Smoktech Vmax Owners - tips, tricks and quirks

[fuzzione]

Fuzzi, in a 1 word sum up...... OVERPRICED......WAY OVERPRICED!!!!!!! .......thats just outright insane for 1 atty I, don't care how long it "might" last. Thats just crazy, I thought the HH357 was high.

Yes. I was thinking same but can see why some would pay the premium for the relatively newer tech this atty offers. To me it still appears to represent a work in progress. I can see myself paying the asking price if it was perfect in every way but it's not and the design continues to evolve. I'll wait on this one. On the other hand, I'm in on the HH357. Still high, yes, but it's not gonna break the bank at $25. I understand the HH is up to v.VII now but there's no guarantee you'll get the latest version if you order now, until the older stock is sold. I will likely wait on this one too for a couple of weeks then order once there's a guarantee one will receive the latest version.

 

[fuzzione]

Thraizer" data-source="post: 6196198" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Agree with fuzz, the AW is a perfect match with the vmax. I got 4 1/2 days out of it before I saw the lo warning at 6.3v On my weird encounter the other day, I think that it somehow recovers during a discharge?

First of all, anyone who agrees with me for any reason is assured of a 'like'

I've noticed the pattern you describe also and simply attributed to the battery recovering a few seconds after depressing the fire button. AW's are still registering 7.0 this morning and this follows some uncharacteristically heavier (for me) vaping this morning. They will easily surpass double the vaping time of the blue knock offs. That's huge.

 

[VAPNJ350]

Errol
I've not really tracked my juice usage, but I would guess somewhere around 45 to 50 ml a week. My local supplier is not really stocking any VV APV's other than the EGO Booster. He got me this Howitzer/US-Sub thingy (18650) and told me he had something else coming. Hell little uninformed me purchased 3 of those Panasonic 18650's and a 1A charger online so I’d have battys when it got here (I'm sorta leery/old school on this internet buying thing, I like to touch what I’m paying for). I'd not heard of the Vmax when I got my 1st one, and tried to use the 18650 which would light the LED but not fire my carto. I found out on this forum that it uses 2x 18350’s, but I let it sit in the box until these good reviews started showing up. I went back and brought the other Vmax, and asked him to get me 4 batt’s. They showed up last week, they were not AW’s; the chargers are only .45A, but WOW what a vape. 1 set of batty’s run down before the others are charged and I use my others devices in-between but they now seem inadequate/ unsatisfying.

I know your maybe a bit uncomfortable with internet purchases but I'm going to put 2 links here for you to assure you this will be a purchase you can rest easy about. If you have ANY issue with this in ANY way, let me know directly and I'll send you my batteries and charger to you personally with next day priority mail. This is HANDS DOWN the absolute best setup possible for the VMAX as far as batteries and a SUPER FAST Intelli-charger, without spending a ton of money. These batteries on this charger take 35-45 minutes to charge from the "Lo" display on the VMAX. And this is the only charger that has maH selectable settings (300/650maH) with voltage selectable settings (3.0/3.2 & 3.6/3.7) without paying $50 for a PILA charger. This is the LAST charger you will EVER need or buy,it does them ALL!! And the best batteries money can buy for the cheapest price I've found from a GREAT trustworthy company. Heres the link:

--Link: Super T Manufacturing, Innovative manufacturer of electronic cigarette products.

** 1st, Scroll down on this page till you see "AW IMR 18350 3.7v 700maH" **
** 2nd, Scroll down on the same page till you see "UltraFire WF-188 Charger switchable for 3.0/3.2/3.7 volt batteries:"

I hope this helps you and anyone else that may be looking for a GREAT battery & charger setup for the VMAX, I can promise this....You'll NEVER wait on batteries to charge again. This charger is fast and very accurate and NEVER overcharges IMR batteries like a lot of other chargers are known for doing. (which is very bad for IMR's, 4.22v is the most you ever want IMR's to charge to) ........Take care everyone............ ....................J

 

[fuzzione]

+1 on Super T. I got my AW's there; the transaction was smooth and the cells fantastic.

VAPNJ350, this is the charger I own:

Trust Fire TR-003P4 4 BAY Lithium Ion Battery charger INDEPENDENT!!!

What are your thought on it?

Takes several hours to charge which is not a big deal for me. What may be a problem is the AW's come off (as did the blue knock offs) with a 4.25 - 4.26 charge. Practically speaking, is the extra .03-.04v an issue?

One more thing...I've heard that the slower the charge the better it is for the batteries. Is it wise to quick charge these IMR's?

edit: p.s. - at what point is recharging the AW's ideal? How low should we let them drop?

 

[VAPNJ350]

+1 on Super T. I got my AW's there; the transaction was smooth and the cells fantastic.

VAPNJ350, this is the charger I own:

Trust Fire TR-003P4 4 BAY Lithium Ion Battery charger INDEPENDENT!!!

What are your thought on it?

Takes several hours to charge which is not a big deal for me. What may be a problem is the AW's come off (as did the blue knock offs) with a 4.25 - 4.26 charge. Practically speaking, is the extra .03-.04v an issue?

