So still been trying to decide if I want to go with a mech mod or a Istick 50w. I like flavor but would like more clouds than my current 20w Istick can push. Whats your opinion on the situation I have at hand.
Istick 50 is great …I have no complaints with mine at all . All the power I need
How does it handle dual coil rda build and does the battery last pretty vaping at higher watts.
PROS
Mechanicals -
Nice because they last practically forever, needing only to change the batteries once they diminish.
No worry over electronics failing.
50w iStick -
Can adjust from somewhere around .2 ohm to 3.5 (basic range…maybe not 100% accurate)
Maintains wattage output even as battery charge drains
Can use a wide range of tanks and RBA’s
Adjustable wattage
Long lasting battery life (more than a day at heavy usage)
CONS
Mechanical -
Limted to what it will fire sufficiently - low ohm devices are most effective
Battery drain happens fairly quickly resulting in decreased performance
Not travel friendly as taking spare, charged batteries for a day out is a must
50w iStick-
Lifespan only so many charges. I think I read around 1000 charge cycles
Electronics is one component that could malfunction opposed to mechanical
50 watt limit - so some of your builds may not perform as desired due to this limit, or, if you’re pushing it to it’s max it will shorten time it holds a charge.
There may be others I’m not thinking of right now, but if you want something that will handle a wide range of drippers, tanks and other rebuildables, that will perform consistently from fully charged to fully depleted, the answer is simply. iStick. But…and this is a big but in my opinion…if I was unhappy with the iStick due to its output limitations I would not be thinking mechanical, but I would be looking more toward a Sigelei 100 or 150w as you get the power, price is reasonable, but you also have the added benefit of the device maintaining output even as the battery voltage drops during depletion.
All one man’s opinion. Good luck.
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You have some good points. I had been thinking of getting a sigelei but didn’t know how it would be and if was worth the money since you have to invest in batteries and a charger. So many choices lol.
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Pretty fair breakdown. While i only own mechs and unregulated mods i started my journey into mods on a VV/VW, 15w SVD, device and have been considering another. I vape mostly at .3ohms which is pulling around 58 watts on a fully charged batt before the voltage drop is considered. Id say a 50w device would be pretty good for me
Mechs are very inexpensive and many of the clones are fantastic. I own one authentic mech and would not buy another. None of my clones cost me of 40 bucks. The one thing i dont like about high wattage regulated devices is the form factor, the box style is the reason i dont use my unregulated box mods. This is changing quickly tho as the form factor is slimming down.
And you will want at least 4 batts, you are looking at a minimum of 2 hours charge time on a decent charger, Digicharger D4. Batts are cheap tho, the sammy 25r’s are 6 dollars each at illumination supply.
I’d say go for the iStick 50W - it’s a great device.
If you get a regulated mod that you have to put two batteries in, you need to “marry” those batteries to the mod. Not use them for anything else. And put battery A in slot A, battery B in slot B - then either switch places at 50% or after you charge them again.
I’ve not used my mechs since I got my Sigelei 150W 
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Good point about the “married pair” of batteries. VERY important for both the device components and for maximizing battery capacity. So, what is a married pair, you ask?
It is a pair of batteries bought new, designated ONLY to be used together in a device, used at the same time, charged at the same time.
For my Sigelei I have two pair. I used a Sharpie and made rings around them…one set has one ring, the other two. That way I always know which belong together as I also have other identical batteries which could get confused easily.
You can use 2 batteries which have been used in other devices…it will work. The problem is one will inevitably drain quicker than the other. The device doesn’t know this and puts more strain on the other battery to “keep up.” This could well lead to a meltdown of the one battery, although what you’ll likely find is that your OLED display will still show what should be ample power, but it just won’t fire. Those problems are avoided by using a married pair, which is demonstrated by my Sigelei firing till it’s down to zero on the display.
I currently have a mech, fresh vtc4 battery inside and 0.3 Clapton coil inside. Fresh battery sags to 3.7 volts. This is 45W only. Forget about mechs, they can’t deliver power properly.
Not everyone will have such a high voltage drop. But if you want something easier to use where you aren’t worrying about ohm readers and stuff as much the istick is a good option
easy … istick50
No, everyone will. Just look at the tests (batteries were installed in a stand, not mech). You are NEVER getting anywhere close to 4.2V under heavy load and most of the time you vape in 3.3-3.4V range. iStick 50W will outperform any mech starting with 0.3 ohm and higher builds.
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I drop my i50 5 to 10 times a day. (Please don’t ask. Lol.). While kayacking the Weeki Wachee River I dropped it in a pool of water. Completely summerged. Lights out. I took it apart and dried it using my truck vents and boom. Back to life. The only thing negative I’d say are two things. The 4 screws holding it together come loose often and the battery life isn’t that great. On the other hand both these problems could and probably are a result of my dropping, drowning issues.
can’t say that I submerged my istick50 but mine has 
taken a lickin and it is still tickin, …
Have the m80+ and the istick 50. The istick is my go-to. It fits in my pocket without problems, very comfortable to hold and lasts all day long. The only drawbacks that I have found is when using 22g kanthal, the ramp up time is slow (I’m kinda impatient) but at 24 and 26g it’s fine. The ohm reader is always off by .1ohm (not too big of a deal) and the biggest selling point for me (on both models) is the charging pass-thru that allows you to vape as you charge. Can’t tell you how convenient this is when driving as I plug it into my usb port and I’m good to go…
I’m waiting for the prices to drop a little more and I’ll probably buy a couple more.
I spoke too soon with my iStick50 … it crapped out on me. It won’t fire anymore. Just says “Power Low” when I try to fire it, even with a full charge. 