Yea, im in the clone stage now due to money, will have plenty of time to really research which mod to get in the future. I think i was kinda criticizing people sinking in hundreds of dollars on a mod or two just because i couldnt fathom doing that right now. But when i can, im sure ill be the first to share pics, rave about them and tell others what they truly are missing. Right now i havent even tried a pricey mod, so i dont know what im missing out on. But im sure my k100 with a low res genny will be a step-up personally from my vamo, so im going in the right direction i think. I like that i started from convenience store ecigs to egos to spinner to vamo/ cartos to vivi novas to bccs to genesis. I feel personally every new step i take is higher (subjectvely speaking) than the one before for my vaping experience, its fun to stretch out the process. Im sure if the day i quit smoking, someone gave me an Nzonic with a DID on it, i would LOvE it. But i like this process, it keeps the hobbyist in me constantly looking forward to better methods and devices to learn about and use. When i can afford those pricey mods/attys, im sure ill be elevating my vape even more, though i think there is a law of diminishing returns the further along you get after a certain point.
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Not at all... It's a legit question.
Considering that there's not a single person that I know outside the forums who knows what any of this stuff is, I feel fairly secure that I'm not using any of it as a status symbol or an ego booster. There are a few vapors where I work but they're all eGos and viv tanks... They just look at me like I'm the poor ....... who can afford a something smaller with an LED. My gear doesn't impress anyone but me.
Same here. Outside of the forums, I don't know any serious vapers (just a few people at work who smoke and have e-cigs that I'm trying to show there's a better vape than NJoy). I still hold back for fear of them thinking I'm totally out of my mind (one guy wants to try my DIY liquid). I don't have a collection as impressive as many that I've seen here, but the few mechs that I have are high quality pieces that I enjoy and give me a tremendous amount of pleasure and satisfaction. And when my Provari breaks down in about 40 years, I'll still have functioning mechs.
just gave in a bought yet another clone. the tvs diablo clone from fasttech. i mean for 16 bucks, i couldnt refuse. so for my grand total for mech mods is $75 for 4 clones. not too bad i think. will give me plenty to fiddle with and experiment on before i graduate to the real deals.
As long as my vape budget does not exceed what I spent on cigs / cigars per month before I quit around 3 years ago, (1 carton a week @ $55.00 = $220.00 a month) I figure I'm good.
I always managed to come up with it when I smoked, and still would be spending that amount anyway. At least I have vape gear to show for the $$ now instead of empty cig packs, ashes, butts, and a nasty cough.. If get tired of some of the vape gear, I can sell it on the classies. Can't make any $$ back selling empty packs, ashes, and butts... I'm still debating on getting a clone or not. Iv bought other items as clones and have had good and bad experiences. So i guess the old saying you get what ya pay for is true. I know some of you will disagree with that but i think oh well. That doesn't mean i wont try a clone out if i can get a clone for about lets say 20 dollars and the original is around 100-200, i would def have to buy one just to see how well built it is ect ect. But me beng only 3 days into my vape experience i have a ton to learn.
The clone is normally made cheaply and will not last like the OE. Also, buying a clone stunts the innovators so we end up in the long run with less innovation, which is something in the industry that is needed.
I'm not entirely sure how it "stunts the innovators"? Because it means their stuff sells out in three and a half minutes instead of three minutes? And because people aren't paying 5x retail for said devices with none of that profit going to the actual maker of the device?
I haven't read all the responses, but I just bought an Empire. I could have easily gotten the K100, but I like to buy well-made things and the threading on it (and my Provari) and the build is SO much over and above my other mods that I knew I would want to buy the real thing. I don't regret a single penny that I spent on my Empire. It's gorgeous, light and VERY well made.
I don't buy that.
A friend of mine was talking to noted U.S. mod builder at Vapestock last month. He asked him if the proliferation of clones has affected his sales. He said no. Actually, sales have increased. People are starting out with the clones, and eventually buying the real thing.
