This review has been on the back-burner now for months! As a matter of fact, I announced that I'd be reviewing it "soon" back in June 2013! Sorry about that...
Shenzhen Sigelei Technology Co, Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer of many eCig and Vaping related products. Everything from drip tips to atomizers to APV's and MODs. Best known for their ZMAX product line, their catalog of Mechanical Mods is not only impressive, but growing!
When Sigelei first ventured into the MOD arena, I watched carefully and I didn't actually purchase anything they made until the Sigelei #19 was released (referred to as #19 for the rest of this review). The #19 had something that none of their other MODs had. The top of the MOD was relatively FLAT, as opposed to their "cone-type" shape that they had been employing.
For me, the cone-type of shape didn't LOOK good with devices like the AGA-T2, RSST or even the Kanger ProTank or the KamryTech X10.
Once the #19 was introduced, that was when I jumped at the opportunity to not only have a well constructed Mechanical, but something that I could afford too!
So for the sake of the remainder of this review, I feel it's important to point something out. I'm not going to go too deep into the aesthetics (appearance) of this particular device, because let's face it.... "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you like knurling or highly polished stainless steel or copper or whatever, that's great.
The idea behind the MECHANICAL mod, first and foremost, is that there are no ELECTRONICS. Secondly, since there are no electronics (circuit boards, sensors, wires, etc), that means that you can CUSTOMIZE your mod with much greater ease!
Sigelei has truly gone above and beyond, by providing an incredible array of parts for you to be able to customize to your hearts content!
So now that you know a little bit more about Sigelei and some of their products, let's get down to business...
The reason that this review took so long for me to commit to and actually write, was because *I* felt that it needed a "modders touch". I wouldn't go so far as to say that there was anything "wrong" with it, but I thought it could be slightly modified to make it work "better". The interesting news, is that from what I understand Sigelei has actually made one of the changes that I wound up making to mine. Not because of me, but because it became obvious that it would work better if they did it.
The most interesting part, is that there were many people who felt the same way that I did and they actually went some really weird directions to get the job done.
As you can see from the above images (I do not own them, they're freely available on Google), when a modder gets something in their mind, they'll go to almost any lengths to get the job done.
But I digress, let's talk about the #19 FIRST and then I can show you what I did to make it "my own".
As you can see from the above image, the unit disassembles down to its base parts. In my case, the part over on the right has been modified. It was originally 6 parts (I think), but after my mod it's now 1 "part" (I'll explain why later). From right to left, we have the Positive post, the top cap, top-telescopic section, bottom telescopic section & the firing button assembly.
The #19 can use an array of batteries, from a single 18650, a single 18350, 2-18350's and from what I understand it can also use an 18500 (one warning, if you're going to use 2 batteries in your mod at the same time, you're going to DESTROY about 99% of your devices. 2-18350's when fully charged produce 8.2V!!! Just think, 8.2V with a 1.5Ω coil draws 5.46667 Amps!!! And if that's not enough of a warning, please don't mix battery chemistries either! You don't want your mod to go "BOOM"...)
As one of the smallest mods I've seen, pictured below, in single 18350 mode it measures a minuscule 3" and in 18650 mode it measures just about 4.25". I usually measure things in mm, because they're so tiny, but once I get into things over 50mm, I use Imperial units.
Now the #19 is what we call a "bottom firing mod". What that means, is that the button is on the bottom, not on the side, like most eGo-C or other APV type units like the VAMO 3. I don't know about you, but the one "side firing" mod that I have, The SmokTech Natural, had a tendency to activate in my pocket UNLESS I made sure to lock it. I can't tell you how many times I had to wrap new coils, because I didn't lock it. With the #19, I generally only lock it when I'm not using it and I've never had it activate while in my pocket. Needless to say, I'm a fan of the bottom firing mechanical!
As for the construction of the #19, the body is 100% Stainless Steel. The only other metals used in this device, are a Brass center post (adjustable, not floating), a brass bar connected between the firing button and the magnet and of course 2 - 10mm Neodymium magnets!
Now if you've never seen a mod that uses magnets before, hearing that there are 2 in this Mod, might be making you ask yourself "Why???". Well......
