Become a Patron!

Note to self: Buy no more regulated mods.

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Awesome. Got one of the rams and an Azeroth for $15 shipped. Even my wife can't get too mad at this deal.
I thought they were out of the Axeroths?

Ohh that was the kit that is sold out.
I declined the Azeroth due to my only using 18650 batts.
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I thought they were out of the Axeroths?

Ohh that was the kit that is sold out.
I declined the Azeroth due to my only using 18650 batts.
I have several 20700 and 21700 batteries not getting any use since I rarely us my tubes (most are 2x700) so I figured why not for $3.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I have several 20700 and 21700 batteries not getting any use since I rarely us my tubes (most are 2x700) so I figured why not for $3.
I almost pulled the trigger on them too but my Vape bunker is getting full.
Should be more really good deals in the next few months.

Now if some just had Pico Squeeze for $3.99... I might buy 20 :)
I know i would if they were white :D
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I almost pulled the trigger on them too but my Vape bunker is getting full.
Should be more really good deals in the next few months.
True. These will likely go into storage. Waiting a a couple of more w2's, but when I get income tax refund I'll be getting either another SQ 18650 or another Cycloid squonker and a higher end RDA.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
True. These will likely go into storage. Waiting a a couple of more w2's, but when I get income tax refund I'll be getting either another SQ 18650 or another Cycloid squonker and a higher end RDA.


One of the joys of a low/no debt retirement. No refunds and no federal taxes either.
No mortgage or car payment so no have to work a paying job.

which is a darned good thing considering my back...

And medicare so no working just for insurance like I did for 3 years...
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Sold the 1 and only smok i had a fee days ago. Happy to be rid of it

I have 2 old Smok 60W mods with replaceable batteries but 2 screws holding the battery doors on :)
they are in the back of the last resort box. got them for $10 each a few years ago. Only Smok stuff I have. Had 3 VTC4 mini tanks I got cheap but not wild about them an piffed them out a couple of years ago.
 

Wb80

-DIY-demon-
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
I have 2 old Smok 60W mods with replaceable batteries but 2 screws holding the battery doors on :)
they are in the back of the last resort box. got them for $10 each a few years ago. Only Smok stuff I have. Had 3 VTC4 mini tanks I got cheap but not wild about them an piffed them out a couple of years ago.
Guy at work wanted something to blow cloud wiyh when drinks(2 help keep a cigg outa hit hands). The v9 max i sold him was perfect for his needs.
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
One of the joys of a low/no debt retirement. No refunds and no federal taxes either.
No mortgage or car payment so no have to work a paying job.

which is a darned good thing considering my back...

And medicare so no working just for insurance like I did for 3 years...
I hope to get there one day. Not sure I'll ever get to retire. Cars are almost paid for and we plan to drive them into the ground. Unfortunately living in a big city the risk of a crash and forced replacement is high.
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I have 2 old Smok 60W mods with replaceable batteries but 2 screws holding the battery doors on :)
they are in the back of the last resort box. got them for $10 each a few years ago. Only Smok stuff I have. Had 3 VTC4 mini tanks I got cheap but not wild about them an piffed them out a couple of years ago.
I have 2 regulated I use on a regular basis, but everything else is mech or mosfet.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I hope to get there one day. Not sure I'll ever get to retire. Cars are almost paid for and we plan to drive them into the ground. Unfortunately living in a big city the risk of a crash and forced replacement is high.
Yeah no more new cars for me. last one I bought for the wife she totaled it and I lost 14k on the deal due to depreciation.
I spent 3k on a blazer another 2 k in tires, brakes, shocks, etc and have driven it for 3 years and about 50K miles and still going.
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
I almost pulled the trigger on them too but my Vape bunker is getting full.
Should be more really good deals in the next few months.

Now if some just had Pico Squeeze for $3.99... I might buy 20 :)
I know i would if they were white :D

Yes, the closer we get to May, the more deals we’ll be seeing. Unfortunately.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Did you get in on the Ram Stentorian squonkers?
I bought 4 even though they are not white...

No, not yet. I'm going to be tied dropping $8 per kit on another kit for a while. *chuckles* It is not a squonk kit either, rather it is a dripping kit. :D :)
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
So your selling all your regulated? Lol

I just may in all seriousness. I've only got the one.
Got two old Itaste sticks seldom used.
Everything else is mechanical,

I am blaming @gopher_byrd for converting me to a dripping kit now.
Ultimately though guess my vaping journey genuinely began with @Hank F. Spankman.

"You have to try a mechanical," he wrote to me.
"Hank, I don't like dripping," I responded back.
"Well, try squonking. It has to be mechanical though," he prodded.
"I've never used a mech," I tried to argue.
"All the more reason to get one," he exclaimed.

