Still popular?

[ScottP]

I think an important thing to point out here is that there are risks with regulated mods as well. It’s not just mechs that carry all the risk. Anyone that believes that is deluded. In my personal option I think the exact opposite and believe that mechs are safer than regulated mods WHEN you know how to use them. I know I’d sooner have a mod where I know the battery, and one which is so simplistic in its contraction like a mech. This to me is safer than say a no name lipo, with solder joints done by god knows who, with a chipset that could go faulty, with a charge board that could go faulty etc etc.

Drop a regulated mod and you have no idea what has occurred inside. Drop a mech and it takes seconds to check it is safe to use, because they are simplistic by design.

An accidental short will not cause a regulated mod to explode. They have a lot of built in safety features that make them inherently safer to use. I do agree about batteries, that's why I only use regulated mods with batteries that I personally installed. If you drop a regulated mod you only have to press the button to see if it still works. Drop a mech and you better have a separate ohm meter handy to make sure that coil didn't move and cause a short, otherwise that next button press could be your last.

Actually if I am not mistaken, the only regulated mod explosions were from SMOK stick mods with built in batteries. I don't use SMOK mods either.

mechs are safer than regulated mods WHEN you know how to use them.

I wanted to call special attention to this statement. That is like saying a car is 100% safe WHEN you know how to use it. Pro tip: Sh*t happens...no matter how safe you think you are being. A tire can blow, the linkage to the accelerator can break, master brake cylinders can spring a leak, and suddenly how safe you thought you were goes right through the windshield along with your head. In car terms a regulated mod is like a new car with all the safety features like air bags, and crumple zones, so that when something bad does happen you have a better chance of survival. A mech is an old classic car with no air bags and no crumple zones so when something does happen, well...what would you like your tombstone to say?

 

[Ben85]

An accidental short will not cause a regulated mod to explode. They have a lot of built in safety features that make them inherently safer to use. I do agree about batteries, that's why I only use regulated mods with batteries that I personally installed. If you drop a regulated mod you only have to press the button to see if it still works. Drop a mech and you better have a separate ohm meter handy to make sure that coil didn't move and cause a short, otherwise that next button press could be your last.

Actually if I am not mistaken, the only regulated mod explosions were from SMOK stick mods with built in batteries. I don't use SMOK mods either.

And there is my exact point. Regulation gives a sense of safety which leads to complacency. Yes the mod may work with the press of the button, but who’s to say that you haven’t caused a contact or a wire to move, which then shifts and causes a short on the casing etc (I have only ever had one battery shorting related issue and it was in a regulated Hammond box mod). With a mech you can visually see these things because there are so few parts. With a regulated mod, you simply can’t, which leads people to believe the whole “if it works it’s safe” mentality.

Regulated mods have more parts, and therefore have more opportunities to go wrong. Yes, they have built in safety features, but most of these features are just ways of combating laziness. I do however agree with the ohm reader feature, however, just build correctly.

 

[Falconeer]

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[Letitia]

Smok sticks aren't regulated, just some minor protections.

 

[ScottP]

And there is my exact point. Regulation gives a sense of safety which leads to complacency. Yes the mod may work with the press of the button, but who’s to say that you haven’t caused a contact or a wire to move, which then shifts and causes a short on the casing etc (I have only ever had one battery shorting related issue and it was in a regulated Hammond box mod). With a mech you can visually see these things because there are so few parts. With a regulated mod, you simply can’t, which leads people to believe the whole “if it works it’s safe” mentality.

Regulated mods have more parts, and therefore have more opportunities to go wrong. Yes, they have built in safety features, but most of these features are just ways of combating laziness. I do however agree with the ohm reader feature, however, just build correctly.

First I added something to my above post.

Second, it's obvious you have no idea how circuits work. Lets say I dropped a regulated mod and the components that create the short circuit protection were damaged. The mod would not work at all. It would NOT allow a short circuit in the atty to cause an explosion because there would be zero electricity even flowing to the coil. As far as a wire soldered to the 510 pin coming loose and touching the housing. Again when the fire button is pressed the short circuit protection would again catch it and not be a problem. Finally there is the wire from the battery to the power button. If that comes loose and causes a short, that would be instant, no button press, no warning, and yes that could be a problem, but the same thing can happen with a mech if that wire comes loose, no warning, no time to check it, just instant short and boom. The only mechs that this might not be the case with are the wireless tube mechs. Even with these though a drop could damage the button and cause a permanent connection and still be instant problems. No matter how you slice and dice it, regulated mods provide more safety. No matter how careful or careless you are the safety is still greater in a regulated mod. It's just not 100% guaranteed in either.

