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exploding mods

NemesisVaper

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This thread is almost impossible to make sense of due to the spelling and/or wrong words being typed .

There are a few things to consider.
But first, show me evidence of the high incidence of exploding mods.
What do you mean by 'hybrid mech'?
If it uses a mosfet and a fresh battery is being used, a short will usually fry the mosfet and open the circuit.

Some mechs, usually tubes but sometimes boxes, have a hybrid style connection to the atty rather than a 510 connector with an actual centre positive pin. It makes the device a lot smaller, as the 510 of the atty touches the cell directly. Unfortunately, if an unsuitable atty is used, and the 510 pin on it isn't long enough, or is spring loaded/can move, the outer threads of the atty 510 touch the positive terminal of the cell. In that case, as soon as the button is pressed, a hard short is made. Sub tanks are the usual culprits, as they either have a recessed centre pin, or has a little give in it due to how it's only held in by the rubbery insulator. The coil head presses it out, but the rubberiness of the atty insulator and the soft insulator in the coil head separating the two leads can squash in when the atty or the switch is tightened down.

Having a hybrid style mech can greatly restrict the choice of topper. Out of about 15 I have, only 4-5 are suitable to use on my SMPL or Noisy Cricket, as they're both using hybrid style top caps.

Hybrid mods used to mean that you got a (usually) tube mech and an atty together. The tube would look like a regular mech, with the top cap removed. The atty would then have a bottom without a 510, looking more like the inside of a normal mech top cap, and it would screw in to the mod, looking pretty seamless, and a good 1/3 inch or more shorter.

The trend of using hybrid style top caps on mechs has led to some issues. Education is one problem, people without the experience are buying them, or being sold them without knowing they need an atty that has a pin that sticks out far enough. They're perfectly safe if used correctly, but in inexperienced hands, they can be a danger. People think everything is fine, they've been careful screwing everything together, their mod and atty combo looks good to Vape, then as soon as they hit the button... instant hard short.

It's tough to say if this is common or not. Personally I don't think it's common. If something and happens, people pay attention and there's always someone there to tell the story. Bad news travels fast. A lot of these incidents also seem fabricated to me. Different articles about supposedly different incidents but using the same photos...
 

dr_rox

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Some mechs, usually tubes but sometimes boxes, have a hybrid style connection to the atty rather than a 510 connector with an actual centre positive pin.

Thanks for the clarification.
Never owned a tube like that, however I did build one with a floating pin that worked in a similar fashion, so the center pin being recessed on atty was not an issue.
 

NemesisVaper

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Sweet. Thinking of ordering me a kit and building a mod. Mosfet protected parallel for a nice easy start. May need to grab a few "build your own LED lightbulb" kits as well to practice my soldering before I ruin a mod

Hybrid mechs are a bit of a touchy subject for some. They can be an uninitiated vapers worst enemy. I like them. I'm strangely attracted to potentially dangerous electrical items. Bit of a tinkerer. That and they look so good with a safe atty on them. Same setup on my Nemesis with a hybrid adapter (you can buy a threaded disc that turns the Nemesis into a nlhybrid for cheap) is so much sleeker.
 

smacksy

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Sweet. Thinking of ordering me a kit and building a mod. Mosfet protected parallel for a nice easy start. May need to grab a few "build your own LED lightbulb" kits as well to practice my soldering before I ruin a mod

Hybrid mechs are a bit of a touchy subject for some. They can be an uninitiated vapers worst enemy. I like them. I'm strangely attracted to potentially dangerous electrical items. Bit of a tinkerer. That and they look so good with a safe atty on them. Same setup on my Nemesis with a hybrid adapter (you can buy a threaded disc that turns the Nemesis into a nlhybrid for cheap) is so much sleeker.
Been using hybrid mechs for over 3yrs..A little common sense to always use a atty with a protruding pin goes a long ways to vape safely..works for me, lol

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OBDave

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I have been vaping for coming on 4 years...I've seen hundreds of mech mods and their clones released onto the market....I've seen dozens and dozens of hybrid mods or hybrid adapters released onto the market...to say that mech mods have always been dangerous just defies reality...how many hundreds of thousands of them have been sold with almost zero incedents of accident....sure there has always been people who were responsible, passionate,informed vapers, but on the same hand there were always those people who toodled down to the local B&M and had them build cloud chasing set ups for them in their drippers,and never owned an ohm meter or a spool of kanthal, and didn't bother their heads with learning anymore than what the guy behind the counter at the local B&M told them...and they all vaped on mech mods.their nemmy clone or their stingray clone....without blowing themselves up....I don't agree mechs are dangerous ..though they aren't idiot proof....
It seems the topic has already drifted in this direction, but you can pop any battery you can fit into a mech. A properly built coil in an atomizer (with a properly protruding and secured center pin if we're talking hybrid) topping a mech with proper venting and stuffed with proper batteries is not dangerous.

