Is a tugboat a good beginner's mech?

[twan013]

A guy from work offered me a tugboat for $40 and I'm tempted to take him up on the offer, but I wanted to consult you guys first. I don't know what version or anything is, but I'm assuming v2 because he said it has the blue splatter paint.

This will be my first mech but I've been studying and tinkering with steam engine. One thing that's throwing me off is the top cap that I've seen online as part of the kit, and lack of included RDA. Assuming that he's not including an rda, and whether the top cap comes with it or not, can I just throw any rda on top (with the protruding pin of course)?

Basically I want to know if there's anything I should be worried about at that price for a used mech


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[HondaDavidson]

If it a hybrid PASS..... hybrid means battery and atty make direct physical connection. FOR a first mech both the atty need to have a 510 pin.

Beyond that a mechs a mech... if treated right you get a great vape... if not you have a bad day.

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[twan013]

If it a hybrid PASS..... hybrid means battery and atty make direct physical connection. FOR a first mech both the atty need to have a 510 pin.

Beyond that a mechs a mech... if treated right you get a great vape... if not you have a bad day.

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I think I'm confused by your reply lol.. Yes the tugboat is a hybrid. That's not what I'm worried about. I know that the atomizer has to have a good enough protruding 510 center pin so it can make contact with the battery. Part of my question was (and maybe I didn't specifically mention it, my fault) if the guy is including the top cap and I decide to use it, will I have to get a specific RDA, or will it fit on any rda, depending on dimensions?

Or are you just suggesting that I skip it altogether and find a non-hybrid mech? Do those even exist?

Thanks and sorry for any confusion.


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[MaxPerilous]

I think I'm confused by your reply lol.. Yes the tugboat is a hybrid. That's not what I'm worried about. I know that the atomizer has to have a good enough protruding 510 center pin so it can make contact with the battery. Part of my question was (and maybe I didn't specifically mention it, my fault) if the guy is including the top cap and I decide to use it, will I have to get a specific RDA, or will it fit on any rda, depending on dimensions?

Or are you just suggesting that I skip it altogether and find a non-hybrid mech? Do those even exist?

Thanks and sorry for any confusion.


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Non Hybrid mech do indeed exist. Some have spring loaded 510's, some adjustable, some not.

For example, the Boxer bf mech mods have a spring loaded 510. My cheap boxer clone from china, non adjustable 510.

 

[HondaDavidson]

A guy from work offered me a tugboat for $40 and I'm tempted to take him up on the offer, but I wanted to consult you guys first. I don't know what version or anything is, but I'm assuming v2 because he said it has the blue splatter paint.

This will be my first mech but I've been studying and tinkering with steam engine. One thing that's throwing me off is the top cap that I've seen online as part of the kit, and lack of included RDA. Assuming that he's not including an rda, and whether the top cap comes with it or not, can I just throw any rda on top (with the protruding pin of course)?

Basically I want to know if there's anything I should be worried about at that price for a used mech


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ANY Atomizer as long as the pin sticks out well beyond the threads AND the build and coil are are a ohm rate your batteries can handle. Your good..... Leaks are almost as bad as too short a pin. SO, atty and mods maintenance a must. Make sure switch is always clean and battery not rattling and ohm rate not low enough to light the fuse..... VapeOn And Enjoy.

 

[twan013]

So I talked to the guy again today. He's bringing it to work tomorrow to let me look it over. But I was mistaken. It's not the tube mod like I thought. It's a dual battery parallel tugboat. So now for a whole 'nother round of questions regarding ohms law and batteries and whatnot.

As far as batteries go, I have vtc5's at my disposal. Rated at 20a, when I go to enter information into steam engine, would I double amperage to 40a? Also, as far as voltage goes and entering it into the engine, what should i be running? I know a fully charged battery will give 4.2v, but should I use 3.7 (or 7.4, since it's dual parallel) instead?


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[HondaDavidson]

3.7 volt as the voltage for parallel is the same as for a single battery.. Amps increase in parallel volts increase in series... but in series amps are as for single battery.

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[twan013]

So this is what I've entered into the ohms law calculator:

Supposing I want to have a .2 ohm build, keeping the voltage at 3.7, and it calculated the rest by itself. Does it look right? How would one determine that it is a safe setup?


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[KarmicRage]

I thought you were supposed to enter 4.2v to calculate the amp draw from a full battery?? Also that the drain on the battery becomes greater the less charged it is? Pretty sure anyway. A .2 build should draw 21 amps from a fully charged battery

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[KarmicRage]

Another thing that I have seen mentioned is that you don't double the amps for parallel, add half a battery rating on top of the other to be safe. So 20A batteries in parallel, for safety, should be 30A. Someone correct if I'm wrong like

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[HondaDavidson]

So this is what I've entered into the ohms law calculator:

Supposing I want to have a .2 ohm build, keeping the voltage at 3.7, and it calculated the rest by itself. Does it look right? How would one determine that it is a safe setup?


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AMP number.

for UNregulated and Un protected and MECH mods.... If the AMP number is LESS than the Amp rating of your battery or batteries, less an additional safety margin... Your Good.

 

[HondaDavidson]

Another thing that I have seen mentioned is that you don't double the amps for parallel, add half a battery rating on top of the other to be safe. So 20A batteries in parallel, for safety, should be 30A. Someone correct if I'm wrong like

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Technically it doubles, but using a number less than that is best for SAFETY.