 

[Ben85]

First I added something to my above post.

Second, it's obvious you have no idea how circuits work. Lets say I dropped a regulated mod and the components that create the short circuit protection were damaged. The mod would not work at all. It would NOT a short circuit in the atty to cause an explosion because there would be zero electricity even flowing to the coil. As far as a wire soldered to the 510 pin coming loose and touching the housing. Again when the fire button is pressed the short circuit protection would again catch it and not be a problem. Finally there is the wire from the battery to the power button. If that comes loose and causes a short, that would be instant, no button press, no warning, and yes that could be a problem, but the same thing can happen with a mech if that wire comes loose, no warning, no time to check it, just instant short and boom. The only mechs that this might not be the case with are the wireless tube mechs. Even with these though a drop could damage the button and cause a permanent connection and still be instant problems. No matter how you slice and dice it, regulated mods provide more safety, no matter how careful or careless you are the safety is still greater in a regulated mod. It's just not 100% guaranteed in either.

You have misunderstood what I said, I am not saying that a faulty circuit will work with the press of a button.

Take a battery sled in an aluminium cased mod for example. After dropping, the positive contact shifts so that it still works at that time, but through travel over time (mods are portable devices of course) it then shifts some more, shorts on the case and vents the battery. This can happen, and did happen to me in my example above because the sled had a hairline crack in it which I didn’t see, so the contact could flap about.

Oh and by the way, I know more than enough about circuits. I am a fully qualified electronic service engineer who worked in the field for 10 years.

 

[charlie1465]

My advice has generally been “I don’t do it” which isn’t advice so much as merely reporting. I was a user of mechs for a while without the knowledge I learned on this forum and I view my own previous behavior as dangerous in light of my current knowledge. My only advice is that there is a lot of knowledge that is necessary to learn first, and the simplest way to not have to do that is to not use them. Most people want to find out if ecigs are even useful to them first, and they can do that without needing to use a mech these days so why go through the headache? This applies to modern rechargeable batteries as well, but they’re everywhere now. Phones, headphones, almost anything wireless electronic and portable. In those instances the headaches are incurred by the engineers designing the equipment. When you build a coil on a mech though you effectively become the design engineer. With VV devices there is at least an engineer in the middle of the process.

Yes I agree, I absolutely wouldn't advocate a mech for a starter device....its more likely to end in smoking again. In terms of coils though this is part of the why people like the mech type process...

We can only educate and warn not try to exclude or ban....bans never work anyway

 

[Falconeer]

"A mech is an old classic car with no air bags and no crumple zones so when something does happen, well...what would you like your tombstone to say?"

"God did he no enjoy the ride tho'!"

 

[bombastinator]

I think an important thing to point out here is that there are risks with regulated mods as well. It’s not just mechs that carry all the risk. Anyone that believes that is deluded. In my personal option I think the exact opposite and believe that mechs are safer than regulated mods WHEN you know how to use them. I know I’d sooner have a mod where I know the battery, and one which is so simplistic in its contraction like a mech. This to me is safer than say a no name lipo, with solder joints done by god knows who, with a chipset that could go faulty, with a charge board that could go faulty etc etc.

Drop a regulated mod and you have no idea what has occurred inside. Drop a mech and it takes seconds to check it is safe to use, because they are simplistic by design.

Goes to perfection of behavior, and design/manufacture of a given mod. Also which bit you feel more comfortable with. Machine manufactured Solid state electronics or Human eyeballs.
Personally, I bought ageises mostly. I would rather vape a dropped several times mech than a dropped several times SMOK alien. The ageis has been certifies against dropping though and as a result I would rather vape a dropped several times Ageis to a dropped several times mech.
Also goes to my so far most disliked statement that there seems to me to be a growing tendency to use mods as a badge of power and self confidence. Pro mech statement always seem to come with an “If you’re good enough” caveat of some kind.

Old old joke: Two quakers were standing together speaking of the world, and one says to the other “All the world is crazy except me and thee and sometimes I wonder bout thee”

 

[bombastinator]

And here at Back to the Future Vaping Accessories we have the latest and greatest fashionwear for those who want to be 100% SAFE when using a mech mod!!!!!!!!

More information from your friendly neighbourhood blacksmith - call in for a free quote and fitting TODAY!

View attachment 806621

Ooh! Italian elbows and maximillian legs. Nice. I I’m not getting a good look at the helm. Might be hard to see out of. Looked hard at buying some of that stuff back when I was in college. It was way too expensive for me. I was in the SCA at the time and it was more or less sports equipment.

 

[stols001]

I think the whole gun/mech analogy is totally flawed.

