The Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech mod is the company’s first semi-mech mod.
Now when I first received this I was a little confused, I reviewed a pre-production version of the Hellvape Trishul V2 Mech mod a few months back.
So I thought that maybe they’d changed their mind, and instead of producing a hybrid, they decided to put some electrickery into it.
But no, they released the Trishul V2 Mech and now the Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech!
Seems a slightly odd choice to use the same name, especially as there was never a Trishul V1 Semi-Mech, but there you go.
What Can We Expect From The Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod by Hellvape?
Now before I start getting into the review, I do have to take slight issue with the term “semi-mech”.
A mech by it’s nature connects the battery directly to your atomiser, there are no electronic safety features, and for this reason you need to understand what your dealing with in terms of Ohm’s Law and Battery Safety.
So called “semi-mechs” are more like an electronically controlled mod set to bypass mode.
It gives you the unregulated battery power, but there are safety protections built in. I’ll cover what protections this one has, when I take a look at the chip.
Although this is a “semi-mech” it does have an adapter to use it as a full mech.
However if you use it like this, you should treat it as a hybrid mech, even though the positive pin of your atomiser isn’t contacting the top of your battery.
So always make sure your atomiser is hybrid safe and the positive pin protrudes.
This was sent over directly from Hellvape for the purpose of review (thank you) as usual, this does not affect my scores, and I will report back honestly with what I find.
On to the review!
Inside the Box
- Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod
- HellChip (preinstalled)
- Mech Adapter
- 18650 Adapter
- Spares Bag
- Manual
- Warning Card
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod Specs
- Dimensions – 27×99.9mm
- Weight – 168g
- Battery – Single 2×700 or 18650 (not supplied)
Design and Build Quality
This is a hefty little tube, made of either brass or copper.
The Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech mod comes in copper and also in ceracoat black.
All the threading is super smooth on it, and it has a comfortable hourglass shape to make it easy to hold.
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod Body
Starting at the top of the Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech, you’ve got a ridged section that has the look of a heatsink to it, and that flows down into an hourglass shape.
At the base of the main tube you have the Trishul logo engraved. It’s deeply engraved and feels very nicely finished.
There are three main sections to the mod, the top cap, the main body, and the switch assembly at the bottom.
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod Top Cap
Looking at the top cap we find the first major difference to the Trishul mech.
Whereas the mech has a hybrid connection, you can see that there’s a contact inside the 510 screw here.
Otherwise it’s fairly similar, 3 battery vent holes, and some laser engraving with regulatory marks and the name of the mod.
Also this top cap can be unscrewed, unlike on the hybrid.
The mod comes with it’s chip pre-installed in the top cap. To remove it you need to unscrew the top cap, and then push the 510 connector down to release the chip.
This is not an easy job, as the chip is very tightly installed!
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod Chip
In fact you can see how I scratched up the contact as I was trying to push it down!
The reason for this is that the the metal around the edge of the chip has to make a good contact with the tube for it to work properly.
My advice is to use something with a flat end (not a screwdriver!) that is as close to the size of the 510 hole as you can get.
A large Allen key or similar seemed to work OK for me.
If you do only have something that’s much smaller, start at one side of the connector, and slowly push down, working your way around the outside to encourage it to come loose.
The chip is a relatively simple affair in terms of what it does.
It has 3 major protections
- Short Circuit Protection – Will not fire below 0.1Ω
- Over discharge protection – Will not fire when battery is below 3.2V
- 10 second cutoff – Will stop firing after 10 seconds continuous
Other than that, you are getting whatever the current voltage of the battery is.
Remember that when you’re using the chip, you always have to have your the positive on your battery at the top.
In fact on the underside of the chip there’s a big “+” in red to remind you.
A slight downside, is that the chip covers up your venting holes at the top.
Since batteries vent from the positive end, it means that if anything does happen, all the gas and pressure will need to go around the outside of your battery and down out the switch.
Hopefully with the added protections, that shouldn’t be an issue unless you are very unlucky.
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod – Mech Mode
Now if you want to switch it over to a full mech, Hellvape has you covered.
In the box is another little plastic disc with contacts.
This is designed to take up the space that the chip would normally take up.
Unlike the chip, there are venting holes in the battery, and you can see it’s held in place by an o-ring around the outside as the connection.
One thing to be aware of is that although you’re not making direct contact with the battery, it should still be considered a hybrid connection using this adapter.
So make sure that your the positive pin on your atomiser is protruding and hybrid safe.
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod – Switch
I wrote a lot about the switch in my review of it’s hybrid brother.
As it is essentially the same switch, I’m not going to go into too much detail.
But you can check out what I thought of the original by clicking here.