One more thing...I've heard that the slower the charge the better it is for the batteries. Is it wise to quick charge these IMR's?

edit: p.s. - at what point is recharging the AW's ideal? How low should we let them drop?

Whats up FUZZ...ZZ..Z..Z.z.z ..Thats actually a great question...both of them. The Trustfire 3P4 you have is not a bad charger at all, A good friend of mine owns one. It charges at a 500maH rate. The Ultrafire charges at a 650maH rate. Now the more important part of the equation is at what amperage rate. And if the charger overcharges the IMR type cells past 4.22-.23 volts. Which is much more important than most think or even pay attention to when they take them out of the charger. The IMR cell should NEVER EVER be charged past that 4.22-.23 volts. You wouldn't think .02-.03 volts would be too much of a difference but on a lithium type cell it really is the difference between a great performing battery with a perfect charge,to a battery that now has a part of it's cells damaged and doesn't last near as long as it used to and won't have half the overall lifespan it should've. Now back to speed and time. If one charger charges batteries faster than another it doesn't mean one is better than the other. I'll use a car battery charger as a analogy to make it simple. OK, your car has a dead battery and you want to charge it up and your in NO rush. Do you put the charger in "Jumpstart mode" or "trickle charge mode", the jumpstart mode charges the battery at a 6 amp rate very quickly, the trickle charge mode charges it slow with a deep 2 amp rate. Both charges work...yes, but usung the jumpstart quick charge you will have to re-charge your battery very soon. The trickle charge with the 2 amp rate got such a slow deep cycle charge into the battery it will last much longer. Anytime a car battery goes all the way dead usually one or more of the cells is permanently dead anyway(useless info). So, I believe the Trustfire 3P4 charger with the 500 maH rate charges at a amperage rate of...actually I'm not absolutely sure so I don't want to speculate. But the Ultafire WF-188 charges at a low amperage rate but a little higher maH(650) than the Trustfire's 500maH,both are the better charges of the bunch that are sold for sure. The main reason I recommend the WF-188 is the Intelli-circuitry and the selectable 4-way switch functions. On 1 side of the charger their is a slider switch so you can switch from 3.0/3.2v batteries or slide the switch up for 3.6/3.7v batteries. On the other side of the charger is another slider switch to choose the maH rate you want to charge at, 300/650maH, 300maH rate for 3.0/3.2v batteries or charging 3.6/3.7 volt batteries overnight slowly,or 650maH rate for all 3.6/3.7v batteries and for charging them quickly. The WF-188 just has much more versatility, you don't have to buy a whole new charger if you ever get or already have 3.0 or 3.2 volt batteries,it does both, and with the correct maH rate adjustments for those batteries, and for the same price as most of the other chargers with no extra functions or features. Oh yeah, and it NEVER over charges the IMR cells like a lot of the other lithium chargers. Im NOT saying all the other chargers do overcharge IMR's, I just know some do (I've had 2) and I know this WF-188 DOES NOT. And the VMAX really does a good job of displaying the "Lo" when it's at a good voltage to re-charge. I'm a firm believer that 30% or so is as low as I want any of my batteries to go before re-charging. Now AW says the lowest discharge rate is I think 2.5v, but I try to re-charge mine at 3.0-3.3v, or right when the VMAX hits the "Lo", which is usually 6.3-6.4v,(3.15/3.2v).

And for the member who posted a very important fact as a quote to my earlier post about AMPERAGE. Yes you are absolutely correct. When you guys read my posts I really do try to keep in mind the new vapers, and as most of us veterans know that amperage=Discharge rate (for the most part anyway) I try to word my posts so it's newbie friendly, some may know what dischrge rate means and represents in the equation, but all will probably know what amperage is and have heard the term atleast a few times by now.( I hope so anyway) I read my posts over and over before I submit it, and I try to look at it as if I was still that new person 2 years ago....but without the EE degrees. But thank you for pointing that out, your absolutely right, DISCHARGE RATE, DISCHARGE RATE, DISCHARGE RATE !!! lol..lol.....Take care everyone ....................J

 

[fuzzione]

Excellent info as usual VAPNJ. So in effect, for me, it's 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. Killing off the AW's prematurely due to the slight overcharge with my 3P4 vs. buying a new charger is roughly going to amount to the same $ out of my pocket so for now I'll just keep the 3P4 and give more of my battery business to Super T sooner. At that point I'll likely order the WF-188 from them as well. Strange that the 3P4 which seems to be a well regarded charger would charge the AW's to 4.26. Wish there was some way to adjust that.

 

[durutti]

anyone that has used it with Bully A2 or similar?

 

[Thraizer]

Crap, I need to get the charger that VAPNJ posted. I don't like the charger that came with my vmax it's very slow, took almost 3hrs to charge 1 18350 and it looks like a fire hazard waiting to happen. Can't charge it at night because I can't keep an eye on it. Took both of my aw's and the charger to work so I can at least watch it.

