and might be why it works on that voltage. 7 Leaf will only do well on the lowest, and it's the one that's 70/30. Green Apple, Strawberry and Red Licorice will take up to 3.8 volts. Double Dutch Chocolate just flat out won't work, but it was that way on other batteries and that just has to do with the Phoenix itself.

The only drawback to these is, as others have said, the fragility of the wire. This is a problem with the dongle, as well. I don't know if GV is in cahoots with the manufacturers of these so suggestions might not make a difference, but adding a feature like this would make this thing perfect, in my opinion and going by my experiences. Here are my two suggestions in this regard:

Place a bend at the base and allow it to swivel. The wire on my dongle came loose because I'd set it facing up when I put it in my lap, which put stress on the wire. I'm talking about a bend like this, but not necessarily a cord you can remove. Still, you get the idea:
bent power cord.jpg

My other suggestion, which is probably a better idea than the first one, is to add support for the wire at the base. I don't know what this is called and I don't know how to describe it. In this picture, it's the thing at the base of the power plug thingy. For the dongle, I would imagine that part of it would be inside the dongle and the rest outside so it took most of the stress.
power cord.jpg

For those of you who supported my zebra stripes, I'm still gonna decorate this thing. Just not in such a way that it might interfere with testing :2cool:

This is also making me want an eGo Twist more. Clicking through the voltages is a bit of a hassle. If only the Twist was an Alpha product!!
 
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KalebK

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Apr 2, 2012
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For those of you who want a longer cord, go look on Amazon. In fact, here's a search page I pulled up:

Amazon.com: usb extension cords: Electronics

There are a lot of options there. Heck, you can get 32 feet of extra cord for only 13 bucks :laugh: Not too shabby!

On another note, I decided to remove the tape and tube mod I put on the Zongle. I realized that attempting to protect the cable from potential loosening wasn't really in the spirit of testing. I love this thing, but I have to be a little cold hearted and clinical about it. Ah well. I noticed that if I push or pull on the wire at the base, gently of course, there's zero play. Seems like I recall the dongle did have some play. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

My preliminary review was the first one on here about it so I figured I'd recap a little. Large eGo cones for the fluxo/phoenix will not fit. I'm not sure why. It won't thread. Well, it kind of will but it doesn't really catch and you can just pop it back off by pulling on it. Skirted cartos (large phoenix, stardust) will thread just fine. So will the sleeves I have. One of those is the tapered sleeve that GV sells and the other was from another vendor. It's a straight, short cylindrical sleeve that reaches the top of the battery and goes no further. The kind you generally pair with large tanks like the vivi and stone for aesthetic reasons.

This means that you CAN put a lanyard on this one. I'm doing that because I don't like putting batteries in my lap. I forget they're there and it takes me forever to realize the battery has slid off my chest and into my lap :laugh: I'm still a little concerned that I'll forget it's on the lanyard and get up to do something without taking it off.

It's performing like a boss. The button hasn't stuck again and I'm guessing maybe mine needed a little button break-in? No biggie. The Zongle gets kinda warm with frequent use, no more than any other battery. It gets a fair bit warmer at higher voltages, but I'm sure that's to be expected.

3.0 & 3.6 volts work great on my 2.4-2.6 ohm Phoenix 1.5ml tanks. It gets too harsh for me and the flavor is very muted at the next voltage (4.2) and that goes right along with the chart posted earlier. Strangely enough, my 3ml Phoenix tank with the same ohms does fine at 4.2 but no higher. 3.0 is actually a little weak for all of them. I don't currently have cartos of any other ohms to test, but I'll get some.

***Briar*** The vape is a lot warmer on this battery from the Phoenix!

The juices I have seem to be kind of fussy about voltages, too. All of them are from VaporBomb, 80/20 pg/vg except for one that's 70/30. 24mg nic. Fire'n'Ice is awesome up to and including 4.2 volts, which is what's in my 3ml tank and might be why it works on that voltage. 7 Leaf will only do well on the lowest, and it's the one that's 70/30. Green Apple, Strawberry and Red Licorice will take up to 3.8 volts. Double Dutch Chocolate just flat out won't work, but it was that way on other batteries and that just has to do with the Phoenix itself.