 

[KarmicRage]

Thanks for clearing that up.

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[twan013]

Thanks HondaDavidson and others for helping me out. So the power/wattage doesn't really pertain to a mech/unregulated mod? I don't see how it could since there's no adjustments to be made. Unless that calculator just gives it for a reference. I could be and am probably wrong


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[KarmicRage]

No what you're seeing when you type in the numbers is the equivalent wattage on a regulated device or the w/h being drawn from the battery. So if you wanted the same sort of vape on a regulated device just input the same wattage as you see in the calculator.

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[HondaDavidson]

Mechs use ohms law.... Regulated use Watts law... two methods for finding amp draw where the parameter are different.

In a mech the coil draws power from the battey determines amp draw.... in a regulated mod The board draws power from the battery and converts that to power supplied to the coil....

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[fq06]

You said it was your first mech, would it also be your first vape device of any kind?
If you have another device, have you built your own coils? Or just used subohm tanks so far.

Just trying to get an idea of your experience. Seems like you've done some reading and have educated yourself more than a lot of people do, that's good. But some of your questions make me think you are very new at vaping.

If this is your first shot at building your own coils, I would lean towards a regulated device. It will protect you when you make a mistake, and you will make a mistake.

After you have spent some time building and gaining knowledge you can take the training wheels off and get a mech. That's how I would advise a friend if they asked.

Early in my vaping I went mech because the most power you could get out of a regulated back in the day was 12w so if you wanted more than a tootle puff experience, you had to get a mech.
Now the world is your oyster with regulated and they are dirt cheap compared to what they used to cost just a few years ago. For me, there is no reason to vape a mech other then nostalgia and I do once in a blue moon or maybe even once in a full solar eclipse

 

[twan013]

You said it was your first mech, would it also be your first vape device of any kind?
If you have another device, have you built your own coils? Or just used subohm tanks so far.

Just trying to get an idea of your experience. Seems like you've done some reading and have educated yourself more than a lot of people do, that's good. But some of your questions make me think you are very new at vaping.

If this is your first shot at building your own coils, I would lean towards a regulated device. It will protect you when you make a mistake, and you will make a mistake.

After you have spent some time building and gaining knowledge you can take the training wheels off and get a mech. That's how I would advise a friend if they asked.

Early in my vaping I went mech because the most power you could get out of a regulated back in the day was 12w so if you wanted more than a tootle puff experience, you had to get a mech.
Now the world is your oyster with regulated and they are dirt cheap compared to what they used to cost just a few years ago. For me, there is no reason to vape a mech other then nostalgia and I do once in a blue moon or maybe even once in a full solar eclipse

I gotta admit at first I thought this was going to be an a-hole "do you even vape bro" type response. Lol. I started vaping back in the days of cartomizers. Then started again earlier this year. I just recently started wrapping my own coils (either 24g kanthal or premade Clapton's and the like) but haven't gotten around to making my own fancy wire.

I actually had two mechs back in the day. A Zeus tube mod which in all reality was nothing special, and a phideas wooden bottom feeder. I loved the phideas but the bottle kept leaking and it warped the wood.

Ultimately I would like a competition ready mech tube but I can't justify paying $100+ for a metal tube with a few extra pieces. Plus I don't see myself entering any cloud comps so what's the use. Being a tinkerer, I'd probably be better off buying one of those kits so I can build my own box mod.

I still want a tube mod though, so I'll probably pass up the tugboat and get a coilart mage kit later on.


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[fq06]

Right on, carto 12w days lol.

If I were getting a mech I would probably lean towards a mosfet box to avoid the pain in the ass of cleaning contacts at least weekly. That's really what pushed me back into regulated, once they could push 50w, I moved on from mechs. I like to tinker too, but that kind of tinkering maintenance got old.

Just to get back into it, why not check out some of the tubes at fasttech? $10 tube of your choice and the battery you have, a $10 dripper and you're in business 2 weeks later

Have fun with it bro

 

[fq06]

Oh yeah, and build your own box at some point. I think everyone should have at least one DIY box in their collection

 

[twan013]

Just to get back into it, why not check out some of the tubes at fasttech? $10 tube of your choice and the battery you have, a $10 dripper and you're in business 2 weeks later

Have fun with it bro

When it comes to clones (or even authentics), is there much of a difference in functionality between each one? I get that different materials used will make a difference in conductivity. And some mods have smoother threading than others. But other than these two differences, are there any better than the others or is it more of a personal preference?


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[MaxPerilous]

Clones are always hit and miss. My boxer clone, 100% NOTHING like the real thing. Cosmetically on the surface maybe, but no other similarities. My clone goons, very similar with minor differences.

 

[twan013]

By the way, I've pretty much opted out of the mod that was originally in question. It's hot neon pink and the door is the zombie green with red splatter. I'm somewhat ok with the pink but not the mismatched door. Yeah I'm weird. I could paint it but don't know how to get around the engravings. So I reckon pooptech it is for me. I found a smpl clone with velocity v2 clone for $16ish.


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[fq06]

When it comes to clones (or even authentics), is there much of a difference in functionality between each one? I get that different materials used will make a difference in conductivity. And some mods have smoother threading than others. But other than these two differences, are there any better than the others or is it more of a personal preference?


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The button is pretty much it when it comes to tube mechs. Locking or recessed, spring or magnet.
A cooper tube is a copper tube.