As verbose as I have been here on ECF, this is my very first review. It is the result of my twisting Rocketmans arm to let me try one of the neat flashlight mods shown in his avatar photo.
[DaBoomVape Nonstandard Disclaimer: I did not pay full price for this; I received $10 off for volunteering to write this review. Ill let you assess whether I would sell out whatever rep I have here for ten bucks. Nuf said.
]
Presentation of Attributes and Strengths
The Flash Rocket (as I call it) aka Trailer Park mod (as Rocketman used to call it) is a simple, inexpensive housing for an 18650 battery. Rocketman describes his mods as cheap, homemade, big battery mods made out of flashlights. They're cheap, but they work, and IMO, work well.
A homebrew rather than commercial mod, all of Rocketmans mods are handmade rather than CNC machined. He has tried to incorporate as much safety into the design and still meet the 'cheaper-than-dirt' goal. That's why the all metal front end and the weak .... end.
In a long rambling thread on the VapeAtron forum, Rocky has detailed every step of making one of these, and a few variations and gives advice about how to make as safe a mod as possible and still do it 'on-the-cheap' for those that might have the skills to do this themselves but are unsure about what is really involved. But he now has made these available for sale to vapers (like me) who dont have such skills.
The body of the FLASHbyROCKET is 3 3/8 long (3 7/8 including bottom button and top atomizer fitting) and 1 in diameter. This is what it looks like:
Perhaps not as beautiful as the Precious or Silver Bullet, but to my eye, it is quite handsome. I especially like the shiny quarter front end cap.
It comes with a fitting for the atomizer of your choice (801, 510, or 901/808D-1). I chose my beloved penstyle. [Rocketman refers to it as the 801 fitting, but Im using Joye 302 attys with it.]
It is 3.7V. But dont run away if you are high-power freak! With the 18650 battery (such as the 2600 mAh Tenergy Im using), it is effectively 4.2V for quite some time.
The FLASHbyROCKET is ButtSwitched (Rockys elegant term for the button is on the bottom of the device), so you have to hold it something like Rocketmans wife does in this photo. [Although Im trying to master bracing the button with the knuckle of my ring finger while pressing down with my thumb from the top, leaving my forefinger and the heck with you finger to hold the device more securely.]
Not that its heavy. Without the battery it is extremely light and even with the 18650 batt, its a heck of a lot lighter than my Prodigy V1 was and much smaller. Ive never held the Little Chuck, but it appears to be about that size, but uses the king of batteries (18650). Look at this photo of Aqua Vapors e-Light flashlight mod (with a 901 atty):
The e-Light (not to be confused with elightelite.com) appears to be even a bit larger than the Flash Rocket, and yet the E-light uses only a 900 mAh 14500 battery.
The Flash Rockets greatest selling point is the price: $40 (including shipping) less than virtually any purchasable mod (other than IkenVapes Laser PV, which uses a much lower mAh 10440 batt). It compares favorably with the $80 Chuck. No customized graphics, but its half the price. And Rocketman does offer a choice in colors all of those shown here:
NOTE: The coral color of the example shown in many of the photos in this review is due to Rockys intent to have it be fairly close to the smoking jacket of my avatar. [FYI: The flesh-and-blood person represented by that avatar has never owned or worn a smoking jacket.]
Just like the Chuck, batteries, charger, or atomizer are not included. However, if you like, Rocketman will include two 3000 mAh Ultrafire protected batteries and charger for a total of $62 (again including shipping). [Rocketman is a modder, not a battery salesman, so it makes to difference to him. However, thats a good deal, e.g., that additional $22 (plus another dollar) would get you only the batteries without charger from MadVapes (which is an excellent source for batts and mod parts).]
Potential Weaknesses
Summary
The Flash Rocket is an ideal 3.7V 18650 mod for those of us on a budget, certainly for those comfortable with the bottom button as is used in the AdapteveR, GG Slim. Makos, Precise, Steampunk Sparkplug (SP2), SuperSix, Screwdriver, and Thermo. [As you can see, the .... switch is hardly a strange concept.]
Cylindrical in shape, it is barely longer than the high mAh battery that it contains. If 3.7+V vaping for one to two days without recharging in an attractive fist-sized package sounds good to you for forty bucks, you cant go wrong!
PM Rocketman here on ECF to place an order and/or to get more information. [And, if you tell him DaBoomVape sent you, neither you nor I will receive any benefit.]
[DaBoomVape Nonstandard Disclaimer: I did not pay full price for this; I received $10 off for volunteering to write this review. Ill let you assess whether I would sell out whatever rep I have here for ten bucks. Nuf said.
]Presentation of Attributes and Strengths
The Flash Rocket (as I call it) aka Trailer Park mod (as Rocketman used to call it) is a simple, inexpensive housing for an 18650 battery. Rocketman describes his mods as cheap, homemade, big battery mods made out of flashlights. They're cheap, but they work, and IMO, work well.
