Should I get a Nemesis?

[Langdell]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on an authentic Nemesis in all stainless steel and welcome any input. The main thing I am looking for is a high quality, reliable mech that can be used all day every day and has the potential to last for years if not life. And safety features such as a locking ring and non-hybrid 510 connection are important to me.

I'm thinking the SS Nemesis will fit the bill because: (1) stainless should be more durable and lower maintenance for daily use than other options such as brass and copper; (2) Nemesis is a tried and true design; (3) Nemesis is popular and still in production, so it should be relatively easy to get replacement parts as needed.

To get this out of the way, I am not into cloud chasing or competing or the like. I'm not even into building or sub-ohm stuff. So I don't need ultimate performance, just a reliable workhorse to drive my trusty nautilus Aspire. I like mechs for various reasons--I just love the style and feel of a finely made mech, I like the vape it gives me, I love the simplicity of a mech and the idea that it's a simple hunk of metal that could potentially last a lifetime compared to the latest box of chips that will probably break before they are outdated in a couple years. Generally, I "like nice things," but don't like constantly buying new ones--I prefer to "cry once" and shell out for a nice item I can live with for years. So a good authentic mech scratches that itch for me.

My mech history:
My first mech was a Chi-You in brass. Loved it at first, but decided that the design is too complicated for me--too many little moving parts, which were a pain to adjust and even more of a pain to keep clean and maintain (especially in brass).

Replaced that with an MCV Overdose, all copper and with a simpler design. LOVE the OD, which was my daily vape for almost three years. Its only downfall is that copper is so soft the 510 threads wear down quickly with daily use. I have had to replace the top cap twice, and I'm worried in the future the supply of replacement parts will dry up totally. Started thinking I should get away from copper for daily use.

Very recently, found an authentic Mystic Atmos Zeus. It's brass but rhodium plated for extra durability. It is AWESOME, but yesterday I dropped the bottom cap on a hard floor and bent something so that the button sticks. . Not the mod's fault--just my own clumsiness. And it was a very limited edition mod that ceased production years ago, so I am worried I can't get replacement parts to fix it.

So I am now thinking of just calling it a day and ordering the SS Nemesis (plus a supply of spare parts, since I know how I am!). I'm thinking this will be my best bet for a mod that meets my criteria and will last a long time in daily use, with spare parts fairly available to keep it running. Thoughts?

 

[Bad Ninja]

I'll give you another tip from a guy that has over 100 mechs.
Get a clone first. Save some expensive heartache. If you like it, then get the authentic
Clones today are built just as good as authentics, usually on better equipment.
Most of the mechs I use these days are direct-to-battery mods.
The last tube style mech I used with a
510 pin was the Surefire King knurled version. ( clone of course, the authentic was $250+)
Excellent mod if you can find them.
Lock ring, recessed button, adjustable 510, etc.

 

[MMW]

There are far better and much cheaper alternatives to the Nemesis.

Yep.
I have never understood the love affair with the Nemesis. My buddy is in deep with them. All he ever talks about with vaping. He has quite a few and I've "rented" one for a few months. They feel fiddly to me. On the flipside, he doesn't get into parallel mechs, pinoy stuff, or clones. So we agree to disagree a lot.

That's what he grew up on and continues to love.
The important thing I guess is that he loves them and doesn't smoke.

 

[Langdell]

It's called Shinyitis, and it happens to the best of us

Yep, and I definitely came down with a bad case of it recently. LOL. Here I went almost three whole years not buying a single new mech mod and using my MCV Overdose literally every single day, and then in the past three weeks I suddenly acquired two new mods and am contemplating more. Oh well, you only go around once.

There are far better and much cheaper alternatives to the Nemesis.

Thanks! Appreciate the input. You are probably absolutely right. But the Nemmy seemed to be the best I could find to meet my specific personal preferences, and that I could get quickly and easily. And so far it seems to be meeting my needs.

Yep.
I have never understood the love affair with the Nemesis. My buddy is in deep with them. All he ever talks about with vaping. He has quite a few and I've "rented" one for a few months. They feel fiddly to me. On the flipside, he doesn't get into parallel mechs, pinoy stuff, or clones. So we agree to disagree a lot.

That's what he grew up on and continues to love.
The important thing I guess is that he loves them and doesn't smoke.

