Try before you buy - Clones Vs. Authentic

[roxynoodle]

I'm probably running 50/50 cllones/authentics. I've only gotten one bad clone. And I have a Paragon clone mech that's janky. It does work and hits hard; its just goofy. The switch unscrews itself. Sometimes the lock gets stuck. It doesn't have an adjustable 510 pin so nothing is fllush. But, it does work.

 

[WattWick]

I use both myself. Or... actually I own both. By process of elimination I'm currently using all original gear. That is not me being snobby. It is simply what I ended up with after having pet peeves with all of my clones. From fit to finish, materials (like plastic parts not being i.e PEEK - and thus melty / metal threads being soft and not durable) - to this undefineable "feel".

The devil is in the details. Nitpicks you may have with clones may not be present in the originals. Where many clones fall short is fasteners and threading tolerances. Some of my clones are a PITA to work on due to loosely fitting screws in poorly drilled/tapped screw holes. Such a little thing that makes such a big difference in perceived quality and thus overall enjoyment. I dare say it makes all the difference.

You won't know what makes a Paps button so great unless you get a 100% perfect button. Which is what separates the Paps from any other mod with the same spring'n post button design.

Don't judge an original by its clone. Then again - only thing worse than a bad clone is a bad original.

 

[khrone]

I for one buy a clone first to see if it suits my needs, and if it is good enough then ill buy the authentic version. Few bad / horrible clones have come by, dark horse posts wobble around like crazy but i like the vape it gives out so might buy the authentic at some point.

 

[Marcus1970]

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my main girlfriend. I told her after dating 40 or so other Czech ladies I know for sure she's the only one for me. I had to try out a lot of clones before I found the right authentic. She didn't get the vaping reference, but said I am sweet...

Oh wow,that brought a tear to my eye

 

[K_Tech]

When I got curious about mechs and RDAs, I bought clones at first because I wasn't 100% sure that I would stick with it, so investing less than $50 seemed to be the way to go instead of $300 for something I might not enjoy.

Now I have a mix of both, but I mostly buy and use authentics now. Right now I have three setups with me, everything but one RDA is authentic. I still buy a few clones here and there, but that's mostly to take a look at and experiment with new designs, and sometimes that leads me to buy the original.