Which voltage mod to buy, Vamo V3?

[cromagnon]

I'm new here but have been vaping a long time. I've spent a bunch of money on different mods. They all work great for a while but then the cheap parts start to fail. It is like anything else these days, get your money and run. I suggest that you avoid all that and get a Provari. I have the mini. It is head and shoulders above the rest in quality, battery efficiency and smoothness of the draw. It is just nice not to have to worry about the consistency, it is always the same. Expensive at first but cheaper in the long run.

I'm a very hands-on DIY kind of guy. I have lots of tools; mechanical, wood working, electronics etc, etc. I've learned that, when buying tools, it is usually best to stick to the "buy once, cry once" maxim - meaning buy the best once and cry at the price or buy cheaply and cry over and over again.

But, that is not always the case. For instance, I have some cheap ratcheting clamps I bought at Harbor Freight that with a simple 15 cent modification have out lasted and out preformed high end clamps that I have costing 4-6x the price...

Nothing lasts forever, everything breaks down eventually.

I am not knocking the Provari but, at the cost of one Provari, I can get 6 Vamos. If a Provari lasted me 2 years before needing to be repaired or replaced, that means (to me) that all a Vamo would need to last is 4 months to make it an equal value to me, which I think they can easilly do.

Couple that with the rapid advancement of technology in electronic devices and you add another factor. In two years, the Provari is going to be a virtual antique. In 6 months, I can go out and buy the latest and greatest and not feel bad about buying the Vamo.

I can see your logic and reason in choosing the Provari. But, in this case, I just can't support the maxim. I bought a Vamo. This is just my opinion and my point of view of coarse - to each their own.

 

[Jerry Tomlinson]

Indeed, there are always many ways to look at every situation. I guess for me, I don't mind having an antique if it works to my satisfaction. I spent close to $100 for a ZMax mini that worked great and then started cutting out and the display would do weird things and had to be reset. Lasted 3 months, still works but is unreliable. I am old and like things to be reliable. The Provari does what it is supposed to do and is always the same and I don't have to screw with it. I like that.To each his own, my Brother Vaper.
4 years off analogs and $10K richer. How sweet it is.

 

[t1m4]

I got the 134 yesterday. I was a little concerned that the lowest setting is 6.5 watts but that hasn't proved to be a problem in all. In fact I'm using it at 8 watts with the iClear 30 that came with it.

It is heavy, almost double the weight of a Vamo but I like that. I'm fairly big and have big hands so it "fits" well for me. It dwarfs a Vamo in width and comes out a little longer. The workmanship and "build" are amazing. The overall look, what attracted me to it, is definitely unique. Mine is the black barrel with stainless ribs. One of the nice features is that the center pin is spring loaded so you don't have to worry about cranking things down too tight like on a Vamo. I assume that this is a feature common on "higher end" devices.

This is also my first experience with the iClear 30 and I am impressed. I am not a fan of top coil devices, but this is amazing. Tremendous vapor and good flavor, then again it is brand new. The jury is still out for ten tanks worth, LOL. I'm ambivalent about the swivel tip. It's nice at times, but a pain at others. Maybe it's something you get used to.

My only real "complaint" is that the wattage markings are black numbering on a black background. That makes it a little hard for my aged eyes to read unless the lighting is just right. Then again, I just adjust until I like how it vapes and don't worry about what the power is set to. Would I like more variability with power selection and a display showing watts, volts, ohms and battery life? Sure it would be nice, but the design won't really allow that and I am very happy with it just like it is.

Thank you for reply about the 134. Interesting read.
Now that you have had it for a while how are you finding not being able to go below 6.5w? What tank did you use before the iClear 30? Would you say that it is better than the Vamo? Is it worth spending the money to change to it?

 

[awsum140]

OK, a little update on the 134.

I thought I had a dud, it was shutting off while using it, not in mid drag, but between drags. It was kind of disappointing. Turns out that it was operator error. The fire button needs to be held down firmly while you are taking a drag. What, apparently, was happening is that I was actually firing it multiple times with a drag. Get three in a row and it'll shut off. I've been careful to make sure I have a firm push on the fire button and no problems since.

