Sigelei Zmax V3 and V5 Telescopic: User's Group

[DaveP]

I bought my Segelei Zmax V3 flat top a couple of days ago as a backup for my Provari. I find it to be well made except the display is cocked about 5 degrees counterclockwise. I didn't notice when I tried it in the store, but it was blatantly apparent once I drove home and unpacked it.

Is the fire button supposed to light up? Mine doesn't and no menu setting will make it do so. There's an obvious LED I can see under the center of the fire button. I've been through the menus and familiarized myself with the functions. I think I left the user manual on the counter when I checked out, but downloaded one from a website.

Other than that, it works really well. I had to learn that RMS was more accurate than the Mean Average setting. It's easily equal to the Provari in vaping satisfaction. When I first got it, I noticed that the hiss from the atomizer sounded like a rattlesnake as opposed to the smooth hiss of the Provari. That was caused by the Mean mode. Changing to RMS smoothed it right out. Now, the two sound the same.

I've been on Alibaba looking at version information and learned that these things have gone through a constantly changing revision list! V3 isn't just V3. There are sub-level revisions all over the place. Mine is obviously not the latest. It has Segelei etched in an oval under the fire button, but no other markings. I've shined a light into the battery cavity to see if there's a revision mark. Nada.

If you can buy in quantity, the Alibaba prices are somewhere in the range of $15-30 per unit depending on quantity. Lots of markup between us, distributors, shippers, vendors, and the other side of the world. It's a wonder that we are only paying $60-$75.

I'm fortunate in that the vendor operates a brick and mortar store just 5 miles away. I'll have to visit them in the morning and see if they have one with a straightly aligned display.

 

[vapero]

I bought my Segelei Zmax V3 flat top a couple of days ago as a backup for my Provari. I find it to be well made except the display is cocked about 5 degrees counterclockwise. I didn't notice when I tried it in the store, but it was blatantly apparent once I drove home and unpacked it.

Is the fire button supposed to light up? Mine doesn't and no menu setting will make it do so. There's an obvious LED I can see under the center of the fire button. I've been through the menus and familiarized myself with the functions. I think I left the user manual on the counter when I checked out, but downloaded one from a website.

Other than that, it works really well. I had to learn that RMS was more accurate than the Mean Average setting. It's easily equal to the Provari in vaping satisfaction. When I first got it, I noticed that the hiss from the atomizer sounded like a rattlesnake as opposed to the smooth hiss of the Provari. That was caused by the Mean mode. Changing to RMS smoothed it right out. Now, the two sound the same.

I've been on Alibaba looking at version information and learned that these things have gone through a constantly changing revision list! V3 isn't just V3. There are sub-level revisions all over the place. Mine is obviously not the latest. It has Segelei etched in an oval under the fire button, but no other markings. I've shined a light into the battery cavity to see if there's a revision mark. Nada.

If you can buy in quantity, the Alibaba prices are somewhere in the range of $15-30 per unit depending on quantity. Lots of markup between us, distributors, shippers, vendors, and the other side of the world. It's a wonder that we are only paying $60-$75.

I'm fortunate in that the vendor operates a brick and mortar store just 5 miles away. I'll have to visit them in the morning and see if they have one with a straightly aligned display.

There is no light on the button

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[DaveP]

There is no light on the button

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I found that out through later Googling. Thanks, anyway. I guess what I'm seeing centered under the button is the switch actuator.

I also discovered that the V5 is pretty much the V3 with a USB adapter that screws into the 510 connection and provides a USB connector for charging your phone. Mine's a V3, FWIW.

 

[DaveP]

De-soldering the old switch was a bit tricky since both sides of the switch have 2 contacts. I put the small circuit card in my bench vise (gently) and used a long tip soldering iron that allowed me to heat both contacts on each side at the same time so I could lift them off the pads on the circuit board simultaneously.

Desoldering wick or a vacuum plunger solder sucker makes a big difference when you are working with small multi-leg parts like these. I had to desolder and replace a 40 pin IC chip on one of my Mitsubishi 65" TV boards. Without it, I'd never have been able to lift it.

