RDA What do you think about RDA/RTA clones?

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93gc40

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Oct 5, 2014
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Clone vs authentic is a dollar and cents issues for me..... I just can't justify paying $100 dollars or more for an atomizer or mod than I can get a clone of for $10-$20.

The authentic's quality may well be better but 10x better I doubt. Seen just as many issues about Authentic stuff as I have for clones.

The right or wrong of it.. Is a moral question you will have to answer for yourself.
 

roxynoodle

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Jun 19, 2014
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One good thing is that over the past year, many budget priced authentics have emerged onto the market if buying clones is a moral quandry for you.

I have many high end authentics, many budget ones, and I've had a fair number of clones, too. As a newby who isn't sure what s/he will like, I don't see anything wrong with buying clones to start. Although if you choose a budget authentic you can sell it here in the classifieds if you don't like it. There are some older UD RDAs on clearance many places for like $5. One of those would be a good choice if you're looking to see if you want to build or want to drip, and don't need the latest and greatest.
 

Jumberlack

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Feb 5, 2016
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One good thing is that over the past year, many budget priced authentics have emerged onto the market if buying clones is a moral quandry for you.

I have many high end authentics, many budget ones, and I've had a fair number of clones, too. As a newby who isn't sure what s/he will like, I don't see anything wrong with buying clones to start. Although if you choose a budget authentic you can sell it here in the classifieds if you don't like it. There are some older UD RDAs on clearance many places for like $5. One of those would be a good choice if you're looking to see if you want to build or want to drip, and don't need the latest and greatest.

thank you, this is helpful. i think i may try a clone first just to see if building is something i really enjoy, and then upgrade to a good authentic if it is.
 
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jhhollier

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Whether buying a clone is wrong or not is up to you. Don't listen to these people here that might give you crap for it. I think a lot of flak about clones is from folks who are upset that people pay $10ish and get a vape that is just as satisfying as the one they paid $100+ for. Just my :2c:

That being said as Roxy posted there are multiple companies putting out very reasonably priced authentic attys. I'd rather support them than buy a clone but I also have no issue with someone buying clones.
 

entropy1049

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Apr 5, 2013
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Yeah, I remember the good old days, before clones.

Setting my alarm clock for 2AM so I could get up for an F5 battle with 10,000 other folks trying to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for some bit of hardware that would sell out in literally tenths of a second. Dry runs the day before to figure out the minutiae of the website's eCommercing so I wouldn't choke at the critical second. Vendor's website crashing their provider's servers and the whole mess having to be repeated a few days later because all data had been lost when several thousand people all hit the "Add to Cart" button at the same moment so you could get up again at 2AM and repeat the fun again, just you and thousands of your friends.

Or when some Flavor of the Week modder would put up a Pre Sale list in the form of a Google Doc and open it to editing at a precise (or not) time so again, you and 10,000 of your buds could try to get your name in one of about 50 different numbered slots ("I'll try slot 47 first! No one would pick number 47...crapalreadygone.jpg...34! I'll try 34...alsogonetoo.crp...2! ....e.sht...") then actually finding a spot open, putting your name in and hitting submit but some flyfinger ninja got it before you could mash submit, AND THEN actually getting your name in an empty slot, successfully submitting, and knowing that not one of your 10,000 other vapefriends would remove your name and put theirs in your slot, because that would be a crappy thing to do, right? Oh, crap. Somebody took your name out and put theirs in your slot because literally ANYBODY can edit this doc until editing is closed by the doc creator, who's not going to do that until they notice all of the blanks have names! Did you get a screenshot with a timestamp? Because maybe the seller will take pity on you and verify that your name was in the blank first. Or not, maybe they'll just close the list once they notice all 50 pieces are sold, count their money, and pat themselves on the back for moving their gear so quickly, and not give one fig about your problem.

