The Variant 260W Clone unboxing pics

[crazydmnd]

Thanks for the info, Nikkita.

I can say I do experience battery drain over night if I leave it on, but what's all this about a rattle sound? Nothing rattles in my ti if I shake it (I do keep a piece of padding with the battery to prevent it jostling about)?

If anyone has both versions, can you tell me if they read the same, down to the hundredths?

 

[rdsok]

Thanks for the info, Nikkita.

I can say I do experience battery drain over night if I leave it on, but what's all this about a rattle sound? Nothing rattles in my ti if I shake it (I do keep a piece of padding with the battery to prevent it jostling about)?

If anyone has both versions, can you tell me if they read the same, down to the hundredths?

The "rattlesnake" sound that is mentioned everywhere... is the sound that many of the PWM Mods outputs can produce when vaping on certain atties and carto's... it is caused by the constant on/off of the voltage that they use to reach the output setting the user has selected. Mods like the Vamo ( and similar ) which use a 30hz frequency are what is commonly mentioned having this... the higher the frequency they use, the less of the "rattlesnake" sound they can produce. A mod with a pure DC output will not have this sound... just the sound the juice itself makes when vaporizing.

 

[crazydmnd]

Ah interesting, thanks.

 

[rickmtnview]

Yes, the clone has the Vicious Ant logo and reads V1.5 at start up. The clone seems to be better than the authentic because there is no rattlesnake sound at all, it in fact it quieter than my DNA boxes. My ohm meter is accurate, vaping a Rose V2 built to 1.1 on my ohm meter, and also reads 1.1 on the Variant clone. IMO the clone is better because it has not had all of reported issues found on the authentic, especially the Titanium Variant.

Also .. I was trying not to go there but I believe that the factory that makes the authentic Variant also makes the clone. Too much detail to go into at the moment, but I have very sound reasons to believe this.

Hi Nikkita6, new member here and just recieved my Variant clone last night. I totally agree there must be some under the table deals going on with these clones. They're just too good to believe that some technical staff has come up with this kind of quality without original documents. I have the Fasttech clone at $186 and this quality is hard to believe. Of course, I read this steam with high interest as I'm also looking to get a 2nd battery. Got almost 10 hours out of the first charge. No complaints but a 2nd battery just makes sense. Just love the way this mod fills the hand when vaping. Perfect!

 

[Imaginemods]

Does anybody have a problem with the fire button sticking if it's not pressed directly on top. [/ATTACH]

 

[Nikkita6]

The "rattlesnake" sound that is mentioned everywhere... is the sound that many of the PWM Mods outputs can produce when vaping on certain atties and carto's... it is caused by the constant on/off of the voltage that they use to reach the output setting the user has selected. Mods like the Vamo ( and similar ) which use a 30hz frequency are what is commonly mentioned having this... the higher the frequency they use, the less of the "rattlesnake" sound they can produce. A mod with a pure DC output will not have this sound... just the sound the juice itself makes when vaporizing.

The PWM frequency of the Variant clone is 100hz



ETA: change to Hz

 

[rdsok]

The PWM frequency of the Variant clone is 100mhz

Just clarifying... Mhz or Hz ?.... I know on the Vamo it's 30-33Hz

Human hearing range is 20Hz to 20Khz so if it's 100Mhz... you shouldn't be able to hear it

 

[Nikkita6]

Hi Nikkita6, new member here and just recieved my Variant clone last night. I totally agree there must be some under the table deals going on with these clones. They're just too good to believe that some technical staff has come up with this kind of quality without original documents. I have the Fasttech clone at $186 and this quality is hard to believe. Of course, I read this steam with high interest as I'm also looking to get a 2nd battery. Got almost 10 hours out of the first charge. No complaints but a 2nd battery just makes sense. Just love the way this mod fills the hand when vaping. Perfect!

Hi .. I actually regret a little buying the second battery which I have yet to solder the new connections to (no time), or use. Being that I get a good vape time on the battery, and it only takes 1.5 hours to recharge it, I haven't had to use the second battery. But, if the Variant is going to be an all day, every day mod for anyone, then I would suggest a second battery.

I would also suggest getting a better balance charger than the one that comes with the Variant clone, and the authentic. These are cheap, and have been known to malfunction. In fact a buddy pm'd me on ECF to tell me that his balance charger shorted on him while recharging his battery .. Mine has been fine since I started using it, but once I heard this story I ordered a Tenergy 1-4 Lipo balance which has very good feedback in the RC community. Its not super expensive or fancy, but has a good rep for being reliable .. picked it up on Amazon for $20 plus shipping.