It seems to me that if I were a creator/builder of a $200 mod, I'd have a better chance of selling one to someone who had at least tried a poorer quality clone, and was looking for something better; than I would selling one to someone cold.
Personally, I started out with clones, both RBAs and mechanical mods. I wasn't about to jump in with $150 or $200 on something I didn't know whether or not I'd like. After finding out that I did, I gradually abandoned my clones, and replaced them with higher end stuff.
I'm not buying this one either. If you look into one of the several sigelei threads, for instance, they are full of people coming up with brilliant ways to make them better, which is innovation at its finest IMO. Who knows- maybe someone who has done enough mods to their......mod..... Will decide that they want to make a run at production and the next generation of devices will be born. Why rely on the same handful of "innovators" to steer the course of vaping? At least a clone gives them something to tear apart and rebuild without worrying about paying premium price.
Money's not a good reason to buy cheap.
I'm rather skint consistently, but i save up.
I'd rather buy a real roller than 5 clones at the same cost, i'm too poor to buy cheap stuff.
I feel fortunate that I avoided paying a lot of money for junk in the upgrade cycle search to find a decent vape. When I wanted a VV device I got a Provari and when I wanted a mech I researched a bunch until I found a quality device that suits me and looks and works amazingly well. I see all of these posts about people who need to mod their Sigelei #X devices because they weren't designed correctly and I scratch my head and face palm myself.
Honestly when I was searching to buy my first mech mod I thought I would never spend more than 75 bucks because all my current vape gear are things like vamo, rsst, agat2, and term-c. But when I saw the precise ela for the first time in pics I just had to order one.. it just looked too sexy. So then I proceeded to buy an ithaka too. Haven't got either yet but I have no regrets =)
I'd be curious to see the relationship between how long someone has been vaping and their stance on clones. For those of you who have been at it a while (3ish+ years) you remember the term mod originated from literally modding items like flashlights to utilize a larger battery than the cig-alikes. Being able to get a well built big battery mod like a Silver Bullet or Prodigy (surely I am forgetting a couple, but not many), both of which are very well built and were considered quite expensive at the time in the $100-120 range, was your only good quality non-diy option.
Clones are a good viable option for people on a budget. I still prefer the real deal items, mostly because people like Cddz, Cashmere, David at Super-T, etc. put out high quality mech mods early on because of their passion for a better experience for all vapers and the know-how to make it happen. At the price though, the clones are still far better than a modded flashlight.
If you have the means to support the builders, consider that a lot of them do so to provide the highest quality experience and product available. If the only option is a $30 chinese made clone due to finances, frugality, whatever the case may be and that's what it takes to stay of cigarettes then by all means get the clone.
Clones are a good viable option for people on a budget. I still prefer the real deal items, mostly because people like Cddz, Cashmere, David at Super-T, etc. put out high quality mech mods early on because of their passion for a better experience for all vapers and the know-how to make it happen. At the price though, the clones are still far better than a modded flashlight.
If you have the means to support the builders, consider that a lot of them do so to provide the highest quality experience and product available. If the only option is a $30 chinese made clone due to finances, frugality, whatever the case may be and that's what it takes to stay of cigarettes then by all means get the clone.
I actually sunk in at least a couple hundred between the RBAs and the mech clones. i just like have more stuff, more variety, personally. i like that i can go out one day with a vamo and an rsst, and then the next moment have a k100 with an agat2 with a different wick and sub-ohm coil, then a kts with an AGI as a bottom fed dripper, and then another vamo specifically for setting up coils and testing resistance of my builds. i mean, i would much rather have one rolex than a hundred timexes, or one ferrari over 4 kias. absolutely. but when it comes to vaping world and the trend toward rebuildables, i much prefer variety, opportunities to experiment and perfect a technique and have several tanks with several different kinds of juice with slightly different methods of delivery. i would most definitely NOT trade my 2 rssts, 2 agat2s, agi, 2 did clones, 2 cobra clones, x-atty, 2 vamos and 4 mech clones (roughly $350 was what i paid at the most for the lot) for, say, a Cobra ($150 or so), AC9 ($120 roughly w/out kit), and a Roller ($170 from what i saw).
