Wotofo are very well known as the Chinese manufacturer that has brought you authentic RDA’s such as the Profile RDA, STNG MTL RTA and the Recurve Dual RDA. Now they have released the Phantom, a fully authentic and reasonably priced mechanical mod.
Designed for maximum conductivity and durability this mods copper contacts are rhodium plated. In addition this mods springs are both 24k gold-plated to reduce voltage drop.
Incorporating a Phantom of the Opera style theme is this a good quality mechanical mod?
We shall see:
The Phantom Mechanical Mod Features:
- Original authentic design by Wotofo.
- Interchangeable Hybrid and adjusting top caps.
- Floating positive contact in adjusting top cap.
- Adjustable negative contact.
- Adjustable delrin insulation.
- Copper positive and negative contacts are Rhodium plated.
- 24K Gold-plated springs.
- 22mm diameter.
The Phantom mod box contains:
- 1x Phantom mechanical mod.
- 1x Hybrid top cap.
- 1x Hard spring.
- 1x Soft spring.
- 1x Top cap with floating contact.
- 1x Spare positive contact.
- 1x Spare negative contact delrin insulation.
- 1x Microfibre cleaning cloth.
- 1x Phantom authenticity card.
The packaging is very well done and everything is held firmly in a foam inlay. The cover of the box has the Phantom style mask on it and it is really quite stylish. The mod itself comes sealed in a protective bag.
The extras are actually very good and you certainly get good value for money with this mod. It is also nice to have a cleaning cloth included that has the Wotofo logo printed on it.
The Phantom is a very well machined mod:
Be mindful this is a mechanical mod with absolutely no safety features.
Before using one make sure you fully understand the risks, educate yourself thoroughly and above all ensure you use it sensibly.
Always make sure you use a Ohms Meter to test your coils and make sure to use only good quality batteries. Please stay safe.
Absolutely under no circumstances ever use a hybrid top cap adapter with a Sub-Ohm tank since they have proven to be unsafe and you could potentially cause yourself harm.
What I like about this mod is how well machined it is. The threads are very good, extremely smooth and everything screws together well.
The mod has a good weight to it and feels very comfortable in the hand. The Phantom that was sent for review was the black coated copper version.
Copper of course will need cleaning often for maximum conductivity but thankfully you will never have to suffer with your hands smelling like old pennies due to the black coating.
So far I have no had any major issues with the coating flaking at all. There are some light scratches that have developed on the hybrid adapter but I think that is due to the coating being much thinner on that component and continually screwing on a RDA (Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer) is going to lead to some wear and tear.
The switch is excellent and feels really good. What is nice is that Wotofo included two different springs so you can choose between a soft spring that requires an almost effortless touch and a hard spring which requires a lot more force to be applied.
Bearing in mind that this mod has no locking ring at all so if you are planning on placing the Phantom down on a hard surface I would advise you to fit the hard spring to minimize the chance of the mod accidentally firing.
Do keep in mind that it is still not 100% safe and certainly if you were carrying it around in your pocket it has the potential to fire.
I think as long as you are very careful and responsible then it shouldn’t be a problem but being the cautious person I am I would still remove the battery when the mod isn’t in use.
By rotating the delrin piece on the switch itself you can adjust for battery rattle and this is very useful and convenient, plus it allows for some adjustment of the throw.
The bottom of the switch itself has a Phantom of the Opera style logo on it which is actually rather nice. It also comes covered with a removable plastic film to protect it from damage. 
After a short period of use this cover does become quite tarnished but at least it is protecting the image and you can always easily remove it if you wish.
One minor issue:
The Phantom I received for review just had one issue. The floating pin in the top cap didn’t actually float and felt kind of stuck in place.
This caused many of my RTA’s and RDA’s to not actually make contact with the pin and battery so obviously wouldn’t fire.
It took quite a bit of effort with a flat head screwdriver to finally loosen it, the indentation in the screw head could also do with being much deeper since I had real problems getting a screwdriver to hold the screw tightly when turning it.
Once this problem was fixed all the RDA’s and RTA’s I fitted then worked without issue. I used a Lemo 2, a Freemax Starre, a Mini Freakshow RDA, a Twisted Messes RDA and a Herakles Sub-Ohm tank when testing this product.
For testing the hybrid adapter I only ever used my RDA’s with it.
So is the Phantom A Good Mechanical Mod?
This mod works exactly like you’d expect a good quality mechanical mod to perform. Obviously being a unregulated device as you continue to use it the battery is drained and the quality of vape will decrease due to the voltage drop.
Most mechanical mod users will automatically know when it is time to swap out batteries since you get a feel for it.
The quality of the vape you actually get is going to be down to a lot of variables such as your actual coil resistance and of course the tank or dripper you are using.
In terms of actual voltage drop I found the Phantom to be comparable to most good quality copper mods. I have read on line that the stainless steel version of the Phantom has some issues with voltage drop but being stainless steel that would be understandable.
Considering I have only reviewed the black copper version I cannot say whether these reports are totally factual or not but do make sure to investigate for yourself before buying the stainless steel version.
Personally I think you are always better off buying a copper mechanical mod for maximum conductivity and performance but they do require a lot of cleaning on a regular basis and being made of a far lighter material they can be quite easily damaged if you are clumsy with them.
I found the Phantom to give a very satisfactory vape with all my devices and I can’t find anything to really fault about it except the overly tight floating pin that I had to mess around with.
Is the Phantom mod worth it?
Considering how reasonable the price of this mod is, for a completely authentic product then certainly it is worth it.
I think some people will be uneasy with the lack of a locking ring but for vapers who are used to competition style mechanical mods like the Manhattan then it may be of interest.
Mechanical mods require a user to be very responsible so if you are of that mindset then this mod might appeal.
Final Review Verdict:
This is a good quality and authentic mechanical mod that is relatively inexpensive. The floating pin can be something of a slight issue and depending on your own level of patience it may frustrate or annoy you.
When running this mod with the hybrid adapter it works extremely well but of course you need to be mindful of any possible dangers.
My biggest grip with this mod is the absence of a locking ring which makes the mod a little more risky than some of its counterparts. The stiffer spring is a welcome addition and while it doesn’t eliminate the chance of accidental firing it does lessen it to a degree.
The Good:
- Very well machined with smooth threads.
- Good conductivity (copper version).
- Black coating hasn’t flaked yet.
- Hybrid adapter included and fits without issue. (Never use with Sub-Ohm tanks)
- Relatively inexpensive for a authentic mod.
- Good spares.
The Not So Good:
- No locking ring so can be more dangerous than other mechanical mods.
- Floating pin can be a bit annoying.
- No safety features. This is not for novices. Only for vapers that know what they are doing.