Do yourself a favor and get a better charger because Lipos can be quite dangerous if something goes wrong My review for the Variant clone is scheduled to publish on 12/29/14, I purposely made it my last review of the year

 

[Nikkita6]

Just clarifying... Mhz or Hz ?.... I know on the Vamo it's 30-33Hz

Human hearing range is 20Hz to 20Khz so if it's 100Mhz... you shouldn't be able to hear it

100hz, sorry my dear ...

 

[Nikkita6]

Does anybody have a problem with the fire button sticking if it's not pressed directly on top. [/ATTACH]View attachment 10879 View attachment 10880

No, I don't have any problems with sticking buttons.

 

[rdsok]

100hz, sorry my dear ...

Thanks... I've made that very same typo so many times... I just had to ask

 

[Nikkita6]

Thanks... I've made that very same typo so many times... I just had to ask

Glad you did hun

 

[Nikkita6]

Oh .. and I need to state for the record that Smoktech has not made any Variant clones. Fasttech initially listed their Variant clone as "Authentic Smoktech" which was not true, and also why it was removed. Secondly, FT's Variant clone is not made of aluminum, that is a an error which I believe was written on purpose so that Limwell would not find out that FT was reselling their clone, and supplied by Smoktech no less ... the other reason that Authentic Smoktech was later removed from the listing.

Limwell/Psmoke (sister brands under the same factory) is the one and only factory that has produced a Variant clone.

 

[rickmtnview]

Hi .. I actually regret a little buying the second battery which I have yet to solder the new connections to (no time), or use. Being that I get a good vape time on the battery, and it only takes 1.5 hours to recharge it, I haven't had to use the second battery. But, if the Variant is going to be an all day, every day mod for anyone, then I would suggest a second battery.

I would also suggest getting a better balance charger than the one that comes with the Variant clone, and the authentic. These are cheap, and have been known to malfunction. In fact a buddy pm'd me on ECF to tell me that his balance charger shorted on him while recharging his battery .. Mine has been fine since I started using it, but once I heard this story I ordered a Tenergy 1-4 Lipo balance which has very good feedback in the RC community. Its not supper expensive or fancy, but has a good rep for being reliable .. picked it up on Amazon for $20 plus shipping.

Do yourself a favor and get a better charger because Lipos can be quite dangerous if something goes wrong My review for the Variant clone is scheduled to publish on 12/29/14, I purposely made it my last review of the year

 

[rickmtnview]

Hi, Thx for the charger info as this is 1st exp. with Lippos. Gotta get to hobby shop!
Do you have any idea what Pulse mode is about?
No sticking buttons here!
Mod feels unusally good in the hand and continues to impress.
Looking forward to your review.

 

[Nikkita6]

Hi, Thx for the charger info as this is 1st exp. with Lippos. Gotta get to hobby shop!
Do you have any idea what Pulse mode is about?
No sticking buttons here!
Mod feels unusally good in the hand and continues to impress.
Looking forward to your review.

Pulse mode is exactly as it sounds, the voltage is delivered via pulse like output. Just as if you were to repeatedly pulse your fire button on another mod, this mode mimics constantly hitting and releasing the fire button, without actually releasing the fire button.

 

[rickmtnview]

Pulse mode is exactly as it sounds, the voltage is delivered via pulse like output. Just as if you were to repeatedly pulse your fire button on another mod, this mode mimics constantly hitting and releasing the fire button, without actually releasing the fire button.

The only use for the pulse mode that I can think of is ironing out issues with a mesh wick, otherwise seems to be pretty useless for actual vaping. I find it a very odd function to include even though I'll probably use it.......I'm a genny guy at heart.

 

[Nikkita6]

The only use for the pulse mode that I can think of is ironing out issues with a mesh wick, otherwise seems to be pretty useless for actual vaping. I find it a very odd function to include even though I'll probably use it.......I'm a genny guy at heart.

Being that the Kraken Genesis is one of Vicious Ants staple pieces, I am sure that this is at least in part what the pulse mode was intended for.

 

[rickmtnview]

That makes sense to me but still seems pretty odd addition.
How low have you been running down your battry Nikki?
I was looking up info on the 1300mah E-flight or something, and they say no lower than 6.4v for their battery, which kinda surprised me. I went down to 6.1v on my first usage but don't want to harm the battery. Still gathering info on lipos so any info is appreciated.

 

[rdsok]

The lowest you should take a lithium based cell is 3.4v... a lot of mods that use single cells cut off at 3.1v but that is hard on the battery. The Varient being a two cell battery... that means 6.8v is the lowest I'd recommend if you aren't going to overwork your battery which will shorten it's lifespan.

