Table of Contents
Introduction
When it comes to vaping I tend to lump my hardware devices into categories. My all time favorites are Advanced Personal Vaporizers or APV’s for short. APV’s are devices that usually offer some form of battery ‘short out’ protection and/or ‘reverse polarity protection’, which means that if you accidentally slip the battery in the wrong way it will let you know, safely.
APV’s also have, most of the time, Variable Wattage and Variable voltage, though some, like the ProVape ProVari, still offer just Variable Voltage. APV’s usually sport a digital display as well, and have physical ‘markings’ showing the setting that you’re currently using. Recently Innokin has been having fun with the “rotational wheel” for Variable Wattage with their iTaste 134 and the new Cool Fire II, which I’m beginning my review for over the weekend. (It is sweet!)
Next, is what I refer to as the Basic Personal Vaporizer and what I like to call a ‘BPV’ while everybody else calls them PV’s. These devices have an electrical switch and usually some form of battery protection. Not all do, and you should be careful with them if you’re going to use one. Find out how much built-in safety measures have been taken when designing or building the PV before you buy one.
Most PV’s may have a clear way to turn the battery off and on. A good example of one is a PV known as an eGo battery. Most of them have a ‘five clicks on and five clicks off’ feature some have three-click features.
The Youde UDT V10
Finally, we have the ‘mechanical mod’, or ‘mech-mod’. A mechanical mod is a personal vaporizer that uses a battery and a mechanical switch, and really nothing more. There are no electronics involved at all. Some use side buttons, or bottom buttons, while others use a tube that slides to activate the mod. Mechanical mods use no short or polarity protection either. They are basic power units with threading for some sort of cartomizer, clearomizer, or tank. The UDT V10 is a very basic, yet very appealing mod to many hard-core Vapers.
Mechanical mods rely completely on the output of the battery. This makes them popular with Vapers that use them for ‘sub-ohm coils’. (A word of caution: You should always use a battery with built-in protection. Unless you are an expert at this stuff, don’t risk using an unprotected battery. Some mechanical mods can be outfitted with a device called the “Kick” made by a company called “Evolv”. A ‘Kick’ gives a mech-mod the power to act more like an APV than just a battery with a connector. For more information on the Evolv Kick 2 see John Castle’s Review
As some of you already know, I love vaping! Yes I do! I also don’t keep it a secret that I am not a huge fan of mechanical mods. I don’t hate them; I just do not go out of my way to buy them. Now don’t be flooding Spinfuel’s email box with messages about the advantages of mechanical mods. I want bells and whistles, variable voltage, variable wattage, and digital displays. Even though I am not a huge fan of mechanical mods, I still have my fair share of them. They do have their place in my large collection of vaping gear.
Right now you are probably thinking, “Why is he telling me all this?” I’m telling you up front so that you know where I stand on mechanical mods and you can judge this review based on knowing that going in. I am also telling you this because Spinfuel handed over a Youde Udt-V10 mechanical mod for me review. Is this a great company or what?
The Specs:
Youde UD UDT V10 18350 Mechanical MOD
- 510 Threaded
- Adjustable Floating Pin
- Stainless Steel Construction
- Twist to lock Button
- Fits one 18350 battery
- 4 Vent holes on tube
- Top cap with 3 air channels
Dimensions: 3″ x 1″ (length x diameter)
The Youde UDT V10
The Youde UDT-V10 comes in a small box adorned with all the colors of the rainbow. One thing you will notice as you open the box is that this thing is small, really small. The UDT V10 uses an 18350 battery. The next thing you notice is how frickin’ sweet looking it is! The UDT-V10 has a stainless steel body with a brass ring towards the top of the mod. This is one of those times where the brass ring really makes the mod stand out.
Located on the firing button is an engraving of a scorpion with the word “Youde” encircling the scorpion to make the image pop. I noticed it has four vent holes located towards the bottom of the mod as well. The vent holes are an important feature of the UDT V10 just in case a situation arises where a battery would short out and it needs to vent. It’s a critical safety feature is what it is. They keep the battery venting so it doesn’t build up pressure in the tube and become a pipe bomb ready to blow up in your hand!
The UDT-V10 has a 510-connector with three grooves in the top for airflow. Not only does it have a 510-connector, it has an adjustable pin. This comes in handy to seat tanks better as well as to accommodate flattop or button top batteries. Definitely a welcome feature, and one that experienced Vapers would notice immediately.
