Copying Mods, Flattery or Theft?

I have been vaping since Christmas, when our son gave my wife and me each a 510 kit. It was obvious early on that the battery life was too short and the atomizer / cartridge arrangement just wasn't for us.

I joined a few forums listed at the top of Madvapes' homepage and began reading about all the battery mods that people have made, as well as some commercial ones. I would love to have a Precious or a GG or a bunch of others but it was apparant that these commercially-made mods were out of my pricerange. I bought a 3.7v modbox from Madvapes and began enjoying long battery life. My wife uses it as her main device.

I looked at the MV boxmod and said "Heck, I can build this and do it even better!!", so I did a couple of times only differently (a clear boxmod with a PCB and a mini 1AA boxmod). Then I found a few small LED flashlights that I could mod easily and did them too.

I got some CE2 XL cartos and really like them, but they're kinda hot on the lips, so I created my own syringe tank mods. They work great and have been working for several weeks now.

I have been checking out the "Copper" mods and like their mechanical switching, very nice design indeed. I hit the local hardware and believe I could make one for a mere fraction of retail, am thinking about it seriously. Of course, it will not be of the same quality as a commercially-made unit, but I will be able to customize it to my own taste and budget.

I have been reading posts griping about someone copying someone else's design. I really feel that using the best of other people's ideas is good, makes for a better device. After all, a battery mod is just a device that includes a battery, connector, LED, switch and perhaps a voltage regulator and a feeder bottle, none of which is original. You can mod almost any battery operated device (nose-hair clippers, electric toothbrushes, laser pointers, the list goes on and on).

There are good mods and bad mods. For me, I want a mod that is reliable and "fun to vape." I am not in the business, so whatever I make is only for my use.

I know I am a "mod freak on a budget", but that's fine. If I can make a device for 10% of retail (or even better free), I get a big kick out of success and learn from my failures. No matter what I do, I do to the extreme (just ask my wife ) First it was making custom knives, then guns, now E-ciggies. Always to the extreme.

If someone builds a mod that looks like someone else's mod, I have no problem with that so long as they don't misrepresent it and try to make a buck from someone else's reputation.

Well, that's my 2 cents anyway. I feel better getting that off my chest even if nobody reads this

 

Hey asnider I completely agree as long as ur not trying to make a profit its fine to make personal look alikes

 

yea see no problem there either with personal use, but even with commercial made items, everybody copys off everyone...reverse enginering is a fact of life for all industry...big companys hire people to tear apart something from another company...them take that info...hire someone who wasn't involed in the tear down to re-design it enough using the info gained from the tear down...who was the first guy to put rubber on the bottom of a shoe?....who designed air-filled tires?...who designed the first computer...artist look at other peoples work to "inspire" themselves...who made the first mod that took replaceable batterys..now is every mod out there a rip off of it? Now in the case of the trog screwdriver and the dse 905, yes a blatant copy, but it wasnt like they were trying to sell it as screwdriver, so a bootleg copy being sold as the real thing is wrong, but this wasn't the case. Hienz ketchup is sold in plastic bottles, so does that mean another ketchup company can't sell theirs in a plastic bottle? The screwdriver was made of metal and had a bottom switch, so all these other companys are in the wrong for making their mods with these featues?

So yes if someone was making a fake silver bullet, or don, or precious or whatever and then trying to sell them as the real thing that would be wrong, but taking inspiration from another mod and making something of your own is totally fine IMO

 

I couldn't agree more MAP!

 

That is how evolution occurs. Take an idea and build on it. The straight copies are just sad in business, but do bring the price down for consumers.

 

Just my 2 cents, but I don't think it's theft if you recreate a mod for your own personal use. I've tried to recreate a couple of them myself, and while they don't always work, I only use them for personal use and would never consider selling them. The solar mod I tried to recreate was an epic failure (not enough amps to vape, but that's what you get for buying the cheap solar charger), and I am in the middle of making a flashlight mod. I also visit the local hardware store quite a bit to see what parts I can buy to recreate mods I've seen online. Some I believe I can make cheaper, and some I would need to buy up a whole lot of parts to be able to be cost effective. Either way, I'm not making an exact replica of any mod. If I did, that would be exactly what it would be, a replica. I would never call it anything else or try to misrepresent a mod by calling it by the name of the original.
Like motovapenstine said, everyone copies off of everyone else. How could there suddenly be such an influx of things like 3d T.V.s, Blueray players, etc. on the market unless they had reverse engineered them? If you are only using a mod you made for personal use, and make changes to the original design, I really don't see much of a difference except that you aren't making a profit off of it.

 

It's Thattery.

or Fleft

 

LMAO, nice one!

 

I don't buy copy-cat mods, but I sure don't judge people that do I, personally, don't like supporting people who make a buck off of someone else's intellectual property. I also understand that many people are on a budget...so if something is a fraction of the price and works similar to the real thing, it makes total sense for them Everyone's entitled to a great vape...by any means necessary lol

 

I am all for whatever works for an individual and if they purchase a "copy-cat" mod because it's what they can afford or just what they want to buy good for them.

What I think is much worse is when machinists take the design and make exact copies selling them for the same price as the original. Some people may then purchase thinking it is an original design when it is in fact a copy.

 

And 99% of the clones are 50% of what they copied from in my experience.........a corvette is no match for a lambroghini......