There are very few things in life that i am satisfied with just one type (a watch and car are examples of such things for me). I personally like variety. even when i was smoking, i never had one brand that i could not live without, i bought different packs depending on my mood. to get the variety i want/have right now, in the high-end realm of vaping devices, it would be almost $2000, perhaps more even. but even if i did have the money, i'd still feel guilty as hell for buy a set of metal tubes for 200 bucks, when i could get a very very comparable set of metal tubes for 20 bucks or less. And i love to fix things and work with my hands, so the slight adjustments i have to make to mods or attys are no problem for me. i mean people complain about these modifications that you neeed to make to certain clones (sigelei 19), but considering time do people (me included) spend on forums, watching videos, browsing vape shops online, etc, why is it a big deal to spend 15 minutes to fix a mod to make it work better?
to those out there who only vape one or two juices exclusively, i understand why you'd want to invest in a couple of nice mods and a couple of "premium" attys to hold your juices. i personally have several juices i like to rotate, throughout the day, so i need various setups and i can't wait to get all my mods in so i dont need to be constantly screwing/unscrewing attys on my vamo.
And I would like to hear from someone who has had experience with the durability of a clone vs the original, maybe someone who has had both for an extended period of time. if the clone "deteriorated" or "died" noticeably quicker than the original (don't see why either would have such issues, as there is zero electronics in mechs), then i will completely and fully understanding of getting the high end mods. no arguments there.
There are very few things in life that i am satisfied with just one type (a watch and car are examples of such things for me). I personally like variety. even when i was smoking, i never had one brand that i could not live without, i bought different packs depending on my mood. to get the variety i want/have right now, in the high-end realm of vaping devices, it would be almost $2000, perhaps more even. but even if i did have the money, i'd still feel guilty as hell for buy a set of metal tubes for 200 bucks, when i could get a very very comparable set of metal tubes for 20 bucks or less. And i love to fix things and work with my hands, so the slight adjustments i have to make to mods or attys are no problem for me. i mean people complain about these modifications that you neeed to make to certain clones (sigelei 19), but considering time do people (me included) spend on forums, watching videos, browsing vape shops online, etc, why is it a big deal to spend 15 minutes to fix a mod to make it work better?
to those out there who only vape one or two juices exclusively, i understand why you'd want to invest in a couple of nice mods and a couple of "premium" attys to hold your juices. i personally have several juices i like to rotate, throughout the day, so i need various setups and i can't wait to get all my mods in so i dont need to be constantly screwing/unscrewing attys on my vamo.
And I would like to hear from someone who has had experience with the durability of a clone vs the original, maybe someone who has had both for an extended period of time. if the clone "deteriorated" or "died" noticeably quicker than the original (don't see why either would have such issues, as there is zero electronics in mechs), then i will completely and fully understanding of getting the high end mods. no arguments there.
I own a SmokTech Sid, a Bolt, A Twist, and a Kgo VV, as well as just about every style clearo made ( pro tanks, evods, Iclear 16's, Vivi's ) Carto Tanks, and just got my first Genny, an AGA-t2. I also have a k100 in the mail, as well as a Stomp ( china version of the kick )
I am about 2 months into vaping, and love it. I want to try everything, APV's, Mechs, Clearos, Cartos, Attys, RBA, RDA's, everything. I will always buy a cheap version first, to see if I like the style of device. I do see some high end mods in my future. When ever Provari's are VW devices I will probably order one. I will own a Zenesis before long, after my RBA skills chalk up.
I enjoy the finer things in life, drive nice cars, have nice computers, nice tv's, hell, even my dogs a pure bread lol. I love the fact that there are knock offs to get people that don't have an income to support 300 dollar pv's to get into something similar. Also love them because I dont worry about my SID when out and about, if drop it and ruin it, I wont be heart broken ( but I will order a new ). When I do break into the higher end hybrid devices, they wont leave the house.
