Morningstar Modz - Reactor Mech Review by KingPin!

[KingPin!]

Hi Folks,

Believe it or not, it’s not often I get the opportunity to speak to the founder and director of a company before starting a product review. Not only that but actually meeting them in person. Such is charisma and enthusiasm of this guy, it just draws you in. In fact I’d go as far as saying when you meet him for the first time, it’s like you’ve been friends for years!….the founder I’m talking about here is Oggy from Morningstar MFG Ltd (https://morningstar-modz.com/).



As the saying goes “you are only six degrees of separation from knowing anyone in the world”. I was afforded the opportunity to meet Oggy due to the efforts of a good friend of mine (JWill), who took the same liking I did, and had already become the exclusive USA distributor of Morningstar products through his www.cloudist.store.

I understand JB’s plans are to sell these as stock or put them through his awesome “custom paint shop” services (https://cloudist.store/jwill-customs_c_30.html), either way he has international reach should you not find a local seller.

It was JWill who kindly made this review possible. Many of you know he is active here at the Vaping Underground so needs little introduction. He is also part of the VU Community Challenge team with me (and other fellow members), as well as supporting vaping Advocacy groups through his business.

Don’t get me wrong despite being familiar with either person above, my duty first and foremost is delivering an unbiased review, and on that note…as always I don’t like to make recommendations in my reviews, instead I present you with my findings to help bolster your research should you be interested in the product.

***PLEASE NOTE*** Mechanical Mods are for experienced vapers, those who understand the risks, battery safety, coil building and Ohm’s law. Unless you have a general interest in reading my ramblings please research these areas thoroughly before opting to buy one of these products


Specifications

• Diameter: 26mm (tapers out to 28mm)
• Height: 96mm
• Weight: 243g Stainless Steel grooved (will vary on metal and finish)
• Tube Type: Hybrid
• Switch Type: Morningstar Modz V2 Constant Contact
• Stock Spring Load: 3lb (as of time of this review)
• Materials: Stainless Steel 304, Copper C101 or C109, Brass CZ112, Aluminium 6098, Nickel Plated Stainless steel (Spring)
• Atomiser Support Size: 25mm (without overhang)
• [Optional] Tritium Betalight Size: 10 x 2.5mm (please research before buying)

About This Product and Company

When you get into high end it’s nice to know a little about what you’re buying into. Having met the man and picked his brains I’ll start there;

Morningstar MFG Ltd was established in the UK in 2017. Oggy had worked as a CNC Machinist for several precision engineering companies prior to founding Morningstar Modz. He was well into performance mech’s from premium companies such as Comp Lyfe and League of Scoundrels to name a couple. They had slogans like “Join the Resistance” or “With Us or Against Us”, he used to think to himself “But We Are Who We Are”. It was this line he kept in mind when he landed on the name “Morningstar”…from there he drew and picked his heptagram logo, finally the graffiti element in his branding came from his appreciation of street art, along with queues taken from the Greek alphabet.

Starting out is tough for anyone, more so if you don’t have deep pockets to start with. Oggy was able to save on expensive CAD services thanks to his engineering experience, he took his design and got it machined locally due to having lack of funds to purchase his own CNC lathe. This led to his first batch and release of the “Hustle” (HowUSurviveThroughLyfeEveryday), which Oggy plans to keep as his companies “house mod” serving as a reminder of where he came from.

He later formed a partnership with a local engineering firm (EWL Engineering Ltd)... They needed an experienced machinist, he needed a supplier and equipment….the rest they say is history and the two become family.

All materials used by Morningstar are sourced locally in and around Birmingham (UK). In addition, except for the spring, everything is machined and hand finished by the team in house. Oggy is a firm believer of keeping things local to support business in the midlands where he’s based.

The metals you’ll find in Morningstar Mechs are: CZ112 Naval Brass, C101 Copper (where practical to machine), C109 Copper, Aluminium 6082, and Stainless Steel 304. You’ll notice from all of the releases to date his mods are designed and made with compatibility in mind, by this I mean the switch is compatible with the Hustle, Reactor and BoomBox. Not only that but Oggy plans on releasing an extension tube to enable a series stack, which will follow suit on the compatibility side.