 

[VAPNJ350]

Hey Fuzz....I have a few buddy's with the 3P4 trustfire, 1 of them charges the AW to 4.21v perfectly every single charge, the other 2, 1 charges to 4.26v as does yours, the other charges to 3.9-4.12v. All 3 I've seen and metered myself with my own extremely overpriced multi-meter issued to me from HP for work. I personally think it's a good charger, I would just prefer to only charge ICR protected batteries on it myself. Please remember...this is strictly my opinion. ........J

 

[C1BERUS]

nice post as always VAPNJ350 very detailed about the charger,
i got ultrafire TR-001 i think it's enough for AW , or is it ?

 

[fuzzione]

Hey Fuzz....I have a few buddy's with the 3P4 trustfire, 1 of them charges the AW to 4.21v perfectly every single charge, the other 2, 1 charges to 4.26v as does yours, the other charges to 3.9-4.12v. All 3 I've seen and metered myself with my own extremely overpriced multi-meter issued to me from HP for work. I personally think it's a good charger, I would just prefer to only charge ICR protected batteries on it myself. Please remember...this is strictly my opinion. ........J

I hear ya VAPNJ. Although not ideal, I'll likely use my 3P4 until the cells start underperforming. Then I'll start anew again with the WF-188 and a fresh batch of AW's. Although with the way all this tech is advancing who knows what will be available in just a few months time. Solar powered, laser activated vaping chambers on pv's built into your wristwatch. With bluetooth.

 

[vpsi333]

Thanks VAPNJ you are wonderful well of knowledge. with your guaranteed how could I go wrong

 

[Thraizer]

79 bucks for vmax at timeeast.net!

 

[VAPNJ350]

Thread sure is movin slow, did everyone flee from the Hurricane thats about to hit....?

 

[dwcraig1]

VIP Vapor has Smoktech Vmax body only for $89.98 or with batteries and charger for $109.98, that's where I got mine. I have not seen any one else that low, the shipping was fast and they really stand behind their products.

 

[dwcraig1]

I polished the inside of my battery cap with fine emory cloth as some of my batteries did not want to slide in without scraping,good on all my batteries now.

I just got my Vmax! My button doesn't wiggle. And some of my 18350's do fit in the end cap but require some gentle wiggling to get them in.

I guess I have to change my avatar to some kind of primate now huh?

 

[matrixxu]

Received my Vmax a few days ago and must say i like it. Solid feel, button feels nice to use, no problems fitting the batteries ( i use AW IMR 18350 , but tested how it works with crappy 16340 protected and it performs just fine ), threading on the endcap is good, no wobble, connector feels solid and juice well is a good thing to have on a PV. No rough edges on the display, all good. Batteries last me longer than expected, i guess PWM works well on it.

I have an updated version, when i put the batteries in it auto-sets it to 3 volts. When i turn off the display i just get a blue countour light around the display and i am only visible from 9 feet instead of 8,3 miles with the display ON

I call it the " mystery voltage PV " and it makes me smile everytime i use it. Plenty of power, wich i love, i'm a 10-13W vaper so low voltage setting would have been useless to me anyway.

The 3v setting feels like 4-4.3 real volts and i was dissapointed that 6v feels only like 6.3 probably, i secretly wished that it felt like 8v so i could use the VHV 5-5.2 ridiculous ohm atties. Every setting and reading works just fine except for the voltage setting... measures resistance of atties with a -0,1 error, but then again so do most provaris ... shows real charge status of the batteries, gives the low-battery warning.

As it's my 4th VV unit i dont really care about what i'm vaping at, i just set it according to taste and mostly use it with 2.5 ohm atties or the 2,8 ohm Sailing Technology 306es.

Price-wise it's not worth 128$ , but for what you get from it, if it were 80-90$ bucks it would definitely be worth it.
Also, don't tell me the Provari is "just a bit more" because for me it's 180 for the black, 25 for extension, 35 dollars for shipping + spare springs and other tiny bits and bobs like springs, comes to triple what i've payed for mine.

As funny as it sounds, im happy with this unit, but would not recommend it as a replacement for a Provari or the only PV for a vaper.

 

[fuzzione]

Thread sure is movin slow, did everyone flee from the Hurricane thats about to hit....?

My guesses:

1) Everyone is so happy with their vmax's they need no tips, tricks and are experiencing no quirks
2) Everyone is so happy with their vmax's they can't put it down long enough to type
3) Everyone is too busy trying to get their 2nd vmax for $80.

 

[440BB]

I'm just waitin' on the coop, wondering what my version will be like -

Will I get a 3 volt reset?
Will I get to turn off the screen?
Will the voltage be what it shows or a blow the top of my head off crazy?

I keep reading about it and look forward to it but until then can offer little more than thanks for all the good info. I hope I get one with a purple screen in brushed stainless, just so everybody can get crazy for a minute or two! And then there's the stacked 18650 model I imagine...

 

[Thraizer]

My guesses:

1) Everyone is so happy with their vmax's they need no tips, tricks and are experiencing no quirks
2) Everyone is so happy with their vmax's they can't put it down long enough to type
3) Everyone is too busy trying to get their 2nd vmax for $80.

Yup, I like number 3. I'm thinking about getting the black version.