 

[rickmtnview]

Didn't actually realize it was 2 cell battery. The 6.4V recomendation from one company makes more sense now, 6.8V even more sense as I try to change out normal 18650 batts at 3.4V when I'm being diligent.

 

[Nikkita6]

That makes sense to me but still seems pretty odd addition.
How low have you been running down your battry Nikki?
I was looking up info on the 1300mah E-flight or something, and they say no lower than 6.4v for their battery, which kinda surprised me. I went down to 6.1v on my first usage but don't want to harm the battery. Still gathering info on lipos so any info is appreciated.

Oh I wouldn't go that low .. I usually pull mine at 7.2 the lowest .. I would rather be safe than sorry. I heard one RC expert say that 3.2v per cell is the absolute lowest you should go (6.4v both cells) but that 3.5v was safer.

 

[rickmtnview]

Wow Nikki, 7.2V is maybe a bit too cautious. Still gathering info but appears 6.8V seems to be a decent figure. Half of that pretty much matches the way I treat 18650 batts.
I am so loving the Variant. It's just so quick to use! Start up, up/down, etc. Impressive!

 

[rdsok]

I'd have to agree that 7.2v is a bit cautious... the nominal voltage is 3.7v which is the recommended storage voltage ( if you are going to store for a period of time and is why they refer to them as 3.7v cells )... but I often even recharge at 4.0v ( per cell ) but that is just a matter of what I had vaped it to before the night was out and wanted a full battery the next day.

 

[rickmtnview]

Yeah, that also seems to be what I'm doing. Anytime I have a forseeable break in vaping, like making dinner, I'll recharge, no matter how high the voltage is.

 

[rickmtnview]

So is clone the fat version or the slim? If its the fat checkout maxamps you get the batteries with microdeans. Being an owner of the authentic v1 fat and titantium i am currious how these compare to the original

So, let me get this straight, you have two originals?
I just have the clone myself.....which I'm lovin. Tonight, I removed the inside plastic piece to see if I had good access to the firing switch. It's fine! Wouldn't you know it, the mod with the least used firing pin is the easiest to change out. A terrific design that's really easy to use and I don't see any design issues that look problematic.

 

[mjt]

So, let me get this straight, you have two originals?
I just have the clone myself.....which I'm lovin. Tonight, I removed the inside plastic piece to see if I had good access to the firing switch. It's fine! Wouldn't you know it, the mod with the least used firing pin is the easiest to change out. A terrific design that's really easy to use and I don't see any design issues that look problematic.

Yes i have one authentic fat version and on titantium slim version. I havent seen the clone so i am not dure yhe differences.

Also in if your looking for batteries wthe correct connection these work in authentic. You may have to remove the label for it to fit. They are 1300 Mah
http://m.ebay.com/itm/261692012292

 

[nightshard]

I still don't get why people need a 260W mod.
Iv'e seen people use those, take a millisecond long pull, make a suffering face and say "wow this mod is really something"

 

[mjt]

There are people out there that vape at high wattage but that group seems limited. I personally can vape comfortably @100-120watts depending on the dripper and build i am using. I think as atty design advances it will possible to vape at these high wattages while heat is disapaited. In the last year this has we have seen these changes with the use of delrin built into topcaps. Personally i vape for flavor but i find at 100watts it is the sweet spot on most of drippers. I personally love my varriants and my two 120watt raptors. Barley use any mechmods anymore unless it my caravela or i just need to tone down my vape that day.

 

[rickmtnview]

I bought this because of the looks, screen, ease of use, and I really wanted to try lipo batteries. If it was only 50watts, I would be quite satisfied and not so enbarassed by the 260 figure. I'm presently vaping an AGA T3 with steel rope/cotton topper at so low a voltage that I won't quote the figure in print. Can't really figure out why it's blowing these clouds at such a low voltage. Not a complaint, just confusion.

 

[rickmtnview]

Yes i have one authentic fat version and on titantium slim version. I havent seen the clone so i am not dure yhe differences.

Also in if your looking for batteries wthe correct connection these work in authentic. You may have to remove the label for it to fit. They are 1300 Mah
http://m.ebay.com/itm/261692012292

Yes, I had my eye on that battery and will order a couple today. Any opinion on the E-Flight Celectra charger that charges two batteries?