Oggy’s mission is a journey of discovery. While he aims for excellence, he’s a firm believer there is always room for improvement, especially once people get their hands on the product and give their open thoughts. The compatibility approach is so he can make tweaks and adjustments to the switch and other parts, so anybody buying into these products can get the upgrade without having to purchase the whole lot again…that is a fantastic move in my book.

Lastly Oggy doesn’t believe in the race down to the lowest serial number. Each is made on a machine by hand, therefore each has that personal touch to it. You’ll notice if you buy one of these Reactors they don’t have serial numbers stamped anywhere outside of the box, or card if you get one (I didn’t and I was handed this by the man himself). Personally I like markings like that, it makes cloning a little harder, but this is where Oggy stands on it at the moment.

 

[KingPin!]

The Switch

Let’s starts with the most important area first... the switch; this is the V2 switch they just finished design on 3 weeks prior to the UK Vape expo. Its probably fair to point out the one I’m using for the review was from the first initial batch they had to get done to meet the show’s opening. I’m saying this because some of the areas I highlight might well be finished slightly differently with more time allowed afterwards…such as giving everything a thorough soaking to clean it all up, as I’d expect to see.

This V2 switch I’m covering below will be available with all newly released Hustles, and comes with the Reactors and Boombox as standard.

The Reactor is made with simplicity in mind, by this the switch has five areas to cover;



1)- First up is the copper contact, which is C101 oxygen free (the closest you can get to pure copper at 99.99%). Outside of silver it offers the best electrical conductance there is. This contact is encased inside a plastic insulator; isolating it from the rest of the switch. It’s this piece that provides a constant contact to your battery, so haters of arcing and rubbing marks off the terminals...this is right up your street.

The main downside to using copper is it tarnishes much faster than silver, although it keeps the cost down when purchasing and does clean up very easily. I would like to in time see Morningstar introduce some pure silver contacts and springs as aftermarket options, this will take things to the next step for purists out there.

One thing I did notice relating to finishing was at the centre of this copper contact. There was a thin ring of metal left around the vent hole where the cutter had stopped prematurely. It was easy enough for me to polish down making the surface flat, but is something for the team back at base to check on the main batch run to avoid unnecessary hot buttons out of the gate.



2)- Next up is what I call the locking ring, which is made from CZ112. Naval Brass known for is high corrosive resistance and general hardness making it an ideal choice for this area. It’s machined such that you can simply push, then twist the triangle actuator button to release it. This quick release process only works when you remove the contact from the top of it, so no accidental quick releases when in use. The other benefit of this design approach is that you already have in-built venting without having to machine any other area of the ring…genius.

Whilst you can orientate a battery either way on a tube mech, ideally you should face the battery to where the venting is located. The good news is the Reactor has venting either end, so it’s down to personal preference as to whether you’re more comfortable with positive end up towards the atomiser or not (personally I am because if there’s a tear in the battery wrap that I miss and it shorts, it will constant fire giving me time to sort the problem, as opposed to create dead short which as we all know ends badly).

There is no threading inside the ring to adjust the contact throw, unlike other mods with constant contact (i.e. the Barebones from Deathwish Modz) to be honest I don’t think it needs it as the friction fit tolerances are spot on.



3)- The third component in this area is the actuator button which is made from 6098 grade Aluminium (the hardest in the 6 series). Whilst Aluminium sits lower in electrical conductance scale than copper, it’s has better hardness rating making it a good choice to serve in a system modelled on this quick release design.

As with the pieces above venting has been artfully incorporated into the Morningstar logo at the base of the button.



There is perhaps two things I’d suggest Morningstar could incorporate here, one is a retaining cup for the spring to sit inside (as well as doing the same on the locking ring above it). Unfortunately every time I take the switch apart the spring wants to slip out of position which is damaging the button.




Second is id make the triangle slightly thicker in depth to reduce any button wobble to the absolutely bare minimum, plus it would also stabilise the button press. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad in these areas but this would be the cherry on the cake for me.

With anything that works in an environment with friction; I found it was worth-while just brushing a touch of Caig DeoxIT Gold on the edges of the triangle to help it move smoothly up and down, before this it was snagging ever so slightly at points. At the time I was thinking another shape with less angled edges would help, but operation was buttery smooth afterwards, and it will break in a bit over time anyway.