 

[fairmana]

I've used that method before, but I personally find it to be a PITA because it doesn't always remove all the solder from below the feet regardless of how much wicking or solder sucking you apply. That increases the possibility of damaging the pads on the circuit board while attempting to free the part if the solder isn't melted or completely removed. It also requires repeated heating of the circuit board that increases the chance of damaging other components. The switch in the Segelei only has two contacts on each side, so a long tip iron worked very well and I was able to remove it easily. No solder sucking or wicking was needed so long as the solder on both feet was melted so they could be lifted.
I bought a used PACE soldering station several years ago on E-bay for a good price. The company sells specialized tips in different sizes that are designed to melt the solder on all the legs at the same time for easy removal. I've considered getting my hands on a few of those for several years now, and if I can find them for a good price on E-bay I may decide to finally drop the hammer. I think the last time I checked they were a bit pricey and since de-soldering these type devices is not something I commonly do, I wasn't able to justify the expense at the time.

 

[FLExJuice]

I bought my Segelei Zmax V3 flat top a couple of days ago as a backup for my Provari. I find it to be well made except the display is cocked about 5 degrees counterclockwise. I didn't notice when I tried it in the store, but it was blatantly apparent once I drove home and unpacked it.

Is the fire button supposed to light up? Mine doesn't and no menu setting will make it do so. There's an obvious LED I can see under the center of the fire button. I've been through the menus and familiarized myself with the functions. I think I left the user manual on the counter when I checked out, but downloaded one from a website.

Other than that, it works really well. I had to learn that RMS was more accurate than the Mean Average setting. It's easily equal to the Provari in vaping satisfaction. When I first got it, I noticed that the hiss from the atomizer sounded like a rattlesnake as opposed to the smooth hiss of the Provari. That was caused by the Mean mode. Changing to RMS smoothed it right out. Now, the two sound the same.

I've been on Alibaba looking at version information and learned that these things have gone through a constantly changing revision list! V3 isn't just V3. There are sub-level revisions all over the place. Mine is obviously not the latest. It has Segelei etched in an oval under the fire button, but no other markings. I've shined a light into the battery cavity to see if there's a revision mark. Nada.

If you can buy in quantity, the Alibaba prices are somewhere in the range of $15-30 per unit depending on quantity. Lots of markup between us, distributors, shippers, vendors, and the other side of the world. It's a wonder that we are only paying $60-$75.

I'm fortunate in that the vendor operates a brick and mortar store just 5 miles away. I'll have to visit them in the morning and see if they have one with a straightly aligned display.

The Zmax is a good backup device especially if you have a Provari. I had the same issue with the display being off on the replacement since the vendor couldn't fix the "line" problem on the screen. I just got the Innokin SVD and MVP which I would recommend if anyone is looking for a good VV. If I knew, I may have not gotten the Zmax. Even my supplier was "angry" at Sigelei for all the confusion and issues with the Zmax.

 

[DaveP]

The Zmax is a good backup device especially if you have a Provari. I had the same issue with the display being off on the replacement since the vendor couldn't fix the "line" problem on the screen. I just got the Innokin SVD and MVP which I would recommend if anyone is looking for a good VV. If I knew, I may have not gotten the Zmax. Even my supplier was "angry" at Sigelei for all the confusion and issues with the Zmax.

Since the vendor is only 5 minutes away from the house and they offer a 30 day replacement for defects only, I'm going by to pick up some supplies and talk to them about the display issue today. I don't know if miniature LCD displays all operate alike, but the ones I use to have to change in my job were connected through a ribbon cable and a locking connector with screw mount or a sticky pad inside guide ribs for alignment. The display on the V3 is said to be attached using a sticky pad, so that's probably how they are connected and shifting could happen or some assembly line guy was sloppy in his work. Forum talk says that V3 fixed all the crooked display issues ... not!

If they don't have a straight display in stock, then I may just have to take it apart and fix it myself. There are procedure guides in some internet forums.

ETA: I stopped by the vendor's store and they took one look at the slanted display and went over to the racks, brought me another one, and swapped it out. It's straight as an arrow.

Good service, IMHO.

 

[MadOzodi]

I received my Zmax V5 today. Made the jump from an eGo style battery. I really like this VW thing - currently vaping @ 6W.

 

[yzer]

What carto tank is that? Fits nicely on flat top.

The carto tank is an IBTanked (made in CA, USA) 22mm XL borosilicate (pyrex) glass tank. The tank holds about 5ml of liquid on dry fill. The non-punched (I punch my cartos) Smoktech XL carto holds 1.8 ml of liquid. The total capacity of this carto tank is about 6.8 ml. I refill the carto tank when it hits about the 1/2 mark. That means refilling the tank about every 2.0 to 2.5 ml.