A mech that someone has attempted to modify using magnets to fit an off-the-shelf AA cell (no shit, I've heard this proposed more than once over the years - if you've been on the forums for any period of time you've got to admit you've seen these kinds of posts too) is dangerous. A mech with a 0.05 ohm build and a Trustfire battery is dangerous. A hybrid mech paired with a flush-pin sub-tank is dangerous.

I believe a mech in well-educated hands can be quite safe - I also believe a mech in the hands of a fool can be scary dangerous, more so than a regulated mod in the same idiot's possession. If you believe a mech outfitted in any of the ways I've described is safe, we're just going to have to settle for a difference of opinion - you admit that "they aren't idiot proof," which is exactly what makes them dangerous in the wrong hands.
 

snake94115

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Those who buy the cheap, junky mods which are blowing up aren't going to buy batteries which cost more than the mod...
Dude decent 18650's cost like $5 less if there's a sale which there is almost every damn day.You're so silly sometimes and say such stupid shit I often wonder if you even really vape
Gearing up my Rodney King impersonation...
I'll get the popcorn.
I think I hear the band tuning up too.
I wonder if they'll play (SWEET CHIN MUSIC)?

EDIT: FIXED THE BAD SPELLING & GRAMMAR + SYNTAX ERRORS SINCE I SAW THE GRAMMAR POLICE ON THIS THREAD...FFS.
 
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pulsevape

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It seems the topic has already drifted in this direction, but you can pop any battery you can fit into a mech. A properly built coil in an atomizer (with a properly protruding and secured center pin if we're talking hybrid) topping a mech with proper venting and stuffed with proper batteries is not dangerous.

A mech that someone has attempted to modify using magnets to fit an off-the-shelf AA cell (no shit, I've heard this proposed more than once over the years - if you've been on the forums for any period of time you've got to admit you've seen these kinds of posts too) is dangerous. A mech with a 0.05 ohm build and a Trustfire battery is dangerous. A hybrid mech paired with a flush-pin sub-tank is dangerous.

I believe a mech in well-educated hands can be quite safe - I also believe a mech in the hands of a fool can be scary dangerous, more so than a regulated mod in the same idiot's possession. If you believe a mech outfitted in any of the ways I've described is safe, we're just going to have to settle for a difference of opinion - you admit that "they aren't idiot proof," which is exactly what makes them dangerous in the wrong hands.
As someone who has used dangerous tools for a living for over 30 year.....the improper modding or use of any tool including a fucking screwdriver is an invitation for disaster and stupid.....even in the hands of the most experinced and knowledable user.
 

Whiskey

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Dude decent 18650's cost like $5 less if there's a sale which there is almost every damn day.You're so silly sometimes and say such stupid shit I often wonder if you even really vape

I'll get the popcorn.
I think I hear the band tuning up too.
I wonder if they'll play (SWEET CHIN MUSIC)?

EDIT: FIXED THE BAD SPELLING & GRAMMAR + SYNTAX ERRORS SINCE I SAW THE GRAMMAR POLICE ON THIS THREAD...FFS.
tumblr_nynenvaB4I1rhkrwho3_500_zpsedzn87vj.png
:D
 

OBDave

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As someone who has used dangerous tools for a living for over 30 year.....the improper modding or use of any tool including a fucking screwdriver is an invitation for disaster and stupid.....even in the hands of the most experinced and knowledable user.
Improper use of tools? No way, bro! Taping liquid bottles to my sawzall blade, setting it down in my lap, and firing it up is straight up brilliant!
 

sclobernocker47

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to be honest I can't count on the fingers of one hand the number of vapers I've known who'be ever even had a battery vent on them.
Well, hey, let me be your first.
Ive had a battery vent in a hybrid mech about 2 years ago. It wasn't related to my RDA though.
The vent holes? Ya, they are more of a warning than anything. They wont let out the pressure fast enough, that's for sure. What happened to mine? Well, lets just say my RDA went wizzing between my buddies head and mine, the hybrid cap became an exhaust port, and it took off like a model rocket (flames and all) into the Chesapeake Bay.

Scary experience.