Before that I was using evod style tanks and Ego styled batteries. The biggest exploring I had done was trying an MVP box mod, a poly-carbonate tank which taught me what tank cracking juice is about. Hawk Sauce cracked it.

Now, I've realized either way you're putting juice on the coil/s and wick. Found out too dripping doesn't need to mean a mess. Have also come to comprehend being safe, practice being safe a great bit too. Then, also realize you can be locked away in a pristine environment, given all safety, ... you can still blow up. That's how it goes also for fictional characters. Character goes along fine, life is good, pow! Darn shame they didn't see the bus that ran over them.

That could lead a person to ponder a lot. It can also lead to madness, think my padded walls speak to that. :)
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
You can’t compare every regulated to Smok. And even Smok has some decent mods- it’s the law of averages, if nothing else!

I don't know. You might be able to do that. I'm not saying this being rude or "smart", either. There's a bigger picture at play though. Smok has taken up the standard of low dollar vaping gear. That means it is then the base line for all other vaping gear. Smok even competes in the low dollar clones / styled as market. There's a lot more to Smok you have to consider. Won't offer a history or encyclopedia version here presently, suffice it that Smok is part of an industry leadership cadre.
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
I don't know. You might be able to do that. I'm not saying this being rude or "smart", either. There's a bigger picture at play though. Smok has taken up the standard of low dollar vaping gear. That means it is then the base line for all other vaping gear. Smok even competes in the low dollar clones / styled as market. There's a lot more to Smok you have to consider. Won't offer a history or encyclopedia version here presently, suffice it that Smok is part of an industry leadership cadre.

I just meant that I used to be down on Smok, having had a few of my earliest mods from them die really quickly. Then, I heard a few people say that they’ve been using Smok mods for years. So, I’m not sure if all of them are crappy, or if it’s just the ones I had that were. Will I buy a Smok mod now? Prolly not.

But there are members that love their Smok Aliens, or whatever they’re using. But for me, two out of three of my very first mods ever died after a few weeks...on the same day, yet!

But the lone surviving AIO works fine. :teehee:
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
What is mosfet?

The wiki answer.

The quick non-technical but somewhat knowledgeable answer: they are chips which keep a mechanical mod from shorting, venting, exploding. Simple "safety" type switches that if "something goes wrong" give users a graceful saving. This is vaping related in scope though, MOSFETS are everywhere and do a variety of tasks.

So, I’m not sure if all of them are crappy, or if it’s just the ones I had that were. Will I buy a Smok mod now? Prolly not.
But there are members that love their Smok Aliens, or whatever they’re using. But for me, two out of three of my very first mods ever died after a few weeks...on the same day, yet!

I’m not sure if all of them are crappy, or if it’s just the ones I had that were.

No, not all of them are crappy. I paid the Smok people to deliver you inferior goods though. If I would not have done that, @The Cromwell or @JuicyLucy would have for sure, maybe even @f1r3b1rd or @KingPin! . You see we all pay Smok to send out crappy gear to people just for giggles. We've nothing better to do. :) :p

Seriously, no, not all of their gear is junk. I have used some of their gear and it hasn't been junk. There again, I've used Smok gear that was junk. I've used Eleaf gear that was/was not junk too. Point being there's a rule "shit happens". This rule is more in effect around guys named Murphy. He even has a law about it.

Will I buy Smok again? All depends, cost, if it's something really, really, shiny .... maybe. I have to think on it, but I just might.

Although I'm more doubting it. After all I'm using mechs. :)
 
Last edited:

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
The wiki answer.

The quick non-technical but somewhat knowledgeable answer: they are chips which keep a mechanical mod from shorting, venting, exploding. Simple "safety" type switches that if "something goes wrong" give users a graceful saving. This is vaping related in scope though, MOSFETS are everywhere and do a variety of tasks.





No, not all of them are crappy. I paid the Smok people to deliver you inferior goods though. If I would not have done that, @The Cromwell or @JuicyLucy would have for sure, maybe even @f1r3b1rd or @KingPin! . You see we all pay Smok to send out crappy gear to people just for giggles. We've nothing better to do. :) :p

Seriously, no, not all of their gear is junk. I have used some of their gear and it hasn't been junk. There again, I've used Smok gear that was junk. I've used Eleaf gear that was/was not junk too. Point being there's a rule "shit happens". This rule is more in effect around guys named Murphy. He even has a law about it.

Will I buy Smok again? All depends, cost, if it's something really, really, shiny .... maybe. I have to think on it, but I just might.

