I received this v5 Mechanical Mod free of charge from Vape Mechanic for the purpose of this review. Regardless of this, it will not color my opinion on this review in any way, shape or form.
Packaging
The v5 comes in a cardboard tube filled with foam that has a cut out for the tube itself. It is a packaging that functions very well and protects the tube and I should know this since it got a bit banged up during shipping this time but when I opened it up and looked at the tube it was undamaged. Inside the tube you will find a piece of paper and I can only imagine it to be some sort of manual/instruction but since it only is in Russian I can’t really say for sure.
The Tube
I have done a couple of reviews on Vape Mechanics tube mods before and this time around I will be doing it on the newest model, the v5. The first impression I get when I open the package and look at the tube is that Vape Mechanic has done it again.
It just breathes high quality, everything from the packaging, threads, cerakote, it all tells me that this is a high end hybrid mechanical tube mod. It is 24mm at the top and bottom and it tapers into 22mm at the middle and where it goes back to 24mm again you will find a machined bevel in the tube.
I got the flat black cerakoted tube and it comes in colors as white, red and silver plated and the black one just look gorgeous. Unfortunately I have had some paint chipping or should I say flaking off of the switch and it is not from rough handling, it looks more like the paint isn’t sticking to it as it should. On the tube itself I can’t see any signs of the same thing so it is only located to the switch itself.
The threads on the tube itself and the button with all its parts are just flawless. I can’t find anything to complain about and they are just buttery smooth.
This brass tube is silver plated all over before it is painted and the inside of the tube is just amazing. Can anyone say high conductivity… I can’t imagine that this tube will have a lot of voltage drop the way they have made this.
As the other tubes from Vape Mechanic this one also has the elevated center on the hybrid connection and around that elevated center it has the name Vape Mechanic engraved into the top. It also got a new logo engraved to the outside of the tube and on the limited edition it is an etching instead, both on the top and on the side of the tube. The button has Vape Mechanic and the Vape Mechanic guy etched into it.
If you remember the last review on the Spanner you also remember me complaining about RDA’s not sitting flush on it due to the too elevated center on the hybrid connection… Well all I can say is that this isn’t an issue on the v5, everything I have put on it sits really nice and flush. This clearly tells me that Vape Mechanic has listened to their customers and the reviewers and taken into account what they have said about the issue the last model had and changed things in production.
The spring loaded switch is just something else and it is not like anything I have seen on a mechanical mod as of yet. All parts are silver plated for high conductivity and that makes this an easy to clean switch, at least the way I clean my stuff… In citric acid and then just rinse the parts in water or use a cloth to dry them off. The throw on it might be around 1.5mm – 2mm and I do really like how it feels.
It is made out of 7 parts with the switch housing included. It is a full contact switch and the big flat disk is always in contact with the inside of the tube. It can also be used without that big disk and works at that time as a normal switch and it closes the circuit when you press the button. In the time I have used it I haven’t detected any issues with a hot button nor has it faulted for me at any time either.
The button sits recessed in the switch housing and it doesn’t have any way to lock it to prevent it from firing. I don’t see a use for a lock since it takes a bit of force to press the button in order to fire it. In the time I have used it I have put it in my pocket while strolling around in stores and it has never auto fired on me.
It is serialized and the number is etched in on the inner part of the switch housing together with the text ”Made in Russia”. You will also find the venting on the button and as far as I can tell it is working but I do hope I never will find out how well it does work during a critic situation.
The tube doesn’t have any delrin lining or other safety features like that so it is really important that the user check the wrap on the batteries in order to avoid any shorts while using it. Of course a battery with a damaged wrap shouldn’t be used at all until the wrap has been changed.
If there is anything I wanna complain about and this is me being nit picky, it is the somewhat sharp edge on the switch housing where the button reside. When you push the button that edge is a bit irritating on the finger used to fire it. I would also like to see the manual/instruction on at least english as well since not everyone is able to read and understand Russian.
Assessment
It is a hard hitting well built mechanical mod according to me. I just can’t say it in any other way. AV, Armageddon and all the other mod makers out there claiming to be high end got competition from Russia with this one.
Can I recommend it to others?
I definitely can recommend this to others. If you are in the market for a good looking well built, hard hitting mechanical tube mod that also happens to be a hybrid you should just order one. If anyone would ask me I would just say that they are that good and they deserve a wider audience. And the price on these mods are also a good one and just makes it an even better deal.
Pros
Machining
Hard hitting
Silver plated everything
Buttery smooth threads
The paint job
The Switch
The throw
Cons
Paint flaking off of the switch
A bit sharp edge where the button reside in the switch housing
Only Russian on the attached manual/instruction
Parameters
Width: 24mm
Length: 86mm
Black, Red, White, Silver plated
Package includes
1 x v5 mechanical mod
1 x Instruction
You will find it here
At Vape Mechanic for $119 at the time I wrote the review.
And before ending this review I want to point out a few things of importance to those new to mech mods and also the seasoned user. Remember to always pay attention to…
Battery safety
Ohms law
Having a hybrid connection you must make sure to have a protruding enough 510 pin on the atomizer
Keeping your mech mod clean at all times. Meaning the connections, switch, threading and internally
Thanks for reading this far and Vape on!
Norseman
Only one problem if you sand that edge is that the silver plating goes away and the brass comes through and that might look a bit strange unless you paint it black.