Newbie Q re mechanical sub ohm mod purchase

When I started the only regulated mods you could get were from provari (the U.S. company that first came out with VV), lavatube and VAMO. Things have changed.

Now the thing with regulated mods is...they will eventually break in time. I am of course referring to the Chinese ones. The high end U.S. made mods like Provari, Vaporshark, Hana Modz, or the ones with genuine Evolv DNA chips may be a different story. I don't know because I don't buy those. If I buy a regulated mod, it is because it is cheap and I am thinking of it as a disposable consumer item. Buy a cheap Chinese mod for less than $30. Get a couple months use out of it, then throw away.

I originally switched to mechanical because the first generation of cheap Chinese variables were very big and bulky. They also began failing on me eventually. Back in the day I ordered a VAMO from China, waited a month for shipping to receive it, and it died on me within 3 hours of receipt. I switched to mechanicals because they were/are smaller and more durable.

The hot and humid climate of Thailand can cause havoc on electronic items. Not just talking about mods, but for things like TV's, DVD players, etc. My experience is that these things have a shorter life in Thailand than in the states. An even in the states, people don't normally keep the same DVD player, tv, etc. for 10-15 years before it gets thrown out for a newer model.

Anyways, my thoughts are different than others here and I would recommend the mechanical for Thailand over the regulated. A mechanical will never fail because it doesn't have a chip to break. A regulated will eventually fail. And that is a significant problem in Thailand because it is harder and harder to get replacements through customs. If you manage to get a mechanical in, it will be good for a life time. It's just a battery tube. You could leave it in your pocket and go swimming. Yes, you will need to replace the battery but if you rinse out the mod and the atty, it is still usable. And that is the advantage. You don't have to worry about customs making it harder to import, and you don't have to worry about replacing it or its parts. The only thing you need to replace is the battery. And in Thailand batteries are easy to source because they have legitimate non-vaping uses such as for flashlights, etc.

Anyways people who have mentioned that mechanicals aren't recommended for newbs do have a point. In order to use a mechanical you must have a better understanding of ohm's law, and battery safety. A mechanical doesn't have the built in safety features/cut off that the regulated ones have.

You can "newbify" a mechanical so that it is safe. One option is to buy a vape safe fuse which is magnetic and holds onto the battery. If the discharge is too great, it stops electricity flow. Here is an example of one (and you can find them cheaper by looking around). Kick Fuse Protection Chip Free Shipping | eBay

The other option is to use a "kick" which is a variable wattage/variable voltage circuit. You place it between the positive end of the battery and the positive pin of the mod. (It all fits inside the mod.) It will transform the mechanical into a regulated device. I.E. it is more idiot proof.

Here are some of them for sale off of fasttech. It should be safe to import to LOS because it is just electronic circuitry, and I doubt customs will be able to figure out what it is for. If I ever did get called for it I would tell customs it is a potentiometer for an electric guitar.

$5.82 Authentic Sigelei Variable Wattage Kick Module for Mechanical Mod - 5-15W at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

$7.26 Variable Wattage Kick Module for Mechanical Mod / PV - range: 5-12 watts at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

$8.37 Variable Voltage Kick Module for Mechanical Mod - 3.2V-4.8V at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

FYI, this is a potentiometer for an electric guitar. They are the little knobs which control volume and tone controls.


Basically get whatever you want to get. Even if you're a newb, I don't think you should throw out the option of a mechanical. You can use the fuse or the kick as a safety net until you get to the point where you understand electronics enough to run a mechanical without a safety.

**Updated**

FYI gearbest is doing some clearance on some mechanicals. I just ordered this one, which is a mechanical bottom feeder squonker.

Reo Grand Style Mechanical Box Mod with 6ml On-board E-liquid Bottle-18.40 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com

Squonker atty's are available on clearance at angelcigs.com for $4.99, which is reduced 20% if you use the code "vaporjoes".

Zorro V2 Styled Bottom Feeding Rebuildable Atomizer RDA Silver

Some other non-squonking mechanicals you may be interested in

24mm Gizmo V2 Style 18650 / 18500 Battery Aluminum Mechanical Mod with 510 Thread Support 24mm Atomizer-25.74 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com

APC V2 Wooden Box Mod-18.12 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com

Raptor T6 Style E-Cig Box Mod-21.19 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com

 

Thanks submaniac. My point exactly.
Will now try to import a mech mod from the US to Thailand. Hope customs don't charge xtra $$$. Gearbest seems to have everything and they ship to T.
cheers

 

Hi, new poster here.


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