Clone on the left, original on the right
The Tobh Atty Clone: In stock for $10.08
The Tobh Atty (Origional): In stock for $89.99
The Tobh Atty clone started showing up a few months ago on various vendor websites. Now, for me, the Tobh is one of the best RDA’s I’ve seen this year. It is utterly fantastic. Its designed and machined like no other. When you buy the real deal is is literally an impressive work of art. Its designed for big clouds and it delivers. The airflow is tuned for people who love sub-ohm builds. I really can’t say enough about the Tobh.
So naturally when I saw the clones showing up, I got curious. Could a $10 clone really rival the $80 real thing? So I decided to get one just to compare for this website. Lets see how they compare.
Appearance
As you can see from the photographs, the Tobh and the Tobh Clone have some differences. The real Tobh has a slightly nicer brushed finish where the clone’s finish is somewhere between brused and polished. The clone is just a hair taller as well. Then we have the fins…
The fins are amazing looking on both the clone and the original at first glance. On close inspection, the clone’s fins are not nearly as cleanly machined. In fact I didn’t notice at first but I cut both my finger AND my thumb just putting the drip tip on! At first I didn’t realize what cut me then when you run your finger along the fins, the edges are razor sharp. BE CAREFUL!!! The original Tobh has smoothed edges and you can tell the extra attention when into every detail.
Let me clarify – the fins are slightly rectangular on both but I’m talking about the very edge of each fin – the clone’s are cheap and it didn’t take much to hurt myself on them. This is a drag. Clone -1 big time.
The logo is slightly different on each RDA as well. The real clone has a thinner circle around the “Atty” logo – the clone is thick.
Another note I need to make because you see it in the photos – my original Tobh’s logo is a little scratched. This is because I’ve carried it everywhere in the last few months since I bought it. Its a lot of wear and tear. This should be noted as my fault – NOT how the original came. I suspect the clone will wear as well – we’ll, that is if I actually continue to use this bladed thing.
Under the top cap, both pretty much look alike. They both have the conical top that helps direct air through the device and into the drip tip when you vape. This is cool since its a key part of the Tobh design.
Clone on the left, original on the right
Decks
The deck is where you start to see major differences. The original is beautifully machined on the bottom of the deck. The pattern in the steel is gorgeous – its like seeing mother of pearl or something. The clone’s bottom deck is similar, but doesn’t look quite as nice. It makes me think that its not made of the same grade stainless steel or that its just not built the same way. Either way its just not as cool.
You’ll also notice a big difference between the original and Tobh atty clone by looking at the posts. The clone features slightly smaller posts (only slightly). The original uses nice big screws and the clone looks like they used whatever were lying around. Also the post holes are considerably different – much smaller on the Tobh clone.
A word about this – another key design element of the Tobh RDA is the one piece deck and negative posts. It makes better contact on the RDA and in theory hits harder when vaping. The fact that they are slightly smaller is concerning. The smaller holes are annoying when building dual coils and the smaller screws are disappointing as well.
Performance
So here’s what really counts right? Can you tell the difference when vaping the Tobh vs the Tobh clone?
To level the playing field as much as possible I did the same build on both the Tobh and the Tobh clone. I used 5 wraps of 25 gauge Kanthal wire on each coil. Both were built with double coils as designed. When built the original measured at .260 ohms and the clone measured at .261 ohms. I used the same mod – my copper/brass nemesis, the same battery (a freshly charged Sony VTC5) and I used the same juice (Drake’s Mellon Fiasco). Both were wicked with the same cotton. I’ve gone back and forth between the two several times.
The clone vaped well, but the original was clearly better. I know that’s not very scientific, but that’s the most important thing of this whole review.
The original blows huge clouds and has a really nice, big flavor. The clone has pretty much the same flavor, but the vapor wasn’t as massive.
People, the big clouds are why you buy the Tobh! That’s a big deal!
And another BIG difference – the clone atty leaks juice out the holes. Yep another slight design corner cut.
I’d say the clone is about 50% in flavor and performance of the original Tobh’s 100%.
If you’ve got a really tight budget, I’d take the IGO-W or even the Storm-A over the clone. They’re just a much more solid vape.
What puzzles me a little (and if you have anything to offer – share below) but its amazing the tolerances are for RDA design. If I ever have the chance of meeting Mr Tobh, I’d love to find out how many prototypes there were before he landed on the magic design. The Tobh clone and the original seem close enough to perform the same, but they are far from. The clone really feels cheap considering I’ve been using the original for months now.
The Verdict
The clone didn’t surprise me much – its a cheap knock off. Not horrible or unusable (except for cutting myself) but its a knockoff.
The original is still one of my favorite RDA’s to date.
Reasons to buy the clone
- you’re cheap (not insulting – its a valid reason)
- you’re not as proud of your vaping gear
Reasons to buy the genuine Tobh
- You care about your gear and are proud of what you like
- You care about supporting Tobh – a small USA company owned by a talented guy who cares about what he does
- You want the best
Let me wrap up by saying this. The above reasons are from the heart. You could even have some fun and get both and do this comparison for yourself.
The Tobh is beautifully built with a lot of heart and soul. I have nothing against clones – I’ve bought many myself, but the Tobh is NOT overpriced at $80. Its worth it for me to pay 8 times the price of the clone to be 8 times as happy with the device every time I use this RDA.
I’ve said this before about clones on this site, but its worth saying here. I think battery tube mods are overpriced. I don’t build them, but its a tube that holds a battery and conducts electricity. But RDA’s are completely different. They are designed with passion and are MUCH more difficult to make. There’s lots of details, tiny parts and precision that goes into these.
If you can’t afford a Tobh, save your money. Its worth the wait.
I don’t have a problem with clones – but these are not 1:1 and its not a Tobh. The clone in this case is a cheaper, Tobh style RDA, but not a Tobh.
The Tobh Atty Clone: In stock for $10.08
The Tobh Atty (Origional): In stock for $89.99
Also check out my top pick for best RDA of 2014 so far – the Magma RDA by Paradigm Modz