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WTB/WTTF Billet box
- Thread starter Mykreign
- Start date
Gas City Vapes, in Canada has the BB clones in stock (yes the newer model with the USB port), and when I bought the previous iteration (no USB port) from them back in February 2018, I received it in 9 days to NJ, USA.
https://www.gascityvapes.com/collec...le-dna-60-with-usb-port?variant=8306707169375
N.B.: Prices are listed in $CAD, so $149 CAD = ~$114 USD right now, which is $10 more than ordering from most of the Chinese sites, but in the USA it seems you can get this to your door in about 1 week, rather than the 2-3+ weeks from China.
Shipping was ~$10 USD IIRC.
I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by Gas City Vapes in any way, just a happy customer. I've spoken with them on the phone a few times, and they were very helpful and courteous.
Right now, I am contemplating buying my 3rd SXK BB DNA60, this time with USB, and from them, since I'd rather not wait for the grass to grow while FT or 3F takes like a week to just put the thing in a box and have it pickup up for ePacket or China EMS.
This has become a real pet peeve of mine, in that even if listed 'In Stock' or 'Ships Next Day', in my experience it still takes them 5-7 days to actually have it picked up by the shipping carrier.
Otherwise, you can also look at NatureVape in the UK:
https://www.naturevape.co.uk/device...ox-v4-style-dna60-device-with-usb-port-by-sxk
They offer it for $129 GBP, which is ~$169 USD, and charge ~$19 USD shipping to the USA. I have not ordered from them, but they have a handful of videos on YT, in which the owner demos various tips and tricks for the BB, and he is apparently a huge fan of the BB.
NatureVape is pricey, but the only other option I see besides Gas City Vapes and The Vapourist (also in Canada) if you do not want to wait for China to whip their mules.
Personally, I would avoid The Vapourist, since I got a rude reply to an email and also when I called they were rude to me on the phone. so it's their loss now.
Hope this helps!
https://www.gascityvapes.com/collec...le-dna-60-with-usb-port?variant=8306707169375
N.B.: Prices are listed in $CAD, so $149 CAD = ~$114 USD right now, which is $10 more than ordering from most of the Chinese sites, but in the USA it seems you can get this to your door in about 1 week, rather than the 2-3+ weeks from China.
Shipping was ~$10 USD IIRC.
I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by Gas City Vapes in any way, just a happy customer. I've spoken with them on the phone a few times, and they were very helpful and courteous.
Right now, I am contemplating buying my 3rd SXK BB DNA60, this time with USB, and from them, since I'd rather not wait for the grass to grow while FT or 3F takes like a week to just put the thing in a box and have it pickup up for ePacket or China EMS.
This has become a real pet peeve of mine, in that even if listed 'In Stock' or 'Ships Next Day', in my experience it still takes them 5-7 days to actually have it picked up by the shipping carrier.
Otherwise, you can also look at NatureVape in the UK:
https://www.naturevape.co.uk/device...ox-v4-style-dna60-device-with-usb-port-by-sxk
They offer it for $129 GBP, which is ~$169 USD, and charge ~$19 USD shipping to the USA. I have not ordered from them, but they have a handful of videos on YT, in which the owner demos various tips and tricks for the BB, and he is apparently a huge fan of the BB.
NatureVape is pricey, but the only other option I see besides Gas City Vapes and The Vapourist (also in Canada) if you do not want to wait for China to whip their mules.
Personally, I would avoid The Vapourist, since I got a rude reply to an email and also when I called they were rude to me on the phone. so it's their loss now.
Hope this helps!
Gas City Vapes, in Canada has the BB clones in stock (yes the newer model with the USB port), and when I bought the previous iteration (no USB port) from them back in February 2018, I received it in 9 days to NJ, USA.
https://www.gascityvapes.com/collec...le-dna-60-with-usb-port?variant=8306707169375
N.B.: Prices are listed in $CAD, so $149 CAD = ~$114 USD right now, which is $10 more than ordering from most of the Chinese sites, but in the USA it seems you can get this to your door in about 1 week, rather than the 2-3+ weeks from China.
Shipping was ~$10 USD IIRC.