I have only had mine for a couple days now, so take this with a grain of salt. But for my specific needs, so far I am finding the Nemesis to be pretty non-fiddly. Granted, I mostly stick with one very simple (and un-cool ) setup--just running a Nautilus. From some videos I watched, it seems like the Nemmy gets fiddly when you are switching around to different attys, battery sizes, kicks, etc. But I found it a breeze to get it set up for my Nautilus, and from there it is just "set it and forget it." It just stays perfectly adjusted as long as I'm not changing my setup. And it is less fiddly than my beloved Overdose, which normally needs multiple re-adjustments throughout the day.

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. But for my specific needs and preferences, the Nemmy seems to be working out so far.

 

[Bad Ninja]

If the Chi You was complicated, the Nemesis will be a nightmare.
More parts(lots), tiny threads that spin forever, that damn rice pin in the switch that bends and vanishes...etc.

Yeah I know authentic Nemesis mods are dirt cheap right now.


There are better options.

 

[Kprthevapr]

Oh, wow, that is a beauty! I have been a "one mod guy" for years, and now I'm starting to worry that I am going to wind up with a whole collection. LOL.

It's called Shinyitis, and it happens to the best of us

 

[sonicbomb]

There are far better and much cheaper alternatives to the Nemesis.

 

[Kprthevapr]

Now we need pics

 

[Langdell]

Now we need pics

Well, you are in luck! (Aside from me being a terrible photographer.) I was hoping someone would ask.

The top pics show Zeus One, including the "001." L to R in bottom pic: My new Nemmy; Zeus One; my trusty Overdose, which is getting a well-deserved rest; and my old Chi You, which first started me on mechs.

 

[Langdell]

I'll give you another tip from a guy that has over 100 mechs.
Get a clone first. Save some expensive heartache. If you like it, then get the authentic
Clones today are built just as good as authentics, usually on better equipment.
Most of the mechs I use these days are direct-to-battery mods.
The last tube style mech I used with a
510 pin was the Surefire King knurled version. ( clone of course, the authentic was $250+)
Excellent mod if you can find them.
Lock ring, recessed button, adjustable 510, etc.

Thanks again! Excellent info and advice!

 

[Langdell]

I have 2 Authentic Neme's and love them!

Thanks for that info! I'm glad to hear it because as of yesterday I am the owner of one.

I really appreciate all the input to this thread, and especially the very wise advice from Bad Ninja. I must confess that I wound up doing the opposite of his wise advice, so he can feel free to tell me "I told you so" if things go south on me. The other day, after sleeping on it some, I decided I was wasting too much time and energy agonizing about it--reminded myself of how many times I have wasted more money on less--and finally just said what the hell and pulled the trigger.

The Nemmy still seemed to be the only mod with the main features I wanted (non-hybrid 510 connector, locking ring, available in all SS) where the authentic is still in production. I guess I'm just too "old school"--all the trendy new mechs these days seem to lack these. The input here and some of my further research showed me there are some things about the Nemmy that will bother me--I can see keeping up with that rice pin driving me slightly crazy; I would prefer a solid 18650 tube instead of the extender; etc. But I decided they are not deal breakers. And I figured worst case scenario is the Nemmy winds up as a back-up device and "collectible" in my little museum of vaping history.

I wound up ordering the authentic direct from Atmomixani. (I did take BN's good advice to shop around for a better deal on one. I'm sure they exist, but I couldn't find any place selling one--the problem when you try to search for a Nemesis these days is Google just brings up hundreds of places selling clones. So it's like a needle in a haystack.) Ordering direct also allowed me to add the OEM magnet upgrade and some spare parts to my order--including extra rice pins for when I lose mine!

I have now had my authentic Nemmy for almost exactly 23 hours--so this could change--and so far no regrets! So far, I am really pleased with it and thinking it is mostly exactly what I was looking for. It was a breeze to set up and get adjusted so there's no battery rattle and the button is hitting perfect every time. So far it is just performing flawlessly for me, and I am very happy with the purchase.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Well this mech has definitely made it's way into my heart (hand actually), and although I am still pretty dedicated to the two regs I regularly use, that mech has gotten to the top of the list. So I guess I'm bi modual.. I believe the Sir Lancelot mech would be a good addition to that collection if it grows.

 

[MMW]

Exactly!

