What's the deal with mechanical mods?

[McScrotington]

So, first a bit about my vaping experience. I started smoking ecigs with the SafeCig look alike in the spring of 2010. That lasted for about a year and a half (which is kind of a long time now that I think about it) until I got the Volcano Inferno. The Inferno was decent and introduced me to the world of e-juices. November of 2013 I got the Volcano LavaTube 2.0. This is my current setup. There are a few things that I really like about the Lavatube. The 18650 works really well with it and I like being able to adjust the voltage and wattage. I just started messing with the wattage setting a few days ago, and I think I prefer it to the VV setting. I do not like the Tube Tank setup and I am thinking I want to get away from cartomizers all together. I find them inconsistent and temperamental. I was also expecting bigger clouds of vapor. This isn't that big of a deal as the vapor that it does produce is quite satisfying, but I would like bigger clouds. Some of the other vapers that I have met can produce massive clouds but it almost comes off like a pissing contest, which I'm not into.

Anyway, I went to my first vape shop last week and oddly enough, both of the guys working there were avid vapers. They were strong advocates of mechanical mods and this is the direction that they seemed to be pushing me in as far as upgrades go. They said that a mechanical mod is the only way to produce the massive vapor clouds that they kept exhaling. So my question is, would it be possible to increase vapor production to mechanical mod levels by changing from cartomizers to something more efficient? The guys at the store told me this would not be possible as the more advanced electrical guts of a VV/VW system do not allow it to use lower resistance heating elements. They tried to talk me into a $400 mechanical mod setup. 2 Sony 18650 batteries, a heating element (some German made TubeTank-like setup but somehow different and worth $170 apparently), a battery housing unit ($150), an atomizer attachment, a new drip tip, a Nitecore charger, and they would throw in some e-juice. Now, I am pretty sure that I can at least match that price online, but I don't know what I'm looking for and as you can probably tell, I'm not adept at the technical aspects of vaping and I prefer easy to use and low maintenance systems. So where do I start? What are good mod set ups to consider? What are the top brands? What seperates a quality battery housing from a cheap one, aren't they mostly cosmetic? What can I use as a heating element/juice delivery mechanism that can be filled and left alone like the TubeTank but not use cartomizers so as to avoid the inconsistency that accompanies them? Should I even get a mechanical mod since I don't have the time or money to invest in a shop to modify and rebuild pieces of my rig? I am sure that I will have more questions but it's late and I am typing this on my phone. Thanks in advance and I'll be back with more questions.

 

[migladon]

curious to know this as well good post

 

[emus]

Caution: Once enter rebuild world there is no return. Your juice consumption will increase. DIY juice or increase budget. You have been warned.

Small chamber efficient toppers like $10 IGO-F produce extremely high quality vapor and can be drilled to produce respectable clouds from 1.2 ohms. Large diameter toppers can be very inefficient and require massive power to produce massive clouds. All great fun.

Common weak spot of mech mods is the switch. Look for a low voltage drop switch with smooth actuation.

 

[TwinTurbo120]

Sounds to me like you are not ready for a mech mod. I see them more for people that like to tinker with stuff and have some type of time because it does have a learning curve. Do you want big clouds?

 

[Plumes.91]

What do you have now for your cartomizer (or carto tank presumably)?

If you have a variable voltage mod, you can make massive clouds with it too. You'll just need to get into rebuilding. You don't need a mechanical mod to rebuild, just the knowledge, and the rebuilding material. You'll need a nice RBA (rebuildable atomizer) and you'll need some cotton yarn, or some silica wick, and you'll also need some 26 or 28g kanthal wire. You'll also need your variable voltage mod, if you have one, because you'll need to rebuild on the VV mod first, to be able to check the resistance (aka ohms) of the atomizer. If your VV mod doesn't have an ohm check in the menu, then you'll need to buy an ohm checker or a mod that can check ohms.

Keep in mind that those massive clouds the people at your vape shop were blowing, come with responsibility. You MUST learn about proper battery use for mechanical mods, or you can use the wrong type of battery and wind up with a pipe bomb in your mouth. You need to go to the Rebuilders' forum here on ECF and read about resistance to voltage. ONLY use IMR batteries. (IMR = Safe chemistry on the inside of the battery) 95% of the rechargeable batteries on the market are protected LiMn, which can explode in our APVs.

You'll want a nice mechanical mod with a strong switch. EHpro makes very good clones (copies of high end mods) for reasonable procies. You can order them for around 50 US dollars and you'll have them for a lifetime if you take care of them & avoid shorts. You'll need to read up on how to avoid shorting out your atomizer. You might want to buy a safety fuse since your new. I'd recommend you first start rebuilding on a VV mod rather than a mechanical since your brand new to RBAs and you sound like you know nothing about them. VV mods have safety circuits built in to stop explosions.