I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by Gas City Vapes in any way, just a happy customer. I've spoken with them on the phone a few times, and they were very helpful and courteous.
Right now, I am contemplating buying my 3rd SXK BB DNA60, this time with USB, and from them, since I'd rather not wait for the grass to grow while FT or 3F takes like a week to just put the thing in a box and have it pickup up for ePacket or China EMS.
This has become a real pet peeve of mine, in that even if listed 'In Stock' or 'Ships Next Day', in my experience it still takes them 5-7 days to actually have it picked up by the shipping carrier.
Otherwise, you can also look at NatureVape in the UK:
https://www.naturevape.co.uk/device...ox-v4-style-dna60-device-with-usb-port-by-sxk
They offer it for $129 GBP, which is ~$169 USD, and charge ~$19 USD shipping to the USA. I have not ordered from them, but they have a handful of videos on YT, in which the owner demos various tips and tricks for the BB, and he is apparently a huge fan of the BB.
NatureVape is pricey, but the only other option I see besides Gas City Vapes and The Vapourist (also in Canada) if you do not want to wait for China to whip their mules.
Personally, I would avoid The Vapourist, since I got a rude reply to an email and also when I called they were rude to me on the phone. so it's their loss now.
Hope this helps!
That's fantastic, Thank you Arthur!
I've never ordered from China because of the slow shipping. This was almost my first time.
The SXKUSBBB comes with three bridges. The Nautilus, another for Kanger socc coils and third is the Kanger RBA . So in theory all you need is a battery, juice and coils for either of the first two or wire and cotton (aside from the aforementioned ) to build your coil.
Do you want a pre-made coil head, or are you planning/willing to build on the included kanger-style RBA head?
if pre-made, the Kanger SSOCC 0.5 Ohm ("NC" which are N80 Nichrome or the SS316L) are very airy DTL.
The Aspire "Nautilus 2" 0.7 Ohm coil is a little tighter draw, and the Kanger SSOCC 1.2 Ohm is about the same once it breaks in a little.
I've found that the SSOCC 0.5 Ohm NC coil needs ~25w to start being efficient in terms of flavor and vapor and this also makes the body of the BB get kinda warm-to-hot. The other coils mentioned above dont have this issue.
I like the 0.7 Ohm Nautilus coil @~17-19w, and the 1.2 Ohm SSOCC coil @~15-17w.
With the Kanger-style RBA head, I've found a sweet spot with 27g Kanthal KA1, 6-7 wraps on 3mm ID, each wrap spaced about 1mm apart, which comes out betw 0.9-1.0 Ohms and is great @ 18w.
There are a handful of other atomizers, all rebuildable, such as the Insider, Exocet, VapeShell and Basterd Coil, but the authentics are $100+ and clones are available of all except the Basterd Coil.
There are also other bridges, that will let you use other pre-made coils, such as from Atmistique in Greece, and ModFactory in the UK.
Also, there is a different tank, called the A-Tank, that has a wider opening the lower hole that allows for use of Aspire Atlantis and Triton and compatible coils (SuperTank Mini, Eleaf EC, Vaporesso cCell) that comes with the bridge parts in the tank, which is like $8 at 3F or FT for the clone, or $62 for the authentic direct from BBV.
Over in the BB Appreciation thread, lots of the other guys are rocking the Vaporesso EUC coils with the ModFactory bridge, but I have not tried them yet.
Most of the time I am using the Kanger-style RBA head, and looking to sell the 2 ea. of the VapeShell and Insider clone attys soon. However, I am going to hang on to the 2x Exocet clones.
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With the Insider, I tried nearly 80 different builds and wicking setups and it's got a very narrow sweet spot (which I never could find) for where it does not give you dry hits, nor flood the build deck.
I watched every video I could find on it, as well as read tons of forum posts, and nothing fixed it for me.
I gave up on it. I am not skilled enough, or possibly just not patient enough to figure it out now and WAY too frustrated to play with it any more. Maybe you'd have better luck than I.
I'd recommend the SXK Exocet. Easy to build and wick and it vapes a treat! If you ever want to MTL it, the Kayfun 5 airflow inserts fit perfectly.
Sent from my pants.