I think there is a place for every device ( be it in the trash or in a display case lol )
I am about 2 months into vaping, and love it. I want to try everything, APV's, Mechs, Clearos, Cartos, Attys, RBA, RDA's, everything. I will always buy a cheap version first, to see if I like the style of device. I do see some high end mods in my future. When ever Provari's are VW devices I will probably order one. I will own a Zenesis before long, after my RBA skills chalk up.
I enjoy the finer things in life, drive nice cars, have nice computers, nice tv's, hell, even my dogs a pure bread lol. I love the fact that there are knock offs to get people that don't have an income to support 300 dollar pv's to get into something similar. Also love them because I dont worry about my SID when out and about, if drop it and ruin it, I wont be heart broken ( but I will order a new ). When I do break into the higher end hybrid devices, they wont leave the house.
I think there is a place for every device ( be it in the trash or in a display case lol )
Honestly I'd rather buy several clones mostly to see what style I want to invest more money into. I have a sigelei 8 on its way and think about other clones so down the road when I want to buy a high end mech I will have more experience in what I want in a mech.
I've only been vaping since December and like most everyone that comes into this world; I started with the "cig-a-like" little sticks.
That lasted for about a month. I couldn't take the short battery life, the crappy flavor, etc.
From there I thought about going to an eGo, but then read about the VV/VW Vamo and decided to buy one of them... That lasted me until today... I've known that I wanted out of the cheap stuff from about three months ago, but have not been able to get what I wanted (availability, lists, budget, etc). Today I got my Nemesis and the only way I go back to the Vamo is if this thing gets lost/stolen somewhere... And I'd only be on the "cheap" unit until I replaced the "expensive" one.
When I started vaping; one of the selling points was that you actually save money with vaping over analogues... Well; let's just say that I never spent $500 on analogues in a single week, but that's exactly what I did a couple weeks ago (Nemesis + Doodlebug SE). So is it worth spending that kind of money on this stuff? It all depends on what you think it's worth and what you are willing to spend for your "hobby". I have other hobbies that demand much higher expenditures (subzero overclocking) and I treat this one the same way as I treat that other hobby; if I get enjoyment out of it... Then it is worth it for me. Would a $40 mod give me a similar vaping experience? I'm sure it would, but I don't want a similar vaping experience... I want a Nemesis with a Doodlebug on top and since I work hard for my money; I see no reason as to why I should not "spoil" myself.
That lasted for about a month. I couldn't take the short battery life, the crappy flavor, etc.
From there I thought about going to an eGo, but then read about the VV/VW Vamo and decided to buy one of them... That lasted me until today... I've known that I wanted out of the cheap stuff from about three months ago, but have not been able to get what I wanted (availability, lists, budget, etc). Today I got my Nemesis and the only way I go back to the Vamo is if this thing gets lost/stolen somewhere... And I'd only be on the "cheap" unit until I replaced the "expensive" one.
When I started vaping; one of the selling points was that you actually save money with vaping over analogues... Well; let's just say that I never spent $500 on analogues in a single week, but that's exactly what I did a couple weeks ago (Nemesis + Doodlebug SE). So is it worth spending that kind of money on this stuff? It all depends on what you think it's worth and what you are willing to spend for your "hobby". I have other hobbies that demand much higher expenditures (subzero overclocking) and I treat this one the same way as I treat that other hobby; if I get enjoyment out of it... Then it is worth it for me. Would a $40 mod give me a similar vaping experience? I'm sure it would, but I don't want a similar vaping experience... I want a Nemesis with a Doodlebug on top and since I work hard for my money; I see no reason as to why I should not "spoil" myself.
It's a psychological thing. You give a woman (or a guy) a golden necklace and all of a sudden she feels sophisticated. But if you give her $2 gold plated necklace and tell her it's real solid gold, she feels sophisticated just the same.
Give a vaper quality clone and tell him it's the real deal, he'll be acting like he owns the World.
Reality check.
Give a vaper quality clone and tell him it's the real deal, he'll be acting like he owns the World.
Reality check.
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