The UDT-V10 uses a push button located on the bottom of the mod. To activate the mod all you have to do is push up on the bottom. To keep the mod from firing by accident the bottom button can be twisted into a lock position.
The manufacturer has stated that the UDT V10 has very little voltage drop when in use. I could not personally verify that, but it’s out there. This is an important claim as it means that the voltage being supplied by the battery is the same amount of voltage the atomizer is receiving thus allowing for ‘full voltage’ during your vaping. The manufactures website states that the UDT-V10 will handle a current as low as 5 amps up to 10 amps and a battery voltage of 3.7 volts to 6 volts.
Real Word Usage
All of that information is fine and dandy but what really matters is real world usage. How does it perform in real Vapers hands? I could recite specs and features all day long, but if I don’t use it, and report to you what I experienced, then what could is a review?
I received the Youde UDT-V10 right before the 2013 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This gave me a great chance to take it out and about to see how it handled. I loaded the Kayfun Lite that I reviewed recently with some DIY black licorice and threw it on top. The Kayfun Lite looks like it was made to be on this mod. My first vape with the mod showed me how hard this thing could hit. It had no problem whatsoever powering the Kayfun Lite and produced more than enough vapor to satisfy my cloud-chasing needs.
As I headed out the door with the UDT V10 I made sure that I locked the firing button, always a smart thing to do. (Are you taking notes?) This came in handy when I threw it into my front pants pocket. I sure as hell did not want it firing in my pocket! (Although I do admit it made me look a bit, well, more ‘out there’ than usual) Firing in my pocket would make for a very uncomfortable feeling… I think. Then again…
And this is where I ran into a bit of a problem. The locking feature is nice, but the button is too easy flowing with very little resistance. As I would move around the device would too, and this would cause it to lock or unlock on its own depending which way I moved, or which way the mod moved. This ‘dangling about’ was definitely frustrating at times.
The UDT-V10 also has more weight than one would expect for the size of it. Of course, this made it easy to remember what pocket I had put it in when I put it in a coat pocket. The heft of the mod also makes it feel like a sturdy in your hand. Like you were holding something of value. This solid ‘feel ‘is important to me; I prefer the things I hold in my hand to be well built, sturdy, manly maybe. Seriously though, I do like to hold on to things that have a nice, firm, feel to it and the UDT V10 fits the bill.
I did notice that while I had the UDT-V10 out in the real world it was beneficial that it stood vertically. The base of it flares out like a bell, creating a very stable base to stand on. While sitting at the Thanksgiving table I was able to stand it up and not have it knocked over every time I reached across the table and accidently brushed up against it. That’s important to me, especially when there are a lot six kids sitting at the same table. Everything gets knocked over at least twice.
As I ran around town using the UDT-V10 one thing did become apparent. This mod is small, really small, and it became uncomfortable to hold after a while. I tried different fingers to push the firing button and still had no luck finding a comfortable position to hold it in. The only position that felt comfortable was a really odd looking one and I was not ‘okay’ doing it that way. I already draw enough attention to myself when I go out in public.
This brings me to another thing I noticed. When trying to push the firing button it would ‘catch’ at times. Not a major issue but at times it can be a pain in the butt. I did not take the firing button apart to see what the problem was, but it felt like it was catching on the locking mechanism. As soon as I get the chance to I will update this review and let you know what I find.
Conclusion
Even though I found it hard to find a holding position for the UDT-V10 I found myself falling in love with its compact design. While I took it out and about I was able to hold it in the palm of my hand and hide it if the need arose. The sturdy feel of the UDT-V10 in my hand gave me reassurance that I had a mod I could trust to perform when I needed it to. As much as I came to love this little mechanical mod I wouldn’t change my stance on them. The UDT-V10 has a place in my collection and will be a great mod when I need a simple, dependable mechanical mod.
I would recommend the Youde UDT-V10 to any Vaper looking for a compact 18350-based mechanical mod. The locking firing button makes it safe to put in your pocket. If you are looking for a showpiece that doesn’t cost a lot, the Youde UDT-V10 will do nicely.
Pros:
Sturdy build and weight Adjustable center pin Locking fire button Smooth threads Compact designCons:
Button sticks (could just be the one I received) No ego threads (which is common among Mechanical mods) I will also list compact design as a con. Only available in 18350 battery configuration (at the time of this review)