I remember how elitist modders would talk trash on their Facebook pages about how they'd make what they wanted, how many they wanted, and if wanna be customers didn't get one of their grail products, that was their tuff luck. When presented with evidence that they were purposely and with malice withholding their products to drive up desirability and thus price, they also thought this was pretty funny, and let us know. Because they knew that most would still set their alarms for 2AM to engage in the Kabuki dance that was necessary to obtain desirable gear.

Yup, nothing like getting dirt kicked in your face by some self-important modder about what a fish, a sucker you were for going through the motions to get their gear but they know you'll do it because it's the only way to get the gear, the only game in town. And they routinely said so in public and without regard to how this info would be received by their customers, because they had the gold we wanted.

And I remember how bad I felt for them when the first clones came out. How sad I was when they cried like stuck pigs because their "intellectual property" was being stolen by the Chinese without regard to our patent law. Funny how these modders suddenly developed the ability to distribute A LOT more of their gear, and in a civilized fashion (like, just ordering on their own website). CNC machines must have just fallen from the heavens. And I wept giant Big Gulp sized tears for them when once the masses had a chance to try these magical mods from these elitist B-holes, they discovered that when the puffery is stripped away and the "Unicorn Factor" is played out, these mods were actually garbage. The Emperor's New Clothes. Bad machining, bad design, and really bad customer service.

And you know I said prayers for their well being when they were forced to close their doors and aren't even footnotes in vaping history today. Hell, the Chinese don't even clone their garbage any more.

Good times.


TL;DR?

It was great to beg for the privilege of paying too much for garbage before the cloners made unicorns available to the masses.
 
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Smellybelly

Senior Member
Sep 29, 2015
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I have only bought two clones befpre, the veritas and the velocity. Absolutely terrible quality. The veritas had a horrible taste that would never go away even after ultra sonic cleaning and decreasing and releasing and the insulator was not heat resistant. The velocity... it's useable... barely. The positive post wiggles no matter how tight the pin is screwed down and the threads for the post screws are garbage. You can't actually tighten the screws down all the way so your ohm reading isn't very accurate. There are plenty of authentics out there in the same price range as clones. Check out the indestructible for like 25 bucks. Or UD makes cheap but good stuff. My first dripper was a UD Imp and I still have it and use it sometimes.

Personally I think clones are wrong, will I give you crap for it. No because I have bought two clones before myself. But that's because I couldn't find an authentic for the ones I wanted. I mean if it was anything else that had a big corporation behind it they'd be so shunned. You don't really see too many people going around with fake I pads and saying how they got a deal because they got the same performance for a tenth of the price. Because your going to be looked down upon and also it's likely not going to have the same performance as a real ipad. I mean in China everyone has fake I pads but that's where all the clones come from. I mean Yeah sure a piece of milled metal should not cost more than 100 dollars and that's pushing it. I mean that thing better have the finest of threads and everything must be perfect for a 100 dollars like my payload and tactical warhead. 100 a piece but they're perfect in every way to me. However they don't necessarily beat some of my 40 dollar drippers. They're just better made.
 
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Chips177

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Sep 7, 2014
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Yeah, I remember the good old days, before clones.

Setting my alarm clock for 2AM so I could get up for an F5 battle with 10,000 other folks trying to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for some bit of hardware that would sell out in literally tenths of a second. Dry tuns the day before to figure out the minutiae of the website's eCommercing so I wouldn't choke at the critical second. Vendor's website crashing their provider's servers and the whole mess having to be repeated a few days later because all data had been lost when several thousand people all hit the "Add to Cart" button at the same moment so you could get up again at 2AM and repeat the fun again, just you and thousands of your friends.

