I spend a fair amount of time over on /r/ecr, and the Predator is currently tied with the SMOK Alien for Worst Mod Ever. A number of people have reported the 510 coming out of the mod, fire button randomly NOT firing, and the mod bricking itself after a week’s worth of usage.
If Sigelei addressed all of the problems with the 213 and fixed them in the 213 Plus, that might be an alright option. I’ve not read or heard any issues with the Plus, but I do know that the original Fuchai 213 didn’t have reliable Temp Control/(TC), only actually fired to 155 watts as opposed to the stated 213 watts and didn’t have upgradeable firmware(Which it was advertised as having)
I’d suggest maybe heading over to youtube and seeing if Daniel or Phil have any reviews on the mods you’re looking to purchase. Yes, they have some of the longest review videos out there, but they’re also the only ones I know of that actually do a tear-down and look at the guts of the devices. I prefer these types of reviews because I want to know if the product I’m considering has cheap internals or shoddy soldering.
Lol, I know. I’m embarrassed to admit I purchased two of them prior to using them long enough to know what they were all about. The red one is really sharp and a nice fit in my hand. Nice to look at on the shelf. I’ve got enough back-ups now that I am set. If I do buy again, I will go for a Yihi or a DNA. The cost is up there, but what a difference. If you weren’t looking at higher power mods, I would suggest doing some digging for an SX Mini ml class. There are specials popping up here and there on them. I picked one up for $57 at a local B&M. Only 75 watts but that’s a mod! Solid inside and out.
I personally would not buy a wismec or Siegel product at the moment. Siegel hasn’t fixed all the issues with board as reported by Daniel from djlsb vapes…but has gotten better.
For me at the moment outside of my DNA device the voopoo drag has been doing well. But know I vape between 70-90w. And at 40-50 US dollars not bad for the price but 24mm atty’s do hang a bit.
Really? I didn’t know that. I thought most people liked them. I know I do. I have bought two of the kits now and they have been nothing but great to me! Very reliable info on the screen that is always on point and it works very well in TC and wattage mode with SS316L. I love the look of them and the size is perfect for me. This is just one girls opinion, but I love them and have not had one single problem out of either one that I own!
DJLSB Vapes said that the 510 issue was with the first set of mods. He actually met up with the creator at the convention in Europe. He said that the 510’s were fixed with the newest batches; I believe they are all now press fitted. Other top YouTube reviewers said that they have had no issues with the 510.
Yes, I saw that as well. From best I can tell, I have one older one with the 510 press fit from the top which came loose and one of the newer ones that is press fit from the bottom which is still in place. Both mods however do collect ejuice inside of the mod around the fire button and electronics from gaps in the 510 and the fire bar. I blew one out with an air compressor which has seemed to help. A bunch of e-liquid did come out. The other problem with the mod is that the portion of the 510 that is press fit has no electrical connection as apposed to some 510 plates. Any looseness whatsoever will cause resistance fluctuations and play havoc with temp control. Simply not well designed.
Hmmmm. I see. I didn’t read any mention of EJuice collecting inside the mod around the fire button and electronics from the gaps in the 510 or the issues with the electrical connection. I do find resistance fluctuations on the mods I have if condensation or Ejuice comes into contacted with the spring loaded 510’s. However, that is normally an issue with certain tanks leaking and not the mod itself.
Normally I use a cotton swab and clean it. However, regarding the Predator and these issues, I will do some poking around the forums. Thank you for this info.
I have 5 mods; a predator, rx200s, kooper primus, a voopoo drag, and vaporesso tarot pro. I’d have to say my two favorites are the tarot and the drag! They both have a wattage curve function that I love ️!
You’re welcome. I didn’t find the info until after I had the problem and did some considerable searching. It’s unfortunate but understandable that the reviewers have limited time with devices prior to posting their reviews. Even DJ didn’t catch the detaching 510 first time around. My Predator worked for almost three weeks before developing symptoms. Here’s one video regarding e-juice in the Predator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ-AgB1Bm7g
Another thing that bothered me about Wismec was that as far as I can tell they did not pull the defective units off the shelves, so there is still a chance one could purchase a brand new Predator with a defective 510.
I do badly wanted that!! I’m leaning towards the sigelei now. Or minikin… I really like the look of the sigelei but the Minikin performs better as I understand
Oh my goodness! You have to basically disassemble the whole device in order to take care of those issues. I had no idea that Wismec did not do a recall on the defective devices. Now that is wrong, especially if they have fixed the issue. I don’t like that at all.
My only problem with my Alien is the paint. Form, fit, and function it is fine and I have had it for awhile. Even temp control isn’t bad. Ok, not Yihi or DNA, but still not bad. A friend bought one more recently and his paint job is holding up. My Alien has a number of scratches and a completely paintless fire bar at this point. I seriously take care of my mods. No good reason for the paint problems.
The 213 Plus still has crappy Temp Control, still does not do 213 watts and still is not firmware upgradable. If you are a wattage only vaper that doesn’t need more than 150 watts the 213 or 213 Plus is still a great choice. They are built well and have a nice feel to them.
️!