whats your favorite bottom fed mod?

[ACM]

It's hard to actually buy a bottom feeder. Most are handmade by guys who are doing this as a hobby, so they can usually only handle a few at a time. I understand Fono operates a little differently than, say, Kaji. Whereas Kaji opens up ordering until he hits a manageable mark (say 20 or so a week), Fono seems to build a bunch in advance and then puts them up on his site. Kaji opens sales every Friday (or every other Friday, depending on what's going on in his life to slow down his build progress). I don't know how often, or how regularly, Fono opens up his sales.

Either way, it takes time and dedication to get an order through. Maybe send Fono an email with what you want and he can put you on a list when it's available. I am finally waiting for my Kaji mod to arrive, after a month of waiting. But from everything I've read, the wait is worth it for any of these mods.

In the meantime, you could pick up a Wetbox or a Mr. Puffer to tied you over. The Wetbox isn't great, but it's cheap and it's been a good, temporary PV for me while I wait. The Mr. Puffer has some decent reviews, although it's not a bottom feeder. It's a top feeder, but it accomplishes the same goals as a bottom feeder, to make vaping life easier.

 

[ShannonS]

warsaw, rob doesn't sell them if he does not have them so the only wait is for them to come available. it took me months to get a grand. tried for a mini and had it snatched from my cart. during the 1st run of the grands I had a blk/blk one in my cart and lost it due to all the errors on the website. it was mayhem. I put a blk/silver in my cart and ran for the paypal screen....my neighbors could here me cursing for a 1 block radius, crazy thing is I would do it all again. A fellow resident of the great northwest swears by the REO and I have learned to take his word in all things vape related. One other thing that made me get a mod from Rob was do you ever see a REO on the classifieds? nope cuz I woulda bought one had they been there

I bet I could sell my Reo on the classifieds for $200 bucks... but I wouldn't part with it LMAO.

 

[lrd3]

there a guy trying that lol. 180 i think.. i just don't want another cold steal mod.

 

[jimho]

there a guy trying that lol. 180 i think.. i just don't want another cold steal mod.

So did you get one of the Phids ... there are still a few left after the shoving contest yesterday and I'm willing to bet fono will show up with a few more in the next week.....

 

[lrd3]

So did you get one of the Phids ... there are still a few left after the shoving contest yesterday and I'm willing to bet fono will show up with a few more in the next week.....

had a chance to..... i had emailed 3 times with fono about his mod.he said to pm him. when i did i complemented his techniques and craftsmanship. and explained i would never want to get one from a supplier that just uses his box and ads there product to it. basically if fono didn't make it start to finish i didn't want it.
he replied by saying i can expect a invoice. . . . one never came. so i pm him and he got back to me with a way less than professional message. i do think his mod is very beautiful. i am a woodworker / home re modeler myself. so his design and craftsmanship did show through beautifully. but the fact remains. i WAS a customer. willing to work with him on any level. and will not be pushed a side and dismissed .
to be honest with you. the fono would be my 3rd choice of bottom fed systems. the ALI'I has them all beet hands down. the journeyman would be my 2nd and fono's 3rd. really i wanted his to have. and use on occasion. it is a really nice piece. but i do hold my suppliers by high standards. I'm in business for my self. if i treated my customers as i was treated i would be living in a cardboard box...
i really do wish dealings would have gone differently. unfortunately they did not.

 

[ACM]

Just playing Devil's Advocate here:

With no knowledge of what Fono's reply was to you, and with no experience dealing with him, and with only the comments I have read about him and his service, I would suggest that maybe you caught him on a bad day. He has a good reputation, and God knows we all wake up with a "toothache" once in awhile (as my mother-in-law likes to say.) Maybe he deserves a second chance?

I know a lot of these guys who custom build wood mods by hand are getting swamped with orders. They try to keep up with them, but life gets in the way. My Ali'i took longer than I expected, but Ryan (Kaji) got sick twice, and his father (Ron, who builds them with Ryan) injured himself with a power tool. Maybe Fono ran into some similar problem and your PM caught him in a dark mood.