Did I stop using? No. I know why it happened and have prevented it since.
Why does it happen at an alarming rate with others? Generally speaking, its new vapors getting their hands on gear they don't fully understand. I honestly hold the vendors responsible moreso than the vapors. Somebody nailed it earlier when they said you had to SEEK them out before, which caused folks to research and understand. Now you can walk to any number of B&Ms, and get that Kbox or this shiny medal tube for $12 because it was the hot clone 2 years ago they are trying to get rid of.

Ignorance + Inexperience + Circuits = Bad Joo Joo
 

snake94115

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The ever battery I had vent on me.Well user error came into play.Thus Vape Rule #6 was born.

Vape Rule #6 - Never ever use a mechanical mod why getting your drink on.
 

pulsevape

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Well, hey, let me be your first.
Ive had a battery vent in a hybrid mech about 2 years ago. It wasn't related to my RDA though.
The vent holes? Ya, they are more of a warning than anything. They wont let out the pressure fast enough, that's for sure. What happened to mine? Well, lets just say my RDA went wizzing between my buddies head and mine, the hybrid cap became an exhaust port, and it took off like a model rocket (flames and all) into the Chesapeake Bay.

Scary experience.

Did I stop using? No. I know why it happened and have prevented it since.
Why does it happen at an alarming rate with others? Generally speaking, its new vapors getting their hands on gear they don't fully understand. I honestly hold the vendors responsible moreso than the vapors. Somebody nailed it earlier when they said you had to SEEK them out before, which caused folks to research and understand. Now you can walk to any number of B&Ms, and get that Kbox or this shiny medal tube for $12 because it was the hot clone 2 years ago they are trying to get rid of.

Ignorance + Inexperience + Circuits = Bad Joo Joo
It seems to me the only thing you have to do to make a hybrid totally safe is to pop in an insulating washer that sits on top of the battery so that there is no possible way for the battery to ever touch the 510 connection and forces you to adjust the pin on your atty down far enough to fire....if you have an atty whose pin won't adjust down 1 to 1.5 mm down past the 510 connection you just don't use it on a hybrid. the other thing that in almost everyone of these stories the person has just taken a vape and the missle barely missed their head...which leads me to believe that this happened while the person was firing their button...in which case they had it in their hand.....and if they had it in their hand they should have been able to tell their mod was getting suddenly freakishly hot and either tossed the thing or broke it down....I doubt the battery just exploded without any kind of warning....
 
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sclobernocker47

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That was the interesting thing in my case. Mod never got hot (Stingray X). It wasnt a hybrid problem that caused mine, it was the coil. It was a freshly made twisted coil that I didnt properly get all the spring out. To make matters worse, I was pushing heat to it, while outside in sub-freezing temps.

I noticed it wouldnt fire, was freaked the hell out thinking the springyness caused a short. Took the dome off to inspect. Still did not fire.

*Woosh*

Mod was gone. Hand was black (But not burnt). Pants were singed. Deck (Plume Veil clone) was found 30ft away.
The good news was that plume veil clone, other than blowing the O rings, was completely undamaged. Testiment to the craftsmanship of that thing.

Im not kidding about it taking off like a rocket. I had nearby coworkers think they saw a flare (common occurance in my line of work).
 

pulsevape

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That was the interesting thing in my case. Mod never got hot (Stingray X). It wasnt a hybrid problem that caused mine, it was the coil. It was a freshly made twisted coil that I didnt properly get all the spring out. To make matters worse, I was pushing heat to it, while outside in sub-freezing temps.

I noticed it wouldnt fire, was freaked the hell out thinking the springyness caused a short. Took the dome off to inspect. Still did not fire.

*Woosh*

Mod was gone. Hand was black (But not burnt). Pants were singed. Deck (Plume Veil clone) was found 30ft away.
The good news was that plume veil clone, other than blowing the O rings, was completely undamaged. Testiment to the craftsmanship of that thing.

Im not kidding about it taking off like a rocket. I had nearby coworkers think they saw a flare (common occurance in my line of work).
so it vented out of the bottom and flew out of your hand...
 

sclobernocker47

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Vented from the top. Pressure unscrewed the atty and flew out the bottom side of my hand. Apperantly flipped mid air and went skyward. Easily shot 75+ yards into the Bay.

(edit) Maybe it hit the deck and bounced back up? I dont really know. It was a split second...
 

smacksy

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Vented from the top. Pressure unscrewed the atty and flew out the bottom side of my hand. Apperantly flipped mid air and went skyward. Easily shot 75+ yards into the Bay.

(edit) Maybe it hit the deck and bounced back up? I dont really know. It was a split second...
Sounds to me your lucky nobody got hurt.

