Stingray X clone owners, need some help please

Nikkita6 said:

Well, to offer the OP some insight, I can tell you who DOES NOT make the X clone sold by 101. It is not SXK, Skorite, or iVOGO .. nor it is the redesigned Stingray X switch, that is the old Stingray switch design. Also, it looks like brass, not copper, and the Stingray X is stainless steel wrapped copper mod,not brass.

I agree with the comments, 101 is a very good vendor, and I have purchased plenty from them, and I am satisfied with 100% of everything that I have ever received from them. However, I am shocked to see that they are selling a half ass Stingray X clone. I would not buy that based on the switch alone, its pointless. The beauty of the new X is the copper inner tubes, and the new switch design.

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Nikkita6 said:

Well, to offer the OP some insight, I can tell you who DOES NOT make the X clone sold by 101. It is not SXK, Skorite, or iVOGO .. nor it is the redesigned Stingray X switch, that is the old Stingray switch design. Also, it looks like brass, not copper, and the Stingray X is stainless steel wrapped copper mod,not brass.

I agree with the comments, 101 is a very good vendor, and I have purchased plenty from them, and I am satisfied with 100% of everything that I have ever received from them. However, I am shocked to see that they are selling a half ass Stingray X clone. I would not buy that based on the switch alone, its pointless. The beauty of the new X is the copper inner tubes, and the new switch design.

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Slicknic said:

Good post Nikkita6, I didn't know the X had a new switch design.

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skenzer said:

Just curious, do you know if SXK's clone is any good? I'm looking at buying an SXK stingray X
Thanks

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Alan Woltemath said:

so i just got my second sxk stingray x mod from focal ecig and the quality is terrible compared to my first one. It is a night and day difference. The tubes are not seamless, the button is crunchy, the copper on the drip tip is totally jacked to where it will not sit flush with my rda, the tubes are scratched. The list goes on. My first one was top notch but the second is trash. So Dissapointing that quality control has gone down. My first one had serial number 351, the second one is 2443. This tells me the quality control for later batches have declined.

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skenzer said:

Hey there,
I'm looking to buy a Stingray X brass clone. I would prefer buying form 101Vapes but the one they have has an odd looking button setup. That is, compared to the 1:1 clones I've seen. I've looked at Focalecig, Fasttech, etc but am wondering what the deal is on that 101Vapes version button? There is one review on 101vapes but the reviewer doesn't get into the button setup much.

I contacted them and asked who the manufacturer was of their Stingray X mod and they said it was "undisclosed". Whatever that means?

Anybody buy their Stingray X clone from 101Vapes? Or from someplace else and have had a really good experience with it? FT has the best price but as usual it will "ship in 7 business days".

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Alan Woltemath said:

so i just got my second sxk stingray x mod from focal ecig and the quality is terrible compared to my first one. It is a night and day difference. The tubes are not seamless, the button is crunchy, the copper on the drip tip is totally jacked to where it will not sit flush with my rda, the tubes are scratched. The list goes on. My first one was top notch but the second is trash. So Dissapointing that quality control has gone down. My first one had serial number 351, the second one is 2443. This tells me the quality control for later batches have declined.

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Nikkita6 said:

Ouff! That sucks! Check out my review for it because I actually covered this point about qc in my review, and it will be SXK's downfall if they don't keep it together. When SXK is point, no one is better, but it seems that when they F up, they do it in royal fashion! I would be looking for a return if I were you