Do not be the guy to report back complaining about 3rd degree burns and a chipped tooth. It would be no one's fault but your own. We are warning you right now! Please head to the rebuilder's forum and read up on battery safety and how to avoid shorting out your atomizer build! Soon as you've done that, you're ready to blow clouds!!!

 

[emus]

I tinkered with cigalikes, CE2, 306 atties, 510 atties, etc. more than IGO-F. I built 2 IGO-F toppers a few weeks ago. Both still work perfect. I have vaped 20% to 80% VG with no wicking problems. Always smooth as silk TH. If I were the law, I'd require IGO-F (or similar device) experience before issuing vaper's licence. It is the most consistent trouble free device I've found since I started in 2007.

 

[zoidberg29]

You certainly don't have to spend big money for big clouds. You can get a cheaper mechanical mod and RDA that will work just fine once you've figured out the tricks of the trade. I have an IGO-W3 on a Smoke Magneto and can get pretty big clouds at .8 ohm dual coil with 28g kanthal "micro coils." It does take a little time to get used to wrapping your coils but after my first the rest have been really easy and fast. Do plenty of research before jumping in to a $400 setup because you can probably get the whole thing a lot cheaper online. B&M's sadly have to charge a decent amount more. I know my local shop deals almost exclusively in clones and they are still at least 15% more expensive than online.

 

[dice57]

Mechanicals are great, but not something to step right into without due consideration. And there are other ways to get great clouds of vapor besides going sub ohm. One should first know how to build an atomizer first before venturing into the sub ohm zone. You can get a great vape with an rba, re-buildable atomizer, like the Kayfun, Russian, flash-e-Vapor V2, or even something like the Aspire Nautilus BDC atomizer.

The recommendation of your vape shop could of been good, but not knowing which Mech and atomizer they were trying to sell you, can't really say. The Sony's are a great battery though. For an Authentic High End Mechanical Mod, $200 is about the norm to pay. For a high end rba, $100-$200 is about right, and have bought a few in that range.

When I first ventured into Mech's, I first purchased a Nemesis clone, made by Hcigar. Am totally happy with this clone, and have decided to get a high end mechanical. Expecting delivery of the Stingray Copper Black Mod by JD Tech, with in the next 2 weeks.

Since you have the Lava Tube, before jumping into the Mech world, would either explore some decent rba's and vape them at 15 watts first, and see if that gets you where you want to go. My first regulated mod was the Provari, and in my search for more vape satisfaction, I purchased the Russian rba. Between the max output of the Provari and the Russian rba, I found vape satisfaction.

Recent reports about the Aspire Nautilus has grabbed my attention, so just for giggles, have ordered one to see how it compares. Have heard of people, abandoning their Kayfuns and dripper rda's for the Nautiluses ease of use and quality of vape.

If you want to try a Mech, consider getting a decent clone first before going high end. You may not like it, but then you just may. I currently run a .3 ohm build on my mech, and the vape is quite good, but I still enjoy my other vape setups of 15 watts. And with a mech, one needs knowledge in safe batteries, ohms law, and proper maintenance procedures and building. Certain tools of the trade are good to have also The first place to look for more vape is in the atomizer. ultimately, it is the atomizer that is responsible for the quality and quantity of vape delivered by whatever battery device you decide to use.

But then again, adding to ones collection of mods and atty's, is never a bad decision. I love all things vape, and enjoy trying different was to produce it. lmao

Vape long and Prosper.

 

[Larry777]

They are giving you the false impression that more coils directly translates to more vapor. WRONG, in fact most carto's are dual coils to begin with.

In a nutshell, every time you add another coil to your setup, your resistance will drop by half.
This becomes important as you drop below the 1.2-1.5Ohm lower limit that most variable wattage devices have. Most VV/VW mods will not fire at resistances they consider "too low".
In real terms, the closer you get to 0 ohms, the more it's behaving electrically like a "short" with all the same results (heat) and that's why the VV/VW mods have a built in limit so they don't fry the electronics with the amount of power shooting through a massive quad coil type setup.

A build with 4 coils at 1.6 ohms each will give a net ohm reading of 0.4

So as you go into the crazy world of "cloud chasing", the only way to get there safely is to remove the weak link of the chain (the VV/VW circuits).

The other advantage of a mechanical mod is it's overall more reliable because of a simpler design but that is somewhat dependent also on what type of mod you get.

The answer you're looking for is this: Never go back to that shop, they were trying to rip you off!
There are several other styles of atomizer with low power requirements that give a really nice poof with just a single coil. My personal favorite right now is an RTA (rebuildable tank atomizer) clone called the rocket, but I'd give that a shot before you keel haul the whole kit-n-caboodle. I-Clear 16's are also an easy beast to tame.