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sclobernocker47

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No doubt. It was a scary situation.
If it could happen to me, and I had been sub-ohming for over a year, it could easily happen to a new user. mech mods must be used with extreme caution. With the sub-ohm tanks flooding the market, its even worse than it was when kayfun V1s were the rage.
 

pulsevape

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No doubt. It was a scary situation.
If it could happen to me, and I had been sub-ohming for over a year, it could easily happen to a new user. mech mods must be used with extreme caution. With the sub-ohm tanks flooding the market, its even worse than it was when kayfun V1s were the rage.
so do you still vape mechs and hybrids after that close call.
 

pulsevape

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I gotta say I've been vaping for coming on 4 years, and I've had two batteries meltdown on me...both times were because the button had somehow got caught .... once from falling in the cushions of a couch and the other I sat the mod down on the button without locking and just fired continuially until the battery either drained or vented in neither case did the battery explode. I shattered the glass tanks in two gennys and fried a couple of insulators.
 

sclobernocker47

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I was rattled for a week or so. After that I went back to mechs for a few months, but eventually got into box mods and never looked back. Mechs are cool and look awesome, but dont provide the warmth I tend to look for.
 

5150sick

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Mooch has recently added more info to his blog on ECF regarding chemistry. Think it was added around the same time as the 26650 stuff.

You are correct about Mooch.
You can find out just about everything for just about every battery in use today in vaporizers.

Here is the facebook link to like and follow and even if you don't facebook you can still see the links to all of his hard work:


https://www.facebook.com/Mooch-1636157550007158/
 

5150sick

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Some mechs, usually tubes but sometimes boxes, have a hybrid style connection to the atty rather than a 510 connector with an actual centre positive pin. It makes the device a lot smaller, as the 510 of the atty touches the cell directly. Unfortunately, if an unsuitable atty is used, and the 510 pin on it isn't long enough, or is spring loaded/can move, the outer threads of the atty 510 touch the positive terminal of the cell. In that case, as soon as the button is pressed, a hard short is made. Sub tanks are the usual culprits, as they either have a recessed centre pin, or has a little give in it due to how it's only held in by the rubbery insulator. The coil head presses it out, but the rubberiness of the atty insulator and the soft insulator in the coil head separating the two leads can squash in when the atty or the switch is tightened down.

Having a hybrid style mech can greatly restrict the choice of topper. Out of about 15 I have, only 4-5 are suitable to use on my SMPL or Noisy Cricket, as they're both using hybrid style top caps.

Hybrid mods used to mean that you got a (usually) tube mech and an atty together. The tube would look like a regular mech, with the top cap removed. The atty would then have a bottom without a 510, looking more like the inside of a normal mech top cap, and it would screw in to the mod, looking pretty seamless, and a good 1/3 inch or more shorter.

The trend of using hybrid style top caps on mechs has led to some issues. Education is one problem, people without the experience are buying them, or being sold them without knowing they need an atty that has a pin that sticks out far enough. They're perfectly safe if used correctly, but in inexperienced hands, they can be a danger. People think everything is fine, they've been careful screwing everything together, their mod and atty combo looks good to Vape, then as soon as they hit the button... instant hard short.

It's tough to say if this is common or not. Personally I don't think it's common. If something and happens, people pay attention and there's always someone there to tell the story. Bad news travels fast. A lot of these incidents also seem fabricated to me. Different articles about supposedly different incidents but using the same photos...

I have noticed about 5 incidents where it was a hybrid top cap, and Atlantis Subohm Tank, and an Efest battery that resulted in explosion.
these three products should NEVER be used together.
 

5150sick

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I gotta say I've been vaping for coming on 4 years, and I've had two batteries meltdown on me...both times were because the button had somehow got caught .... once from falling in the cushions of a couch and the other I sat the mod down on the button without locking and just fired continuially until the battery either drained or vented in neither case did the battery explode. I shattered the glass tanks in two gennys and fried a couple of insulators.

I have had two batteries get very, very hot and I am coming up on 4 years in the vape game as well.
Hot enough to melt away 1/3 of the plastic wrap.
I had enough sense to dump the battery and throw it as far away from humans and pets as possible and on a hard floor (no carpet or rugs that can catch fire)
They just cooled down then I wrapped them in electrical tape so the terminals could not accidentally touch and I disposed of them properly.
I feel that all B&M's should have safe battery disposal containers in their shops.