As far as cars go, I have driven a stick shift for as long as I can remember. I like them, you have more control in TONS of ways, and I get less bored while driving. That is safer for y'all. I would argue it is more "mech like" than an automatic, at least in that sense. Every time I buy a new car I remember sitting in traffic and my feet getting tired, and then I get a stick shift anyway....

When I taught my son to drive stick, he engaged in many "fatal errors." Grinding the gears, stalling out, oh, the list goes on. I think stick shift cars are similar to mechs in that sense. You really need someone to teach you what to do and how to do it, and you are unlikely (IMHO) to get it right on the first try.

Stick shifts CAN be more dangerous, in some senses. Stalling out in a busy intersection etc.

But I HOPE at NO point in my future life will I not have the ability to buy one if I want. This golf cart kind of car thing is just TERRIBLE.

Fortunately, regulated mods aren't terrible a large majority of them are fantastic.

Anna

 

[bombastinator]

I think the whole gun/mech analogy is totally flawed.

As far as cars go, I have driven a stick shift for as long as I can remember. I like them, you have more control in TONS of ways, and I get less bored while driving. That is safer for y'all. I would argue it is more "mech like" than an automatic, at least in that sense. Every time I buy a new car I remember sitting in traffic and my feet getting tired, and then I get a stick shift anyway....

When I taught my son to drive stick, he engaged in many "fatal errors." Grinding the gears, stalling out, oh, the list goes on. I think stick shift cars are similar to mechs in that sense. You really need someone to teach you what to do and how to do it, and you are unlikely (IMHO) to get it right on the first try.

Stick shifts CAN be more dangerous, in some senses. Stalling out in a busy intersection etc.

But I HOPE at NO point in my future life will I not have the ability to buy one if I want. This golf cart kind of car thing is just TERRIBLE.

Fortunately, regulated mods aren't terrible a large majority of them are fantastic.

Anna

I have to provisionally agree with you about the gun thing. All models are flawed but I thought that one was useful as far as it went. Perhaps it was a town mouse error. In town mouse land guns are widely considered to be WAY more dangerous than mechs. Or cars. Or crazy people with knives talking to themselves on a street corner. I developed my opinion on guns as a “manliness” accoutrement after the third time I had a guy spontaneously show me his guns for no good reason at all. That was back in the 90’s. I do believe there is a similarity visible to me here but on YouTube as well of what one might call “mech brandishment”. I personally find it just as creepy and weird and sad as the guys who showed me their guns. Also more dangerous. People watch YouTube review to learn things and they want to learn things because they don’t feel they have enough knowledge. The “this guy knows what he’s doing I’m going to vape just like that” factor is strong.

I more fully but not completely disagree about the golf cart thing. Electric cars have advantages and disadvantages. In my life, where I have driven over a hundred mile at a sitting precisely once in the last ten years but have a 100amp service in my garage the fuel thing is a bonus rather than a negative for me. Another town mouse thing probably. Also I do not seem to get along well with mechanical drive trains. My last car before my current did just under 40k miles before becoming unrepairably dead due to drive train failure. (2002-2003 Mini Cooper CVT US variant with the fake gear ratios. On my list of do not buy ever) my next and current car is a mkV GTI autobahn. It’s at 50k and is burning a lot of oil. At 80-90k their turbo chargers start to blow up according to my mechanic. Selling it or repairing it is pointless because the car has nearly no value, so I keep 2 gallons of oil in the rear area and check and refill oil whenever I fill the tank. This will buy me maybe a year or two. I’m really tired of drive trains. Electric cars don’t have drive trains. I’m liking that a lot.

 

[Falconeer]

A very good analogy from Anna - back in my long distance cycling days when I had a column for "Cycling World" you knew you had made it when in the days before Indexed gearing when you could shift both chainrings at a time by feel using just your two fingers ( we only had 10 gears then so double shifts were often required ) using two fingers at a time on the down tube mounted levers.

I use mech mods, as everybody here is is bored out of their skulls hearing with but 1 Ohm coils which I can wind while watching the TV on auto pilot.

I am in favour of safety, BUT, I sometimes wonder if we over labour the point/over egg the pudding when somebody comes on mentioning mech mods and he/ she gets hit with a firestorm of dire warnings, links to look up etc.

I ask myself - is there not a simpler/ better way we could do this?

I know we Scots are like that, but if you tell us too much the wrong way that we shouldn't do a thing, we are likely to respond in our minds - "Eff you Jimmy, Ahm gonna dae it onyway!"

Just a thought...