4)- The Fourth component is the Nickel coated Stainless Steel (304) Spring. It’s a biggun for sure, in my opinion simply too much in diameter, and with its 3lb load strength. Holding the button after repeated hits become problematic for me. Really the spring is meant for competition vaping, for everyday users it needs something softer to make it a pleasant experience. The good news is Morningstar already knows about this and plans to half the spring load to 1.5lb. Hopefully they’ll offer it as an extra choice in future packs rather than removing the hard option as some might like it that way.

Looking to the future, as I said above I’d love to see a thinner spring and retaining cup in a V2.5 or V3 switch design. To test out this theory in readiness, I used the spring from my Barebones mech which is thinner in diameter and softer, the button was a pleasure to use without any dead zone, something to bear in if you do get one and the alternative is not yet available.

5)- Last but not least is the switch casing. It will be in whatever material you chose (brass, stainless steel or copper). In addition there are 4 different finishes to choose from Flat, Grooved (my one), knurled, and for the hard core out there who like the ultimate grip and a good flesh flaying…knurled grooved.

I used all options at the expo and grip wise... with that super strength spring I thought knurled and knurled grooved was the best bet, however with the spring changed any option is great to go with.

There’s a few things to note here;

1, There are just two threaded areas on the whole mech…this switch casing and the 510 thread at the top of the tube. As a result the switch works in a constant contact fashion. It actually moves freely up and down inside the tube when no battery is loaded.

2, The button sits recessed into the casing so there’s no accidental pushing of it when standing it on a surface

3, Once you get a 2x700 battery loaded the switch self-adjusts accordingly to any slight variation in size of different cells.

4, If you want to extend the throw of the button (button travel) then you have to unscrew the casing, there is no other way. Fully done up you’ll have approx. 3mm of travel, undone as far as it goes you’ll have about 7mm of travel. Personally I like it done all the way up, but with the stock spring I had to ease it off a bit so I can press and hold it, until that is, I found an alternative to use.

The only area of feedback with regards to this component is; unlike the threads on the tube, the very top and bottom thread could have been finished a little better. Under close inspection the cutter was broken off a little too early perhaps. It doesn’t affect the casing or fail to catch, but it’s an OCD annoyance of mine when cleaning it and getting bits stuck to the threads.



So there you have it that’s the switch covered ….it looks simple right? I think that’s the thing that’s impressed me most so far with Morningstar, it’s the understated complexity Oggy pours into his work. Do I like the switch?...outside of the stiff spring, a couple of minor points on finishing and wanting them to incorporate a retaining feature…yes I think it’s absolutely genius. It’s not over engineered, doesn’t have any heating issues, self-adjusts, has a great throw range, is easy to break down and clean…it just works!

 

[KingPin!]

The Rest of It

At the top of the Reactor, is a gorgeously machined biohazard symbol, surrounded by three vent holes, and three sunken areas to place Tritium Betalights. These lights are actually a hydrogen radioactive isotype to produce light, which is where the name of the mech came from. It’s the same stuff fisherman use, and is in some watches. The light doesn’t need charging like the blanks I have in mine right now, it will constantly glow for 10-15 years continually until it reaches its half-life. I did look into it all so I’m on the fence about whether I’ll ever bother using them, but should you want to you have the option in a range of different colours.




The Mech is weighty but it extremely well balanced in the hand. It’s tapered at the base to accommodate the switch from the hustle. It’s 26 up to 28mm taper makes it very ergonomic and comfortable to hold and fire. In addition the cut out’s are positioned at just the right points for additional grip using either index or middle finger to fire.

It’s machined to a very high standard overall as I’d expect on a high end mod. The tolerances are very good so fitment of parts is spot on, with no wobble. Just two zone have threads which is better for the low voltage drop mech users look for.




Using either a 21700 or 20700 cell there is no rattling of the battery, although it’s worth noting there is no plastic lining inside. Whilst it gives you more instant feedback from the battery should it be warming up and reduces the tubes necessary diameter, it does present more risk using a hybrid connection. I personally would like to see this lining incorporated in a future design to give users options in the Morningstar range…but I’m fine without it also, I just always remember to inspect my battery wraps every time before I insert a battery, I also make sure the positive pin sits proudly of the threads on the atomiser before ever using it.