The only drawback to these is, as others have said, the fragility of the wire. This is a problem with the dongle, as well. I don't know if GV is in cahoots with the manufacturers of these so suggestions might not make a difference, but adding a feature like this would make this thing perfect, in my opinion and going by my experiences. Here are my two suggestions in this regard:

Place a bend at the base and allow it to swivel. The wire on my dongle came loose because I'd set it facing up when I put it in my lap, which put stress on the wire. I'm talking about a bend like this, but not necessarily a cord you can remove. Still, you get the idea:
View attachment 116023

My other suggestion, which is probably a better idea than the first one, is to add support for the wire at the base. I don't know what this is called and I don't know how to describe it. In this picture, it's the thing at the base of the power plug thingy. For the dongle, I would imagine that part of it would be inside the dongle and the rest outside so it took most of the stress.
View attachment 116024

For those of you who supported my zebra stripes, I'm still gonna decorate this thing. Just not in such a way that it might interfere with testing :2cool:

This is also making me want an eGo Twist more. Clicking through the voltages is a bit of a hassle. If only the Twist was an Alpha product!!

I love the zebra stripes!!!
 

BonnyC

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Dear Got Vapes:

I would really love it if you could get someone to make a threaded sleeve for eGo type batteries that has a pen clip on it. This would be incredibly useful for many people that don't wish to wear a lanyard but want to keep their battery secured when in their pocket or whatnot. I fully expect 5% of the royalties that come from this fantastic idea :vapor:

Secondly, I have a humble Alpha request. I don't know the inner workings of your pricing, but I'd say you have an idea of how much you're paying for each piece when you order a shipment. I would love, love, love to see a ballpark figure in regards to the price of these items when you give us a preview. It would allow me to put back enough to cover it so I can allocate my money better. School is starting soon so I'm having to get school supplies this month plus other random bills and expenses. I would love to have a more accurate e-cig budget because I'm betting that I'm over-budgeting.

For instance: I really want that lava lamp style battery and tank, but I'm not sure how much it will cost. If I don't have enough put back and miss out on it, I will be devastated to the point of crying big tears.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Regards,
Bonny
 

kellie

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Dear Got Vapes:

I would really love it if you could get someone to make a threaded sleeve for eGo type batteries that has a pen clip on it. This would be incredibly useful for many people that don't wish to wear a lanyard but want to keep their battery secured when in their pocket or whatnot. I fully expect 5% of the royalties that come from this fantastic idea :vapor:

Secondly, I have a humble Alpha request. I don't know the inner workings of your pricing, but I'd say you have an idea of how much you're paying for each piece when you order a shipment. I would love, love, love to see a ballpark figure in regards to the price of these items when you give us a preview. It would allow me to put back enough to cover it so I can allocate my money better. School is starting soon so I'm having to get school supplies this month plus other random bills and expenses. I would love to have a more accurate e-cig budget because I'm betting that I'm over-budgeting.

For instance: I really want that lava lamp style battery and tank, but I'm not sure how much it will cost. If I don't have enough put back and miss out on it, I will be devastated to the point of crying big tears.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Regards,
Bonny

They do have pen sleeve and clip I have one

GotVapes 2-Piece eGo Cone w/ Screw-on Cap - PEN-CLIP STYLE BLACK [gv-egoVERTICALCONE-penclipBLACK] - $7.25 : GotVapes.com, E-cigarette Supplies - Atomizers Cartomizers Mods Juice and more
 

BonnyC

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Yeah, I've seen that one. I was thinking of something more along the lines of a one piece sleeve. I have the 3ml Phoenix and it's cap has a clip, but having to fiddle with it every time you want to take a puff is an unnecessary hassle aside from some situations when you're not gonna be using it for a while. That might not apply to everyone and they might just prefer a lanyard, but lanyards aren't for everyone. Some might just wanna pull it out of their pocket from time to time without having to worry about it slipping off.

A pen clip that you just set aside is easier to lose, too. Does that make sense? I'm having an extra fuzzy brain day.

Also think of the cartos that won't work with that cone. In my mind, this sleeve would be just a simple, one piece ring that is more or less universal.

Or a lanyard ring to fit below a sleeve would be even better so it would work with Stardusts and other things. It would be kind of awkward to use with large tanks like the Vivi Nova, but you can't really make most e cig things 100% universal.

Edit: The more I think about it, the less viable it seems. Having a clip that far down might not be safe as far as clipping to the pocket goes. I feel like there's something there, though. I'll ponder on it for a while.
 
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MarcK73

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Yeah, I've seen that one. I was thinking of something more along the lines of a one piece sleeve. I have the 3ml Phoenix and it's cap has a clip, but having to fiddle with it every time you want to take a puff is an unnecessary hassle aside from some situations when you're not gonna be using it for a while. That might not apply to everyone and they might just prefer a lanyard, but lanyards aren't for everyone. Some might just wanna pull it out of their pocket from time to time without having to worry about it slipping off.

A pen clip that you just set aside is easier to lose, too. Does that make sense? I'm having an extra fuzzy brain day.

Also think of the cartos that won't work with that cone. In my mind, this sleeve would be just a simple, one piece ring that is more or less universal.

