The RoughStack from MadVapes

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King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
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Cincinnati, Ohio
Since I have been using PVs, I have thought a lot about getting a mod of some sort. I looked at a very broad spectrum of products from countless different manufacturers and suppliers. I compared price, features, aesthetics, battery size, etc. I watched video reviews and read review threads on ECF until my eyeballs began to twitch uncontrollably.

In the end, I chose the RoughStack from Madvapes.
RoughStack Kit

rs1.jpg

Reasons I chose this mod:

1. Price. $75.00 for a starter kit with 2 atomizers, 10ml of juice, 2 protected 18350 1200 mAh ultrafire batteries, charger, and 5 empty carts.

2. Company. I have bought supplies from MadVapes before. They are fast, accurate and affordable. Their customer service is solid.

3. Compatability. I have the Joye 510 eGo and a regular size 510 kit. The RoughStack is also a 510 setup.

4. Battery life. 1200 mAh will last me a whole day at work.

5. Reliability. From everything I heard, this mod is supposedly very rugged.

6. Capability. It runs at 3.7v but has the right batteries to safely use an LR atomizer.

rs2.jpg

Another feature I like about the RoughStack is the bare, rock-polished finish. I believe form follows function; I think this mod obviously embodies this principal. Furthermore, I plan on taking this to a trophy shop dress it up a bit. Perhaps they can engrave it with robotic dinosaurs having a laser-duel on the moon.

rs3.jpg

The only surprise I got when I received my RoughStack was the size. It is much smaller than I imagined. This is great. It fits very comfortably in my pocket and is not big and clunky. You can see how it compares to my eGo in the pictures I have posted. I think this mod would be appropriate for someone with big, scary monster hands or creepy, pale little elf hands.

rs4.jpg

The dimensions of the RoughStack are as follows: The aluminum body is about 25mm x 59mm. With an atomizer and drip tip it is only 100mm tall. The total weight (with atomizer and drip tip) is a little under 2.5oz. These specs may be not be exact. I am not a villainous scientist with a secret volcano-laboratory. I am, however, a random guy with a ruler and a kitchen scale.

rs5.jpg

Continued...
 

King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
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When I got the RoughStack, I immediately charged up the batteries. The charger is really awesome. It is an AD-103 multi charger that can apparently be used to charge a wide variety of rechargeable batteries. That's really going to come in handy when I get some other mods. It worked fine and got me all ready for some serious chainvaping.

rs6.jpg

One component this mod does not have is an indicator LED to show when it is firing. This does not really bother me. Since it is a manually-operated PV and I use debridged, dewicked atomizers, I usually figure my RoughStack is firing when my thumb is pressing down the button and I hear the atomizer coils hissing. I believe that's referred to as deduction.

rs7.jpg

In terms of performance, the RoughStack works exactly as I suspected it would. It reads right at 3.7v on the multimeter. The vapor production and inhalation draw are very comparable to the eGo when a regular old 2.5 ohm atomizer is used. When I screwed on a fresh LR atomizer, the vapor production really knocked my socks off. Wow. And unlike my beloved eGo, this little sucker has a PROTECTED battery with enough chutzpah to use the LR's constantly.

rs8.jpg

Speaking of protected batteries, I must also note that the RoughStack has two drilled ventilation ports on the bottom. This is not clear from the pictures MadVapes has on their site, but you can see them in the pics I have here. If anything fishy occurs with the internal wiring (a pwb assembly attached to the actuator button) comes out as one piece and can be replaced very easily. I could not find these extra assemblies on the MadVapes site, but I read on their supplier forum that they do sell these.

So, in conclusion, I give this product my personal endorsement. It is not fancy or fun. It is affordable, functional, well-built, and easily-serviceable. I think it is an ideal product for the practical PV user on a tight budget who wants to upgrade to a device that has powerful, replaceable batteries for all-day usage.

P.S. I will post more pics once I get those robot dinosaurs engraved on my RoughStack.

Grade: A
Rating: 10/10
Summary: The RoughStack is probably the only thing besides silver bullets that can kill a werewolf
 
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King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
329
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Cincinnati, Ohio
Great review, thanks. I was looking over on the madvapes site today at these.