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• Overall, the build quality is very nice. Seams are tight, only slightly visible. Engravings are deep and well done.
• Copper tubing is quite stunning actually. The top cap is a thing of beauty
• Threads are quite smooth except for one exception. When I tried to screw the top cap onto the base tube (18350 mode) they were quite bad. In fact, at first I thought it wouldn't screw on at all. After a bit of effort, and being very careful, it screwed on fine.
• The button reminds me a lot of my Nemesis button. Actually, my Nemesis button is interchangeable with the Stingray X button. Not that it's important in any way, just wanted to mention it. The button can fire really smooth. I say "can" because like my Nemesis button, I have to figure out it's sweet spot. I can't describe it really, but if you tighten it too much, it's a bit crunchy, if it's tightened just right, it's wonderful. I think it will be top notch once it's broken in and lubed up right.
• The biggest issue with the switch is the screw. If it's tightened down all of the way the mod won't fire. The screw won't stick out far enough o make contact with the base of the battery. I have to unscrew the screw about a half turn in order to get it to fire. The only issue I see with this is by intentionally loosening the screw I wonder if it will continue to loosen over time and the switch will come apart.
• The button holds the weight of the mod, an 18650 VTC5 and one of my heaviest RDA's, the Vulcan. It has not auto fired on my yet due to weight. Good news!
• The drip tip is really nice. Extremely comfortable. I really prefer wide bore drip tips and this one has a relatively nice wide bore to it.
• The hybrid cap is solid brass and threads on (yes, i'm going to say it) like butter. Ugh, i'm so sick of that saying!
• 22mm RDA's really look nice on this thing, especially with the hybrid adapter.

TheHebs said:

So last week I decided to purchase a stingray X clone. I found this thread (and others) where people said that the infinite and sxk (the same, supposedly) are the best. I purchased one of these on ebay, as they claim to be SXK: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251599012203

They claim that they ordered them from SXK with copper pins, but also ordered silver plated copper pins and would ship them separately for a few bucks. I thought it would be cool to do the voltage drop comparison between the 2 types of pins, so I ordered it from them.

I received the mod quickly but I am not thrilled about the quality, and I am curious if it is really from SXK. The switch was very cruncy so I decided to try to polish some of the parts, and in the process, the magnet fell out and broke in half on the garage floor:

I had to make a spring of 26 awg kanthal to make do until I get some replacements from fatdaddy vapes. What size magnets do I need?

The serial also concerns, me as it is a generic 001:

The seems dont seem as nice as the ones I saw in other pics of the SXK:

I havent seen an authentic to compare to, but when I posted a pic on the juice junkies facebook group, the first comments were bashing the seems, and the engravings, compared to the authentic:

The threads and inside of the copper tube were pretty gross. I posted pics on the fb group and they said its just machine oil, but it looks pretty shotty to me:

The Infinite clones I saw were in a long box that said "Mod" on it, and also said Infinite. Some of the SXK clones I have seen come in the same box, but simply do not say Infinite. The box mine came in looks like this:

Here is a full album of pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/103956...&authkey=Gv1sRgCJSBw9eagJzpOg&feat=directlink

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TheHebs said:

I emailed the vendor earlier:

Me: I received the mod, however it does not look to be the quality of the infinite/sxk clones I have seen in the past. The button is suuuuper crunchy and does not fire at all unless i push directly in the center of the button. The box does not look like the boxes I have seen the sxk/infinite clones come in either. Also SXK and Infinite both ship their clones with the silver plated copper pins. I know you said you would send me the silver plated copper pins, but the fact that it didnt come with the OEM leads me to believe that these are not SXK/Infinite.

Vendor:
Hi. SXK/Infinite are Wholesalers. It works a little differently in China than it does over here. Both of those companies only have about 20 or less people that work for them. They don't manufacture anything. They just have a knack for picking the best built mods for each particular model. Basically, they are sent a few different sample mods from a few different factories. Then, they pick which one they like the best and then order their mod from that factory. Now, they get different model mods from different factories. It just depends on which one they like for that model. Say, they buy their Red Copper stingray mods from factory A. When the Stingray X came out, they like different factory's sample better. So they buy those from Factory B. So, it can change depending on which sample they decide to go with. They usually keep the same longer rectangle boxes. Then they have the factory print "Infinite" on the box as well.
We have an agent that finds out which factory they are using for each mod and then go directly to the factory. Last time we sold the Red Copper Stingrays. We had some issues with the longer box fitting in our preferred bubble mailers (especially when people bought more than one). So we went with the premium boxes. They cost a little more, but fit better.
We also had the option to get the solid copper pins or the silver plated copper pins. We weren't sure which ones Infinite or SXK were going to go with. Our samples showed less voltage drop with the solid copper ones. Well, Infinite ordered the Silver-Plated ones. Some of our customers (brick and mortar stores) wanted the silver pins. So, we went back to the factory and ordered them. -That's where we are today. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Dan

