Questions about Mechanical Mods

[DKowGawd]

I've been eyeballing a Grand Vapor M16 but the price my wife would kill me! I'm gonna have to save a check or two, lol
What are some quality mech's? Are there any that will take an 18650 with a kick? Are clone's worth it?
Has anybody used the Vamo 5S?

 

[State O' Flux]

GP Paps X and GUS Lord are two of my favorites... in fixed tube and tele, respectively. Saying that, there are another 50 at least, worth looking at. No, not all clones are crap... there are several brands, IMO - EhPro and hcigar for example, that make excellent mechs.

 

[gregamite]

well ive heard good things about the magneto. and it looks nice. are you planning on running sub ohm coils?
i have an m16 clone. it works well and its a good starting point to see if you really want a mech. i dont think you would be able to put a 650 and a kick in it. but im not sure because i dont have a kick. there are some that can take a 650 and a kick but you will just have to look around.

 

[KjAthena]

if you can find a prosmoker legacy with the extention in the classifieds I think you would be real happy with it

 

[BDUAres]

Clones can be great, at a fraction of gen prices. Take a look on the fasttech web site at a few like the V3 Sentinel in all brass ($19), the S1000 in brass and stainless steel, the Nemesis in brass or stainless ($23-29), M16 clone in all brass ($16) and the KTS ($20).

They also have a Kayfun style tank called the Rocket for $13, which is very good, as well as quite a few other very good attys

As long as you don't try to order batteries from them (which cause a big delay in Hong Kong customs as Li-On batteries are illegal to send through the mail) you should receive an order from them in about 10 days total. Bit of a wait, but their prices are the lowest online.

 

[DelboyinDorset]

I got a cloned Smok e-pipe and its really good and at 18$ was a snip for a mech mod that is also very compact.

I'm waiting for the Hammer to get to FastTech and the Kmax to come back in, the latter is a mech with a vv/vw and heard good words about it

 

[Senraku]

I picked up a KTS+ from FastTech, and after following some instructions on the internet and sanding the chrome finish off of a couple key spots, it works great. I don't have any other mechs to compare it to, but it really vapes well.
To me, it is an upgrade from my MVP 1.0 even though the MVP is variable in the voltage, there was always a lack of 'directness' in the current, almost like a sluggishness from the time I pushed the button to the time the coils fired up. My eGo stick just 'felt' better and more direct and immediate than the MVP. I always assumed it was because of the extra circuitry that the electricity needed to pass through to get to the coils. The mech mod that I have now has that same instantaneous direct feel that the ego did. When i push the button the thing just starts buzzing and snapping immediately. Granted, I also got a bit better at building coils, too.

 

[BDUAres]

I have the FastTech V3 Sentinel and Rocket RBA. Both work well. The Rocket is nowhere the quality of a Kayfun of course, having a plastic tank and a built in drip tip instead of a separate tip, as well as being chrome plated brass instead of steel. But the vape quality of the device itself equals or even surpasses (Kayfun does not have air control like a Rocket) that of a Kayfun and as far as function the thing works extremely well so I can't knock it at all when it costs $13 and a Kayfun will set you back more than 12x that amount. Replacement tank parts for the Rocket are available for just a few $ as well. I liked the Rocket enough to have ordered another one from FT and a couple of spare tanks from another supplier just in case.

The V3 Sentinel I modified as I did not like or trust the locking ring on the firing button. I simply took it off, attached the firing button setup permanently, and covered the button with a brass 5/8 OD compression cap from Home Depot. Perfect fit, great looks and it is 100% sure to not fire by accident in a pocket or case. That is what is in my avatar

 

[JeremyR]

Magneto - solid stainless , Clones - nemesis & chiyou can easily take kicks!

 

[DKowGawd]

Magneto - solid stainless , Clones - nemesis & chiyou can easily take kicks!

with 18650?

 

[DKowGawd]

Ordered the M16 clone with the floating pin! Thanks Everybody!

 

[JeremyR]

Yes with 18650! The chi and nemi come with kick rings

 

[JeremyR]

M16 from fast tech? .. I believe its an aluminum 510. It will be stripped in no time.. You can get chi / nemi for 40- 50.00 stateside

 

[BDUAres]

M16 from fast tech? .. I believe its an aluminum 510. It will be stripped in no time.. You can get chi / nemi for 40- 50.00 stateside

If he ordered the all brass M16 from FT he should be ok - no aluminum in that one.
$16.22 Sentinel M16 Telescopic Mechanical Mod - brass at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

There have been problems with firing buttons slowly unscrewing themselves and it has the same touch and go locking ring I have in my V3, but those are easy enough to take care of. Everything unscrews easily, and it is a 5 minute job to get rid of the locking ring, put a drop of loctite or superglue gel on the firing pin threading so it doesn't unscrew, and screw on a $3 brass 5/8 compression cap. Or go the extra mile and leave the locking ring in place and loctite the firing button threads so neither the button nor the lock ring will come loose.

In any case even if he gets every fault that has been written about these, he can easily fix them and keep on vaping at half the cost of a $40-50 mech which would likely have the same problems that we all get through as part of the learning experience. The brass M16 has a 4.8 out of 5 star rating so far with 82 reviews, so he will probably be fine.

 

[JeremyR]

Yeah bd .. That brass one does look nice! I'll be taking another look at it later.. I guess the first thing that popped into my head was the aluminum one I saw stripped out. Hope he's set with it. But the one on fast tech that says floating center pin, ... is the aluminum 510.... Doh!