i agree with @Sprkslfly but I’d like to say that I have a 20 and 30 watt Eleaf mod that were both sent to me by a supplier when they first came out.I don’t use them often but from time to time I try them out with small single coils to taste test and they both charge well, hold a charge and work like the day I got them. I also have the first 80 wt tc Clouper beat to hell and it still works like a charm. It looks like something from fallout.Also, like @leadpipe58, I now make my own.
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Dude you are going to get the proverbial ford vs chevy debate with this. For every person that tells you their XYZ 213 mod is the best thing in the world, there will be 2 people standing behind him going “wtf, mine was a total POS” I doubt you’ll find many of the SX550 or DNA chipped mods that go bad electrically, and so it comes down to battery contacts, switches, 510, and juice ingress. The one you have there that surprises me is the LostVape. That is a dna mod, so depending on what is wrong with it, you can apply some elbow grease and repair it I expect, at least if you want to. Otherwise, send it to someone that wants to fix it. The only mod that is “certified” to be more reliable is going to be the Aegis, its waterproof and dust proof. I’m not sure that is really the problem though. I expect you are running into routine line of production failures, like bad solder joints, and this is something the vape industry doesn’t do very well with. I dont really think you’ll get more reliable than that Therion without giving up electronics and learning to vape it up on a mech mod, which involves really understanding ohms law and battery safety, and forgetting about temp control. Certainly not an easy proposition. Try out a Wismec Noisy Cricket V2. For $30, how reliable does it need to be? It doesnt have tc, but it does at least have some protection against shorts and whatnot, and it has a PWM regulated mode. Get the V2 mind you, not the V1. Otherwise, get a good old reliable mechanical mod.
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I’m an eleaf boy. Have yet to have one fail on me, they can be loaded with artic fox and they are cheap enough from the slow boat that I wouldn’t care if one died after 6 months
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There is some wisdom in this. With artic fox, I can say eleaf is probably the best $35 you’ll spend on a tc device.
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Voopoo drag can be bought for $37 at GB or $41 for the newer resin panel version, very solid, excellent TC if thats your thing and i haven’t heard many reports of any kind of issue at all with them.
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i am really curious how the therion died or something…
in a general way i wouldn’t expect the very cheap chinese devices last for long though there are many exceptions… but what caused your therion to die?
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voopoo drag been using for quite a while now and hasn’t died on me also if you vape low wattage can’t really go wrong with a aegis
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There is a “battery check” error and empty battery symbol. I did a web search and found similar issues. Also tried to update with escribe as recommeded without sucess. I contacted vendor. So far good customer service. Returned and waiting for a credit to my account.
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i see thank you very much the info 
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100% this. The EVic Mini has been my daily beater for 2 years. It has been dropped on concrete garage floor, and even accidentally kicked across the garage floor after a drop. I had to re-glue a door magnet in, after that one, but it has never missed a beat.
I have 8 of them in the stash, picked up at clearance prices over the last 2 years. If I get 2 years out of each of them, I’ll be 80 before I have to break into the Pico stash.
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Stick with a mech. Nothing to go wrong as long as you keep your contacts clean and build to your battery.
Steam Engine
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I have a friend who is like “el-destructo” when it comes to vaping equipment. He was going through a Smok a week for awhile. Not all the mods fault either. He just beat the snot out of them. Ended up with a VooPoo Alpha One. Like a little iron box. I think he’ll be fine unless he runs over it with the hi-lo or something.
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My wife is also exceptionally talented at killing mods for whatever reason. There has been one she can not destroy though, not even after 2.5 years… iPV4s. Real horse, that one.
I figure, spending ~50 bucks on a mod affords me decent satisfaction if I can get a year out of it before it starts to look bad or act up. Anything longer than that is like icing. Besides, after a year I probably want another new shiny thing anyway.
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If the OP is not interested in any fancy shit or TC then I can recommend the above. Built like a freaking tank.
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I still have my first Innonklin MVP, from when I gave up on ego pens, It has since been dropped many times, on every surface imaginable and even in a toilet, Started buying a ton more mods, and gave the MVP to a friend who used it for a year and He passed away, his wife gave it back to me Still working! I have no Idea how this thing is still holding a charge. Anyway I still have and use regularly my First 3 after that, a Sigelei 100, A Sigelei 150 and The RX 200, Some other Favorites are My Lost Vape Triad 200, Triad 250, Therion 166, Tesla Invader 2/3, Smoant Battlestar, and my 3 EvicMinis for work. The only ones I can say did not last were The Predators, 2 of them, and The RX 2/3, those 2 models were the only ones that totally failed in my collection that is way out of control, like 60 or so.
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I’d have to agree with the smoant battlestar. Many color options, nice size/design. Solid build quality and just a great responsive device. Smoant really puts out some quality mods. I myself am looking to get the new cylon 218 by smoant. Need a good regulated device with a centered 510 pin.
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I wish more mods had that.
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Same here, I have the fuchai duo. Not the most responsive chip for firing. The smoant cylon and possibly even the wismec sinuous ravage r on my list. Joyetech is releasing the espion too, which all 3 appear eerily similar to each other with slight differences. Making my indecisiveness even worse lol.
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Playing the opposite card, I won’t buy another mod with a built in battery. Although I like my vaporesso tarot nano a lot, the USB charging port has loosened, making it a challenge to charge. No other option but to pitch it soon. Looking hard a Vaporesso Revenger next
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I had nothing bad to say about LostVape Therion 166 except that it died with the issue posted above. However, I contacted the vendor and they sent me a prepaid shipping label and option for a credit or replacement. EXCELLENT costumer service! So with that warranty and service I just have to say that it is worth. I’m really considering getting a new Therion or a Paranormal just to have a new look cause it is the same DNA chip.
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