I used the iClear 30 and I'm very happy with it. This is my first dual coil device and it really works well. I was able to vape it to almost totally empty with no dry hits at all. That's pretty impressive for a top coil device of any kind. Now I have a Protank on it and that is also performing really well, I'd even say better than it does on my Vamo(s). I tried a T3 as well, but that looks kind of puny on top of the 134, so I'm going to stick to larger tank style devices simply because they look so much better.

I was worried about the lowest setting being 6.5 watts but that hasn't proved to be a problem at all. I was running the 30s at eight watts and am now running the Protank at eight watts as well. The T3 was happy at seven watts, which is about where I use them on my Vamo. I don't know what the true output of the 134 is or how accurate the power selections truly are. I do know that I'm pretty happy with it. I even took it along for a trip to Costco yesterday and vaped merrily along there and back.

As far as if it is better than a Vamo I think that involves your own personal preferences. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a Vamo, certainly, but in terms of performance it is easily equal to or even superior. The other thing is the "look" combined with the size and weight. If you want something smaller and understated, the Vamo is a great choice. If you want to "make a statement" and have something massive and heavy, the 134 is the way to go. If nothing else, it is a very unique looking device. I am glad I got one, and at a really great price. At the same time, I'm sorry I didn't join a co-op for the Vamo V5 and I'm still using both of my Vamos daily. They are a pretty good device.

 

[Asbestos4004]

I'm a very hands-on DIY kind of guy. I have lots of tools; mechanical, wood working, electronics etc, etc. I've learned that, when buying tools, it is usually best to stick to the "buy once, cry once" maxim - meaning buy the best once and cry at the price or buy cheaply and cry over and over again.

But, that is not always the case. For instance, I have some cheap ratcheting clamps I bought at Harbor Freight that with a simple 15 cent modification have out lasted and out preformed high end clamps that I have costing 4-6x the price...

Nothing lasts forever, everything breaks down eventually.

I am not knocking the Provari but, at the cost of one Provari, I can get 6 Vamos. If a Provari lasted me 2 years before needing to be repaired or replaced, that means (to me) that all a Vamo would need to last is 4 months to make it an equal value to me, which I think they can easilly do.

Couple that with the rapid advancement of technology in electronic devices and you add another factor. In two years, the Provari is going to be a virtual antique. In 6 months, I can go out and buy the latest and greatest and not feel bad about buying the Vamo.

I can see your logic and reason in choosing the Provari. But, in this case, I just can't support the maxim. I bought a Vamo. This is just my opinion and my point of view of coarse - to each their own.

the smart money says you'll have a ProVari inside 4 months. And I'm not knocking you or Vamo. I have a Vamo and I said the exact same thing as you....complete with the tool references. I sure love my ProVari. I have a set of open end/box end wrenches from Snap-On. I also have a set from an auto parts store. They both loosen and tighten things. It takes the auto part store wrenches to make me really appreciate the Snap-On set. I could buy 10 sets of wrenches from Walmart for the price 1 set of Snap-On wrenches cost. I really don't want to buy 10 sets of wrenches. 1 really great set is better.

 

[rangie]

any of the vamos will serve you well there's also the itase svd which is a nice mod to I got both and love them vamo was my first I have the v2 its only down fall is cant remove the top ring but can on my svd

 

[t1m4]

Thanks very much for the update. I may look at getting one, not just yet I'm going to carry on with the Vamo for now as I think it is going to do me well for now. I'm glad you are enjoying the 134. Im using the protank which I imagine looks very nice on top of the 134.

 

[awsum140]

For relative size comparison -



Left to right -

VTR/iClear 30s, 78mm/CE3, iTaste VV V2, Volt Spinner/T3, Volt X2/T2, Vamo V2/air controller/T3, 134/iClear 30

By the way, the iClears are very close to the same size as a Protank, but are taller and have a bigger capacity.