Although I'm more doubting it. After all I'm using mechs. :)

So mosfet is a protection thingy for mechs? That sounds good. I’m afraid of venting or whatever with mechs. Although I do have one put away, for just in case. Maybe I can get a mosfet one. For my vapageddon stash, which feels way too close.

If I knew how to build, I’d prolly use them too.
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
So mosfet is a protection thingy for mechs? That sounds good. I’m afraid of venting or whatever with mechs. Although I do have one put away, for just in case. Maybe I can get a mosfet one. For my vapageddon stash, which feels way too close.

If I knew how to build, I’d prolly use them too.
Build, shmuild. Buy them like I do. It's not that difficult to do with practice, but there's plenty of pre builts at decent prices.
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
Build, shmuild. Buy them like I do. It's not that difficult to do with practice, but there's plenty of pre builts at decent prices.

Do the protected ones have electronics like regulated? I don’t want a mech that is super hard hitting. I’m not sure why people like that whole thing.
I’ve been sticking with VW since I can adjust it to how I like it. But if I could get a mellow vape with mechs, I’d try them.
 

f1r3b1rd

https://cookingwithlegs.com/
Staff member
Senior Moderator
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
The hit in a mech is dependent on build
Basically you find a few builds you like and stick to it.

If you want 50w at 3.8v you build at a 0.28
 

DonBaldy

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Do the protected ones have electronics like regulated? I don’t want a mech that is super hard hitting. I’m not sure why people like that whole thing.
I’ve been sticking with VW since I can adjust it to how I like it. But if I could get a mellow vape with mechs, I’d try them.
"Hard hitting" has more to do with the conductivity and construction of the mod. You can put any coil in that you choose so long as it doesn't exceed the amperage of your battery. Read up on ohm's law, use coil calculators if you don't want to do the math long hand, and practice battery safety. Adjust the coil you use to suit your vape. There are many here that will explain it much better than I and I'm sue would be more than willing to help you find the build for you.
 
Last edited:

f1r3b1rd

https://cookingwithlegs.com/
Staff member
Senior Moderator
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
See @Rhianne I told you someone would explain better than I.
I just take the out the gobbily goop and save the density, molarity and conductivity of 'x' metal for discussions with people of like minds.
 
One of the joys of a low/no debt retirement. No refunds and no federal taxes either.
No mortgage or car payment so no have to work a paying job.

which is a darned good thing considering my back...

And medicare so no working just for insurance like I did for 3 years...
I want to live like you. I still have 15 years to can do it.

In Europe the Healthcare public systems are the best for retirees.

Enviado desde mi Mi A2 mediante Tapatalk
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
So mosfet is a protection thingy for mechs?

Avoiding gobbledygook? Yep, that fairly summarizes the long and short of it. Though the chips offer a bit of protection, you need to be aware if you got a mosfet and the mech doesn't fire, you need to check something before going further. All the chip is for is to act as a "no no" sensor, as in:

"no no you can't fire a coil at 0.01 Ω on a 10 amp battery" (High likelihood of explosion imminent)

"no no you can't fire your 0.40 Ω because it's dead shorted" (Gah! Need to rebuild)

"no no you can't fire because the battery is lower than 3.7 volts" (Ugh, need to recharge battery)

"no no, I don't know what gives but I'm not letting you fire, check it out dumb ass" ("Hey, ya wanna be safe right?")

With mechanical mods though you can run a quick short list for trouble shooting, fix the problem with a certain level of ease. Whereas with regulated mods, one transistor out of 200 goes wonky it can make the mod a "brick". And it might not even be that particular transistor causing the problem. The device's "board" just might have gotten a wild hair up its ass.

They even have what was dubbed and sold as "kicks" for tube mechs. They looked something similar to this. That is designed for that particular tube mech costing about $29. They did sell just the chip "boards" that were cut/made to fit into tube mods at one time. Once a company started doing it and a lot of people picked up on it and demand for the "boards" emerged.

If I knew how to build, I’d prolly use them too.

1. Get a metal rod 2 or 3 mm in diameter.

2. Check Steam Engine for the type of wire you have, type of coil build you want.

3. Wrap the wire around your rod. (Yes, I know it is a repeat link. That emphasizes just using a metal rod or even wooden dowel, a "mandrel" or "jig" to wrap a bit of wire around in circular fashion. That is roughly all there is to building, that and some basic knowledge.)