 

[lrd3]

i do completely understand all of that. i myself have had bad days and been sick. not to mention cut 2 fingers off on a job. none of these things affected my customer service. i wasn't trying to rush any one. just wanted to get my order in. i really don't care how long it takes to get a hand crafted piece in my hand. i just like to know that one is in the works for me.
i do really like his mod and his craftsmanship. he is obviously a well studied woodworker. and produces a beautiful product. hands down would never knock his work. and my hope would be at some point he reflects his same passion for his work with customer interaction.
customer service is just as important as the products we provide for our customers. i do hope to do business with him in the future just not right now. i understand why we have to wait and try to get our orders in on time. and fight the mad rush. but when we do all that to try to get the original from the craftsman himself and get attitude in response to complements. its just wrong...
i don't want to see this thread turn into a bashing of any craftsmen or vendors. pls understand i hold these guys in the highest respects for there work.

 

[jcamacho]

Fono's not a bad dude, I caught him on a bad day myself and he apologized for being abrupt later. Don't let this stand in your way of obtaining a Phidias. It will well be worth your efforts-he was swamped this weekend-email him again. The Phidias will become you're main and favorite PV device of all. I own over 50 mods and it's in first place right now- all five of them.

 

[lrd3]

i definitely want one. and as i stated before it will be a real fono Phidias. i have to stay true to the creator. just the way i am wired.
i just got turned off by my interaction with him. as a craftsman my self i feel united in a way with other woodworkers and craftsmen.
this is definitely on my list of handcrafted pvs to own. just kinda got moved down the list a little. my only fear is he will not be in business long enuf to reorder

 

[WarsawNan]

i do completely understand all of that. i myself have had bad days and been sick. not to mention cut 2 fingers off on a job. none of these things affected my customer service.
......
customer service is just as important as the products we provide for our customers.

I totally agree with you when it comes to customer service! But don't rush to judgment when it comes to Fono in that regard. Don't know, and don't want to know, the specifics of your interaction. Just suggesting you take into consideration Fono's complete thread vs. another "popular" mod thread. Comparing the two, you'll notice that Fono promptly posts replies there addressing anyone's questions or problems with his product. The other guy? Hit or miss. If it's an issue he doesn't wanna deal with, he simply ignores your post, email, or PM.

For me, if it's a choice between "reply with attitude" or "ignore you til you go away", I'd take the attitude and just chalk it up to maybe having a bad moment.

My

 

[lrd3]

lol... i really don't want to see this thread turn into a review of the vendor.... i was really hoping it would be about the mods... but i do hear you all.

 

[dspin]

All I can say about the craftsmanship is - The pics that he posts don't do it justice.. Actually the pics I have posted in an album in my profile, that I don't seem to be able to get here look great, but the actual product in hand is even better. Yes it does run hotter.

 

[dspin]

50 Mods!!! That is over the top and outstanding. I'm jealous.

Fono's not a bad dude, I caught him on a bad day myself and he apologized for being abrupt later. Don't let this stand in your way of obtaining a Phidias. It will well be worth your efforts-he was swamped this weekend-email him again. The Phidias will become you're main and favorite PV device of all. I own over 50 mods and it's in first place right now- all five of them.

 

[lrd3]

there are alot of options out there. the question at hand is what is your favorite?

 

[ACM]

there are alot of options out there. the question at hand is what is your favorite?

My only comparison is the Wetbox and the Ali'i. The Ali'i is a sturdier mod and I prefer it. Of course aside from overall build quality, the two are not all that similar, aside from the fact that they're both bottom feeders. The Wetbox is a 14500 battery mod, the Ali'i is an 18650 (for 3.7v vaping). The Wetbox uses cartomizers (which makes NO sense to me at all for a juice feeder) and the Ali'i uses atomizers. So, the Ali'i lasts longer on a single battery and the juice tastes and vapes better through an atty.

I'd love to try a Phidias and a REO, but if I spend any more money on these things, I think I'll have to start sleeping on the couch, and that's no good. So to keep the peace, the Ali'i is my favorite.

 

[jcamacho]

50 Mods!!! That is over the top and outstanding. I'm jealous.

Believe me, there are people on here that have many more than I do. I'm just another collector and I love all of mine.

 

[lrd3]

can we get a BUMB here?

 

[jcamacho]

can we get a BUMB here?

What's a BUMB?

 

[lrd3]

a way to keep a thread going! i had hopes of this thread getting more posts. i know alot of us have or have had some of these.
i just wanted some opinions..

 

[IndustrialAction]

There really aren't many to choose from. I think they've pretty much been covered, haven't they?