3 weeks in and already looking for a mod & tank for home use

[djs]

Jun 3, 2014 19:17:16 GMT Montana said:

On a side note, I wish there was a cross between the MVP 2.0 and the VTR.If the MVP 2.0 housed the tank like the VTR that would be fantastic but with the black design and the lighter weight.Having said that , my other real concern about the MVP2.0 is the NON replaceable battery , I would much rather have a device that could truly last years that you could just change the battery in.Also going on from that, there isn't , as far as I've seen , an ego style battery that is replaceable either, maybe something the manufacturers want to think about in the future and it would be seen as being as green as possible instead of just throwing away the whole device, like I will have to with the Vision spinner , and I'm never going to know when that is

I am hearing you.

What can I say.... I felt the same way. It seems such a waste to chuck it out after the battery gives up. BUT, a proper mod will cost £50 and they often don't last that long either. Although you can replace batteries, they often just give up and stop working.

There is a "fat" eGo that takes independent batteries, but they don't have the features of MVP.

Once I'd decided to think of the MVP as a box style iTasteVV (or Spinner) that would have a definite lifespan, it suddenly seemed rather cheap compared to some £20 VV "throwaway" batteries.

[Deleted]

For home use I'd highly recommend the vtr or MVP v2 , regarding Phils video ( and kudos to you for actively researching stuff ) on most builds / premade coils you would have to really push it to notice any degradation of vape quality.

As a relative newbie to vaping ( started last sept ) can I say try a kayfun or Russian clone rebuildable tank, you have to trust me on this but the difference between these and those tanks with premade heads is night and day.

[Deleted]

Montana , I like the fact that you've done research , I've got a nautilas aspire tank at home , used it twice , if your willing to buy replacement coils for it , I will send it you free.

[Montana]

Thanks for the offer @purple1234  , and I've watched several vids including one from Pbusardo and it looks to be far to tricky to recoil with all the flat pieces of wicking material to replace , it was a really VERY kind offer and if I had the money to just replace the heads I would have snapped it up straight away but I would much rather a nice piece of kit like this to go to a good home , I'm sure you'll have some offers on this.

djs I would be very interested to see the recommendation by the largest E-Cig forum , could you post me a link please.

Now onto the mods and tanks.

Up until last night I thought the MVP 2.0 would be a good route to go , but now I don't know if I like the idea of having a cylindrical mod , but I do like the idea of having a cylindrical mod that is short.That now gives other options .

Now , as far as tanks are concerned, I'm at a total met down, I've looked at so many and seen so many vids etc I've forgotten what the first one was and what pro's and con's it had , lol

With my current setup I have an EVOD tank and I'm going to be soon starting ( when the coils come from FastTech ) microcoiling these.The explanation on the site is brilliant , and seeing as I've bought ready made coils that just need cotton wick and inserting , I can't really go that wrong , I'm a plumber by trade, so quite used to working with my hands.So, what I want is a better tank than the evod , especially to match up with the quality of the mod that I'll be buying , that also has the same ease of replacement coils, and hopefully a guide somewhere which can easily followed.

The reason that I'm asking here and not going into a local B & M shop is because of the lack of either shop and/or choice of product in them.

I live ( for my sins ) in Crawley , and the nearest shop is in the town but doesn't have ANY web presence yet , so I don't want to go in cold, also their juices ( which I've bought 2 of ) have web addresses on them which neither is up  , they come up via googling the name then getting to another web site and their are NO reviews anywhere of their liquids, a bit troubling, so this address I'm backing off from , sorry if I offend anyone by this but the customer ( ME ) has to be happy with their purchase and overall vendor experience.

The next nearest shop ( where I got my starter kit from ) is in Horsham , and is a dual purpose shop, 2 different business run by the same person , they only have the MVP 2.0 mod and the Protank 2, so no choice really.

The next nearest shops to me are in Brighton and there are three of them , the first one is Mist E-Liquid and have just  got on the B & M map on here , which was a suggestion of mine and have ( I think ) the full range of Hangsen Juices including 2 things I haven't seen ANYWHERE else, these are 100ml bottles of the best selling Hangsen juices and also Hangsen concentrates too, they also have a 20 flavour range of luxury E-Liquids too, when I picked up some juices from them ( 100ml Gold & Silver for £17.99  ) they did say they were made here in the UK but I can't remember who or what the PG/VG mix was , but they don't have much in the way of mods or tanks YET, I'm sure they will have some more soon.(great staff and customer service )

The next shop in Brighton is The Vapour Trail and considering they have 3 or 4 shops , their web site just really lists those shops and doesn't give a list of what they sell even if they haven't set up a online shop yet, it would give people prices , ranges etc and people could give feedback on that.The third one is The Vaping Vault and they only have the Pelle stands mods and juices, so no choice there either.