- sleepyhollowvapes

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skenzer said:

Even the Serial # is wrong. Way wrong. If it were an SXK or Infinite it should be a lot higher. Unless of course you were like the luckiest person in the world and got the VERY FIRST one made!

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anxdiety said:

Curious but with SXK/Infinite and their serial numbers, are they sequential between both SXK and Infinite? I just got my Infinite Stingray X and it's a mere 0066 for a serial. Feeling rather lucky it's that low.

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TheHebs said:

Where did you order yours? Does it look like mine, or like the review i posted above? How does the switch feel? How are the seems?

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anxdiety said:

Curious but with SXK/Infinite and their serial numbers, are they sequential between both SXK and Infinite? I just got my Infinite Stingray X and it's a mere 0066 for a serial. Feeling rather lucky it's that low.

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anxdiety said:

In a group buy. Looks just like the reviews; Infinite box, virtually seamless, exact same issue with the delrin inside being a touch too thick.

The pictures above are definitely not the same as the one I have. The logo is different with the engraving. See the review posted here and compare the tail of the y to yours.

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TheHebs said:

So last week I decided to purchase a stingray X clone. I found this thread (and others) where people said that the infinite and sxk (the same, supposedly) are the best. I purchased one of these on ebay, as they claim to be SXK: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251599012203

They claim that they ordered them from SXK with copper pins, but also ordered silver plated copper pins and would ship them separately for a few bucks. I thought it would be cool to do the voltage drop comparison between the 2 types of pins, so I ordered it from them.

I received the mod quickly but I am not thrilled about the quality, and I am curious if it is really from SXK. The switch was very crunchy so I decided to try to polish some of the parts, and in the process, the magnet fell out and broke in half on the garage floor:

I had to make a spring of 26 awg kanthal to make do until I get some replacements from fatdaddy vapes. What size magnets do I need?

The serial also concerns me, as it is a generic 001. It also almost looks like the 00 and the 1 are a different font and different height... :

The seems dont seem as nice as the ones I saw in other pics of the SXK:

I havent seen an authentic to compare to, but when I posted a pic on the juice junkies facebook group, the first comments were bashing the seems, and the engravings, compared to the authentic:

The threads and inside of the copper tube were pretty gross. I posted pics on the fb group and they said its just machine oil, but it looks pretty shotty to me:

The Infinite clones I saw were in a long box that said "Mod" on it, and also said Infinite. Some of the SXK clones I have seen come in the same box, but simply do not say Infinite. The box mine came in looks like this:

Here is a full album of pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/103956...&authkey=Gv1sRgCJSBw9eagJzpOg&feat=directlink

Click to expand...

skenzer said:

Hey there,
Sorry to say, based on the photo's you provided, this is NOT an SXK mod. NO WAY, NO HOW. Nor is it an Infinite clone either.
The box is wrong (should be a longer black box), the seams look terrible, the seam between the inner copper tube and the outer tube are wrong. I'm not trying to be mean, i'm actually pissed off for you. I hate sellers that do this! I could be totally wrong....but I'm 99.99% certain this is not either SXK or Infinite. If it is, it's a really, really bad one.
It looks like it might be a Skorite clone? But I think even the Skorite clones on Fasttech look a lot nicer then the one you have. If you look at your top cap, does the copper stick out or is it inset into the stainless?
Even the Serial # is wrong. Way wrong. If it were an SXK or Infinite it should be a lot higher. Unless of course you were like the luckiest person in the world and got the VERY FIRST one made!
I would so be contacting the seller, or better yet, Paypal and eBay and get a refund. Even if it is an SXK, no way, but even if it is SXK or Infinite it's a really bad one.
BTW. that magnet size is 16x11x1 from what I've read. Can't say for certain but that's the best info I've been able to find so far.