 

[mjt]

I bought this because of the looks, screen, ease of use, and I really wanted to try lipo batteries. If it was only 50watts, I would be quite satisfied and not so enbarassed by the 260 figure. I'm presently vaping an AGA T3 with steel rope/cotton topper at so low a voltage that I won't quote the figure in print. Can't really figure out why it's blowing these clouds at such a low voltage. Not a complaint, just confusion.

What are the ohms of your coils?

 

[rickmtnview]

What are the ohms of your coils?

Battery being charged right now but I believe it was 0.6 ohms. Might be the nice thick cotton swatch I have wrapped around the steel rope. I'm not a very demading vapor but go for the flavor and conveniece of the vape. I don't chase clouds because it takes so much effort, you know, that big inhale and exhale. Mostly I vape with my nose in a book or watching the tube. Plus, I'm lazy, dripping and cotton builds don't do it for me, too much work and, as we all know, gennies rule!

 

[DPM78]

Here is the answer to why it push so hard.
I don't speak german, but the numbers don't lie.

 

[mjt]

Battery being charged right now but I believe it was 0.6 ohms. Might be the nice thick cotton swatch I have wrapped around the steel rope. I'm not a very demading vapor but go for the flavor and conveniece of the vape. I don't chase clouds because it takes so much effort, you know, that big inhale and exhale. Mostly I vape with my nose in a book or watching the tube. Plus, I'm lazy, dripping and cotton builds don't do it for me, too much work and, as we all know, gennies rule!

You should be getting pretty good cloud production with that setup.

 

[rickmtnview]

Here is the answer to why it push so hard.
I don't speak german, but the numbers don't lie.

No German here either but those figures say it hits harder than the screen indicates. I rather it be more accurate but it explains my experience so far. LOL, his screen figures virtually matched mine, 10 watts on a 0.65 build using 2.9V-3.0V. I found that amusing. The chart shows why I'm getting such a strong vape. The reason I'm blowing clouds is because it's the RSST with adj. air and not the AGA T3. It's morning and my eyes are still half closed....what can I say. Anyway, his body language says he liked the mod. How's that for putting a positive spin on a German review?
The other item I picked up on is, don't rush out and get a better charger until I learn more about chargers. I don't want to overbuy on that item as I believe most of these chargers are aimed at the RC market and their requirements appear to be much stronger than vaping.
I can't believe I just watched 45 minutes of a guy speaking German. Now that's funny!

 

[mjt]

Get the sky rc imax b6 chanrger and a power cable with a micro dean on one end. Works like a champ. Just make sure it is authentic. Charge the batteries at 1.3amps @7.4 volts

 

[rickmtnview]

I saw that but wasn't sure if it could do two of my batteries st the same time, is that the reason for the power cable w/micro dean?

 

[mjt]

Apparently you can with a parallel multi port connector i was told

 

[rdsok]

I saw that but wasn't sure if it could do two of my batteries st the same time, is that the reason for the power cable w/micro dean?

RC Hobby chargers like the Imax B6 can charge up to 5a and/or 50w. If you are then charging more than one battery ( at 1.3a in this case )... you could charge up to about 3 batteries without dropping the charge rate for each... This would require an additional charging board that allows multiple batteries... Search for "paraboard" and you should see some examples. The paraboards may require that you have power adapters since the micro deans connection isn't a commonly used one ( ultra deans, EC3 and XT60's are more common )

 

[mjt]

RC Hobby chargers like the Imax B6 can charge up to 5a and/or 50w. If you are then charging more than one battery ( at 1.3a in this case )... you could charge up to about 3 batteries without dropping the charge rate for each... This would require an additional charging board that allows multiple batteries... Search for "paraboard" and you should see some examples. The paraboards may require that you have power adapters since the micro deans connection isn't a commonly used one ( ultra deans, EC3 and XT60's are more common )

I have been debating buying one for a while

 

[Nikkita6]

I'd have to agree that 7.2v is a bit cautious... the nominal voltage is 3.7v which is the recommended storage voltage ( if you are going to store for a period of time and is why they refer to them as 3.7v cells )... but I often even recharge at 4.0v ( per cell ) but that is just a matter of what I had vaped it to before the night was out and wanted a full battery the next day.

Ya well .. My love for my home says that my caution is warranted. To each their own ... When it comes to "limits" I like to stop BEFORE I reach them, not when.

I think its a "Woman's way" .. which is also why we pay less for car insurance

 

[Nikkita6]

I still don't get why people need a 260W mod.
Iv'e seen people use those, take a millisecond long pull, make a suffering face and say "wow this mod is really something"

No one needs to vape at 260W .. I have yet to vape this beyond 10.5W, which is actually more like 24W in reality.

