Welcome to the unusual world of mod “clones.” These are versions of generally hand designed and very expensive models mass-produced by overseas factories and sold at much lower prices. This review is of a clone of the Maraxus mod. I know there’s some controversy over the idea of clones. By publishing this post (and similar ones) I’m not taking a particular stance. I’m simply following my mission of reviewing a wide array of stuff that may be of interest to some subset of the public. Now, on with the review.
Disclosure: I received this product from e-Cigarette Lobby at no charge for review purposes.
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Product name | Maraxus |
| Available from | e-Cigarette Lobby | |
| Price | $29.99 | |
| 10% off Coupon Code | stevevape | |
| Competing products | Smok Magneto | |
| Who’s it for? | Advanced users comfortable with cloned devices | |
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Maraxus (Clone) Review
The geniuine Maraxus is a mechanical mod built in the Philippines. That model retails for $250. The clone I’m about to review costs less than $30. Clearly, that shows why clones have become so popular these days.
This model I’m reviewing is sold by e-Cigarette Lobby, a retailer located in China. Therefore, it’s important to note delivery is likely to take at least a couple of weeks due to the slow shipping times from China. On the plus side, shipping is free. Update: I’ve been informed that while shipping isn’t free (unless there’s a sale) shipping only averages 5-10 working days from Hong Kong.
As for the device itself, it certainly is an interesting device in appearance. It is crafted of stainless steel and brass-plated steel for a tu-tone effect. There are these sort of teeth protruding from the sides of the devices tube that give it a sort of sci-fi appearance. It actually reminds me of those teleportation pods from the 80’s remake of The Fly to be honest.
The bulges serve no purpose beyond the aesthetic. Well that and to hurt my fingers if I don’t hold the Maraxus just right. The sides of the “teeth” are a little sharp. I’d really like to see those hard corners rounded a little.
Taking a look at the rest of the design, there are parts. Lots of parts. Going from the top, we have the top cap that houses the flat 510 connector. That part is stainless.
A brass ring screws into that section. Then the top part of the weird toothy space-age part screws into the brass ring. The battery tube (brass) bolts onto the silver toothy part. Essentially, that silver part works as a gender changer as both the tube and the top brass ring are male threaded.
The other half of the starship escape pod section then attaches to the bottom of the battery tube. Under that, an identical brass ring, and then finally, the bottom cap and fire button section finishes the tube off.
If it sounds confusing, don’t worry, it is. Try not to take it all apart at the same time, it took me a minute to figure out where everything was supposed to go.
One of the benefits of this design is that the whole unit telescopes to accommodate just about any 18000 diameter battery you can think of. You can also take it apart at any point to replace the batteries.
Personally, I’m used to taking the bottom cap off for battery changing. That works with this device. The bottom cap also houses the fire button which is a spring-loaded button, as opposed to a magnetic switch.
Despite the switch not being magnetic, it has a very fluid movement to it and a solid feel. I was a little surprised it was spring loaded since the button felt so good.
There is no safety lock on this button. However, it is flush mounted, so it can safely be set on a table on its base without issue. I’d suggest removing the batteries during transport just to be safe.
I do have one major complaint about the switch. It’s got nothing to do with functionality.
My problem is that the maker also decided to copy the Maraxus logo, complete with serial number. I can understand making clones, but to actually knock off the logo too, that’s a step too far in my mind.
Obviously the logo does nothing to impact performance. Mechanical mods are definitely subjective in the performance department because how well the work will depend heavily on the battery and type of RBA attached to the device.
This is a good time for me to break out with the disclaimer. I don’t recommend these types of devices for novice users as there’s way too much that could go catastrophically wrong in an unregulated mechanical device.
That being said, there are a few drawbacks as I’ve mentioned, but it’s a great choice for those looking for something flashy on a shoestring budget.
You can grab a copy of the Maraxus at e-Cigarette Lobby. Don’t forget to use the stevevape coupon code for 10% off your order.
