Smok ACE and Vamo v5: Can anyone lend a few answers?

[mikeymop]

I have an Evod VV battery right now. It takes a few seconds to heat up. But if I can still get a decent vapor out of it. However, I see myself slowly stepping up in voltage even though the liquid tastes best when I get a really tiny vape cloud. The more I use it the more I'm enticed to just invest in a mod.

So I started looking, I dont like the MVP2 or box styles, not now, not as my primary.

I love extensible nature of the ACE and Vamo. I've also had a hard time finding their dimensions in 18650 and 18350 modes. I do know the Vamo is massive. Does anyone have one of these two products and can lend opinions?

I've also seen a lot of people saying their Mod died in a few weeks, is this because of the build quality, and delicate electronics? Or is this because they're pumping a lot of power through the devices?

APVs look appealing to me because their modularity gives them a sense of longevity. I also dont have to worry about how many charge cycles I have left, or looking for a usb port since I can just carry the battery cells withe. These are features I find imperative in a PV and most of these my Evod-V doesn't have.

And if they just 'die' like I've seen people say they do I dont see the purpose in investing in such a device just so I can tinker (I do enough of that with Linux and Android). I wont be immediately building my own coils, but I did buy a few BCC Cartos with the intention of doing so before moving on to a tank.

TL;DR

If you own a Vamo v5 or a Smoktech Ace. Are you satisfied with your purchase?
If you've seen both, is the Ace significantly smaller than the Vamo?
Will an APV 'just die' on me? Or is it user error that kills these things?

Anyone who can lend their advise, thank you in advance for taking the time to help a fella out.

 

[JaRod]

I have 2 Vamos, no problems to report, they work nice with any battery and better with 2 x 18350's
I believe the vamo and the Ace use the same electronics, same size, just a matter of which one you like better.
Any electronic device, can die on you, get it locally so if its DoA you can always return it easier.
Regarding size......

 

[mikeymop]

Oh wow, 18650 mode is only 5". Thats not bad at all. I'm sure I can fit that in my skinny Levi 510's.

Why do you use two 350's instead of one 650? Can they put out more volts, or is it more capacity than one of the larger cells?

 

[bsoplinger]

All of the $40-ish vv/vw mods suffer from being very inexpensive. Cheap materials, cheap construction. If you take care they can last a reasonable time. Letting e-liquid leak into the electronics is a sure way to quick death.

Stacking a pair of 18350 batteries put less strain on the battery at the cost of safety. Read up on stacking batteries before you attempt, decide if the safety concerns are something you can live with or not. Basically the way a vv/vw device works is to pulse current between 2 voltages, say 3 and 6 volts. So if you want to output 4 volts, you pulse 6 volts a third of the time and 3 for 2/3 of the time. A single battery is 3.7 volts. So the electronics must boost the voltage up to 6 volts. If you stack batteries you're already at 7.2 volts so no boost required.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

 

[mikeymop]

All of the $40-ish vv/vw mods suffer from being very inexpensive. Cheap materials, cheap construction. If you take care they can last a reasonable time. Letting e-liquid leak into the electronics is a sure way to quick death.

Stacking a pair of 18350 batteries put less strain on the battery at the cost of safety. Read up on stacking batteries before you attempt, decide if the safety concerns are something you can live with or not. Basically the way a vv/vw device works is to pulse current between 2 voltages, say 3 and 6 volts. So if you want to output 4 volts, you pulse 6 volts a third of the time and 3 for 2/3 of the time. A single battery is 3.7 volts. So the electronics must boost the voltage up to 6 volts. If you stack batteries you're already at 7.2 volts so no boost required.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

I don't really have any leaking problems. Is the condensation that forms on the eGo battery contacts enough to raise concern?

By cheap materials, do you mean more gauge wire in the electronics? I know aluminum is cheap. But it's better then plastic, and the cheap threading doesn't bother me.


Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[bsoplinger]

No, I was primarily talking about quality of materials and attention to detail when constructing. Drop any of these mods a few times and they'll quit working. Over tighten the tube, cap or toppers and you'll have stripped threads. I'm just saying that they are what they are. As long as you don't expect a high quality, indestructible mod you'd be happy with any of the choices in this price range.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

 

[The Ministry]

I own a Vamo V5 - It was my main "go to" device since the start of January this year. The thing is great for the money, although the buttons are slowly starting to die on me now (all of them). It's had it's fair share of abuse, I've dropped it plenty. It still works, but the finish is scratched and faded in places. For the money, it's a sweet device though. Had a few issues with certain tanks pushing the center pin down and had to raise that a few times. All in all though, can't complain for the money. It's done me a few months and was cheap.

I've got an Innokin SVD now. It's slightly better in my opinion (I stress MY opinion). It feels sturdier, but even then, the fire button is causing concern on the SVD already. Randomly seems to switch off when I'm trying to vape, and I can't see it lasting a year. Same can be said for the Vamo though.

The Vamo has the extender cap for the 18650 config, the SVD is telescopic, so just keep turning the tube to the relevant length. I prefer the telescopic over carrying another accessory around. In terms of performance though, they are on par. The Vamo seems easier to adjust, the SVD is slightly trickier, but there's not a hell of a lot in it for me.

VAMO threading is known to be suspect, the SVD feels more solid.

I picked an SVD up for less than £30 new online (a fairly popular auction site) and so far though I'm impressed, even with the button issues.

I'd also echo concerns regarding stacking 18350 batteries. It's something I used to do until I realized I'm not organized enough to know which battery went in first after each swap out. I'd recommend doing some research before stacking. I use all mine in 18650 mode, one battery does me from morning to getting home from work (roughly 10 hours) and I change out. I take a spare but rarely need it. This goes for the Vamo and the SVD. Two 18350's get me through the work day but I'm running on low after 10 hours.

I'd pluck for an SVD as it's a similar price to the V5. If you can score a deal on a V5 though they are decent for the money, just don't expect an indestructible MOD for the money - it's fine, but it's not particularly well made IMO. Obviously, your mileage may vary considerably!

 

[mikeymop]

No, I was primarily talking about quality of materials and attention to detail when constructing. Drop any of these mods a few times and they'll quit working. Over tighten the tube, cap or toppers and you'll have stripped threads. I'm just saying that they are what they are. As long as you don't expect a high quality, indestructible mod you'd be happy with any of the choices in this price range.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

I'm fairly careful with my electronics. My Evod took a spoil once and if I anticipate a rough day I'll be using an ego battery.

I will keep that in mind though, I heard of issues with the Vamo having bad threading, is this something I'll notice the instant I see the product? I have 48 hours to make sure it's working.

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[The Ministry]

The threading issue is generally not noticeable until you physically wear them down.

I'd recommend getting an air flow controller. You can pick them up cheap. It screws on the device and reduces the wear and tear on the Vamo's threading (in theory you shouldn't need to remove the air flow controller from the device unless you are cleaning the whole thing). I got one, worked a treat. My issue was with the Vamo's buttons. I actually got it out tonight and have been vaping on it, whilst the buttons have a bit of "give" they work, and it's vaping like a champ.

This kinda thing --> Tank Airflow Controller

Will hopefully sort out threading issues

You won't be able to see the issue on purchase though - it's brass threading I think which is soft, so over time it degrades and wears down.

 

[mikeymop]

Thank you guys so much for the prompt knowledge.

I purchased the Panasonic Hybrid buttonless (grey) battery from orbtronic. Can the Li-MN/Li-Ion hybrid be partially recharged? Ni-Mh batteries gave a wide misconception about battery recharge habits and I know Lithium-Ion and Li-Po batteries prefer to stay in the 20-80% range.

Is it detrimental to partially charge IMR and IMR hybrid batteries? Should I be draining them all the way down to 3.2v every time like they are Ni-Mh?

 

[mikeymop]

Thank you guys so much for the prompt knowledge.

I purchased the Panasonic Hybrid buttonless (grey) battery from orbtronic. Can the Li-MN/Li-Ion hybrid be partially recharged? Ni-Mh batteries gave a wide misconception about battery recharge habits and I know Lithium-Ion and Li-Po batteries prefer to stay in the 20-80% range.

Is it detrimental to partially charge IMR and IMR hybrid batteries? Should I be draining them all the way down to 3.2v every time like they are Ni-Mh?


Also, here is the measurements of the Ace in case any posterity is curious about the size vs the Vamo. The Ace is just over 5"