If I'm missing a shop that has a bit more choice than the ones I've mentioned then I'm sorry and please let me know.

That just leaves me really in your capable hands.

Many thanks for all the replies so please keep them coming.

Andy

[ronaldo]

Montana you should really take up @purple1234 offer of the nautilas aspire tank it really is easy to recoil everyone thinks they are going to be hard to do until you try it really is easy if I was you I would reconsider I wish I had one you wouldn't regret it

[Montana]

ronaldo If you got to and then go to 24:45 timestamp and watch Phil taking apart the Nautilas tank it shows 1 piece of filler material at 25:20 and another one can be seen at 25:48.The one at 25:48 has a kind of turret design to it, which I would see as to be very difficult to replicate especially if I wanted to change juices, fine if you using the same juice obviously.I also can't find a decent guide or video for rebuilding a dual coil either, especially seeing as they are stacked the same way.I can't remember where or what coil it was or how easy/hard it was to re-coil but I have seen a dual coil that had a cross design to it with groves in the coil, which in my mind would be easier to re-coil. 

A really nice offer from @purple1234, but I think a little to fiddly for me

[xs2man]

Okay, so, as said before, the MVP really is the best to go for at this stage of your vaping journey. It's hassle free and relatively cheap. Just about any other mod out there that is comparable is going to cost you a pair of decent batteries (around £12) and a decent charger (another £12 minimum) on top of the actual device (probably looking at anywhere from £30 up). So £36 for an MVP (from MyePack probably, internal battery, and USB charger) really is a bit of a bargain, and should last you just as long as any other comparable (on price and features) mod out there.

If you want a mod that will truly last AGES, you either have to pay real money (£100+, Provari, Semovar etc...) or you can go for a clone Mech mod (like a nemesis from FT at around £12). But then that comes with it's own issues such as no voltage regulation, increased battery awareness etc. Either way you go though, It's either real money, battery use learning (recommended anyway), or an MVP to be truly economical here.

Next up is your tank. The smart money would go straight for a kayfun light plus (KFL+). Easy to recoil, spares a plenty, will last a lifetime. Downside is that the genuine ones are expensive, but some of the clones can be really good. However, in general, the really good clones are still pretty expensive compared to protanks and the like. I have a few clones, and a genuine KFL+ and I do LOVE the genuine, and can live with the clones. I have just ordered a V2 clone from FT though, so we will see what it's like. But from what I can gather so far, it is the best clone out there.

BUT, that's still £20-odd. So if you want to spend less, and recoil yourself, you can do worse than a Protank 2 with airflow controller. Nice pyrex tank section for tank crackers, looks nice, and vapes nice. Not as nice as the KFL+, but still nice enough. You would really want 2 of whatever you buy though, or one of a few different ones, so it is easy to swap flavours. And as a back-up. One of each item won't really cut it.

Now, some of the options may initially sound expensive. BUT, they are orders of magnitude cheaper than the alternative. Smoking. A KFL+ may well cost in the region of £65 (or a weeks tabs for me), but you will be able to sell it on for £55 without too much trouble (so a pack and a half less than you initially paid), so you will actually lose very little in the long run, should you decide to sell it. If you don't sell it, rest assured you WILL get your monies worth.

So, in summary...

Cheap option, MVP V2 + a couple Protank 2's.
Best option, MVP V2 + KFL+

Even better option, build your own coils. You say you're handy with your hands, and it is simples to do. So just do it, and don't have to wait 3 weeks for a new batch of coils. Just the 3-5 mins it takes to build it yourself.

[decoy]

Vamo v 5 and kayfun/rushan clone off fast tech
some batts and charger of uk suppler and you got a good startup kit to play with

[Mrsmac]

Another option that you could consider if you are thinking of a cylindrical device is the sigelei zmax. Quality vv/vw device that has a telescopic mode. This mod allows you to use the smaller form batteries as well as the larger batteries and is a bit smaller than a vamo. You will need additional batteries though.

For a tank, it depends where you want to start. If you are looking at venturing into rebuildable a then the protank 2 is a good place to start, you would have the option of putting in a stock head or rebuilding yourself, there are plenty here on the forum who can talk you through a rebuild and it is easier than it looks. Or you can go one step up and look at true rebuildable devices such as the kayfun which doesn't come with coils, you have to build them and wick the device yourself.

