Silver contact question

[Classic vaper]

I have been vaping with copper contacts in my mechs for six years. I won a silver comp lyfe contact from platinum vapes but I'm not familiar with these. Are they safer because they conduct faster? Or do they put more stress on the battery? I would just like to know the do"s and dont's of solid silver contacts before I put it in one of my comp lyfe mods.

 

[bombastinator]

AFAIK Silver conducts slightly better than copper so there should be a comensurately small improvement in voltage drop. That’s about it though.

 

[Izan]

Hi and welcome,
Congratulations on the win.
Silver is more conductive than copper. (approx 7%)
Silver will need cleaning a bit more often than copper.

Cheers
I

 

[Classic vaper]

Hi and welcome,
Congratulations on the win.
Silver is more conductive than copper. (approx 7%)
Silver will need cleaning a bit more often than copper.

Cheers
I

Thanks. So I guess that means that silver is not harder on the battery right? I just practice extreme safety.

 

[bombastinator]

Thanks. So I guess that means that silver is not harder on the battery right? I just practice extreme safety.

 

[FΛDED]

Improved conductivity (hit) and less maintenance than copper, silver doesn't tarnish quick as copper. I own about 5 authentic Filipino mechs and 4 have silver contacts. They're my hardest hitting mods. Instant ramp up.

 

[FΛDED]

But.. that doesn't mean copper contacts are much of a difference. A clean copper contact vs clean silver you can't really tell. Dirty; night and day. That's why mech users love good batteries and a clean mech. I don't know, my silver contact mechs do ramp up the fastest.

 

[Classic vaper]

View attachment 791687

Get the .... outa her

But.. that doesn't mean copper contacts are much of a difference. A clean copper contact vs clean silver you can't really tell. Dirty; night and day. That's why mech users love good batteries and a clean mech. I don't know, my silver contact mechs do ramp up the fastest.

agreed . That's why I've been polishing my non-coated mods once a week for the past 6 years.

 

[FΛDED]

Get the .... outa her

agreed . That's why I've been polishing my non-coated mods once a week for the past 6 years.

Yup. And I like silver > copper contacts; less cleaning; dirtiness, carbon residue, tarnish. With fast instant ramp up. But I'll still buy and use my mech tubes that are pure copper as well. I don't mind the weekly cleaning and maintenance either. I enjoy a nice rich deep tarnish on the tube but not on my contacts.

You'll thoroughly enjoy your mech after installing those pure silver ones. I have no doubt.

 

[bombastinator]

Get the .... outa her

.
Lol. I googled “extreme safety”(images) and that was the top hit. I simply couldn’t not post it. It’s the extreme safety toilet.

 

[Rossum]

There's a reason that the best, most durable, old-school, high-current relays used silver contacts.

 

[sonicbomb]

I would imagine the contact is silver plated rather than solid silver. Yes silver is marginally more conductive, but my understanding of why this is done is that silver is far more corrosion resistant than copper meaning the contacts need to be cleaned less.

To answer OPs question - strictly speaking yes the (very slightly) lower resistance may draw a tiny bit more amperage and therefore put a minuscule amount more strain on the battery. But at levels so small as to be irrelevant.
Worry yourself not.

 

[OldBatty]

But.. that doesn't mean copper contacts are much of a difference. A clean copper contact vs clean silver you can't really tell. Dirty; night and day. That's why mech users love good batteries and a clean mech. I don't know, my silver contact mechs do ramp up the fastest.

No silver here, too poor Use a pencil eraser to clean all my contacts...

Off topic, but anyone over fifty who has never seen it should go to Youtube and search for "clean copper clappers".

 

[Rossum]

Yes silver is marginally more conductive, but my understanding of why this is done is that silver is far more corrosion resistant than copper meaning the contacts need to be cleaned less.

Silver does tarnish readily, but for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to degrade the contacts much.

 

[puffon]

No silver here, too poor Use a pencil eraser to clean all my contacts...

Off topic, but anyone over fifty who has never seen it should go to Youtube and search for "clean copper clappers".

This one?
Miss Johnny Carson...

 

[Punk In Drublic]

It is more than just the materials used but also how they are applied. And in the grand scheme of things, how much does it actually influence the vape. @Mooch performed some tests and discovered there is not much difference between the metals.

 

[Rossum]

It is more than just the materials used but also how they are applied. And in the grand scheme of things, how much does it actually influence the vape. @Mooch performed some tests and discovered there is not much difference between the metals.

View attachment 791847

Yep, the body of the mod is not going to make much difference. The make/break contacts, and the other points of contact such as the threads, are where you'll find the losses.

 

[FΛDED]

Use a pencil eraser to clean all my contacts...

Me too. I use an art eraser I got at hobby lobby (the rectangle block kind) or you can even use a micro fibre cloth and just rub the contact back and forth on that. You don't really need a polish or solution. Ketchup will also work but you'll smell like a McDonalds.

 

[sonicbomb]

Silver does tarnish readily, but for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to degrade the contacts much.

Silver oxide is a semiconductor, copper oxide is not. Thin layers of both are easily dislodged in the context of a mod switch, but I suppose if you let your contacts get really mucky then there would be a significant difference. Clean your mech regularly and the choice between these two metals becomes irrelevant.
Silver contacts sound better from a marketing perspective.

 

[Rossum]

Clean your mech regularly and the choice between these two metals becomes irrelevant.
Silver contacts sound better from a marketing perspective.

My personal experience is that silver can go a lot longer between cleanings while maintaining decent performance.