I am originally from Cinci. Bengals-Steelers MNF. But wow, what a disappointing season. Are they calling for a QB change yet up there?

Keep this mod in mind I really like it...

...and the fans are howling for blood in the streets. We are going to get trounced tomorrow.
 

King_Calculon

Super Member
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Oct 3, 2010
329
5
Cincinnati, Ohio
Excellent review - thanks for posting! I too was just checking this mod out over the weekend, and so far I'm not seeing much reason to look elsewhere.

Thanks! I am very pleased with this mod so far. I should also add that MadVapes was very prompt and accurate in putting this order together for me. I ordered a ton of other stuff with it and my shipment came in 3 business days. They have been a reliable supplier for me.
 

dannoman

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Oct 22, 2010
6,896
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Sugar Land, Texas USA
The Bengals usually rise to the occassion when the least is expected out of them...and thats not a compliemnt, just the way they have always been.

They probably will beat Pitts tomorrow but thats just them...they always have their fans on the brink of jumping off the bandwagon then they do somehtign exciting then go back to languishing in medicority....

When you ordered you RS did it say to get on mailing list? Thats what it says there now. I want to get one of the red ones...


Keep this mod in mind I really like it...

...and the fans are howling for blood in the streets. We are going to get trounced tomorrow.
 

King_Calculon

Super Member
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Oct 3, 2010
329
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Cincinnati, Ohio
The Bengals usually rise to the occassion when the least is expected out of them...and thats not a compliemnt, just the way they have always been.

They probably will beat Pitts tomorrow but thats just them...they always have their fans on the brink of jumping off the bandwagon then they do somehtign exciting then go back to languishing in medicority....

When you ordered you RS did it say to get on mailing list? Thats what it says there now. I want to get one of the red ones...

You are looking at the mini VapesStack... Those are very similar, but not the same. They have not been in stock for a while. It uses a 880mah 16340 battery. The roughstack has a bigger battery but is not as pretty... ...also, it looks like MadVapes has just started stocking an extended RoughStack as well as a bunch of other new mods and models. Very cool.
 
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icemanx3

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Oct 5, 2010
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Awesome review...I also have one and been using it for about a week now...it's a sure fire mod. It chain vapes ALL day on a single battery. I've dripped juice all over the switch and 510 connector and it's doesn't hiccup. I am using the stock 510 atomizer that came with it (now debridged) and the thing is just incredible (I haven't even opened the other atty yet). I've messed around with some cartomizers on it, but I think since I started with dripping, I am spoiled with the flavor, TH, and cloud production I get - so I haven't jumped on the cartomizer bandwagon, just yet. I ordered, and already received an extra 3A switch for it as well as 2 more 510 battery connectors, should anything ever happen to this beauty. I've dropped it twice now on the cement...nothing wrong. I researched the HECK out of ECF before I ended up on this badboy. I wasn't ready for a more expensive mod, as I just started vaping...and I didn't like the short life of a 510 kit...plus I didn't mind if it didn't look like an analog. So here I am a week in and just LOVING this RoughStack. As my first experience with anything that has to do with vaping...I am totally 100% satisfied with this mod! Have you seen their new one?? It's got an extended lower half, for more battery options! People were posting in a thread earlier if they could upgrade theirs to get the longer body...I probably wont go for it because I just cant imagine anything making my experience so far get any better :p I really love it's size and how it's hidden in your palm...great for when you feel the need to hide it or whatever.

ice
 

King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
329
5
Cincinnati, Ohio
Awesome review...I also have one and been using it for about a week now...it's a sure fire mod. It chain vapes ALL day on a single battery...

I saw you talking about it a while ago and that got me interested in it in the first place. These batteries really do last a long time. Perfect to take to work.
 

King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
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Cincinnati, Ohio
I checked out the rough stack and it looks like a good mod. I like using a mega atty on my ego. Do the sell some kind of adapter so the mega atty can be used on the RS?

