PREVIEW – Rincoe Mechman 228 Starter Kit

After the success of the recent Rincoe Manta series mods, I would have expected the company to stay in that lane, making compact, palm-friendly devices to further cement their brand. Instead, they went the other direction and produced a commanding, customizable beast in the all-new Rincoe Mechman 228 kit.

Right from the outset, despite the name, this is NOT a mechanical (mech) mod, but rather a fully regulated and protected dual-18650 unit, with all the usual modes and trappings of a modern vape mod. This includes wattage, temperature control, bypass, TCR and even a passthrough vape mode for people charging onboard.

But the obvious attention-getter is going to be the replaceable back plates and inserts, which can be swapped to create different visual aesthetics, in both chassis/frame design and the underlying graphic. With three different chassis styles: Steel Case, Steel Wings and Steel Bones along with four different panel designs: camouflage, American flag, Union flag or a wolf, there’s no shortage of ways to express yourself.

(Me? I’d probably find my own stickers and mix it with the metal bones, but that’s just me.)

But stickers aside, the 228-watt mod’s accents and overall look and feel stand out thanks to a bold series of jutting angles and cutaways – in other words, it certainly doesn’t look like anything we’ve reviewed in recent memory.

The kit also comes with a companion mesh-based tank and coil system that seems pretty par for the course – but we’ve been pleasantly surprised so far in 2019, so who knows? Maybe the Mechman tank might just become our new favorite atomizer of the year. It certainly has the right stuff, based on the specs, with both single- and dual-coil configurations in the box.

Rincoe Mechman Vape Mod Specs:

• Size: 53.8mm x 29.2mm x 90mm
• Power Range: 1-228W
• Temperature Control Mode: Ni200/Ti/SS
• Power Mode, Bypass Mode, TCR
• Uses Two 18650 Batteries
• Interchangeable Stickers & Panels

Rincoe Mechman Starter Kit Contents:

• 1 x Mechman 228W Mod
• 1 x Mechman Mesh Tank
• 1 x 0.25ohm Single Mesh Coil (Pre-Installed)
• 1 x 0.20ohm Dual Mesh Coil
• 1 x Extra Bubble Glass
• 1 x Charging Cable
• 1 x User Manual
• 1 x Spare Parts

Hopes for the Rincoe Mechman Mod Kit

Honestly, we’re pretty tough on vape mods that put fashion over function, and there’s no doubt the Mechman is basing a lot of its early press on looks. But we’re confident that Rincoe is going to defy those odds and send us a mod that is as striking under the hood as it is on the surface. With 228 watts of potential power, straightforward menu system and a chipset that drove one of our favorite recent mod series, the Manto, there’s plenty of reason for hope.

We also hope more designs become available over time – not that there’s anything wrong with flags and wolves, but we don’t all want our mods to look like an airbrushed portrait on the side of a conversion van.

Fears for the Rincoe Mechman Mod Kit

There are two primary concerns we have, based on the initial press kit. First, the adjustment buttons seem a little flimsy for a device this solid. Not only are they a “rocker-style” single piece, but they’re also comparatively small in the grand scheme of the device. We’d love to be wrong about this, and will report back as soon as we get our hands on the mod.

Secondly, we’re a little concerned that battery life is going to struggle, for no other reason than dual-cell mods with 200+ watt power tend to struggle, especially at higher power settings. The Manto series was no slouch on battery life, but the Mechman seems like an entirely different beast. We’re eager to put this to the test in a few weeks when our review model arrives in the office.

Wrapping Up…

We won’t lie, we can’t wait to get our hands on this bold, unique vape mod. The Rincoe Mechman might be a tremendous stylistic departure for the company, but they’ve surprised us on more than one occasion. If the Mechman can get past the “style over substance” hurdle through solid performance, we have a feeling this is going to be one of the more popular vape devices of 2019. Keep an eye out for the full review in a few weeks!