Good luck! And you should post the ebay seller's info so we can all stay away from them!

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TheHebs said:

I emailed the vendor earlier:

Me: I received the mod, however it does not look to be the quality of the infinite/sxk clones I have seen in the past. The button is suuuuper crunchy and does not fire at all unless i push directly in the center of the button. The box does not look like the boxes I have seen the sxk/infinite clones come in either. Also SXK and Infinite both ship their clones with the silver plated copper pins. I know you said you would send me the silver plated copper pins, but the fact that it didnt come with the OEM leads me to believe that these are not SXK/Infinite.

Vendor:
Hi. SXK/Infinite are Wholesalers. It works a little differently in China than it does over here. Both of those companies only have about 20 or less people that work for them. They don't manufacture anything. They just have a knack for picking the best built mods for each particular model. Basically, they are sent a few different sample mods from a few different factories. Then, they pick which one they like the best and then order their mod from that factory. Now, they get different model mods from different factories. It just depends on which one they like for that model. Say, they buy their Red Copper stingray mods from factory A. When the Stingray X came out, they like different factory's sample better. So they buy those from Factory B. So, it can change depending on which sample they decide to go with. They usually keep the same longer rectangle boxes. Then they have the factory print "Infinite" on the box as well.
We have an agent that finds out which factory they are using for each mod and then go directly to the factory. Last time we sold the Red Copper Stingrays. We had some issues with the longer box fitting in our preferred bubble mailers (especially when people bought more than one). So we went with the premium boxes. They cost a little more, but fit better.
We also had the option to get the solid copper pins or the silver plated copper pins. We weren't sure which ones Infinite or SXK were going to go with. Our samples showed less voltage drop with the solid copper ones. Well, Infinite ordered the Silver-Plated ones. Some of our customers (brick and mortar stores) wanted the silver pins. So, we went back to the factory and ordered them. -That's where we are today. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Dan

- sleepyhollowvapes

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skenzer said:

For what it's worth, Focalecig sells the one you want. And, they sell the REAL SXK too they stand behind they're products too. They are a great vendor.
I hope things work out for you

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Nikkita6 said:

I agree that its not SXK, but its not Skorite either. The Skorite is actually the 2nd best X variation, and it comes in a white box, and is almost identical to SXK, but I can tell them apart.

This one is either iVOGO or iJoye, more likely to be iJoye though, I have seen it on their wholesale price list and its rough looking like this one.

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Nikkita6 said:

Truth! Whether you love the SXK Stingray X or hate it, what I can promise to anyone who bought there X from Focalecig is that is 100% SXK, because I personally sent FC to SXK specifically for this clone. I know who they spoke to at SXK, what they ordered, when they ordered it, what the tracking # was, and when it arrived in the US, including the subsequent restocking.

I do not work for FC, but I am a very close friend of the Sales Manager Doris, and she trusted my opinion on this one and went for it based on my recommendation.

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skenzer said:

So i received my SXK Stingray X from Focalecig today, very fast shipping from the US warehouse.

Serial # 2653

I wanted to preface this brief review by saying this: When I buy clones I adjust my expectation level compared to buying an authentic. I believe, due to the drastic price differences, that it's unfair to judge a cloned mod or RDA equal to that of an authentic. Sadly, sometimes the clones are better than the authentic versions. (side note. If i ever receive an authentic RDA or mod that isn't perfect, it goes right back to the seller)

That being said, and expectation level having been adjusted this is what i think about the SXK Stingray X from FC so far. (This is out of the box, no cleaning or lubricating of any kind. Noalox or CAIG DeoxIT will be applied soon)

