Summer is not only the time for liquids with a cooler, but also the time for small devices that don’t take up much space in your pockets. And if you can easily pick up a small setup for a cigarette puff or even use a Pod system, then the choice of low mech mods is not so great. Our subject of today’s review, the Helix mech mod, is perfect for a compact (and most importantly, lightweight!) bundle.
Since our first acquaintance with the company’s products, FIR has undergone some significant changes. During this time, the manufacturer managed to change its logo, gain popularity thanks to its “people’s” Constanta mech mod, create its own line of Savory liquids and release, together with Misha “Korobka”, a slightly wild-looking Fuckir mech mod with an unusual and complicated button. Somewhere in the midst of all these events, another product appeared, released without unnecessary noise and pathos but immediately found its fans – the Helix mech mod. vapes online canada Initially, the device was made only of brass, both unpainted and in various paint options, but quite recently its “lightweight” version was released. It is the aluminum mod that we will consider today.
Packaging and accessories of the Helix mech mod
The mech mod came into my hands in exactly the same tin tube as the previous mech from FIR. In the same place were the ħ icons decorating the entire surface, and absolutely the same inscriptions: Constanta by FIR Vape Production, For everyday use, details and contacts of the manufacturer. The fact that there is a Helix mod inside is indicated only by the inscription on the bottom of the can, made by hand with a marker: H117Al. In fact, I have seen at least three variants of the tube design (one of them is in the very first photo in the review, from Vapexpo 2017), and therefore the packaging may have a different look. So the device may come into your hands in a completely differently painted “can”.
Helix mech mod delivery set
Packaging
Helix mech mod
Silver constant contact spacer (installed in the button)
Certificate of originality
User manual
Inside, under the lid, you will immediately find a circle of foam rubber, protecting the contents from damage during transportation. Near the wall itself, you can find a certificate of originality with the inscription in ballpoint pen H117Al (H – Helix, 117 – serial number of the device, Al – aluminum), and inside the mod, a rolled-up instruction manual for the device on thick translucent paper. Judging by both the certificate and the manual, we have the same Constanta in front of us. However, there is nothing unusual about this, since the full name of the device sounds like Constanta Helix.
The appearance and design of the Helix mech mod
The device, in addition to being made of aluminum (naturally, not pure, but duralumin), in its new incarnation got rid of the barely noticeable anatomical “fit”. But it received a relief spiral pattern, which, according to the manufacturer, should resemble the coils on a snail shell. Well, or something else for someone. The unpainted version, frankly speaking, can slide in the hands (especially in the heat in sweaty palms), and it is the relief on the pipe that saves the situation: the mech is held quite confidently, and the spring of the button is soft enough so that when pressed, the device does not “crawl” up into the palm.
Helix mech mod specifications
Material: brass or aluminum (painted or unpainted)
Weight (my copy): 60.2g (108g with battery)
Connector: hybrid 510
One thread in the chain (in the connector)
Diameter: 24mm
Height: 82.5mm
Battery used: 18650
Automatic adjustment to battery height and atomizer pin (spring)
Button: spring
The top of the pipe is decorated with a hybrid connector with a deep bath, which allows you to eliminate both the drip tip sticking and reduce the heating of the pipe from the hot atomizer. Surprisingly, even the dotRDA24, which I cursed in the review for its weak O-rings on the base, can be unscrewed without any problems, but the connector does not wobble. There is still only a serial number here, which looks like it was put down with a simple factory stamp. And this is still the only identification mark on the entire device, I would still like to see an engraving with the mod name or the manufacturer’s name here. But this is so, IMHO.
From the inside, there is a mandatory side, which serves as protection against short circuit when pressing the button with the battery installed without a drip tip. The atomizers fit tightly, without a gap, the diameter of the connector pad is “sharpened” for the most popular size today – 24 mm.
Impressions and conclusions
At first, the constant and phantom misfires were extremely annoying. The contact surfaces were cleaned (although the mod came absolutely clean) and polished, everything was completely washed, but… In the end, the problem was solved by simply turning the spacer over in the insulator. It seems that its cut was not perfectly even, and one side of the spacer did not fit tightly onto the battery. In short, I don’t know what the real problem was, but after this manipulation, there was not a single misfire rupture. Otherwise, I am completely satisfied with the stiffness (or softness) of the spring, and the diameter of the pusher, and the operation of the button without distortions, and the relief of the pipe, which improves the grip of a fairly slippery case (especially after polishing). To be honest, I don’t like much of the newfangled “delights” in the shapes of mech mods, especially when the case is replete with various useless grooves and drops, but in Helix everything looks quite appropriate and quite organic.
The device has remained as simple and reliable, but at the same time convenient. The mech is still one of the most compact on the market, while having a constant contact, which has already become a standard for Russian manufacturers. In any case, if you are a fan of “direct contact”, you can always remove the spacer from the insulator and enjoy the carbon deposits on the battery contacts and minimal sags. Although, this is aluminum, and it, as you know, “does not fry”. Only I did not notice any difference in performance compared to my other mechs. At the same time, I manage to discharge my VTC5A to 2.7-2.5V on dotRDA24 with a winding of 0.06-0.07 Ohm (two triple fused clapton from Arsenal). Naturally, the device requires care, and not only for the “black dots”, but also for the connector thread (do not forget about the thread on the drip tip), the pusher and the inner walls of the pipe. But I get by with just a toothbrush and soap, unless the task is to polish the device “to a mirror”. The body is also polished quite simply, only the relief on the pipe can cause a little difficulty – the felt with GOI paste slides off like a thread. Of what I would still like to see in Helix – some engravings besides the serial number. At least on the connector, at least on the pusher, as is done on many other mechanical mods. However, some do not even write the “serial number”. Moreover, in combination with a small aluminum dripper, you get not only a compact, but also a light “summer” setup, which also “fries” perfectly.
Liked:
Quality of manufacture
Nice appearance
Soft pressing
Constant contact
Very compact size and light weight
Price
Disliked:
Open button design