A Mech Mod in the hands of a Noob

Hardware Mods (mechanical)
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I’m sure this story is making the rounds. It looks like a new or at least highly inexperienced vaper had a mech mod which he clearly didn’t know how to operate at all, much less safely. Seems he took it to a local vape store looking for advice on how to use it. And died in the parking lot after it blew up in his face.

Whoever told him a mech was how he should start his vaping journey (then declined to offer any advice or warnings about it) should be held responsible. Not only was that an extremely reckless thing to do, but it of course once again allows vaping to be painted in a bad light. I feel bad for the guy but the onus on education and safety falls on the individual. And that person who recommended it to him? What a jerk.

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I will apologise up front because I know there are some Mech users about but I don’t understand why people use them in the first place. (Please don’t hit me?) :scream: :innocent:

I understand when they came about there were no satisfying alternatives but now, so many years later, there are so many decent regulated mods around that I don’t really see the need in making things more dangerous than they have to be.

Call me chicken but I ain’t tempting fate.

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I agree, I know there are laws forbidding vapeshops to educate people about the gear they’re selling but that doesn’t excuse the fact they sold a Mech to a Noob.

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The shop he was at when he blew himself up was not the seller of the device; they said they don’t even sell that brand. But I agree with you- whoever sold him that is a buttsmear of the highest order. I do rather wish that shop he visited would have warned him sternly about what he had.

I’m not one to run mechs down. They are some of the most beautiful devices out there, and are not really an issue in the hands of a responsible, knowledgeable vaper. And they were, after all, the first and only mods available for a long time. But that’s putting dynamite in the hand of someone who knows nothing about them.

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They are so cheap I see why he went that direction, but they scare the life out out of me, thank god I’m a wuss

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They’re not all cheap… but if that was his only consideration, then sadly, shame on him. I know we’re talking purely speculatively as we do not know how he procured it. But people… safety first!!! Know before you blow. (Egads, that could have so many meanings)

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Probably a union electrician.

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I still own and use mechs from time to time but if I owned a vape store no way in hell would I sell them. As @Jose mentioned in vapings infancy mechs were the only way to get better performance over say a Provari or other low wattage devices at the time. I loved my first mech and RDA, really what finally got me off the stinkies and into vaping full time. Now that there are safer options that provide the same or better performance mechs are too much of a liability IMO for most of the vaping public.

The FDA deserves part of the blame as well, I always thought it was absolutely stupid to stop vape shops from doing builds and offering as much help as they can. They put handcuffs on the vape shops then blame them when someone is uneducated, how stupid is that?

I heard about this story on the news, second death in the US from an exploding vape pen and both where mech mods. Sorry to say but if it means banning mech mods to save vaping then that is better than banning all vape devices.

Feel for the guy and his family though, just too young.

Edit: I decided a while back to not do anymore mech reviews, semi-mechanical with protections are ok though, basically a regulated mod. It was when I got the Lost Vape Furyan in for review and found that it had to be taken apart a lot to clean the contacts to get the best performance. When I began to think about it I didn’t want to tell a possible noob to do the same thing, they put it back together wrong and boom. The vendor who sent it to me for review was not happy and I don’t blame them but it just didn’t feel right. I would never recommend a mech to a noob and reviewing them felt like promoting there use. There fine with an experienced vaper who knows how to use them safely but why take the chance with a noob when there are better options.

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Notably both of the mods that have killed people have been from the Philippines - I have a couple of bits of kit from the Philippines and while one was ok the other had (I say had cause I cut it up and chucked it after i got a refund) woeful machining on the 510 thread.

The use of mechs is something I will never ever recommend (even though I use mechs daily). If a customer comes to me asking for a mech sure I will sell one but only if I know them, know how long they have vaped and believe them to have more than half a brain plus they will then have to sit thru me droning on about how to use them safely for about an hour. I will not allow them to buy a mech (thru me) if they have not built before.

You can run the same argument for mech as you can for guns - in the right hands they are safe. (let’s not derail with gun debate here it is just an observation). There will always be those who think they know better and will get one despite any warning given thankfully I think those are in the minority.

Unfortunately in the U.S atm education is forbidden which is ludacris.

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Just saw that Mooch uploaded a new vid on battery safety in regulated mods. Haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, about to dream about mothers milk and coconut sponge cake but thought I would post the link.

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There is just a lot to a mech mod in regard to understand how to make one work well. I’m going to say the vast majority of vapers do not visit forums or otherwise educate themselves. The situation with batteries and re-wraps is difficult to stay on top of in itself. Then there’s the electrical characteristics, how much current are you asking the battery to deliver. Then there’s the coil wire itself. One just can’t throw the latest/greatest exotic coil in one and expect to get a decent vape even if the resistance is adequate. One must understand efficiency of wire in regard to producing heat. In a single battery tube mech there’s a total of ~4V to work with without sag. Then you have youtube reviewers throwing .1Ω builds into the things relying on peak pulse rating of the battery. Not cool. Ya, the gooberment. Give it to the gooberment and they will fuck it up, period. I saw guns mentioned in the thread. In the day a rifle was a tool. Like any other tool. At a young age my mom and dad brought out the 22 and started teaching me how to use it. It was a family thing we did on occasion. A far cry from the way we do things today. I blame gooberment along with other social swings here for demonizing firearms.