The switch itself is constant contact.
When you press the switch, it forces the two attracting magnets apart (not together, like you get in other magnetic switches) and it completes the circuit.
There’s also a canted coil spring in the bottom of the switch assembly to improve conductivity.
One thing to be aware of, is that when you take bottom bit of the switch out (that you press in) it’s important to line it up with the two grooves when you’re putting it back together. Otherwise when you reassemble the switch it fill fire continuously.
Just give it a quick press once you’ve reassembled your switch, and you’ll instantly feel if it’s not depressing.
Happily when I took this switch apart, all of the contact surfaces had beautiful mirror finish on them.
Differences Between the Trishul Mech and Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod
Obviously one of them is a hybrid and one has a chip (or can be converted to a mech).
Other than that they are remarkably similar.
The semi mech is just a little bit taller than the mech, to account for the space taken up by chip, but otherwise they share the same switch and basic design.
Obviously you can see that the brass on my mech has started to build up a bit of a patina, I decided to leave that as it was rather than polish it back up, so you can get an idea of how this will wear in.
One other slight difference, is that the original had a plastic liner to the tube.
I quite liked this as although you should always inspect your batteries before use, if you did use one that had a nick in the wrapping, it would probably be OK.
For this reason battery safety is even more important on the semi mech, especially if you are using it in fully mechanical mode.
How Does the HellVape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Perform?
Realistically there’s only a few things that determine whether a mech is any good.
How hard it hits, how comfortable it is to use, and what the switch feels like.
Does it hit hard?
I’m in the unusual position of having both the hybrid version of Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech, as well as the semi mech that I have in for review, so I’ve been able to do some A/B testing.
Without any comparison, the semi mech feels like it’s firing well. As though I’m getting all the power that the battery has stored.
It’s only when I put them side by side using the same RDA, same build, two of the same freshly charged batteries that I was able to notice a difference.
Adding a chip into the equation definitely does have an impact on the power that you get out of it.
It’s not a massive difference, but it is noticeable. Of course with a mech mod, the top power you can get from it will start decreasing rapidly anyway as your battery drops, so it’s no big complaint.
Also, it’s not a big enough difference that I would have been able to notice unless I was directly comparing this against a mod with no protection.
In terms of firing, I’m pleased to say that the chip introduced absolutely no noticeable lag at all.
And if you switch the semi-mech over to fully mechanical, I couldn’t tell them apart, even with the extra threading of the top cap, and point of contact between your battery and your atomiser.
How comfortable is it?
I said it in my first review, and I’ll say it again now.
The hourglass shaped of the Trishul is definitely my preference when it comes to mech mods. It gives a lovely waist that sits in the crook of your thumb and fore finger.
Do you like clicky switches?
This is going to be the one that divides some people. I love a clicky switch. A reassuring snap when engaged, is definitely my preference.
The way the switch is set up with two attracting magnets that you force apart, is definitely on the snappy side of things. It’s got a relatively short throw, and you need to put some pressure into it.
But there’s absolutely no mistaking when you make connection. Unlikely on some spring switches, or magnetic switches that work on repulsion, there’s no way to feather it between just about making connection and not.
Honestly, Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech switch is a joy to use!
Trishul V2 Semi-Mech Mod – Anything I would change?
About the only thing I’m not keen on is how the adapters fit into the top cap.
It is a royal p.i.t.a to take out the chip.
Also there’s no way to use it without the spacer, so make sure you put the adapter somewhere safe it you want to use it as a mech in the future (or the chip dies!).
Pros
- Feels like a mech
- Great build quality
- Switch with a snap!
Cons
- Side by side, it doesn’t hit as hard as a proper mech
- No internal insulation
- Limited venting when used as a semi-mech
Final Review Verdict
So that was the Hellvape Trishul V2 Semi-Mech.
I have to say I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with this one.
I tend not to use mechs as daily drivers, I had enough shorts on regulated mods when I was learning to put me off the idea of a mech, where a short is potentially much worse.
I use them, and I test them. But they tend to be stay at home devices where I can keep an eye on things.
With the protections that Hellvape put into this, I’m far happier taking it out and about with me and using it “just like a normal mod”. No, it doesn’t hit quite has hard as a mech, but it’s not a big difference so to my mind it’s not much of a trade off.
It’s also the most “mech” like of these protected devices that I’ve used. So if you’ve wanted something that looks like a mech, feels like a mech, but has some protection it’s hard not to recommend it.
I’m sure some people won’t like the switch, it’s a bit marmite. Personally, I think this is one of the best bits, it’s the reason I loved the original mech, and the reason I like the semi-mech just as much!
Is this a mod you’re using or likely to buy?
Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below…