• Overall, the build quality is very nice. Seams are tight, only slightly visible. Engravings are deep and well done.
• Copper tubing is quite stunning actually. The top cap is a thing of beauty
• Threads are quite smooth except for one exception. When I tried to screw the top cap onto the base tube (18350 mode) they were quite bad. In fact, at first I thought it wouldn't screw on at all. After a bit of effort, and being very careful, it screwed on fine.
• The button reminds me a lot of my Nemesis button. Actually, my Nemesis button is interchangeable with the Stingray X button. Not that it's important in any way, just wanted to mention it. The button can fire really smooth. I say "can" because like my Nemesis button, I have to figure out it's sweet spot. I can't describe it really, but if you tighten it too much, it's a bit crunchy, if it's tightened just right, it's wonderful. I think it will be top notch once it's broken in and lubed up right.
• The biggest issue with the switch is the screw. If it's tightened down all of the way the mod won't fire. The screw won't stick out far enough o make contact with the base of the battery. I have to unscrew the screw about a half turn in order to get it to fire. The only issue I see with this is by intentionally loosening the screw I wonder if it will continue to loosen over time and the switch will come apart.
• The button holds the weight of the mod, an 18650 VTC5 and one of my heaviest RDA's, the Vulcan. It has not auto fired on my yet due to weight. Good news!
• The drip tip is really nice. Extremely comfortable. I really prefer wide bore drip tips and this one has a relatively nice wide bore to it.
• The hybrid cap is solid brass and threads on (yes, i'm going to say it) like butter. Ugh, i'm so sick of that saying!
• 22mm RDA's really look nice on this thing, especially with the hybrid adapter.

I know i'm forgetting something else important. Feel free to ask any questions.

Oh, another kind of pointless side note. My 4nine mod by Infinite has the same threading as this Stingray X mod. What's the point? I don't know..just thought is was worth mentioning. I'm sure a lot of other mods will have the same threading.

Conclusion:
I really like this mod. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would. Of course, this is the only Stingray X mod I have ever seen or had in my hands so I have nothing to compare it to. I can only say that it looks fantastic, hits hard (almost as hard as my 4nine and probably about the same with the hybrid adapter in use) Once I get it cleaned up and lubed I think it's going to be a great little mod. My biggest complaint (concern) is that switch issue I mentioned. A slightly longer screw or slightly thinner delrin insulator would probably fix the issue. I'm going to tinker with it a bit more to see if I can't get it fixed. I think a small, thin o'ring on the screw or some dental floss wrapped around it might do the trick. I may end up returning or exchanging it if it becomes more of an issue. I know Focalecig has a good return policy.

Sorry for the longer then intended review everyone. I hope I didn't ramble on too much.
Happy Vaping!

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skenzer said:

FOLLOW UP TO THE BUTTON ISSUE:
Doris @ FC contacted me within a few hours and has already issued an order for a replacement button for my X. Focalecig continues to impress me with their Group Buy's, product selection and quality as well as their customer service. Highly recommend you check them out.

I've been rocking this mod since I got it and it's just awesome. I think I have to agree with Nikkita6 that the SXK Stingray X could very well be the best mod of 2014. (so far that is) Seems there are more mod's coming out every day and for some reason I seem to have less $$ in my bank account. Hmmm, i wonder why?

I'll post another follow up when I receive the replacement button.

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skenzer said:

Doris at FC rocks! I've always been a pretty devoted Fasttech junkie but Focalecig is winning my business now. I really hope they start stocking more items in their USA Warehouse. It was 3 days from the date I ordered my X to the day I received it. So much nicer then 10-12 days from FT.
Paid a bit more for it...but glad I did.

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TheHebs said:

Doris sent me a PM and said they are due for their next shipment of SXKX's next tuesday. I will be ordering one and comparing in detail with the one I received from ebay, down to the voltage drop.

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TheHebs said:

Ok the vendor will still take the return:
"Not normally, but I can write it off. I can say there was a factory defect. Do you need the return address? I'll put it below. If you also send me an email when it arrives here, I can grab it out of the mail and process the return that day. Otherwise it may take a few days to process once it arrives."

I will be returning it next week when I get mine from focalecig.

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