4. Insert coil into RDA/RDTA/RBA deck where there are posts (usually) having holes for wire "lead" ends called "legs". (Really good video)

5. Tighten up grub screws to lock wire coil in place.

6. Tweak, fire, tweak until you get coil/s where they fire evenly and glow nicely, blueing your coil. ( Grimm Green, can't knock a Grimm. :) )

7. Wick coil. (Yes, other ways to wick exist. Other wick material exists as well. I've even heard of someone using quartz crystals to wick. Scottish roll using organic cotton is probably about the leading way to wick. If you want other ways.)

8. Check coil ohm reading on ohm meter. You want to look for around 0.30 - 0.50 in my case (that's preferred build zone) and you can go say to 0.25 to 0.55 for tolerances. I don't like going but maybe 0.01 - 0.03 +/- from my "target" build. And yes, when I started out I rebuilt plenty.

Once you get some experience you kind of recall Kanthal 26 gauge at 3 mm Inner diameter takes 5 wraps to get about 0.35 Ω, SS316L (same gauge) if I recall correctly needs 7 wraps, NiCh 80 I don't bother recalling as I don't use it as much as Kanthal or Stainless.

9. Saturate wick, put RDA/RDTA/RBA back on mod, .... fire and vape away.

There's also ...


He's pretty well on the mark with a lot of his stuff. And of course you can always. The most difficulty is Ohm's Law and if you have a good idea where to look you can find online calculators such as Steam Engine to guide you to safely build coil/s. Be aware though sites like Steam Engine are only guides. You ought to practice building with an ohm meter/TAB until you get a feel/experience for building to your desired resistance/s. Even after you got the experience it is still a wise idea to use a meter prior to vaping on a coil to ensure you're building (a) good coil/s build. I do most of the time, other times I trust experience. This is something you need to weigh yourself.
 
Last edited:

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
One technical point I want to Make.
There are MOSFET mods (mostly DIY) and there are switchFET mods. They are NOT the same.
MOSFET Mods use a MOSFET to switch the current to the atomizer, but have no 5 click on off, low resistance, etc protections.
SwitchFET mods have low resistance, 5 click on off, etc Protections.
Most all unregulated non mechanical mods you buy are switchfet mods.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Do the protected ones have electronics like regulated? I don’t want a mech that is super hard hitting. I’m not sure why people like that whole thing.
I’ve been sticking with VW since I can adjust it to how I like it. But if I could get a mellow vape with mechs, I’d try them.
People like hard hitting mechs because, these mechs have a smaller voltage drop so less battery power gets converted to heat inside the actual mechs themselves (what they call power loss, the amount of power that goes to waste inside the mech as a result from the resistance of the mech in question) thus giving higher power to the coil(s), but that, as others have stated, you can always still compensate for, by building your coil(s) to slightly higher ohms. (And/or compensate by selecting a battery that has a slightly higher internal resistance if that's what you prefer, because, this can in fact be worth considering as long as doing so won't exceed the battery's own safety limitations of course.)

A "mellow vape" usually translates to using lower wattages if I'm guessing correct. As I'm sure you already know, using lower wattages also means drawing less amps from the battery, giving you a wider range of different batteries to choose between, i.e. due to the battery safety relationship between the CDR of the battery and how many amps you're going to draw from the battery. As a consequence from having more available battery options at your disposal when you take your pick, this also opens up the road to being more able to go for a battery with a slightly higher resistance giving you a higher battery capacity in return, for example.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
MOSFET Mods use a MOSFET to switch the current to the atomizer, but have no 5 click on off, low resistance, etc protections.

Thank you. I knew there was a bit I had not quite caught. :)

So the MOSFET will not link to a display to spit out an error code. That's up to to the user to figure out what's going on. This is where the short trouble shooting list comes to play.

1. Dead short (Coil/s legs burned/melted through / metal debris in the post holes from previous build/s / coil crimped on itself -- All in best fix is to rebuild new build and install it after checking/cleaning atty.)
2. Low battery (Put battery on to charge in proper charging device. Swap in a battery that is charged and has "rested" a few hours.)
3. Wrong resistance/battery (Use proper battery/ies and learn about battery safety.)
4. Fire mechanism (spring/lever arm) error (Fix / replace spring / fire arm.)
5. Connectivity problem (MOSFET useful to keep from electrical arcing as it acts the switch between the connctions.)

Those to me seem the most often trouble areas. I'm sure there's more but these are a good "quick start".

@Rhianne , you owe me (1) 10 oz cup of hot coffee. It doesn't need to be any kind of fancy coffee either. Only black, strong, hot, fully caffeinated so I can add roughly half teaspoon of powdered creamer, two teaspoons of sugar. Yes, decaf coffee kills me. :) My coffee went cold looking up youtube videos for you.