Bearing in mind that you will always need back ups why not get a protank 2, airflow controller x2 and a kayfun to tinker around with

[decoy]

To be honist id go for mini areo tanks over the pro tanks as you more likely to get more use outa them and thay look awsome on a spinner protanks look bit yuck on spinners not that i have anything against protanks i got 2 but they just dont look right on small spinners/ego batts

Just rem to look at what you gona get the most use out of

just to lob a spanner in the works why not a mechanical mod as it should last years(unless you are the mod destroyer)as long as you get a kick at the same time and know how to throw things when they get hot you should be ok

all im saying is yes you want new toys but have a proper think before splashing the cash ie are you gona stick to regulated mods( norm ones with funky lcd screen ) or will the small form of mech mods win you over and as for atties what are you going to use them for (out on the town or home)as for recoiling its not that hard if you have decent eyesight

[hijack]

Jun 5, 2014 2:07:23 GMT xs2man said:

Okay, so, as said before, the MVP really is the best to go for at this stage of your vaping journey. It's hassle free and relatively cheap. Just about any other mod out there that is comparable is going to cost you a pair of decent batteries (around £12) and a decent charger (another £12 minimum) on top of the actual device (probably looking at anywhere from £30 up). So £36 for an MVP (from MyePack probably, internal battery, and USB charger) really is a bit of a bargain, and should last you just as long as any other comparable (on price and features) mod out there.

If you want a mod that will truly last AGES, you either have to pay real money (£100+, Provari, Semovar etc...) or you can go for a clone Mech mod (like a nemesis from FT at around £12). But then that comes with it's own issues such as no voltage regulation, increased battery awareness etc. Either way you go though, It's either real money, battery use learning (recommended anyway), or an MVP to be truly economical here.

So if you want to spend less, and recoil yourself, you can do worse than a Protank 2 with airflow controller. Nice pyrex tank section for tank crackers, looks nice, and vapes nice. Not as nice as the KFL+, but still nice enough. You would really want 2 of whatever you buy though, or one of a few different ones, so it is easy to swap flavours. And as a back-up. One of each item won't really cut it.


So, in summary...

Cheap option, MVP V2 + a couple Protank 2's.
Best option, MVP V2 + KFL+

Even better option, build your own coils. You say you're handy with your hands, and it is simples to do.

Montana Very good advice here ^^^^ All these mods of around £40-60 have a finite life span. One day you will knock it off the table onto a hard floor and it may stop working. The MVP2 is one of the toughest of these type of mods. Out of the multitudes of forum vapers that use them, you don't here about too many faults developing. (there are abviously some, but when you consider the amount out there its very small).

If you take the SVD for instance and drop it on a hard floor, then its going to be a 50/50 chance that you've broken it, and as its press fitted you cant even get into it to see if a wire has been knocked loose. I have one and I treat it like its made of glass.

If you really don't like the box then you have the itaste VV which is very cheap, but the battery is 3.5 times smaller than the MVP so will need to be charged at some point during your day (depending on how much you vape).

Out of the other larger tube vv/vw mods, the Vamo V5 and Segelei Zmax seem to be fairly reliable.

I would stay well away from Mech mods for now. They have no built in safety features at all. If you discharge a battery beyond its safe limits (voltage and amps) then you can cause the battery to go into ''thermal runaway'' and there is no stopping it if this happens. At least a fairly good knowledge of Ohms law and electrical safety is needed  to use these.

I would agree with the protank 2 as a good tank that can be recoiled yourself if you want to try it. Its a single bottom coil and works as well as a duel coil. I think the airflow control fits it as well, if you want the extra adjustment.

[Montana]

Today , I found myself down in Brighton, after a disappointing morning at the South of England show , and decided to actually GO to the other B & M shops I hadn't gone to.

The second one I was really glad I did go to , and that was "The Vaping Vault" , I couldn't leave without getting a couple of bits, it would be rude after all.So what did I get , well I got myself a Protank II and an air regulator base, as suggested and a new juice.The juice is a Pelle juice and is called "Orange Zest" in 18mg and I can say it's a really good alternative to a menthol for clearing you palate, so this is a new line of pursuit to me ( orange flavours that is )  to find other really good orange flavours and I'm still trying to find a pear flavour that is "real" with a good flavour, the pear flavours that I've found to be a good match have been , how can I say , muted in flavour at best.

Now for the tank , looks wise it's VERY nice , I don't know how long for as I'm a bit clumsy but I'll just wait and see.Build quality is solid and being able to break it down to component parts is a must for cleaning.I'm still getting some dry hits from the coil, but I think ( HOPE ) that's down to me not having built a coil of my own yet.Having a bigger tank now is great as I will only need to fill it once a day as I'm not a heavy vaper, well not yet anyway.

I didn't tell you that I also got myself some 0.25 Kanthal wire as well ( I can't wait for the FastTech order to arrive ) , so I'm going to have a go at making my first coil tomorrow as per this guide :- allaboute-cigarettes.proboards.com/thread/32391/microcoil-cotton-guide   after I've got myself some Sainsburys basics cotton wool balls that is.I just hope that I can see what I'm doing as I wear glasses for reading and computer work. I'll let you know how I get on.