Or when some Flavor of the Week model would put up a Pre Sale list in the form of a Google Doc and open it to editing at a precise (or not) time so again, you and 10,000 of your buds could try to get your name in one of about 15 different numbered slots ("I'll try slot 47 first! No one would pick number 47...crapalreadygone.jpg...34! I'll try 34...alsogonetoo.crp...2! ....e.sht...") then actually finding a spot open, putting your name in and hitting submit but some flyfinger ninja got it before you could mash submit, AND THEN actually getting your name in an empty slot, successfully submitting, and knowing that not one of your 10,000 other vapefriends would remove your name and put theirs in your slot, because that would be a crappy thing to do, right? Oh, crap. Somebody took your name out and put theirs in your slot because literally ANYBODY can edit this doc until editing is closed by the doc creator, who's not going to do that until they notice all of the blanks have names! Did you get a screenshot with a timestamp? Because maybe the seller will take pity on you and verify that your name was in the blank first. Or not, maybe they'll just close the list once they notice all 50 pieces are sold, count their money, and pat themselves on the back for moving their gear so quickly, and not give one fig about your problem.

I remember how elitist modders would talk trash on their Facebook pages about how they'd make what they wanted, how many they wanted, and if wanna be customers didn't get one of their grail products, that was their tuff luck. When presented with evidence that they were purposely and with malice withholding their products to drive up desirability and thus price, they also thought this was pretty funny, and let us know. Because they knew that most would still set their alarms for 2AM to engage in the Kabuki dance that was necessary to obtain desirable gear.

Yup, nothing like getting dirt kicked in your face by some self-important modder about what a fish, a sucker you were for going through the motions to get their gear but they know you'll do it because it's the only way to get the gear, the only game in town. And they routinely said so in public and without regard to how this info would be received by their customers, because they had the gold we wanted.

And I remember how bad I felt for them when the first clones came out. How sad I was when they cried like stuck pigs because their "intellectual property" was being stolen by the Chinese without regard to our patent law. Funny how these modders suddenly developed the ability to distribute A LOT more of their gear, and in a civilized fashion (like, just ordering on their own website). CNC machines must have just fallen from the heavens. And I wept giant Big Gulp sized tears for them when once the masses had a chance to try these magical mods from these elitist B-holes,they discovered that when the puffery is stripped away and the "Unicorn Factor" is played out, these mods were actually garbage. The Emperor's New Clothes. Bad machining, bad design, and really bad customer service.

And you know I said prayers for their well being when they were forced to close their doors and aren't even footnotes in vaping history today. Hell, the Chinese don't even clone their garbage any more.


TL;DR?

It was great to beg for the privilege of paying too much for garbage before the cloners made unicorns available to the masses.

Soooo, yay or nay on clones?
 

zero7starz

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  • Jul 10, 2009
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    Buying a clone is like buying clothes that were sent to clearance because they weren't made 100% correctly. Maybe a seam is loose, maybe the neckline is a little crooked, maybe its size was mislabeled. Could be a dozen things. It could have a flaw you will never find. They're not 100% perfect, but they will work.

    Read reviews over the ones you want, see what other results people have had.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    BrotherBob

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    ECF Veteran
    Dec 24, 2014
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    We should all do what we think is right. If it makes me happy, I go for it. The only wrong decision is the one that does not make me happy. Everyone is entitled to there own opinion. I get unhappy when someone wants to force me to do something that's going to make me unhappy with my decision.
     

    skiball

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    Jan 14, 2016
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    I don't have an issue with clones, but whenever I have bought one in the past, I have never felt quite as satisfied as buying the original. It's like buying a fake Rolex - it will look like one, and may be even more accurate than one, but a Rolex it is not.

    Live by your means and buy what you can afford and what you like.
    Spoken like a true Rolex owner

    Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk
     

    sofarsogood

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    Oct 12, 2014
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    I'm not in the luxury market for vape stuff. That's fine for other people, just not my deal. I want just enough quality for a first class vape. $40 mods and $10 rda's are getting it done for me and I only have a few so I still have some money when something better really does come along.

    Can anyone recommend an online retailer with a very large selection of rda's, similar to fasttech but some different stuff? I'm looking for rda's optimized for MTL and single coils, 2 post designs inparticular.
     
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