Clone Tanks Vs Authentic Tanks

[choderfett]

Is there a huge difference if you get a Clone instead of an authentic tank (may it be RTA, RDA, RBA, sub-ohm)\
I am sure right off the bad you will notice the difference in build quality but regardless its made of metal, has the basic components to coil & wick, fire effectively, and vape.

thoughts?

 

[JuicyLucy]

Is there a huge difference if you get a Clone instead of an authentic tank (may it be RTA, RDA, RBA, sub-ohm)\

Clones come in all category from 1/1 - like an exact replica - to total garbage that bears little resemblance to what it is supposed to be like

Some function as well as the authentic, but are made of lower grade materials

A small handful are nearly identical and almost impossible to tell the difference

In other words; Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes kind of

 

[Letitia9]

FastTech has a good forum on clones. If I don't want to pay for the authentic I ask the forums here and any others. Hit or miss if you don't do some homework.

 

[zephyr]

has the basic components to coil & wick, fire effectively, and vape.

thoughts?

I've bought clones that didnt fire, had unfixable 2-part 510 pins, were missing O rings so leaked like crazy, poor press fitting or loose tolerances so leaked like crazy, and one that didn't have enough grub screws to use it.

I also had a few that worked fine. But it's risky business, some manufacturers go a little too far with making their product the cheapest

 

[choderfett]

yeah i was referring to the 1:1 unbranded clones rather than the super cheap stuff. but i can see regardless any clone could malfunction.. guess you have to take the chance..

 

[spr258]

I bought a YFTK clone and it was great. No bad machining and never leaked. I went ahead and ordered the authentic and side by side I would have taken the clone over authentic due to machining on the deck. I cut my self 3 times on the authentic and had to sand and smooth it down. The only way you can tell it is a clone is the serial number on the bottom and the tank is a different finish when dry. Both look the same filled and on a mod. Even the ultem accessories work with the clone. But I agree it is hit or miss. I always try a clone first and if I like and can support the authentic company I buy an authentic. If it is to hard or to much trouble then I just use a clone. The general public doesn't know the difference and even some vapors don't.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I've personally never had a clone that beat an authentic

Have had clones that matched side by side, but the clones later failed while the authentics are still chugging along (Tobacco Goon vs. authentic, old school Kabuki tanks)

Some perform well side by side but you can feel the clone is not as well made, the Charm, Stumpy are good examples

Have done a few side by side comparisons that were a joke on the inside : Hadaly SXK version vapes nothing like the authentic, the ShenRay version is better, but not 100%, worst was the Odis 16 - the clone is an okay atomizer, but is not even close to the same as the outstanding authentic

 

[gbalkam]

One thing to watch for is the insulation material. Many clones use rubber inslulators where as authentic use PEEK insulators. Rubber breaks down and crack under heat and pressure, PEEK doesn't.

Polyether ether ketone - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyether_ether_ketone
In its solid state PEEK is readily machinable, for example, by (CNC) milling machines and is commonly used to produce high-quality plastic parts that are thermostable and both electrically and thermally insulating.

In other words.. PEEK is much safer since it will not crack and cause a hard short after being heated in an atomizer.

 

[zephyr]

I bought a YFTK clone and it was great. No bad machining and never leaked. I went ahead and ordered the authentic and side by side I would have taken the clone over authentic due to machining on the deck. I cut my self 3 times on the authentic and had to sand and smooth it down. The only way you can tell it is a clone is the serial number on the bottom and the tank is a different finish when dry. Both look the same filled and on a mod. Even the ultem accessories work with the clone. But I agree it is hit or miss. I always try a clone first and if I like and can support the authentic company I buy an authentic. If it is to hard or to much trouble then I just use a clone. The general public doesn't know the difference and even some vapors don't.

Yeah, I've owned like 5 Griffins, bought a clone first, then an authentic after I knew I like the design

 

[eStorm]

As with just everything in life a clone can be equal, better or worse than the original. All of it has its pro and cons, for example:

If you want to try out a specific design but do not want to spend a lot of money before you know if you like it - buy the clone
You're tied on money but need a replacement because your old hardware just broke - buy the clone
You heard nothing good about a product but still want to try - buy the clone, in most cases this is a v2 the original manufacturer should have released

And so on. Only time I would not buy clones but that's personal preference, coils, mods, cotton especially since they all come without warranty. Sure you get warranty from the vendor you bought it off, but that's 30-60 days in some rare cases 90-180 but that must be one of the "better" ones lol, most of the time none of that applies.

 

[choderfett]

ya not broke so i probably wouldnt buy a generic.. asides from the lasting quality though.. are the flavors produced pretty similiar if using quality coils, wick, and juice?

I never bought a clone but was did see some on ebay and fasttech and was wondering. .
thanks everyone for the input!