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Review MCV Panzer vs. FT Chanzer

Mawsley

Putting the soup into super hero
Joined
May 14, 2013
Messages
29,227
Disclaimer: I was sent the FT rip-off by @Maxcat for a comparison with the real deal from Masterpiece Custom Vapes. This review represents my honest opinions alone. I paid £120 for the MCV Panzer from @midlands vaping. The clone will be given away, following this review, in a way Maxcat sees fit. I have received no financial incentive to undertake this review and agreed to do it because I wanted to know for sure that mine was better than the clone. No other website, or the administration thereof, is responsible for any of my comments. If this disclaimer comes across as me having a closed mind already then that is because I really want the Chanzer to be a piece of crap.


I think it is common knowledge now that I only buy genuine vaping products now. I have purchased a couple of devices recently on behalf of a friend at their request but no longer own a single clone for my own use. I make no judgement about what others do with their money but I believe it is important to support manufacturers and that you receive a better made device with better support from the manufacturer than if you buy from FastTech. I'm not telling anyone else what to think or do with their money, I'm just placing this review into context.


So, it's fair to say I've undergone a Damascene conversion. Like Saul of Tarsus becoming Paul the apostle, I have transformed from Mawsley the reviewer to Dave Cross the writer. The blinding light of St. Sam ElsaBubs shone down upon me and blinded me. Just as Christians interrupting my Sunday with their damn bell ringing pisses me off I'm willing to bank that (although we have only just begun our journey into the review) some of you are feeling miffed at the tone and content. Tough tits, it’s downhill from here – you’ve just enjoyed reading the highlight of the entire thing.

I make no apologies for this, what I want to achieve from this preamble is a scene setting so that you can understand the inbuilt bias. Unlike some of my reviews in the past this isn't going to be packed full of personal tales of substance abuse or the molesting of small animals. This is a warts and all honest take on how the clone matches up to the original. I adore the original, own three MCV products, thing Joy Soriano is a great bloke and have received a personalised fire button from him. I’ve also got two MCV drip tips and an MCV Atomic.

All told, this is going to be almost as balanced as putting Raguri on one end of a see-saw and Bella Emburg on the other. Someone tell Sam who the fuck Bella Emburg is.

Due to the number of pictures I'll split this into more than one post.

The Panzer was my first proper mod I saved up for and bought new. I’d owned originals prior to this but they’d been hand-me-downs or trades. I bought this the second I saw a picture of it

======================

The Cap

The engravings are close, very close. Almost…but not quite. Looking at the pair side by side it’s almost as if the fake one is a blurred photograph. Add on the font type, font size, depth of engraving to the precision it’s just not in the game. This will matter little to the person wanting to go fake but it matters to me, and it made me smile.

Pcap1.JPG

Pcap2.JPG


It was a damn good job too because I was peeved to discover they are identical weights and dimensions.

Pcap3.JPG

Pcap4.JPG


My delight was enhanced further when I looked at the pin, whereas the original has a true floating nature (with adjustable copper pin for battery rattle) the clone doesn’t float at all. You know the dead parrot sketch? This pin is a stiff, firmly embedded in the insulator. Yep I could, if I wanted, bang the all-brass pin out with a hammer then shave it or the hole – but I don’t want to expend the energy. It means you are going to find a number of attys won’t work on it unless you put some graft in. I tried a number of attys and the W3 is the closest to a flush fit, the rest have a gap like Katie Price’s gash.

Pcap5.JPG


The final nail in the cap is the detail on the top. Again it’s a good effort – but that is the statement teachers make about a kid who’s harmless in class but a bit dim. I’m certain that those who’ve got the clone will love it, I don’t. It’s a very poor facsimile that looks like it has been created by a constant ramming of a drill tip into it giving it a rough rather than the original’s smooth sandpaper finish in the well.

Pcap6.JPG


Threading into the ‘castle’ tube section wasn’t the slick experience you get with the original either.
 