The first magnet is part of the positive center post from the 510 connection.
The idea behind this magnet, is to make it easier for you to insert and remove your battery.
They could have just made it a "drop in" unit like all the rest of the common mechanical mods and APV's, but having the magnet prevents the "drop outs" when you go to swap out your battery for a fresh one. When you unscrew the top-cap, the battery comes out too. If you ask me, this is a MOST WELCOME feature.
The second magnet on the other hand....
That's the reason why it took me so long to write this review. You see, I have a preference for what happens when I push a button. Maybe you don't feel this way, but when I push a button, something should happen. TV remote? Push the button and the TV turns on. Microwave? Push the button and it starts. Because of a minor (in my opinion) design flaw, sometimes when you push the button, nothing happens. I'd estimate the problem at about 40% of the time it does NOT fire.
Here's what we're talking about:
As you can see on the left, we are looking downward, into the switch. As you can see, we've got a nice piece of Delrin, acting as a shield, the brass piece that connects the magnet and the firing button together and the magnet in the center.
After an hour of examining WHY it didn't fire reliably, I came to the conclusion that the HEIGHT of the magnet on the firing switch was too shallow. What was my solution? See that other tiny magnet in the above picture on the right? It's a 9mm neodymium magnet. I placed that on top of the 10mm magnet that's already there and BAM, now it works reliably about 98% of the time.
What did it cost? About 8¢...
No cutting, welding, soldering, etching, filing, springs, epoxy, nuts, bolts, drills, dremels or any other unnecessary items, just one more 1mm tall magnet.
The other modification that I made, which at first I didn't really want to, was to SUPER GLUE the brass bar (which was threaded and mated with the bottom button) to the bottom button. I did this, because for some reason it liked to unscrew itself about twice a day. I only used a drop, so I'm not concerned about reversing it and I'm also not concerned about dropping voltage. Also, and I've seen this first hand, Sigelei is now shipping this mod with the bottom button glued, so apparently I was on to something... :)
Which by the way is another interesting point of fact. A lot of "modders" get crazy over having an all-brass or an all-copper mod, because it conducts electricity better. All I can tell you, is that when I put in an 18650 @ 4.17V and I test what's coming out of the 510 connector, I get 4.17V. Is that dropping voltage? No. Perhaps this one is just made better? I don't know and I'm not worrying about it. But I'll be sure to check it out on future mechanical mods.
The only thing it does not have (which shouldn't matter too much when you're using a mech), is an eGo connector. Put simply, most people aren't using a mech, unless they're using an RBA, RDA or a DCT. Those all use the 510 connector anyway.
So what does this all mean for you?
Well, it means that for a verrrrry reasonable price, you can have a solid performing stainless steel mod, that's made well, great threading, solidly built, that supports a variety of battery configs, it's easy to mod and it won't break the bank!
I highly recommend this Mechanical Mod...
Go get one!
Due to popular demand, the Sigelei #19 is now available for purchase at www.FreE-Cigs.com Let them know you read about it here! You won't get anything special, but it'll make them happy!
Update 8/26/2013: There are *3* versions of the Sigelei #19 out there. The 19, 19b and now the 19e! The model reviewed here is the 19. The 19b has replaced the top magnet with a spring and the 19e is completely made of Brass with no magnets at all. I just thought you might need to know this, so you're not surprised if you wind up with a 19b! :)
As always, thank you for your support, thank you for your comments and thank you for Liking it, Tweeting it, Sharing it, +1ing it and telling your dog about it, etc... ;)
(images used above are either mine or sourced from www.google.com)
Shenzhen Sigelei Technology Co, Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer of many eCig and Vaping related products. Everything from drip tips to atomizers to APV's and MODs. Best known for their ZMAX product line, their catalog of Mechanical Mods is not only impressive, but growing!
When Sigelei first ventured into the MOD arena, I watched carefully and I didn't actually purchase anything they made until the Sigelei #19 was released (referred to as #19 for the rest of this review). The #19 had something that none of their other MODs had. The top of the MOD was relatively FLAT, as opposed to their "cone-type" shape that they had been employing.