I did, and I hope so!Looks like you went with Gas City Vapes. I expect you will be happy with the results.
Also, for ~$165 USD, you are off to a very good start with the BB.
Thanks again for all that information! I never would've ordered if it wasn't for that. I really appreciate it.
Congrats and welcome to the BB club @Mykreign ... it may not cure your issue with being tired of fiddling but it might help. I'm pretty much in maintenance mode these days and the BB along with my sqonk setups keep me pretty satisfied. However, I did just pick up a pod mod for out and about and when I'm doing work that might be hazardous to my vape equipment so I can never say I'm completely done, lol.
I hope it hits the sweet spot for you but even if it doesn't, I doubt you will have any trouble finding a home for it. In fact, I've been contemplating picking up one of those USB models myself hmmm, maybe you shouldn't like it so much after all, lol.
I hope it hits the sweet spot for you but even if it doesn't, I doubt you will have any trouble finding a home for it. In fact, I've been contemplating picking up one of those USB models myself hmmm, maybe you shouldn't like it so much after all, lol.
haha we'll see. Looks like you knew what my intent was with this and I hope it does something for me as well.Congrats and welcome to the BB club @Mykreign ... it may not cure your issue with being tired of fiddling but it might help. I'm pretty much in maintenance mode these days and the BB along with my sqonk setups keep me pretty satisfied. However, I did just pick up a pod mod for out and about and when I'm doing work that might be hazardous to my vape equipment so I can never say I'm completely done, lol.
I hope it hits the sweet spot for you but even if it doesn't, I doubt you will have any trouble finding a home for it. In fact, I've been contemplating picking up one of those USB models myself hmmm, maybe you shouldn't like it so much after all, lol.
I've been stealth vaping the myblu pod all day in my office. I'm loving it. (nobodies more surprised than me)
Sure thing. Welcome to the Club!
I too was super happy to have found Gas City Vapes, for back in Feb, finding a BB clone, either 'in stock' or at a reasonable price was literally like finding a needle in a haystack.
Now we have a handful of sources from China, along with the painfully long waiting time until delivery. But thankfully a few other non-Chinese vendors have kept up their inventory, so we do not have to order from China.
I do think you'll like it; there are enough options to satisfy most vapers I think. Well, maybe not the cloud chuckers but given the form factor, it does pretty good.
I had the exact same experience. I reluctantly picked up a pod after one of my setups took a dive off a roof when I was doing some repairs ... it miraculously survived but isn't nearly so pretty any more.
Anyway, that motivated me to get something more easily pocket-able and cheap enough that I didn't care if it got beat up. I have to say, like you, I was really surprised at how well the pod worked. It is night and day different from the cigalikes that I started with back in 2009. I'm using it a lot more than I ever thought I would.Yea, I got 4x of those on the $1 special. I mangled one pod trying to rebuild it, but I have a second pod that I've refilled more than a dozen times now with my own DIY unflavored juice that is 90%VG and 10% water, which gives it a viscosity similar to 60/40 with PG. I cannot use PG because it makes me very sick. I have no issues with wicking with this DIY batch.
Right now I am on a 9mg freebase mix for it, and for the first time in 20 yrs am getting a slight nic buzz, and oddly also not getting nic sick (normal freebase level is 1.5-1.8mg on the BB, drippers and tanks).
It is a super restricted draw compared to what I was used to, but I am able to manage. I am 'testing' out the MyBlu and trying to convince myself that I dont actually need to buy an Aspire Breeze 2, while I am waiting for my 3-pack of Pico Squeezes to arrive on this SAT...
I am hoping that the Wasp Nano atop the Pico Squeeze will end up working as a mini and portable setup so I can leave the BB at home and dont need to buy yet another device.
Soon I need to order 4x Sony VTC5a's from illumn (sold out everywhere else) to dedicate for the Squeeze when building betw 0.27-0.35 Ohms...and having a nice vape with durable cells...
Very similar to my situation. I wanted to get one for my mom. My grandma passed away last week and she's been chain smoking like no other. I ended up buying 5 of them and giving her 2. Hopefully she sticks with it.
I haven't tried using my own juice yet. I'm using the vanilla pod and it's not bad at all in my opinion. Also lasting forever.