Or a lanyard ring to fit below a sleeve would be even better so it would work with Stardusts and other things. It would be kind of awkward to use with large tanks like the Vivi Nova, but you can't really make most e cig things 100% universal.

Edit: The more I think about it, the less viable it seems. Having a clip that far down might not be safe as far as clipping to the pocket goes. I feel like there's something there, though. I'll ponder on it for a while.

Have you considered wrapping the device in Velcro and always wearing a sweater when you're vaping? ;)
 

rdsok

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BonnyC,

The portion where a cable exits a device and has the additional plastic on it ( ie base of the power supply thingy lol ).... is usually refered to as a strain relief. It is used to keep the wire from bending at too acute of an angle causing the wiring inside to break.

Other types of strain relief also exist, usually internally in a device, to keep the wire from being pulled out... so two seperate types for two different purposes.
 

luvinit

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So, for those of you with 'dead' rockets... is juice leaking into them the common factor leading to their demise?
Hey Count.. this was the beginning of the demise for mine. Once the juice leaked into the inside I was convinced I needed to take it apart to clean it. Once I took it apart that little wire that runs from the top to the bottom broke off and had to be soldered back on. It's never worked right since. I'm sure there was an easier way to clean out the insides without taking the whole thing apart. And I'm pretty sure I could have sealed around the top effectively enough without taking it apart too. Live and learn, I guess. And yes, if I had only used my vivi on it I wouldn't have had to worry about a leaky tank on it... but I just had to try everything in my arsenal on it.. which included a dct that decided to leak. I'm really very tempted to get another one at that price, but keep thinking something bigger and badder might drop, so I'm waiting for a bit. Surely do miss my rocket :(
 

CountSmackula

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The portion where a cable exits a device and has the additional plastic on it ( ie base of the power supply thingy lol ).... is usually refered to as a strain relief. It is used to keep the wire from bending at too acute of an angle causing the wiring inside to break..

This was one of my comments last night when ECF borked while I was posting... I was contemplating using shrink wrap tubing and something 'rubbery' at the base of the PT (similar in shape to a tire valve to taper from the PT down to the wire) before heat shrinking. Now you've got me thinking about using a strain relief from an old wall-wart to provide that tapered reinforcement.
 

kwalka

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Yeah, I've seen that one. I was thinking of something more along the lines of a one piece sleeve. I have the 3ml Phoenix and it's cap has a clip, but having to fiddle with it every time you want to take a puff is an unnecessary hassle aside from some situations when you're not gonna be using it for a while. That might not apply to everyone and they might just prefer a lanyard, but lanyards aren't for everyone. Some might just wanna pull it out of their pocket from time to time without having to worry about it slipping off.

A pen clip that you just set aside is easier to lose, too. Does that make sense? I'm having an extra fuzzy brain day.

Also think of the cartos that won't work with that cone. In my mind, this sleeve would be just a simple, one piece ring that is more or less universal.

Or a lanyard ring to fit below a sleeve would be even better so it would work with Stardusts and other things. It would be kind of awkward to use with large tanks like the Vivi Nova, but you can't really make most e cig things 100% universal.

Edit: The more I think about it, the less viable it seems. Having a clip that far down might not be safe as far as clipping to the pocket goes. I feel like there's something there, though. I'll ponder on it for a while.

Ego lanyard ring goes around the button. So it slips on before the, say stardust, then the only thing exposed is the button itself. You put your stardust or whatever on, and it holds the clip and lanyard in place I cannot link to this here. BTW there is a clip that allows the lanyard to be released from the clip if so desired w/o removing the stardust or whatever you have on the batt at the time. I owned 1 of these and it went everywhere w me. I never dropped my eGos.
Lanyardring.png
 

Sev00

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So, for those of you with 'dead' rockets... is juice leaking into them the common factor leading to their demise?

I have not had any leaking. I have been using the ViVi Nova almost exclusively on the VV Rocket. However I added a sealed 510 shorty to the Rocket as soon as I got it. Original it was not for the seal, but so my tank sat correctly on the Rocket. But from what I am hearing, not a bad option to help keep leaks out of the electronics.


Sev
 

hmlessalky

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I still believe it is a contact issue or battery connection issue if it comes on then either will not adjust or reverts back to 3.0. Mine did this until I stretched the spring, and will still revert back if I shock it downward on the bottom, and it don't have to be a hard shock either. I haven't disassembled mine yet, so I am not sure where else the problem could be. Could be like an old Dodge Caravan instrument cluster or an Xbox 360 and have bad solder joints I guess. If mine acts up, I will attempt to find the problem.

Oh yeah, I put an old STDCC on last night and it would fire for a millisecond, and then shut down or light the display at 3.0 and freeze. Not sure if the carto was junk or if it had to low of a resistance, I was too tired to go grab a meter to find out.

Salky
 
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