For me, the cone-type of shape didn't LOOK good with devices like the AGA-T2, RSST or even the Kanger ProTank or the KamryTech X10.
Once the #19 was introduced, that was when I jumped at the opportunity to not only have a well constructed Mechanical, but something that I could afford too!
So for the sake of the remainder of this review, I feel it's important to point something out. I'm not going to go too deep into the aesthetics (appearance) of this particular device, because let's face it.... "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If you like knurling or highly polished stainless steel or copper or whatever, that's great.
The idea behind the MECHANICAL mod, first and foremost, is that there are no ELECTRONICS. Secondly, since there are no electronics (circuit boards, sensors, wires, etc), that means that you can CUSTOMIZE your mod with much greater ease!
Sigelei has truly gone above and beyond, by providing an incredible array of parts for you to be able to customize to your hearts content!
So now that you know a little bit more about Sigelei and some of their products, let's get down to business...
The reason that this review took so long for me to commit to and actually write, was because *I* felt that it needed a "modders touch". I wouldn't go so far as to say that there was anything "wrong" with it, but I thought it could be slightly modified to make it work "better". The interesting news, is that from what I understand Sigelei has actually made one of the changes that I wound up making to mine. Not because of me, but because it became obvious that it would work better if they did it.
The most interesting part, is that there were many people who felt the same way that I did and they actually went some really weird directions to get the job done.
As you can see from the above images (I do not own them, they're freely available on Google), when a modder gets something in their mind, they'll go to almost any lengths to get the job done.
But I digress, let's talk about the #19 FIRST and then I can show you what I did to make it "my own".
As you can see from the above image, the unit disassembles down to its base parts. In my case, the part over on the right has been modified. It was originally 6 parts (I think), but after my mod it's now 1 "part" (I'll explain why later). From right to left, we have the Positive post, the top cap, top-telescopic section, bottom telescopic section & the firing button assembly.
The #19 can use an array of batteries, from a single 18650, a single 18350, 2-18350's and from what I understand it can also use an 18500 (one warning, if you're going to use 2 batteries in your mod at the same time, you're going to DESTROY about 99% of your devices. 2-18350's when fully charged produce 8.2V!!! Just think, 8.2V with a 1.5Ω coil draws 5.46667 Amps!!! And if that's not enough of a warning, please don't mix battery chemistries either! You don't want your mod to go "BOOM"...)
As one of the smallest mods I've seen, pictured below, in single 18350 mode it measures a minuscule 3" and in 18650 mode it measures just about 4.25". I usually measure things in mm, because they're so tiny, but once I get into things over 50mm, I use Imperial units.
Now the #19 is what we call a "bottom firing mod". What that means, is that the button is on the bottom, not on the side, like most eGo-C or other APV type units like the VAMO 3. I don't know about you, but the one "side firing" mod that I have, The SmokTech Natural, had a tendency to activate in my pocket UNLESS I made sure to lock it. I can't tell you how many times I had to wrap new coils, because I didn't lock it. With the #19, I generally only lock it when I'm not using it and I've never had it activate while in my pocket. Needless to say, I'm a fan of the bottom firing mechanical!
As for the construction of the #19, the body is 100% Stainless Steel. The only other metals used in this device, are a Brass center post (adjustable, not floating), a brass bar connected between the firing button and the magnet and of course 2 - 10mm Neodymium magnets!
Now if you've never seen a mod that uses magnets before, hearing that there are 2 in this Mod, might be making you ask yourself "Why???". Well......
The first magnet is part of the positive center post from the 510 connection.
The idea behind this magnet, is to make it easier for you to insert and remove your battery.
They could have just made it a "drop in" unit like all the rest of the common mechanical mods and APV's, but having the magnet prevents the "drop outs" when you go to swap out your battery for a fresh one. When you unscrew the top-cap, the battery comes out too. If you ask me, this is a MOST WELCOME feature.
The second magnet on the other hand....
That's the reason why it took me so long to write this review. You see, I have a preference for what happens when I push a button. Maybe you don't feel this way, but when I push a button, something should happen. TV remote? Push the button and the TV turns on. Microwave? Push the button and it starts. Because of a minor (in my opinion) design flaw, sometimes when you push the button, nothing happens. I'd estimate the problem at about 40% of the time it does NOT fire.
