These are my words that reflect my own opinion and not that of POTV.
Everything discussed was purchased with money from my own pocket.
The regulated mod is dead, mech tubes are the future.
Everything discussed was purchased with money from my own pocket.
The regulated mod is dead, mech tubes are the future.
The Sub-Zero copper mech mod from Sub Ohm Innovations (USA)
- Purchased from @Custom Vapes for the sale price of £99.99
- Four-piece silver contacts upgrade kit also from @Custom Vapes for £14.99
Absy (Custom Vapes UK) came onto my radar when the world wanted a piece of MCV. While other vendors stocked bits and bobs he bought a shedload of mods and proved the success of social media.
CVUK have moved on from those days. His company has evolved into one of Britain's foremost exciting and interesting suppliers of original vaping kit. There's no shop overheads, just the easy to use website and strong social media presence. They attend many of Europe's big vape events too.
I hummed a lot over buying this mod. It had been a really bad couple of weeks in Casa de Mawsley and I needed treating. Regulated stuff was all fine and good but it was getting too functional, vape life was becoming boring.
Enter the Sub Zero
Once upon a time the vape community was obsessed with originality. It fuelled endless pointless arguments about what was or wasn't a clone. It died from boredom and the fact that nothing was original any longer. Like great art - each device built on or copied directly from predecessors.
Sub Ohm Innovations have produced a mech that can seriously be considered as original thanks to it's clutch switch tech.
It's a beautiful lump of copper - proper copper not one of the cheap variations on a theme. The smell, the feel of this thing just exude quality. The machining is second to none and (cutting to the conclusion) it currently ranks as the best mod I've owned...and I've owned a shedload of mods.
The threading is sublime from bottom to the 510 at the top. The fully floating connection pin will adjust to any atomiser sitting on the top but my copper Aeolus has been there for a week and doesn't look like moving any time soon.
Due to the design, the battery is inverted. The vent holes are located through the switch. Given the choice, I'd rather have a venting cell throwing gases onto my hand than into my face so it's incredible so few design their mods this way.
You can see from the photos, the walls of this thing are so thick it's like they took inspiration from the people who write comments on YouTube videos. Yep, that thick.
The contacts in the original mod are made from the same copper but I chose to purchase the 4-piece silver pins upgrade kit. For me this is less about any perceived performance improvement and more about the need to clean the originals. The clutch system has four individual pieces bound by an O-ring, there was no way I was cleaning the patina off them every week.
As the switch is depressed it pushes up on the clutch plates. The centre pin (+ve battery contact) spreads the clutch sections out so that they make even contact with the walls on the tube. It gives a constant, uniform fire each and every time.
The switch is separate from the circuit, unlike so many mechs out there, and the resulting voltage drop eliminated. The innovative lock mechanism means that you can keep rotating the switch to turn it render it safe or open it up again. The ball-bearing system ensures a constant usable mechanism.
The switch itself is firm - but this is reassuring. Given the volume of copper here the last thing you want is it to be auto-firing, especially as it has very low-ohm attys in mind.
The only engravings you'll find is the "Legendary" motif circumscribing the top of the switch and "SOI Subzero" on the base. It's understated yet distinctive and for those who prefer not to have tube logos there is the option to purchase the short switch version without.
Fans of darkness and misery can purchase the black Legendary version or the black short switch version.
Conclusion
If there are any drawbacks then they aren't so for me. It's a heavy beast but I find it a reassuring weight. The switch is firm but I've addressed the need for that above. The copper patinas - but if this is an issue for you then don't buy a copper mod.
I think the only thing that concerns me is that the mod doesn't come with silver pins to begin with...but then it would carry extra cost onto the mod itself and that might tip people's decision not to buy the device.
There's a joy to be had from building coils to suit the atty and the mod. It's a joy I've had ripped from me with regulated devices where you simply change the power setting. A rewarding vape from a fine device that you saved for and invest emotion and time in is (for me) the ultimate vape experience. The Sub Zero has fully converted me back to using drippers with mechs, and I love it.
It looks stunning and its performance is stellar. This is a truly outstanding device no matter how you judge it. High end original kit commanded ridiculous prices until recently. With Sub Ohm Innovations Sub Zero coming in at under £100, combined with the originality and quality is exudes, make it a must-buy for anybody in the market for such a mech.
Custom Vapes UK give a cracking level of service and are one of the very few vendors selling top notch kit. Support them so they can expand their range - they're nice people to boot.