Smoore
The Castle Tube Section

The original, like the whole mod, just simply feels better made and more solid and this is reflected in a gram of difference between these sections. Again, dimensions may match up and the parts may be interchangeable but the threads have a harsher, looser feel on the fake.

Pcrown1.JPG

Pcrown2.JPG


The detail on the top is also different with the original’s precise cut-outs replaced by a lipped version on the clone. To me it’s the difference between real and silicone tits.

Pcrown3.JPG

Pcrown4.JPG


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Centre Tube Section

Here’s where the bulk of the mass has vanished and leads me to think that (and I may be wrong here) that the clone has been made with a different grade of stainless given that the dimensions are the identical. The threading suffers from the same lack of detail and is in no way as smooth as the original even though my threads

Ptube1.JPG

Ptube2.JPG


Again, appearance-wise, it’s close but you can see the difference between the original on the left and the fake on the right. Does this effect performance? Heck no. And yes. Is there a woman or Elsabubs out there who doesn’t love a long & heavy load in their hand?

Ptube3.JPG
 
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Bottom Strip Tube Section

Another gram shaved off the original’s weight and deeper engraving, but with similar threading…unlike the other sections. It’s the consistency of build that building to a budget can’t manage given the speed of production, volume and price involved.

Pstripes1.JPG

Pstripes2.JPG


Similar externally, again not identical.

Pstripes3.JPG


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The Switch

Pswitch1.JPG

Pswitch2.JPG


Like the cap, these both weigh in the same but the performance is scrunchy and horrible when compared to the smooth, short throw on the MCV. The Pinoy o-ring gently cuddles up to the base of the battery whereas the solid Delrin block on the clone has no give. The engraving is similar, but shallower on the fake and with a different font to the original…but you get what you pay for. Or not.

Pswitch3.JPG

Pswitch4.JPG
 
AcmeFog
Conclusion

Does it make a difference to value? Well, value is a subjective thing. For me, I like the way that I know my original has been made with precision and top quality materials. For others they will like or hate the overall look of both. Just as I entered the challenge of reviewing these back to back with the hope that I would prefer my mod there will be those of you going “but fuck is it worth ten times the price”. That’s value – it’s not about the price, it’s about what you want for your money and where your conscience lies.

“Blah blah blah, shut up, Mawsley, you really have become one of those insufferable elitist twats.”

Yes. And? It’s only on this forum where it doesn’t matter what you use to vape. We all have political, religious and philosophical opinions we don’t share, but we do all vape.

Even if this had been the equal in every way to the MCV version I’d still, if asked, say that you ought to buy the original.

And it’s not the equal.

Doing a voltage drop test on the two using the same battery and the same Vicious Ant Kraken, 0.6ohm, I carried out repeated readings.

The battery read 3.92-3.90V

The original under load read 3.51 (average over 5 readings)

The clone under load read 3.40 (average over 5 readings)

Joy Soriano isn’t a rich man, he ploughs the profits he makes back into his business to develop his range of original products. They cost more because they are better made, use better materials and perform better.

Oh but he should take out protection on his ideas” – the argument for that is dead in the water as no one is holding a gun to your head to buy the substandard, worse-performing fake. The financial implications and time to take out a copyright and trademark make it impractical in this market.

This mod doesn’t perform like a shouty American would have you believe, it doesn’t match the Nemesis. So, if you’re not buying it for performance then you’re buying it for looks. Yes it is similar to some torches but it was designed from the ground up taking the tank as its inspiration. This is a fact.

I was on benefits when I saved for this mod, there’s not a hope in Hell anyone else can’t do the same.

All told then, the clone is inferior in every way to the original – whether it is ten times worse is open to debate. Not with me though – my mind is pretty set on it, I despise this clone. I hate that anyone rips off Joy.

But it won’t bother me what you are using in the Lake District, we’ll still share a beer or two.

x
 
Thanks again to Maxcat for sending the clone on.

I'll be getting in touch about how you fancy doing the giveaway. :)
 
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