Here's what we're talking about:
As you can see on the left, we are looking downward, into the switch. As you can see, we've got a nice piece of Delrin, acting as a shield, the brass piece that connects the magnet and the firing button together and the magnet in the center.
After an hour of examining WHY it didn't fire reliably, I came to the conclusion that the HEIGHT of the magnet on the firing switch was too shallow. What was my solution? See that other tiny magnet in the above picture on the right? It's a 9mm neodymium magnet. I placed that on top of the 10mm magnet that's already there and BAM, now it works reliably about 98% of the time.
What did it cost? About 8¢...
No cutting, welding, soldering, etching, filing, springs, epoxy, nuts, bolts, drills, dremels or any other unnecessary items, just one more 1mm tall magnet.
The other modification that I made, which at first I didn't really want to, was to SUPER GLUE the brass bar (which was threaded and mated with the bottom button) to the bottom button. I did this, because for some reason it liked to unscrew itself about twice a day. I only used a drop, so I'm not concerned about reversing it and I'm also not concerned about dropping voltage. Also, and I've seen this first hand, Sigelei is now shipping this mod with the bottom button glued, so apparently I was on to something... :)
Which by the way is another interesting point of fact. A lot of "modders" get crazy over having an all-brass or an all-copper mod, because it conducts electricity better. All I can tell you, is that when I put in an 18650 @ 4.17V and I test what's coming out of the 510 connector, I get 4.17V. Is that dropping voltage? No. Perhaps this one is just made better? I don't know and I'm not worrying about it. But I'll be sure to check it out on future mechanical mods.
The only thing it does not have (which shouldn't matter too much when you're using a mech), is an eGo connector. Put simply, most people aren't using a mech, unless they're using an RBA, RDA or a DCT. Those all use the 510 connector anyway.
So what does this all mean for you?
Well, it means that for a verrrrry reasonable price, you can have a solid performing stainless steel mod, that's made well, great threading, solidly built, that supports a variety of battery configs, it's easy to mod and it won't break the bank!
I highly recommend this Mechanical Mod...
Go get one!
Due to popular demand, the Sigelei #19 is now available for purchase at www.FreE-Cigs.com Let them know you read about it here! You won't get anything special, but it'll make them happy!
Update 8/26/2013: There are *3* versions of the Sigelei #19 out there. The 19, 19b and now the 19e! The model reviewed here is the 19. The 19b has replaced the top magnet with a spring and the 19e is completely made of Brass with no magnets at all. I just thought you might need to know this, so you're not surprised if you wind up with a 19b! :)
As always, thank you for your support, thank you for your comments and thank you for Liking it, Tweeting it, Sharing it, +1ing it and telling your dog about it, etc... ;)
(images used above are either mine or sourced from www.google.com)
Hmmmm This is my last frontier in Vaping heh heh heh...
ReplyDeleteLooking into a mechanical right now... Still trying to figure out which one I want... One of the "name brand" Sigelei's or a clone from FastTech's ever increasing collection of clones ;)
They're all just so sleek looking... I may have to get several.
As ever, the most thorough review I've seen ;)
Thanks
TrashCat,
DeleteThanks (as ever) for your compliments and your comments...
I agree with you, the Mechanical is truly the last frontier for most Vapers.
I would like to make some suggestions though...
1. Don't listen to what everybody tells you (except for me, LOL!)
2. Don't forget, 18650's and 18350's don't make 3.7V, they make close to 4.2V!!! If you're going to go mechanical and you're using an RBA or RDA, you're set. If you're planning on using a carto/clearo/glasso/DCT,etc, make sure that you get the appropriate sized atomizer to compensate for the increased voltage. Either that, or invest in a VV/VW drop in module, so that you can still adjust.
3. I've got a review coming up early next month for the Private V2 (Tritone). Maybe check out that review as well, before you make a decision? Yes it's a clone. If GV would like to send me a real one, I'd be happy to review it side by side! :)
Fun stuff is on the horizon! My "personal blog" is going to get upgraded to the real deal soon!
As always, thanks for droppin' by...
evod twist
Delete