 

[Nikkita6]

Here is the answer to why it push so hard.
I don't speak german, but the numbers don't lie.

Watched this vid some days ago, and even briefly chatted with the reviewer. I was actually going to quote his scope test in my review since I believe it to be an accurate look into what this device is really doing, and is more detailed than what me and my inline volt meter can offer.

Its too bad that the chip in reality is very overpowered, because they did a fine job with the craftsmanship of the body .. now you all know what my review will say. Impressive build quality, not so impressive chip

I was a little surprised that Limwell got the chip so wrong, I did expect them to nail it .. Their downfall was in not saying with the original 120W, and deciding to try and out best the authentic. Even as a handful of people have this clone and are impressed with the build quality, the reality is that this clone is a relative flop in the market in terms of sales. But, I told Limwell/Psmoke months ago that it would be .. I told them that the market for $200 clones was very small, but they didn't listen.

If they had stuck with the 120W priced at $120, I think it would have been more successful.

I still think the mod is gorgeous, and I am happy to have it in my collection, but this is only a collectors device IMO.

 

[mjt]

I would agree that a price point of $120 would have probably sold allot more. Personally when vaping at high wattage I feel safer going with an authentic. Which in this case of course is an the extreme price point category. For the cost of the clone you would be much better off with a custom box running a Naos raptor chip pushes 120 watts. I would recommend a dream box if you can get your hands on one for $200.

 

[rickmtnview]

Watched this vid some days ago, and even briefly chatted with the reviewer. I was actually going to quote his scope test in my review since I believe it to be an accurate look into what this device is really doing, and is more detailed than what me and my inline volt meter can offer.

Its too bad that the chip in reality is very overpowered, because they did a fine job with the craftsmanship of the body .. now you all know what my review will say. Impressive build quality, not so impressive chip

I was a little surprised that Limwell got the chip so wrong, I did expect them to nail it .. Their downfall was in not saying with the original 120W, and deciding to try and out best the authentic. Even as a handful of people have this clone and are impressed with the build quality, the reality is that this clone is a relative flop in the market in terms of sales. But, I told Limwell/Psmoke months ago that it would be .. I told them that the market for $200 clones was very small, but they didn't listen.

If they had stuck with the 120W priced at $120, I think it would have been more successful.

I still think the mod is gorgeous, and I am happy to have it in my collection, but this is only a collectors device IMO.

Can't really say I'm not disapointed in the measured results but I don't believe it will ruin my vape experience. Based on mouth feel, regarding heat, I feel the Variant is 9.5V overpowed when comparing my IVP 2 with an RSST w/adj. air cntrl. Bottom line, I am still enjoying this mod like no other.

 

[mjt]

I saw that but wasn't sure if it could do two of my batteries st the same time, is that the reason for the power cable w/micro dean?

Yes the cable is for power and on the battery there is also a white connector that is used for balancing which also plugs into the charger. You want to make sure you are properly balancing to help the life of your lipo.

 

[rickmtnview]

Yes the cable is for power and on the battery there is also a white connector that is used for balancing which also plugs into the charger. You want to make sure you are properly balancing to help on the life of your lipo.

I'll have to order online tonight because the IMAX B3 compact charger is crap. Around the bay area, these hobby shops are pretty useless. One twit kept going on and on about my micro deans connector, however, I maintained control and refrained from grabbing him by the throat.

 

[mjt]

I'll have to order online tonight because the IMAX B3 compact charger is crap. Around the bay area, these hobby shops are pretty useless. One twit kept going on and on about my micro deans connector, however, I maintained control and refrained from grabbing him by the throat.

I ordered everything online no real shops here either.

 

[rickmtnview]

Yes, the clone has the Vicious Ant logo and reads V1.5 at start up. The clone seems to be better than the authentic because there is no rattlesnake sound at all, it in fact it quieter than my DNA boxes. My ohm meter is accurate, vaping a Rose V2 built to 1.1 on my ohm meter, and also reads 1.1 on the Variant clone. IMO the clone is better because it has not had all of reported issues found on the authentic, especially the Titanium Variant.

Also .. I was trying not to go there but I believe that the factory that makes the authentic Variant also makes the clone. Too much detail to go into at the moment, but I have very sound reasons to believe this.

I was a printed circuit designer for over 40 years and believe me, back enginering a multi layer PC board is a most difficult task and then you have the primary integrated circuit to emulate and all the software. Bottom line, if there is no under the table handshake going on, then I'm a monkey's unc-----------well, you get my drift. Copying a mech is childs play compared to the resources a company would have to assign to copy this electronic device.