Become a Patron!

What about hybrids?

I'm not new to vapor, but I've been using VV mods since the get-go. I really want to pick up a mechanical, as I can't get the clouds I want from my 'every-day' rig (the BeyondVape Spire mod). I was sketchy about spending a ton of cash on a RDA setup, so, like an total dork, I bought a cheap clone on eBay. Needless to say, it's not what I had envisioned. Can't get it to hit consistently, batteries don't fit right, pieces fall out when I adjust the firing button to compensate for battery size, etc. So I've come to the conclusion that I'll need to spend a bit more money and get a better quality rig. My buddy has the Paragon, which is awesome, but out of my dollar range. Another pal has the new skeleton key (super cool as well!). I just want reliability, durability, a decent price point, and clouds.

So my question is, what's your opinion on hybrids? I understand that a hybrid is a 'mod' that isn't really modifiable in any way. But that's okay with me, as I prefer the clouds to the tinkering, anyhow. Is the direct battery contact going to give a better hit/bigger clouds than other mods? I found the EHPro Valkyrie, which has good reviews and is in my price-range for something I won't use all day every day (my Spire is more discrete around the office with its modest clouds, haha). Does anyone have experience with this or other hybrids?

Thanks!

Nomad
 

DeathMeowtal

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Member For 5 Years
To be honest I stay away from hybrids; they're EXPENSIVE. I've met someone with a convict and they're nice but I could never justify the price tag.

I love mech mods. I currently have a panzer and an M16, both 18650 mods. The M16 was my first and it got me into mods, it's pretty basic. I then got the panzer and now I've learned about cloud chasing. I also have an MVP 2.0 with aero megatank. the MVP is so boring but its nice to have when you're driving and cant use a dripper.

I'd say get a mech mod so you dont get bored. Then again you will; I'm already looking for a third mod. Mech mods are so nice though because of the customization that comes with them. I can't see myself getting a hybrid because you can't do much after you buy them - I like to have my options open and change my pieces to get different flavor intensity and clouds.


This is all just me though - if you REALLY want a hybrid then go for it!
 

pdxvapes

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Looks like you want the performance of a hybrid-style connection, but don't want to pay the authentic price tag for a one product you may not be pleased with. I highly suggest purchasing a mechanical mod that incorporates the positive-contactless connection, such as a 4Nine or XXIX, though I've heard neither of those like to go super-sub, I'm sure it would be a sufficiency for you while you're getting used to the heat down here. If you have a mech like this, you can run any atomizer that has a decent 510 connection on it, the positive contact of the 510 extends beyond the negative housing, and like @DeathMeowtal said still experience a variety of atomizers.
I personally use a Stingray X clone myself with a hybrid topcap, I'm looking to maybe get another one that should hopefully come with a copper hybrid adapter instead of the brass one for getting crazy.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys! I didn't think of an adapter or hybrid top cap, that's a new idea.

I did end up getting a mechanical last week and it's great! I found the Dharma mod in copper at my favorite vape shop (Vapor Cafe in Tacoma) for a good price, and it's just what I was looking for. Now I just need to master the coil builds and figure out the best way to run wicking material (using cotton now but I've heard many things so far about other materials!)... Anyhow, I'll start experimenting with hardware at a later date. Still curious about the hybrids, but I guess it can wait awhile.

Right now running 26 gauge 5/6 dual coil, around 1.4 ohms, producing some clouds for sure -- and the tinkering is fun :)
 

pdxvapes

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Wow, I'd never seen a Dharma mod! That is one damn good looking mech, great choice, I don't know anything about it's functionality, but it's not like you're going for pure performance.
What are you wrapping around to get 1.4 ohms with 6 wraps eh? My old daily vape was dual 5-wrap of 26g around a 3/32nds, which makes each coil closer to .5 ohms a piece. You wrapping on a huge I.D.?
 
Yeah, it's pretty cool, I'm stoked! Right now operating it with an Omega clone atty.
I'm getting around 1.4 ohms with what amounts to 5.5 wraps, I guess (four full wraps sandwiched between the legs of the coil at half a wrap each)... 26 gauge kanthal from Lightning Vapes. Also running dual coil. Maybe I'm not describing it in the correct jargon? I'm new to rebuilds! I have a rebuild kit I've been putting together with varying sized drill bits I want to test out as I go. The builds I've done so far have been around a 3/32nd drill bit, but I haven't finished my jig setup so they probably aren't as tight as they could be. I'm also checking ohms with a DMM and plain leads (not alligator clips or anything), so there's a certain margin of error in my test equipment I guess. I don't have an ohm meter designed for vapor hardware (yet).
The biggest issue I'm having right now with my setup is uneven wicking. Using plain organic cotton, but it seems like it never wicks evenly, despite the fact that my coils heat at the same rate -- at least it looks like they do during dry-burn. Any input there? And what does I.D. stand for in our context? Thanks for the dialog!
 