Leading on from this , why do you have different ohm rated coils and why ? e.g what's the difference between and 1.5ohm and a 2.5ohm coil and how does it affect the vaping experience etc etc etc.

I also had a look at a Vamo in the store ( It wasn't a V5 but that doesn't matter ) and in it's 18350 or short format and I found it brilliant for the reason that it's short, it's till got all the features as it would just in a more pocket friendly version.Other than the battery life , what other disadvantages are there with having just a single 18350 over say an 18650 or stacked 18350's.I've tried to have a look , but even Phil Busardo doesn't give any accuracy readings for this configuration.

This naturally leads me to what other cylindrical mods I should be looking at other than the Vamo V5 please ?

Andy

[hijack]

Hi andy glad to see you made it to a shop and got to try juices and look at some mods, and good on you for giving coiling a try. Following the guide you mention is the way to go as it is very good and tells you each step in the process. The resistance of your coil is important for 2 reasons. It effects how quickly your coil heats up and also more importantly effects the battery in terms of how much load in amps is put on the battery. Putting to much load on a battery I the from of a very low resistance coil can cause the battery to become unstable when you use it. Safe resistances are above 0.8 Ohms anything less may be unwise until you know your batteries limits.

I see that you are using a spinner battery so am I right in thinking you have no way of testing the resistance of the coil you intend to build?
Also im not sure but will the spinner automatically not fire if you have a short in your build? if not then you really need a device that will 1. Tell you the resistance of the coil you are using and also tell you if you have a short somewhere in your build.

I would be cautious until you have a resistance meter of some sort that will tell you both of these things.

A VV/VW device will have a resistance checker and will also lt you know if there is a short. The vamo V5 also lets you use it in 18350 mode and the Segelei Zmax will do the same so you can use either in short mode.

Hope this helps
PS here is a link to a guide I wrote last night that should explain why you need to be cautious when using devices that don't have the safety features of a VV/VW device.
battery safety please read as it will explain a lot of what you need to know. Your spinner will have some built in safety ie the battery wont fire when the voltage drops past 3.2 volts, so a voltage checker will not be needed. But some way of measuring the resistance will be needed.

[xs2man]

Glad you got to a shop and had a look ad some mods / attys.

Running mods in 18350 mode really is pretty much the same as 18650 mode. The advantages are obviously size based, as you say, more pocket friendly.

Disadvantages are battery life. So when you're out and about, you should really count on using around 3 batteries over the course of a day. This obviously depends on a few things, like how heavy a vaper you are, and your coil resistance affects how much power your battery needs to kick out too. Also, you may want to carry whatever tubes you might need for 18650 mode just in case you need it.

So, with that in mind, battery wise, you should probably get at least 4 18350 batteries if you plan on running that configuration, so you can always have at least one charging, and at least 2 18650 batteries for when you need the extra capacity. I personally run 6 18650 batteries, I have 4 panasonic GCR's and 2 Sony VTC 4's. I did use 18350 batteries for a while, but quickly got annoyed at the amount of battery swapping I was doing (I am quite a heavy vaper), so my mods are 18650 or internal batteries (my MVP), so there is less faffing. With that said though, box mods are relatively small.

Here is a picture of my Nucleic DNA30, which is running an 18650 battery, next to a Vamo V4 in 18350 mode, and a ego style battery...



As you can see, still slightly smaller than the the 18350 Vamo. The MVP is not much bigger than the Nucleic, so still a decent, pocket friendly mod.  Of course, being a DNA mod, they aren't cheap, at least £100 more than the MVP.  But, as I type, it's the MVP I'm vaping on.

[Montana]

I do have a cheapie little multi-meter and was going to use that to check the resistance of the coil.I was going to check the resistance by putting one probe on the bottom pin and the other on the thread just above the rubber grommet ??

You are 100% right about a short though, I have read and watched all about, then got carried away with the thought of having a better vape and I'm sure that's where mistakes happen when boys ( and Girls ) get excited at the thought of improving their kit.I can't think ( well saying that I'm not getting the chance to think as I'm getting the normal 1,000,001 questions from my son first thing in the morning ) of a way to be able to check for a short with a multi-meter unless you can think of something.

That's why I was asking about other mods I should be thinking of as far as other cylindrical mods that can be used in the 18350 configuration mode and then I can do a comparison between those and the MVP 2.0 and make my decision.

Please guys keep suggestions coming in on the 18350 mod configuration so I can get a mod ASAP , I'm itching to get one now , especially as the Prontank II does look a little silly on top of my spinner and I need a way to check my coils that I'm going to make.

Andy