 

[Kprthevapr]

Once you find the setup you like, you'll tend to have multiples
My current favorite RDA is the Goon, I have 3 clones with dedicated mods for them. I have two other rdas with Goon style decks, love them too, one is on the mod it came with, the other is on my Tesla Nano

 

[Langdell]

Well, one final update. I think my bout of Shinyitis is over. (For now at least. LOL.) At the moment, I am now a very happy camper/vaper. Thanks again to everyone for your input! It was all very helpful!

As I mentioned in my original post, I started thinking about getting the Nemmy because I broke the button on my Mystic Atmos Zeus mod less than two weeks after I got it. The Zeus is a very unknown mod. It seems that Mystic Atmos only made 500 of them, like 3 years or so ago. I had never heard of it and didn't go looking for it. I found one by chance when I hit up some local vape shops trying to find something to tide me over while waiting for the new top cap to my Overdose to arrive in the mail (and possibly a mod worthy to take over from the OD as my daily driver). Anyway, I found the Zeus gathering dust at a shop, and I was loving it. On top of just loving the mod, mine had a very low serial number, which I thought was cool. This mod is a hidden gem--almost flawless IMO, other than that button breaking so easily when I dropped it. Hope that was just a fluke.

So even after I ordered the Nemmy I was still hoping to find a replacement bottom cap to fix my Zeus so I would at least have it as a working mod again. I tried contacting Mystic Atmos on the off chance I could buy spare parts from them, but got no answer. Then I got the idea of at least trying to find a clone and seeing if I could use the button from that. But I found something even better--a place trying to unload an authentic Zeus for $99. I decided to order it, and I figured if the serial number on the new one was higher I would use the working bottom cap on my "old" Zeus or vice versa.

But guess what serial number I got on the new one--001! Very cool in my book. I take this as a sign that this Zeus was made to be my number one vape.

So right now I'm very content with (what I am going to call) Zeus One as my primary mod and my Nemesis as my secondary/beater/back-up-with-spare-parts mod. I'm very happy with both of these, and I think they will last me a while. Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Kprthevapr]

I have the same chi you
Those look awesome

 

[MMW]

Beautiful!

 

[Belhade]

I got a Nemmy clone and, while I've documented my difficulties with the locking ring (particularly forgetting to lock it!) I've been pretty happy.
The pin thing, I didn't know at first it was supposed to have a pin in the switch - for all I know it was never there from the beginning and made things a bit difficult - but managed to cut down a small nail the right size that has been working fine.

If none of that sounds appealing, maybe look into the SMPL mod. I haven't used it, but it's supposed to be, well, simple.

 

[Bad Ninja]

I got a Nemmy clone and, while I've documented my difficulties with the locking ring (particularly forgetting to lock it!) I've been pretty happy.
The pin thing, I didn't know at first it was supposed to have a pin in the switch - for all I know it was never there from the beginning and made things a bit difficult - but managed to cut down a small nail the right size that has been working fine.

If none of that sounds appealing, maybe look into the SMPL mod. I haven't used it, but it's supposed to be, well, simple.

The SMPL is a direct to battery mod with a switch held together with a C-clip.

 

[Langdell]

I got a Nemmy clone and, while I've documented my difficulties with the locking ring (particularly forgetting to lock it!) I've been pretty happy.
The pin thing, I didn't know at first it was supposed to have a pin in the switch - for all I know it was never there from the beginning and made things a bit difficult - but managed to cut down a small nail the right size that has been working fine.

If none of that sounds appealing, maybe look into the SMPL mod. I haven't used it, but it's supposed to be, well, simple.

Thanks! Yes, the simplicity of the SMPL is attractive. But it lacks the 510 pin and locking ring features I'm looking for. I guess to get those features, I have to sacrifice some simplicity.

The Surefire King looks like an awesome option, but I gather the authentic is no longer in production and is hard to come by. Even if I take the smart advice to try a clone first, I prefer it to be a clone of an authentic that's still in production so that if I like it I can easily get an authentic one plus OEM spare parts.

Nemmy is still seeming like the only option I can find that meets my criteria and is still in production/easy to get. (It's funny because 4 years ago when considering my first mech one reason that it was not a Nemmy is because back then they were impossible to get!) Seems like all the newer designs are moving to hybrid connectors and/or no locking ring.