Hey everyone. I have a few questions about specific mech mods from fasttech...
I am a happy owner of the brass GP Paps clone from FT, and an unhappy hcigar Caravela owner.
I was given the HCigar Caravela as a gift, and unfortunately lost the center pin from the top cap. The pin was too long anyway and the Vela tubes too short to prevent all of my atomizers from having a gap between atty and tube.
Since the HCigar and fasttech Vela clones use the same magnet size for the switch upgrades (different from the EHPro) I'm assuming the FT = HCigar on that mech.
GP Paps clone
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1830400
Caravela clone
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1540703
Anyway, without the top pin, the Caravela clone is useless to me. I tried swapping out the top cap from my Paps clone to the Vela, but because of the short Vela tubes, it was a no-go. I can't even get the Paps topcap to screw into the Vela tube when a battery is in there (even flat top), and the tubes are too short even for me to use my Heron/Puffin style hybrid atty!
A potential cheap solution to this problem may be the M20x1 hybrid adapter from FT..
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1931400
But, I just won't know until I order it I guess (or someone here who has tried this combo wants to weigh in, hence this post!). I have heard to get a hybrid converter like this to work, it often requires magnetic battery spacers. I am assuming, since the Caravela tubes are so short, I will not need to worry about any sort of spacers and my atomizer should make a connection to the battery just fine without them. Anyone care to comment on this line of thinking before I just throw down the dough to make this purchase? Think the hybrid adapter I linked would solve my Vela issue and make this mod usable again? Please note I do not want to jack with grubs as a pin replacement to the stock Vela top cap, and I do not want to have to mess with magnetic spacers either. If that's the case I will give up on this mech.
Which brings me to my second issue.....I love my brass Paps clone, yet I also want a good 20x1mm stainless mech tube set, but I want to use the wonderful Paps switch on it. I have heard that the GP Paps top cap and switch work great on the below linked JM Mod clone...anyone care to confirm this? Do the JM Mod tube lengths lend to good connections when I throw that Paps switch? For giggles I threw my Vela switch on my Paps tube to try out...and it didn't connect well at all, even with my top cap's connector extended all the way.
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1512600
So even though in theory all these parts should be swappable because of the 20x1mm threading, I found there are other variables to the mods, like tube size, that make this untrue without testing the combinations of parts yourself.
So, I'm thinking about trying the JM Mod clone with the Paps switch and top cap (I plan on just buying the 350 Paps clone for 10 bucks to have an extra switch and cap), but then I come across this Tree of Life clone...same threading, different tube sizes...would the TOL perhaps be a better fit for those Paps end caps?
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1692000
******
So in short, what I'm trying to do is get some stainless tubes and put Paps endcaps on them, and use a hybrid connector to resurrect a top cap-less Vela clone.
What are yall's thoughts on that? Anything jumping out at you that says what I'm trying to do won't work with those JM or possibly TOL tubes?
Do you swap out 20x1mm mech parts? Which ones work well together, which ones don't?
I'd love to hear any experiences from other Frankenmechers. Thanks.
edit: I'm sure sectional and telescopic mechs are great and perform well, but I find them aesthetically displeasing. So, yeah, I favor sets of solid tubes.
I am a happy owner of the brass GP Paps clone from FT, and an unhappy hcigar Caravela owner.
I was given the HCigar Caravela as a gift, and unfortunately lost the center pin from the top cap. The pin was too long anyway and the Vela tubes too short to prevent all of my atomizers from having a gap between atty and tube.
Since the HCigar and fasttech Vela clones use the same magnet size for the switch upgrades (different from the EHPro) I'm assuming the FT = HCigar on that mech.
GP Paps clone
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1830400
Caravela clone
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1540703
Anyway, without the top pin, the Caravela clone is useless to me. I tried swapping out the top cap from my Paps clone to the Vela, but because of the short Vela tubes, it was a no-go. I can't even get the Paps topcap to screw into the Vela tube when a battery is in there (even flat top), and the tubes are too short even for me to use my Heron/Puffin style hybrid atty!
A potential cheap solution to this problem may be the M20x1 hybrid adapter from FT..
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1931400
But, I just won't know until I order it I guess (or someone here who has tried this combo wants to weigh in, hence this post!). I have heard to get a hybrid converter like this to work, it often requires magnetic battery spacers. I am assuming, since the Caravela tubes are so short, I will not need to worry about any sort of spacers and my atomizer should make a connection to the battery just fine without them. Anyone care to comment on this line of thinking before I just throw down the dough to make this purchase? Think the hybrid adapter I linked would solve my Vela issue and make this mod usable again? Please note I do not want to jack with grubs as a pin replacement to the stock Vela top cap, and I do not want to have to mess with magnetic spacers either. If that's the case I will give up on this mech.
Which brings me to my second issue.....I love my brass Paps clone, yet I also want a good 20x1mm stainless mech tube set, but I want to use the wonderful Paps switch on it. I have heard that the GP Paps top cap and switch work great on the below linked JM Mod clone...anyone care to confirm this? Do the JM Mod tube lengths lend to good connections when I throw that Paps switch? For giggles I threw my Vela switch on my Paps tube to try out...and it didn't connect well at all, even with my top cap's connector extended all the way.
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1512600
So even though in theory all these parts should be swappable because of the 20x1mm threading, I found there are other variables to the mods, like tube size, that make this untrue without testing the combinations of parts yourself.
So, I'm thinking about trying the JM Mod clone with the Paps switch and top cap (I plan on just buying the 350 Paps clone for 10 bucks to have an extra switch and cap), but then I come across this Tree of Life clone...same threading, different tube sizes...would the TOL perhaps be a better fit for those Paps end caps?
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1692000
******
So in short, what I'm trying to do is get some stainless tubes and put Paps endcaps on them, and use a hybrid connector to resurrect a top cap-less Vela clone.
What are yall's thoughts on that? Anything jumping out at you that says what I'm trying to do won't work with those JM or possibly TOL tubes?
Do you swap out 20x1mm mech parts? Which ones work well together, which ones don't?
I'd love to hear any experiences from other Frankenmechers. Thanks.
edit: I'm sure sectional and telescopic mechs are great and perform well, but I find them aesthetically displeasing. So, yeah, I favor sets of solid tubes.
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