BTW I wasn't extracting the urine with any of today's posts, but I do believe there is a time to lighten things up and I am also aware that 9 times out of 10 ( and that's on a good day!) you will never shift anyone who holds a fixed position by any kind of argument.

Again in Scotland we'd just say to ourselves - "Aye just let them bump their gums a bit, it'll no dae ony guid but maybes it'll make them feel a wee bit the better!

 

[bombastinator]

You have misunderstood what I said, I am not saying that a faulty circuit will work with the press of a button.

Take a battery sled in an aluminium cased mod for example. After dropping, the positive contact shifts so that it still works at that time, but through travel over time (mods are portable devices of course) it then shifts some more, shorts on the case and vents the battery. This can happen, and did happen to me in my example above because the sled had a hairline crack in it which I didn’t see, so the contact could flap about.

Oh and by the way, I know more than enough about circuits. I am a fully qualified electronic service engineer who worked in the field for 10 years.

Oooh! I’ve always wanted to ask an engineer a whole bunch of dumb questions about vaping. Seriously. If you ever feel sufficiently bored please PM me and I will regail you with questions until you tell me to shut up. I am particularly interested in the particulars of vacuum switches. It’s data I can’t seem to find online anywhere.

 

[stols001]

I have a rock bottom base Mazda 3, no upgrades. I have had it 4.5 years (paid it off early, go me, LOL) so it's not exactly rocket science. The only thing I've done to it other than replace a few tires has been to change the oil and filters every now and then. It's hanging in there fine, although I really should replace the break pads sometime really soon.

With that said the SMART gun owners are the ones who say nothing, don't brandish it about, and keep it for emergencies. Also waiting until one's children are out of the house and a lockbox are smart.

So... I'm not saying if I have anything. I will tell you that (braced, because of a fine motor tremor) I'm a pretty darn good shot with a pellet rifle and with that said, anyone with a gun in the house had BETTER be an expert user because frankly, not being such is like, insane.

In Pennsylvania they have (had?) MANDATORY gun safety classes in middle school. The idea was "This is a hunting state, so all the kids have to LEARN so they don't DIE."

I thought it was smart.
Anna

 

[Falconeer]

Err umm etc ... some of us, maybe, actually, probably don't quite know what a "battery sled " actually is ... we probably call it something else this side of the pond, like maybe a "thingie."

 

[Falconeer]

Well it's been an amusing way of passing a wet day here in Spanish Spain, but as its my wife's birthday we're now off out for a meal and some fizz.

Still and all - "Ah'm just gonnae dae it oneyway, thon mech thing!"

Maybe if I feel lucky when I get back I might even, just for badness, drink some whisky and make myself a 0.9 Ohm coil!

See me, I like to live on the edge!

 

[RayofLight62]

I'm not the person of black and white arguments, I agree to the fact that anyone has different needs and therefore there can't be a "best" and "worst" choice on most matters. And, as trained logician, I attach a special meaning to the phrase "Absolute statements are always false" .
After this necessary foreword, with the knowledge I will disappoint some fellow vapers on ECF, I want to say that the choice to vape on pure mech mods make no sense. They don't deliver more power than a truly good regulated device, nor they make vape taste better than a state-of-art regulated device. It is hard, if not impossible, to guarantee their safe operations at all times.
You can't find any single advantage in their use, no matter how hard you look into it.
I don't use mechs. Too many drawbacks, and in the end you need to rely on your good luck for their safe operation.

 

[CasketWeaver]

bomb, i fear you have little respect for the second amendment, without which the rest of our rights will fall.

guys, how does one become properly trained in mechs?
i don't mean to be semi competent, like cops are with guns, i mean competent.

Easy it's really easy to become competent with mechanical devices the first thing you have to do is don't be arrogant the second thing don't be stupid people are going to tell you everything that they can tell you it's up to you to listen.

I can go through a list of do's and don'ts that I have found in my time using mechanical mods and out of all the things that I found using mechanical mods there will be one or two people that will disagree with me and the rest of them will agree with me that's just how it is.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[jandrew]

After this necessary foreword, with the knowledge I will disappoint some fellow vapers on ECF, I want to say that the choice to vape on pure mech mods make no sense. They don't deliver more power than a truly good regulated device,

I'm not after power, I am an MTL vaper and vape in the 15-20 watt neighborhood on my mechs.

nor they make vape taste better than a state-of-art regulated device.

I find my mechs give me a smoother vape ... I can tell the difference compared to any of my regulated mods (including DNA mods). I'm not saying better or worse, but the mech vape is my preference.

It is hard, if not impossible, to guarantee their safe operations at all times.

You cannot guarantee the safe operation of a regulated device at all times either. Period.