A homebrew rather than commercial mod, all of Rocketmans mods are handmade rather than CNC machined. He has tried to incorporate as much safety into the design and still meet the 'cheaper-than-dirt' goal. That's why the all metal front end and the weak .... end.
In a long rambling thread on the VapeAtron forum, Rocky has detailed every step of making one of these, and a few variations and gives advice about how to make as safe a mod as possible and still do it 'on-the-cheap' for those that might have the skills to do this themselves but are unsure about what is really involved. But he now has made these available for sale to vapers (like me) who dont have such skills.
The body of the FLASHbyROCKET is 3 3/8 long (3 7/8 including bottom button and top atomizer fitting) and 1 in diameter. This is what it looks like:
Perhaps not as beautiful as the Precious or Silver Bullet, but to my eye, it is quite handsome. I especially like the shiny quarter front end cap.
It comes with a fitting for the atomizer of your choice (801, 510, or 901/808D-1). I chose my beloved penstyle. [Rocketman refers to it as the 801 fitting, but Im using Joye 302 attys with it.]
It is 3.7V. But dont run away if you are high-power freak! With the 18650 battery (such as the 2600 mAh Tenergy Im using), it is effectively 4.2V for quite some time.
- And, of course, with the increasingly popular low-resistance atomizers (e.g., the 1.5 Ohm 510 atty that NHaler now sells for $12), it will deliver up to 12 watts of power (what Drew calls simulated 5V).
- With the new LiMN High Drain 18650 batteries sold by NHaler (no-name 1400 mAh for $14) and Lighthound (AW 1600 mAh for $10.50) who knows?
The FLASHbyROCKET is ButtSwitched (Rockys elegant term for the button is on the bottom of the device), so you have to hold it something like Rocketmans wife does in this photo. [Although Im trying to master bracing the button with the knuckle of my ring finger while pressing down with my thumb from the top, leaving my forefinger and the heck with you finger to hold the device more securely.]
Not that its heavy. Without the battery it is extremely light and even with the 18650 batt, its a heck of a lot lighter than my Prodigy V1 was and much smaller. Ive never held the Little Chuck, but it appears to be about that size, but uses the king of batteries (18650). Look at this photo of Aqua Vapors e-Light flashlight mod (with a 901 atty):
The e-Light (not to be confused with elightelite.com) appears to be even a bit larger than the Flash Rocket, and yet the E-light uses only a 900 mAh 14500 battery.
The Flash Rockets greatest selling point is the price: $40 (including shipping) less than virtually any purchasable mod (other than IkenVapes Laser PV, which uses a much lower mAh 10440 batt). It compares favorably with the $80 Chuck. No customized graphics, but its half the price. And Rocketman does offer a choice in colors all of those shown here:
NOTE: The coral color of the example shown in many of the photos in this review is due to Rockys intent to have it be fairly close to the smoking jacket of my avatar. [FYI: The flesh-and-blood person represented by that avatar has never owned or worn a smoking jacket.
]Just like the Chuck, batteries, charger, or atomizer are not included. However, if you like, Rocketman will include two 3000 mAh Ultrafire protected batteries and charger for a total of $62 (again including shipping). [Rocketman is a modder, not a battery salesman, so it makes to difference to him. However, thats a good deal, e.g., that additional $22 (plus another dollar) would get you only the batteries without charger from MadVapes (which is an excellent source for batts and mod parts).]
Potential Weaknesses
- For me, the greatest weakness of the Flash Rocket is the positioning of the switch button. Im having real trouble getting used to it. I keep going back to my slender automatic Kr8 batteries or DSE905 with the button on the side, positioned for pressing with the thumb or forefinger. [Im a thumb man.]
- Im not crazy about the feel of the button. It requires a firmer press than that of a 510 or DSE905 and its not as clear-cut as those whether or not the battery is engaged.
- Since the button sticks out on the bottom (and is not flat), it doesnt stand on end like the DSE905 V3 (and several others) or non-.... switched PVs.
- It delivers a very smooth vape and lots or vapor (and hardly ever needs recharging, of course), but (for whatever reason) slightly less throat hit than I get from the same Joye302 atomizers (with adapter) on an automatic Kr8 battery.
Summary
The Flash Rocket is an ideal 3.7V 18650 mod for those of us on a budget, certainly for those comfortable with the bottom button as is used in the AdapteveR, GG Slim. Makos, Precise, Steampunk Sparkplug (SP2), SuperSix, Screwdriver, and Thermo. [As you can see, the .... switch is hardly a strange concept.]
Cylindrical in shape, it is barely longer than the high mAh battery that it contains. If 3.7+V vaping for one to two days without recharging in an attractive fist-sized package sounds good to you for forty bucks, you cant go wrong!
PM Rocketman here on ECF to place an order and/or to get more information. [And, if you tell him DaBoomVape sent you, neither you nor I will receive any benefit.
]
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