 

[emus]

I never found a factory built supra-ohm coil that can match the vapor quality of a DIY supra-ohm coil.
Modder's coil/wick builds are several steps ahead of the factories at present.

 

[McScrotington]

Thanks for the quick replies! The guys at the shop were both running different setups, one had an atty that fired at .2 OHMS and the other was running at .4 OHMS. I am not reckless enough to just order a bunch of pieces online and throw them together as I realize the dangers of running some batteries at too low of a resistance. The gents at the store seemed quite knowledgeable in the realm of electrical modding, so I would probably have them suggest a setup for what I am looking for and find it online. Their shop is in San Diego and it's not local for me anyway so I'm not too bent on giving them business. So it sounds like I need to look into a rebuildable atty first, them possibly look at a mechanical if the atty doesn't yield the results that I'm looking for. I feel like I need an electrical engineering degree to figure this stuff out. Is there a "beginners to mech mods" link that I should check out? How much time and money should I be considering investing? Is a rebuildable atty a high maintenance setup?

 

[evan le'garde]

Don't get me wrong, i'm far from being a mech expert. But i had noticed that none of the above posts mentioned batteries and amps. I know very little but recently i learned that using a mech requires a battery that can provide about 30a. Apparently you shouldn't use a battery that can't provide the power that sub ohm coils require. I've no doubt someone that has a more detailed knowledge of these matters will post something.

 

[randomname79]

it's not overly high maintenance depending on the setup. i would pop out and get yourself a cheap igo dripper for ten buck or so and play around with it on your lavatube. Added bonus that the lavatube won't fire if you screw something up. Also i would recommend finding a trusted vendor or buy online. There's been reports of some brick and mortar stores selling clones at original's prices. I've been strictly on genesis/mech mod setups for the better part of a year now which is what they tried to sell you. You can get a fantastic vape off that setup at around .8 to 1 ohm as well. Much of the time the guys building super low ohm are "cloud chasers" and much of the time your sacrificing a lot of flavor to get those massive clouds.
On the whole rebuildables will save you money in the long run. You can get a lifetime supply of stuff for probably about 50 bucks without taking the gear into account.

edit: in regards to the above post if you stay around the 1 ohm mark you can still use just regular efest batts right down to 350 size.

 

[emus]

My go to topper is 1.2 ohms. I can get satisfaction with 1.2 to 1.6 ohms at 3.7 volts. That range is fine with a wide variety mech and regulated mods.

My twisted 30GA coils are durable and low maintenance.

First build has a learning curve then becomes easy as pie provided your equipped to tinker w/ small things. Otherwise, B&M can build your dream coil.

If not versed in batt safety risks I suggest a fused or hot spring mod.

 

[NealBJr]

Ok, I am getting my first mechanical mod myself in the mail as we speak, but I do occasionally use a dripper. First off, what someone said was partially untrue. The highest vapor prodcution comes from mechanical mods and dripping atomizers. That doesn't mean you can't get a "good" vapor production from other systems, but the absolute top notch vapor production is produced by hooking the coils as direct as possible to the battery to produce the highest amount of current to the coils. Mechanical mods are just that, an almost direct link from the battery to the coil. VV/VW mods usually sets limits as to not fry the electronics or the battery.

The downaide to mechanical mods (as I just recently said) is there is knowledge to learn, danger, and work to be done. Mechanical mods can produce the highest vapor production, but that comes at a trade-offs.

1) Danger. If done wrong, you can short your battery. It is for this reason mods have a little hole in the battery to keep it from becoming a pipe bomb. The wrong setup with the wrong battery will overwork it making it short out and "vent". The batteries they suggested are good batteries that probably won't do that, but it's still a possibility

2) Knowledge. You need to learn how to build a coil, and learn Ohms law, and learn about the different coils, and wicking methods out there. you'll need to learn about batteries and resistances, and how to tweak the whole setup to get the most out of what you have.

3) Work. You will need to constantly drip to get the vapor production. clouds of vapor require lots of ejuice. That usually requires carrying a bottle around with you, vaping a puff or two, then dripping, taking a puff or two, then dripping. you do that constantly. It also requires you to rebuild atomizers. because of increased vapor, it wears out the coils faster and mucks up the wicking material faster. Be prepared with a spare atomizer at hand, or be prepared to recoil your wick fairly often. Also, don't drip and drive.