While talking about the lining, it’s worth noting there is no adaptor option for a 18650 battery. You are using the 2x700 sized cells with this mech. I can’t list this as a con as the product isn’t listed as being sold with it, so this is a design decision to keep the costs down on the extra contact. If I have the choice of using a 21700 over a 18650 it’s a no brainer as to which id go for anyway.

Performance wise I’m very happy, ramp up is smooth on my atomisers, the mod warms evenly after chain vaping so I’m not detecting hot spots by feel. I’d say you’ll get about a week out of it before you start noticing it’s time to clean it up, to bring it back up to top performance again. I don’t have the equipment to do voltage drop testing like Mooch demonstrates in his tests, so I’m not going to give you any half-baked bollocks about it….I have zero complaints in this area, contact is reliable and the mech goes for it as soon as I press the button. As with anything coil build plays a major part of your experience…I don’t like building ultra-low, so anywhere between 0.13 -0.17ohms is where I aim for when using a Samsung 30T.

The only thing left to say is there will be 300 of these reactors made, this isn’t per finish variant or per metal type, it’s 300 total…done. This isn’t to say there won’t be a special edition, but as far as I’m aware this is it. Oggy said once these are gone, it’ll be onto the BoomBox and next project…maybe the Hustles big brother will come out next with it’s 21700 big boy pants on….here you go Oggy as I know you’re going to read this mate…how about …..The Muscle?! <take a bow>…and if you really want it phallic….a special edition “Love Muscle” 26650 edition.

So with everything covered I guess it’s time to give you a couple of shot’s of what this beauty looks like in real life with a couple of different 25mm atomisers on top (the max size you can use without overhang). These are the cloudist and reserved options as I call them ….<drool time> no gaudy branding or artwork, simple clean and simply stunning.

Pro’s

• Made in the UK, high quality materials (cost reflects that)
• Precision engineered by hand
• Medium sized batch run so will be enough about for a while
• Finish is very good overall (see couple of points below in cons)
• Fitting tolerance is excellent on all parts
• Lovely smooth performance
• Easy to strip down and clean
• V2 constant contact fire button, further follow ups being compatible in the current range
• Well balanced and comfy in the hand, has a nice weight to it
• Different styling and grip options
• Accommodates the largest range of atomisers on the market (25mm)
• Supports 21700 and 20700 cells
• Vent holes will accommodate either battery orientation

Con’s

• Spring is a little too stiff (it will break in a bit but needs a softer option with it)
• I’d like to see a spring retaining feature incorporated into the switch design
• Threading finish on the switch casing could be a little better
• Snag left on the contact, team needs to keep an eye on that when hand finishing
• Give each a thorough soaking to clean all parts before shipping out
• [personal] Lack of lining inside the tube could put some folks off
• [personal] I’d give the triangle actuator a thicker depth to help improve button feedback

Conclusion

Many of my cons are nit-picking to help Morningstar focus on areas I think will really take things to the next level. I don’t want to detract away from how well made the reactor is, or how well it performs because those two things really make it stand out in my opinion.

It’s difficult to sit up and stand out these days, let’s face it there’s not much we haven’t seen, I think Morningstar is a breath of fresh air in the ever more saturated market and can see great things for them to come. I love the compatibility aspect and more importantly how Morningstar have balanced form, function, features, and styling – it’s within reach of the perfect blend in my opinion.

With the review out of the way I’d just like to finish up with this point.... I hope Oggy stays true to his roots in the long haul, continues to keep his eye on making these the best they can be, and always keeps that vision of the journey front and centre, it’s what will keep him grounded after he becomes the next big thing. I guess this is my way of saying don’t forgot your Hustle house mod Morningstar, and I wish you all the best of luck wherever the journey takes you.

Thank you for reading my review. I hope you find the information useful, until next time KingPin!

 

[jwill]

Great write up KP. If anyone gets the opportunity to chat up Oggy, I highly recommend you do. He is a good dude and genuinely loves vaping. Not to cosign on the review or anything but we love working with those guys.