Unfortunately, no. The connector for the atomizer is too close to the button. There is not nearly enough clearance for a mega atomizer to fit there
 

Brego

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Nov 7, 2010
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Where the corn grows tall
King_Calculon, this is a terrific review. It is concise and presents all the necessary information. The multiple side-by-side photos with the eGo were especially useful for me. I have an eGo and love it, but am not happy with the battery replacement cost and the inability to enjoy LR attys. You have sold me. I have to have a Roughstack of my own now. Thank you.
 

King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
329
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Cincinnati, Ohio
I'm glad you found this useful Brego. I am still enjoying this mod all day. The only minor issue is that It can leak a little if you are a reckless dripper like myself. I fixed it with a 20 cent rubber washer. I will probably make a post on this and some other minor technical tweeks I have for the roughstack some time this week.
 

icemanx3

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Oct 5, 2010
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Silicon Valley, CA
I'm glad you found this useful Brego. I am still enjoying this mod all day. The only minor issue is that It can leak a little if you are a reckless dripper like myself. I fixed it with a 20 cent rubber washer. I will probably make a post on this and some other minor technical tweeks I have for the roughstack some time this week.

I know, right? I drip recklessly and have it leak into the inside of the unit...I routinely take it all apart full a total clean every couple days. I can't wait to see your washer fix! Please do post! :p

ice
 

King_Calculon

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Oct 3, 2010
329
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Cincinnati, Ohio
Here's a post I did to for adding a double or single gasket seal to the RoughStack.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ouble-gasket-seal-roughstack.html#post2183748

Brego: I have used some Bauway LR 1.5 ohm atomizers with this model. They work very well! I prefer lighter flavors like fruits, berries and candy, so I usually stick with standard atomizers. The LR's tend to be a little too strong for these more delicate flavors. If you don't mind warmer vapor and like coffee or tobacco flavors (they seem to stand op better to LR vaping) then you will definitely enjoy trying the LR's out! I occasionally hit some tobacco flavors in high nicotine concentrations. For this, I prefer either an LR atomizer or my trusty 5v passthrough. As for the best kind of LR atomizers to use, I am not entirely sure. But these Bauways worked great for me. You shold contact one of the many LR addicts on ECF... they are everywhere. Just be careful not to run the atomizers dry. From my observations, they use up more e-liquid than he standard ones.

http://www.madvapes.com/Low-Resistance-510-Spare-Atomizer-Bauway_p_2445.html
 
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King_Calculon

Super Member
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Oct 3, 2010
329
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Cincinnati, Ohio
I thought I should update this review for anybody interested in the RoughStack. Madvapes has released some new products. I got the extension cup for the original RoughStack:

rsext.jpg

RoughStack Extension

The original RoughStack uses one 3.7v 1200mah 18350 battery. The extension allows you to use:
1. 1 18650 battery for 3.7v vaping (the one I have is 3000mah, about a three day charge for me!)
2. 2 16340 batteries for 6v vaping
3. 2 18350 batteries for ludicrous 7.4v vaping

rsbatts.jpg

This essentially makes the Roughstack into the Maxi RoughStack, which Madvapes now offers for sale as a standalone unit.

Maxi Rough Stack. 3.7 or 6 volts!

What's more, it seems that Madvapes is now offering the Midi Vapestack:

Midi Vapestack

This seems to be a fancy, polished, machined version of the original RoughStack (accepts 1 18350 3.7v 1200mah battery). It looks real sophisticated and has a new button/pwb assembly. I have not seen or tried one myself, though it seems that the main difference is aesthetic.

Anyhow, I am very pleased to have the original RoughStack with the extension. The new maxi version is only $5 more and features the same voltage options. But the extension is only $10, so for $5 more than the maxi version, I have the option to make the RoughStack much smaller and more portable. The Midi Vapestack is $60. It looks nice. But for $5 less, I definitely prefer the versatility of the RoughStack + extension cup.

NOTE: The extension does not fit the original top piece very well. It won't quite screw in flush and it is a slightly wider diameter than the top piece. I personally don't care because it still works great. If anybody makes fun of this rough-looking setup, I can club them with it.

:laugh::evil:
 
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