A mechanical mod is not for everyone. I am going to dabble in it, but that's probably all it will go to. You may go into it as a hobby, and that's what I call people with mechanical mods.. those are people who have taken up vaping as their hobby. Some people use it just as the bare minimum to get them to stop smoking analogs, and me, I am a light hobbyist.... I like RBAs with a VV/VW, but don't want to be constantly tinkering with it. The vapor production from my AGA-T is good, and I go a week before re-doing my coils. However, it's not an elite system, and it does not produce the most vapor compared to dripping and a mechanical mod. To me, convienence and ease wins out over vapor production, but that's just me.

 

[shorestyle]

^ I dunno if knowledge and work would be a downside...

Personally I love learning about different builds, finding new builds that work for me, experimenting, etc.

And I find the work of building the coils to be satisfying. Nothing better than getting that perfect vape and knowing you created it.

 

[NealBJr]

You're right Shorestyle. I've said in other posts, but not this one, that some people take this as a hobby. from my perspective it is a downside. From a hobbyist point of view, it's a "labor of love". But it is something to consider when going into dripping. Just keep in mind, not everyone wants to spend the money and find out it's a lot of work. for some, the work is the fun part, for others it's just a good way to get off of analogs.

 

[McScrotington]

I really am not interested in owning a collection of mods. The guys at the store were definitely hobbyists. One of them pulled out about 15 different setups that he personally owned, I can't afford the time or money for that. With my current setup, I refill my 7ml tank once every 1-2 days and change my battery every other day. This suits me well. I don't want to have to carry around an extra container of juice and an extra atomizer, I already have too much crap in my pockets. The LavaTube is quite cumbersome by itself. I really like that I can put a new battery in, fill my tank, and leave the house for 48 hours with nothing but the LavaTube in my pocket and have all of my vaping needs met... assuming my cartomizer holds out. Is there an atomizer/clearomizer/heating element that can provide the same "set and forget" system without the unreliability of the cartomizer? I think changing out the cartomizer for something more reliable yet equally low maintenance is the best first step. I'm thinking a mechanical mod would be best for someone interested in tinkering, with the time, money, and inclination to take it up as a hobby, and/or someone who really likes producing huge clouds of vapor. I am more interested in a low maintenance system, that's highly effective at smoking cessation, and produces flavorful, satisfying, and preferably large clouds of vapor. So, does it sound like I am on the right track with replacing the TubeTank? If so, what is a reliable website to check out and what brands/types should I consider? I prefer quality over quantity, but within reason. Thanks a lot guys, you are really helping me out! Keep it coming.

 

[shorestyle]

I really am not interested in owning a collection of mods. The guys at the store were definitely hobbyists. One of them pulled out about 15 different setups that he personally owned, I can't afford the time or money for that. With my current setup, I refill my 7ml tank once every 1-2 days and change my battery every other day. This suits me well. I don't want to have to carry around an extra container of juice and an extra atomizer, I already have too much crap in my pockets. The LavaTube is quite cumbersome by itself. I really like that I can put a new battery in, fill my tank, and leave the house for 48 hours with nothing but the LavaTube in my pocket and have all of my vaping needs met... assuming my cartomizer holds out. Is there an atomizer/clearomizer/heating element that can provide the same "set and forget" system without the unreliability of the cartomizer? I think changing out the cartomizer for something more reliable yet equally low maintenance is the best first step. I'm thinking a mechanical mod would be best for someone interested in tinkering, with the time, money, and inclination to take it up as a hobby, and/or someone who really likes producing huge clouds of vapor. I am more interested in a low maintenance system, that's highly effective at smoking cessation, and produces flavorful, satisfying, and preferably large clouds of vapor. So, does it sound like I am on the right track with replacing the TubeTank? If so, what is a reliable website to check out and what brands/types should I consider? I prefer quality over quantity, but within reason. Thanks a lot guys, you are really helping me out! Keep it coming.

Well, to be honest. There's nothing out there that can match rebuildable atomizer's performance that isn't a rebuildable.

If you're worried about the money, there's lots of cheap rebuildable options. When I got into rebuldables and mech mods I started with a nemesis clone and IGO-W (which I still use sometimes). That cost me about 40-50 bucks total.
If you're worried about the time, don't worry once you get the hang of building coils it takes next to no time to build them.

And for what it's worth, once you get a rebuildable you don't have to keep buying replacement coils which are really expensive. Rebuilding your own costs next to nothing.

You can run a rebuildable on a vv/vw device but to get the full effect I'd reccomend a mech mod. It's a whole new world of vaping once you get into it. Taste and vapor are world's better.

 

[fsk141]

Mech mods allow you to control everything about your vaping experience with a fine tooth comb. Direct output from battery to coil allows you to build incredibly low ohm coils which have their benefits & drawbacks (lots of vapor, more juice use, get warmer faster)