My vape journey has been all over the place. Just two months ago I was running 0.12 ohm dual coils on my mechs. Then went to 0.27ish single coils. Now I'm using those and the Myblu. I think the billet box might be an in-between setup when compared to 22mm singe coil rdas and a pod system.
So as long as I can find a vape I like fairly quick, i'll be happy. (I think)
I had the SXK BB with a bunch of extras, including two Exocet clones and an Insider clone. Really, really regret selling it, so much that I may take the hit and buy another. I never tried the Insider, but never felt the need to after using the Exocet. IIRC, I built it with 26ga kanthal to around .5-ohms and vaped it at low wattage. Got a very good restricted lung hit with the airflow ring removed.
Anyway - I loved the Exocet and never had any wicking issues - no dry hits or leaking. It performed perfectly for me. I think you made a wise choice.
Anyway - I loved the Exocet and never had any wicking issues - no dry hits or leaking. It performed perfectly for me. I think you made a wise choice.
That's great to hear!
Nice to see that GCV is continuing to be a good vendor.
Thank you. We'll see how long it takes. I'm a little closer than new jersey. (Michigan)
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Funny part is that I'm selling it to get a SXK RPG and use the rest for a US Modz Mini Stinger... It's going to be purple stab wood and smoked acrylic!I'd love to but can't justify it, considering my already too large collection of squonkers and tube mechs. A hundred bucks is much easier to rationalize.
Sent from my pants.
Nope still there just kinda linger around i got back into tubes again so now its squonks tubes bbs and pods lmao im a lost sole
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Congrats!
Just be careful not to let any juice or condensation get on the screen or buttons or anywhere around that area (@troydestroy sells DryPlugs that work great for this), because the board inside is not insulated with a silicone gasket, nor is the Ares 70w board covered with a waterproof (conformal) coating, like the DNA60 models are, and I've read a few reports of the unit going belly-up if any of the inner electronics get wet.
However, if the Ares 70w board gets killed, it is relatively easy to do a board swap to a DNA60 ($50 for the board and screen as a kit, from protovapor.com or evolvapor.com) and re-use the same button panel if you are handy with a soldering iron (I think it's like 9-10 wires in total: 2-3 for the up/down buttons, 2 for the fire button, 2 for the battery, and 2 for the 510 pin)...
IIRC either @Wtmke1 or @BrewBear (can't recall which one, please forgive me) did this board swap recently with a buddy who was handy with the soldering iron doing the actual work...
I can solder in my sleep. Started my career in defense as a production worker soldering components for the Abrams tank. That was 30 years ago, but I have my own soldering station, solder, flux, and everything else required to produce milspec-quality solder connections. Yay.
Cool! Should be a breeze for you if it is ever needed.
I had a soldering class in summer camp when I was 7 yrs old (built an AC-to-DC 9v/12v power supply from a kit), and learned on my own after that and have had electronics as one of my hobbies ever since. That started a very long time ago too (I'm 49 now).
Likely your military-based experience is much more formalized and thorough, and your training of a much higher standard than my own self-taught process.
Other hobbies include computers (also my career) as well as music and home recording, so soldering skills come in handy for both building something as well as repairs.
Yea it was me with the button board. Actually did it myself but wasn't the actual issue. Still need a new main chip but I'll get one eventually. Have 4 others to use
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That surely wasn't me! I went whole hog and got two authentic BB with the DNA 60 before I woke up and got the SXKUSBBB!
I can't solder to save my life! I have a DNA 75C squonk kit that eventually I'll bite the bullet and try to put together.
Sorry if I mis-spoke. Yours @BrewBear and @Wtmke1's posts seem to catch my eye a lot in the BB and Bonkers threads, so I tend to get confused sometimes.
I had an idea to get a DNA60 board, and some ModMaker parts and use them with some wood that I'd carve from a piece cut off of a 2x4 into a squonk mod, with the intent that the end result is a size close to a Pico Squeeze v1, and then I realized I'd have to spend about $100 more in tools just to get started, and also realized that Shapeways printing of one of the available designs from elsewhere is likely to be cheaper, faster and with less overall effort on my part...
It is now but a dream, set aside for a while....
Same here
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