Battery 1 was on a KTS (explodamod) Storm and I stupidly put a ego adapter on it and ran a Kanger MT3s (it was late 2012 we didn't have a bunch of mods to choose from and sub ohm meant 0.7 ohms at the very lowest) tank which caused a dead short.
I was still learning and even though I have been doing constant research since I started vaping it was and instance where 2 good parts weren't good when hooked together.
I dumped the battery out and chalked it up as a learning experience.

Battery 2 was in a cheap ABS plastic box mod and the top of the "battery sled" (it wasn't a sled it was two pieces of cheap plastic one at each end.
the top end got bent from the cheap plastic and caused a dead short which I noticed immediately.

I turned the mod battery end down and smacked it as hard as I could against my hand, picked up the dead shorted battery and threw it as far as I could since I was outside with my girlfriend sitting right next to me.
I was more worried about her safety then mine.

Once the battery cooled it was a Red LG HE2 18650 so it didn't anywhere near vent but since it got really hot it became no more good I wrapped it in tape and disposed or it properly.

I have never owned a hybrid top cap because with todays regulated mods and mosfet protected box mods there is really no need to go there.

I hadn't seen a hybrid top cap adapter on the market since around the time the SMPL came out.

I don't think they have been around before late 2014 early 2015.

If anyone wants to prove me wrong and link me to an older hybrid adapter cap then be my guest.
 
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stevegmu

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Vape shops got boxes of all that junk for cheap and are now unloading them on new vapers...
 

pulsevape

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I have had two batteries get very, very hot and I am coming up on 4 years in the vape game as well.
Hot enough to melt away 1/3 of the plastic wrap.
I had enough sense to dump the battery and throw it as far away from humans and pets as possible and on a hard floor (no carpet or rugs that can catch fire)
They just cooled down then I wrapped them in electrical tape so the terminals could not accidentally touch and I disposed of them properly.
I feel that all B&M's should have safe battery disposal containers in their shops.

Battery 1 was on a KTS (explodamod) Storm and I stupidly put a ego adapter on it and ran a Kanger MT3s (it was late 2012 we didn't have a bunch of mods to choose from and sub ohm meant 0.7 ohms at the very lowest) tank which caused a dead short.
I was still learning and even though I have been doing constant research since I started vaping it was and instance where 2 good parts weren't good when hooked together.
I dumped the battery out and chalked it up as a learning experience.

Battery 2 was in a cheap ABS plastic box mod and the top of the "battery sled" (it wasn't a sled it was two pieces of cheap plastic one at each end.
the top end got bent from the cheap plastic and caused a dead short which I noticed immediately.

I turned the mod battery end down and smacked it as hard as I could against my hand, picked up the dead shorted battery and threw it as far as I could since I was outside with my girlfriend sitting right next to me.
I was more worried about her safety then mine.



Once the battery cooled it was a Red LG HE2 18650 so it didn't anywhere near vent but since it got really hot it became no more good I wrapped it in tape and disposed or it properly.

I have never owned a hybrid top cap because with todays regulated mods and mosfet protected box mods there is really no need to go there.

I hadn't seen a hybrid top cap adapter on the market since around the time the SMPL came out.

I don't think they have been around before late 2014 early 2015.

If anyone wants to prove me wrong and link me to an older hybrid adapter cap then be my guest.


the thing I like about hybrid top caps is the make the mod shorter and easier to handle. more discreet..mech mods are far more elegant.
 
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NemesisVaper

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I have noticed about 5 incidents where it was a hybrid top cap, and Atlantis Subohm Tank, and an Efest battery that resulted in explosion.
these three products should NEVER be used together.
Absolutely agree with you 100%

Like crossing the beams when busting ghosts, and not sticking ones willy into places it may get chopped off, a hybrid, an unknown cell and a subtank with a recessed pin is a combination that is guaranteed to lead to disaster.

You are also correct in what you say, that Hybrids really aren't needed to get a good experience. I've seen traditional mechanical mods with pins that have less voltage drop from the mod than I get from a SMPL. Even the Wotofo Phantom only drops around 0.03V more with the pinned top cap in place compared to the included hybrid adapter.

When it comes to hybrid mechs, the only time I'd recommend one is if I knew the person could handle one. I wouldn't recommend them because of them being a hybrid, but for other reasons. For example, the Noisy Cricket is an excellent series hybrid mech, but I wouldn't recommend it over say a wired series mech because of its top cap. I like the cricket due to its small size and it only being 19 US Dollars for a genuine version on fasttech (about £13).

In general, almost all people would be safer off sticking to mechs with pins. They can then enjoy using any topper they like, as long as it ohms out appropriately for their battery(or batteries).
 

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