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I used to work with electricity all the time. From simple things like replacing electrical outlets to wiring new construction for three phase high voltage motors. Rebuilding and replacing those motors, installing high tech metering systems, heating systems etc… Electricity is no joke. One mistake at the wrong time can kill you. If you don’t understand it, you have no business using a mech mod.

“A good man always knows his limitations.” Dirty Harry- Magnum Force

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i Understand where your coming from, I actually held the same viewpoint till I got my first mech squonker, I continue to buy and use mechs for many reasons, but the primary reason is they basically can’t break.ever. And if something does break I can pick up the parts to fix it at a radio shack type place or even a hardware store lol as long as it isn’t the 510. I also like the price factor, and the simplicity of a mech, but I would never suggest someone get one over a regulated mod, because if they are asking me for advice they clearly aren’t smart enough to use a mech lol;p

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I get where you’re coming from too, and I’m only talking about my own personal fear when it comes to Mechs.
People are always talking about know your ohms law, use decent batteries and keep your device clean.
What I fear is the momentarily lapse in awareness that we all suffer from at times.
How many times have you read about someone with a burned lip because they forgot to put the cap back on an RDA?
I have inserted batteries the wrong way in chargers and mods because my brain wasn’t all there, no harm, no foul because of inbuilt safety.
Sweat is pouring down my back when I think about what might’ve happened if I had a Mech in that situation :scream:

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well if it’s not a stacked tube mech, putting the battery either way around will just work

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That would virtually kill prostitution overnight, when they’re working…lol.

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So, unable to start a new thread in this section, (not sure why cos Discobot thingamy gave me a certificate ! :stuck_out_tongue:), I thought that I’d add this here as the title is particularly relevant.

I’m an MTL vaper and like to keep things simple. Lockdown has induced an online vape shopping frenzy. One might call it an addiction ! :open_mouth:

I’ve already got half a dozen mods, and find myself using my favourite most of the time, so why should I want a Mech mod when they’re for geeks and cloud chasers, right ?

No offence meant.

But then I stumbled on this thing of beauty, and was literally blown away. With a decent battery and one of my many MTL tanks and coils would it tickle my G-spot ?

Would it be like buying a performance car and dawdling around town at 30 mph ?

Am I kidding myself ?

Guidance required please, ladies and gents, I don’t want to be a naughty boy…

asmrosefinchmod_neo
asmrosefinchmod_neo1000×1000 94.8 KB

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The Rose finch is a pretty decent mech and since it has a 510 pin it is a really good place for a new mech user to start and the sourcemore price is very good.

It will work with an mtl no issue but remember with a mech there is no way to adjust your wattage except by the resistance of your coil/s

It is absolutely important that you calculate you resistance and make sure you battery will handle the amp draw.

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None of which I fancy!

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Is a vape pen a mech? If not, that’s misleading. I thought a vape pen was an all-in-one device. (like a disposable?)

They should NOT have called it a vape pen, as they require absolutely zero brain cells. Most you just suck on. Hell, tell an infant it’s a tit. If it’s a boy, he’ll be all over that. That’s how easy it is to use.

Reporters should be required to research to avoid fear mongering.

Regardless, the reporter should have mentioned he was a noob and that mech’s can be dangerous to the inexperienced. The article should have told the readers to google how to use it.

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Let’s get one thing straight right away: he was a first-time vaper. That fact alone should make every responsible shop owner stop and ask themselves, “Do I really hand this person a device with raw battery power and zero safety net?”

Back in the day, buying a mech meant signing an indemnity, and shops made sure you understood Ohm’s Law, battery safety, and the absolute rules of engagement. Mechs were not toys, and we treated them accordingly. Hell, that’s exactly why I wrote my Ohm’s Law post — because too many people don’t understand the power they’re dealing with.

Fast-forward to today: mechs are barely a blip on the retail radar. Most shops don’t even stock them, and if they do, they probably don’t know the first thing about them. My suspicion? This was old stock they just wanted to move. A forgotten tube from the back shelf. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Here’s the part that makes my blood boil: the device exploded in the parking lot outside the shop. That means they either set it up for him, or at the very least, watched him set it up. And yet, somehow, someone walked away with a deadly, unprotected battery device and zero guidance.

Now, before we all start grabbing pitchforks, let’s be honest about the facts — the article does not say what kind of device it was. We are all filling in the blanks with educated guesses. It may have been a regulated mod. I doubt it was a disposable, given the mention of metal shrapnel, but we don’t know for sure. And yet, the takeaway is the same: a first-time vaper was left exposed to a hazard they couldn’t possibly understand.

This isn’t just about one person or one shop. It’s about the erosion of knowledge and responsibility in our community. Mechs are brilliant tools in experienced hands — devastating in inexperienced ones. And while we can speculate about the exact device, the lesson is clear:

  • First-time vapers should never get advanced gear without guidance.

  • Shops have a duty to educate, not just sell.

  • Knowledge is safety. Ignorance is lethal.

This tragic story should remind all of us why we respected the craft back in the day. If we forget that, these headlines will keep happening.

Mechs are not toys. First-time vapers are not equipped to handle them. And vape shops that hand them out like candy are flirting with disaster.

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