Let's get this out of the way right here off the bat. If you're a smoker wondering what this vaping thing is all about, this device isn't for you. If you're a new vaper just starting to get into rebuilding, this device is not for you. If you're an advanced vaper experienced in ohms law and battery safety, is this device for you? We're going to take a look at it and find out. What we have here is a 3 piece unit sold as a set. It's a copper mechanical tube mod with a 510 connector for use with atomizers with 510 threading. It also comes with a hybrid dripping atomizer for direct contact with the positivepost of your battery. The mod is called the Rig V3, and the atomizer is called the BAMF Roughneck. What does BAMF stand for? I'll let you figure that out while we take a look at this device.

The Mod:

The Rig V3 is a mechanical mod from Vaping AMP. It is available in different materials on the Vape AMP website, but the version we are reviewing here is made out of solid copper. The top cap has a traditional two screw assembly to accommodate variances in battery size between manufacturers, and to eliminate battery rattle. The switch is also solid copper, and has an "anti-spin" feature to keep the button in position. The throw on the switch recesses into the mod, so there is no need for a locking mechanism. The switch incorporates a spring for resistance, and it is a 4 pound automotive grade spring. The finish is a black cerakote, with the branding being the exposed copper showing through the cerakote finish. The mod is powered by a high drain, high current capacity 18650 battery which is sold separately.

The Atomizer:

The atomizer is a two post deck with clamps for securing your leads. It is a hybrid atomizer, meaning it screws directly into the top of the mod without the use of the 510 top cap on the mod. It will not work on any other device (except other Rig V3 mods and the Rig Pig) without a 510 adapter which is sold separately. The positive connection on the atomizer is copper, and is wide based so it will cover the entire positive post on a flat top 18650 battery. The deck, posts, screws, and clamps on the atomizer are made of stainless steel. The sleeve is made of copper, and has 3 O rings set into the sleeve to hold the sleeve to the deck and the mouthpiece in place. The mouthpiece is made of black delrin. The atomizer is designed to provide direct airflow to the coil from underneath, and the airflow is adjustable via the atomizer sleeve. It only has settings for dual airflow, with no adjustment for a single coil build.

(See full image gallery below.)

Overview:

As you can see, this is a very beautiful device. It is well made, and manufactured in America. It can be purchased from multiple online outlets, including directly from the manufacturer here. You may also be able to find it locally in some vape shops. I purchased mine for Doc's Vape Escape here locally in Cookeville Tn. The entire set comes in at $280.00, so it isn't cheap.

Most of the changes are to the Roughneck atomizer, although in the Rig V3 mod they have gone away from the "Hybrid 510" top cap for a traditional 510 connection. Some will view this as a negative, but I like it for safety reasons. On the atomizer, the deck and the airflow are totally redesigned, as is the mouthpiece. Let's take a look at the new setup.

 As you can see, this isn't the traditional Roughneck design, and is even quite different from the old 2 post deck. They have gone away from post holes and incorporated a clamp system instead. It's not a terrible design, but I'm not particularly crazy about it either. The plates are not spring loaded, so it takes a little fidgeting to set your leads up behind the plates, and this limits the types of wire you can use in it. I have found that any wire smaller than a 22 gauge Kanthal will not get a good solid connection on this deck. I'm not saying you can't use thinner wires, I have just found some movement in the leads with 24 gauge even with the clamps fully tightened, and that is particularly bad on an atomizer designed to be used on a mechanical mod. It will fit larger coils, such as fused claptons, but as you can see here the wire has to be twisted to the side to get in there. which could potentially mess with a longer type fused Clapton coil, but they will fit and you do get a good solid contact on them.

I put in this set of claptons and vaped on them for a couple hours with no issues, so I took them out for my traditional build which I greatly prefer to vape on. 4 wraps of 22 gauge kanthal on a 3.5 mm bit. For these short coils I found it works best to put a bend in the wire and shape them for the deck. Unlike a traditional 2 post deck where you can set the coils through the holes then tighten the screws down and set them, on this clamp system the leads will pop out of the top so they have to be spaced properly when setting then in in order to get good contact when tightening them down. My build ultimately looks like this.

With this build in place, this thing vapes like a champ. It is a very hard hitting device, with the direct contact to the battery post.

The new airflow on this device is phenomenal. If you've used a Kennedy atomizer, than you know how good the flavor is on a device that gets its airflow from underneath the coil. Compared to the Kennedy, this one gets a lot more air into the chamber on it's wide open setting. Unlike the Kennedy, the airflow is adjustable on this one.  I'm running mine right about half open and that works perfectly for me.

The mod itself is very well made and heavy. The threads on this thing are perfect. The 510 cap is a bit of a pita with the 2 screw adjustment, but I'm accustomed to that type on setup and I haven't used this device in that mode nor do I frankly intend to. Both the mod and the atomizer are 25mm in diameter, so the whole setup is big, beefy and very heavy. The spring gives about the perfect amount of tension, and the switch fires right every time. This is a very solid device and a great mechanical tube mod. Since many of the newer atomizers that have come out are also 25mm, it is nice to have a 25mm tube mod in the collection.

 Cons:

• The build deck. While it works out okay for me with my 22 gauge kanthal, it does limit your choice of wires. I would prefer to see a velocity style deck, or perhaps 2 screws on the clamps. It's unnecessarily difficult to build on.
• The price. It's a lot of money to pay for a setup. That being said, the quality of the device dictates the price to a large extent, and this one is very high quality.

Pros:

• Quality. This thing is very heavy. Solid copper, threads are deep and smooth, and the device fits together with a very seamless look.
• Efficiency. If you thought nothing hits like a beefy, solid copper mod, then just wait until you try a beefy, solid copper mod with a hybrid dripper. This thing hits like a truck, and I would know.
• Comfort. I've never been a fan of recessed switch mechanical mods, but this one can be fired with your finger in any position on the switch allowing for comfortable use no matter your firing style.
• Versatility. It's nice that I can use this atomizer on my Rig Pig as well. This deck is better equipped for longer coils, so perhaps it would work better on that mod anyway.
• Flavor. Not that the flavor on the Roughneck V2 was bad, but the Roughneck V3 BAMF is even better. I really love this direct airflow from under the coils, and I'm willing to put up with this more difficult build deck to get it.

Do you need one?

For the price, probably not, but I'll bet you want one. The new airflow makes this device worth checking out, especially if you have a V2 Rig and Roughneck combo and you know how hard this setup hits. That being said, if you have the V2 setup I don't think it's enough of an upgrade to make you go out and spend the money. If the deck were better, I would without hesitation recommend the upgrade. With this build deck, I might just stick with the V2 if I had one, especially if you factor in the old 2 post deck upgrade which is very easy to build on.

Additional Thoughts:

As I mentioned, I purchased this one from a brick and mortar shop here in my hometown. Of course, they had the device on display and in the process of showing it to potential buyers, the bottom O ring got a chunk taken out of it. This is a fairly common issue you can run into when taking the cap on and off of an atomizer that hasn't been juiced or otherwise lubricated. I went to the Vaping AMP online shop to purchase new O rings, but didn't see any on the site so I emailed them to see where they could be purchased. The messaged me back to see what exactly I was needing and why, so I informed them of the problem and sent a picture of the cap with the busted ring. They promptly mailed me 6 replacement O rings at no additional charge. I thought that was great customer service, especially since I had contacted them about purchasing a set of rings. +1 for Vaping American Made Products for that.

V3 Rig Mod V3 Roughneck Set Black Cerakote Copper

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