IBTanked - Get Tanked With Us!

 

[Katya]

I'm fortunate in that the vendor operates a brick and mortar store just 5 miles away. I'll have to visit them in the morning and see if they have one with a straightly aligned display.

What a pain... I thought they had fixed that crooked display window...

I have a stainless steel mini and my window is perfect.

The button doesn't light up on mine either, BTW. But it's a good mod. So far, I can't really tell a difference in vape quality between the Zmax and the ProVari. But time will tell.

 

[yzer]

Just buy a Sigelei ZMAX. The Provari is BS.

 

[Koman]

ZMAX is good choice!

 

[vapero]

My zmax hasn't given me any issues and look wise I do other this one over the provari

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[DomChin]

Hey guys, maybe you can help a newbie out here.

Just got a ZMAX v3 flat top. I have a 18500 battery in there, charged (showing 4.1v). I can set it up without a tank attached to it. I set it to RMS and set to VW (wattage set to 7.0v). I screw my protank on and it will blink for 1 second and goes off. Even if i remove the tank, the unit will stay off...i have to pull the battery to get it to come back on.

Im new here, so anyone have any idea? I tried a protank 2 (1.8ohm) and a T3S (2.5ohm) heads.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT- This happens with every tank i have...i have 1 protank and 3 T3S's. I dont know whats going on with this.

 

[DaveP]

What a pain... I thought they had fixed that crooked display window...

I have a stainless steel mini and my window is perfect.

The button doesn't light up on mine either, BTW. But it's a good mod. So far, I can't really tell a difference in vape quality between the Zmax and the ProVari. But time will tell.

Evidently there are still some quirky assemblies out there. I added a note to my original post saying that I went by the vendor's store and they agreed that it should be straight. They got a new one off the shelf and swapped it out once we verified it was a good one. I'm a happy camper.

 

[DaveP]

Hey guys, maybe you can help a newbie out here.

Just got a ZMAX v3 flat top. I have a 18500 battery in there, charged (showing 4.1v). I can set it up without a tank attached to it. I set it to RMS and set to VW (wattage set to 7.0v). I screw my protank on and it will blink for 1 second and goes off. Even if i remove the tank, the unit will stay off...i have to pull the battery to get it to come back on.

Im new here, so anyone have any idea? I tried a protank 2 (1.8ohm) and a T3S (2.5ohm) heads.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT- This happens with every tank i have...i have 1 protank and 3 T3S's. I dont know whats going on with this.

It should give you a SHORT message on the screen if the atomizer is shorted. Battery good? You can check the voltage with menu option 4 if it will stay on long enough to do that.

I've had two occasions in three days where the V3 becomes unresponsive. I have to take the battery out for a few seconds and replace it, then I get the scrolling Sigelei message and have to click it 5 times to turn it on.

That happened with my first one that was replaced for a crooked LCD display and once with the replacement (nice straight screen). I don't know if I'm doing something that turns it off or what. Selection 1 OUT ON/OFF will do it. Maybe I'm accidentally clicking into that somehow when scrolling through the menu.

 

[DomChin]

Battery is good, shows 4.1v and the unit will stay on until i connect a tank to it. Without the tank, when i push the button, it shows what wattage is going out. I can click it over and over and it will pop up, but as soon as i put a tank on it, it pops up with the wattage for less than a second and turns completely off. I cant do anything unless i pull the battery.

The screen is also showing bright lines on top and bottom...almost like a screen is splitting on the top and bottom. I can read it, but its for sure not right it seems.

 

[DomChin]

here is what im talking about with the screen, has some type of lines on the top and bottom of the screen.

 

[Katya]

Evidently there are still some quirky assemblies out there. I added a note to my original post saying that I went by the vendor's store and they agreed that it should be straight. They got a new one off the shelf and swapped it out once we verified it was a good one. I'm a happy camper.

Yeah, but Sigelei is clearly paying attention to our complaints and is trying to improve their products. So does Kanger, for that matter.

I guess they started to read ECF.

 

[Katya]

here is what im talking about with the screen, has some type of lines on the top and bottom of the screen.

View attachment 251593

I would contact the vendor. This is not right.

If you just got it, it's still under warranty. Mine worked fine out of the box. Get a new one.