One other point regarding MOSFETS: Once one has an "error" you likely need to replace it as it won't go back to operating. But, at least they are manufactured and sold (Mini 10A Switch - 12mm as example) affordably and you know it's simply one chip/transistor and it can be replaced easily enough. If FDV (Fat Daddy Vapes) shop doesn't have it listed, email and ask.
 
Last edited:

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
1. Get a metal rod 2 or 3 mm in diameter.
Could also be 2.5mm or 3.5mm, if that's what ends up working better for you. As pointed out in the Sherlock Hohms video you linked, it just depends.
2. Check Steam Engine for the type of wire you have, type of coil build you want.
I'll add that Steam Engine has lots of shortcomings. It is more suitable as a learning tool, a crude but still effective introduction to people who are new to basic coil design principles. Loads more info is to be found in the coil building section here on the forum, like you said near the end of your post, and, there are no stupid questions... only stupid answers. (I noticed near the end of your post you also said it's just a guide, but IMO in several many ways Steam Engine just adds unnecessary confusion that often proves to be the source of false myth-like stubborn misrepresentations that stuck.)
3. Wrap the wire around your rod.

4. Insert coil into RDA/RDTA/RBA deck where there are posts (usually) having holes for wire "lead" ends called "legs". (Really good video)

5. Tighten up grub screws to lock wire coil in place.
Caution. Do not overtighten the screws. You want to lock the coil legs firmly in place, but you don't want to squash them so bad that you run the potential risk of one of the legs snapping off while vaping.
6. Tweak, fire, tweak until you get coil/s where they fire evenly and glow nicely, blueing your coil. ( Grimm Green, can't knock a Grimm. :) )
Caution. Tweaking the coils can be a bit overwhelming at first. Always remember to verify that the coil legs are still locked firmly in place after all the tweaking is finished, as they may have loosened up somewhat as a result from tweaking... the screws don't usually loosen themselves up, but the actual wire can be a different story altogether─it depends. So re-tighten the screws, but, again, do not overtighten the screws.
7. Wick coil. (Yes, other ways to wick exist. Other wick material exists as well. I've even heard of someone using quartz crystals to wick. Scottish roll using organic cotton is probably about the leading way to wick. If you want other ways.)
Scottish roll is probably THE most overhyped way to wick:

Pure organic cotton (Koh Gen Do pads, Cotton Bacon 2.0, etc...) in cohort with knowledge gained from true own personal experience is the leading way to wick.
Always remember to re-verify that the coil build neither is touching nor is almost touching the deck or the inside of the chamber (both the barrel and the chuff if using an RDA that uses a chuff). If it is almost touching, it may end up touching while vaping, as freshly built coils often tend to move themselves very slowly (so that you might not notice right away) out of position just a little bit... your ohms reader won't be warning you about the fact that this may happen if you forgot to check.
You want to look for around 0.30 - 0.50 in my case (that's preferred build zone) and you can go say to 0.25 to 0.55 for tolerances. I don't like going but maybe 0.01 - 0.03 +/- from my "target" build. And yes, when I started out I rebuilt plenty.

Once you get some experience you kind of recall Kanthal 26 gauge at 3 mm Inner diameter takes 5 wraps to get about 0.35 Ω, SS316L (same gauge) if I recall correctly needs 7 wraps, NiCh 80 I don't bother recalling as I don't use it as much as Kanthal or Stainless.

9. Saturate wick, put RDA/RDTA/RBA back on mod, .... fire and vape away.
After putting the cap/glass back on the build deck, re-measure the ohms before putting the atomizer back on your mech, just as another precaution if you're using a mech. (I know we're talking about learning to build so we're talking about regulated mods, but we're also talking about maybe starting to use a mech when the time comes so, it's better to start to finally acknowledge the simple fact that battery safety, per Mooch, also includes that the built-in safety protections of a regulated mod can always fail so they should not be relied upon anyway in the first place, and, after moving to a mech, you have less chance to forget if you learn these kinds of important details immediately from the start... that is, learn to always remember them BEFORE moving to a mech, and, actually, your own safety will thank you for it, even, if you decide NOT to move to a mech after all.)
There's also ...


He's pretty well on the mark with a lot of his stuff. And of course you can always. The most difficulty is Ohm's Law and if you have a good idea where to look you can find online calculators such as Steam Engine to guide you to safely build coil/s. Be aware though sites like Steam Engine are only guides. You ought to practice building with an ohm meter/TAB until you get a feel/experience for building to your desired resistance/s. Even after you got the experience it is still a wise idea to use a meter prior to vaping on a coil to ensure you're building (a) good coil/s build. I do most of the time, other times I trust experience. This is something you need to weigh yourself.
 

VU Sponsors

Top