pdxvapes

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
My ohm reader doesn't read accurately at the ohms I build to anyway, so all I use ohm readers for anymore is checking for a stable current without a short. DMMs will give you wavering readings, you also have to account for internal resistance in the multimeter. What I use at this point to determine my ohm reading is input my values, as resistance coil-building is a mathematical formula, into Steam Engine. That page linked there is a single 5-wrap of 26g Kanthal A1 around a 3/32nds bit, it ohms to just about .6, the other bits of information can be left blank or filled with estimates (such as leg length).
Wicking is the most understated part of the build, and practically the most important. I use this guys method (Cotton Joints by YoSh YOsh) for builds over .15, however I would recommend against his back-stuffing directly in the coils to tighten them up. Builds under that resistance, I just cut my wick to length where they will sit flush onto my drip wells base. By not tucking or kinking your wicks in, the juice won't get stuck anywhere in your cotton and wick more efficiently. Cotton Joints all day though man, just make sure you only roll one way, and also twist that way into your coils, that's the trick to squeezing more through than ever.
Would love to see your build, or builds. By the way, I.D. is Inner Dimension, in other words, your drill bit size.
 
True, with resistance levels this small I guess it would be tough to get a super accurate reading with any sort of standard equipment in a normal environment... That calculator is great, thanks for that! I'll have to start tweaking my builds and see what's going to work best for me. Is <1 ohm generally the target area for RDAs? Agreed, the wicking is much more important than I had thought initially. Do you use cotton yarn at all? I've had several folks suggest that, too, though the video you linked is pretty neat. My current problem is the only organic cotton I've found locally is bleached with peroxide, so I guess I need to boil it (seems like a lot of work), or, as I have been doing, saturating it and just burning it off entirely before vaping off it...

I'll try a new build today and grab a photo, haha, a little embarrassed by my setups so far, though they've been working well enough for me. Just a little sloppy-looking!

As far as coil placement, do I want the coils immediately adjacent to the air holes (vertically as well as horizontally), or can they be bent up above the build deck a bit to provide additional space for wicking material?
 
IMAG2233.jpg
Here's my build today, a 2.4 ohm build (according to the Steam Engine calculations), 26 gauge 6/5 wrap on a 3/32" jig. I wanted to build something different, all my builds up to now had been basically the exact same (just practicing)... Also, the wicking is much better this time around, though you can see it's still a little bit uneven... I followed the 'cotton joint' directions, but found that the cotton balls I had with me are smaller than the ones I have at home, and didn't take as well to being formed into the 'dread lock' shape... Ended up doing something a little different, if I can improve on it and get it to wick consistently I'll let you know!
 
Oh, and using Bombshell from Boardwalk Vapor, very good. One of my local shops just started carrying this brand. I dripped it on my previous build and it was good; but much more flavor with this build than with my lower ohm build... Or maybe that's because I ran the wick differently? IMAG2235.jpg
 

pdxvapes

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Your build looks great and is nothing to be ashamed of, maybe a little too much cotton, but more is better than not enough. You can just trim it to fit better. I run my wicks like a donut, or my super sub-ohm builds like an upside-down U, but you always want all sides of the coil exposed.
MXwick.jpg Wicked.jpg
As for airflow, it's good to have you coil centered in front of the airflow, with a little bit of elevation to allow the influx of air easier access to the bottom of your coil and center-post.
 

pdxvapes

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Your build looks great and is nothing to be ashamed of, maybe a little too much cotton, but more is better than not enough. You can just trim it to fit better. I run my wicks like a donut, or my super sub-ohm builds like an upside-down U, but you always want all sides of the coil exposed.
View attachment 5956 View attachment 5957
As for airflow, it's good to have you coil centered in front of the airflow, with a little bit of elevation to allow the influx of air easier access to the bottom of your coil and center-post.
By the way man, I think you might be reading Steam Engine wrong, 6 wraps of 26g on a 3/32nds is closer to .7, so a dual coil is more like .35ish ohms.
 
Thanks dude :) Haha, yeah, definitely was reading that wrong somehow, thanks for the heads up!
I like your atty -- mine is a cheap knockoff, and I hate how enclosed it is, not much space to work. Will be time to upgrade soon!
 
Good lord, that Cloud Chaser juice is 90% VG? I may have to get my hands on some just to try it out. The Boardwalk stuff I just found is 70%VG compared to the 50/50 I've been using, noticeable difference.
 

VU Sponsors

Top