timwis

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Aegis Boost 40W Pod Mod Kit 1500mAh from Geekvape. The Aegis Boost 40W Pod Mod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Clay from Geekvape. Introduction Geekvape march on with their range of IP67 Aegis devices and the Aegis Squonk device is quickly followed by them entering the Pod Mod arena with the Aegis Boost. The Cartridge/Pod accommodates different replaceable Mesh coils which are supposed to be for MTL and DL vaping as well as an RBA cartridge/pod also becoming available. The Aegis boost has an in-built 1500mAh battery and allows for wattage adjustment between 5-40W, the light yet durable Boost boasts adjustable airflow and comes in both 2ml and 3.7ml editions. Coming in 5 different colour options let's give the most Mod looking Pod device a good look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x GeekVape Aegis Boost Pod Mod Kit 0.4ohm KA1 Mesh Coil/3.7ml (2ml TPD) 1 x 0.6ohm KA1 Mesh Coil 1 x USB Cable 1 X Drip tip 1 x Coil tool 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Aegis Boost Kit came in Black Geekvape sample cardboard box packaging and on opening i was met by the most standard mod looking pod device yet. If it wasn't for the cartridge/Pod fitted to the top of the device it pretty much looks like one of the smaller Aegis devices like the Mini or Solo. The device has the same busy look made of Zinc Alloy, Army grade Silicone and Leather, as usual the colour version is determined by what colour the ever present bracket is. I received the Gunmetal version, the colour options are Space Black, Devil Red, Almighty Blue, Aura Glow and Gunmetal, the protruding pod is darkly tinted and the mouthpiece/drip tip has a protective cap. The light weight of the device, curved spine and light switch style fire button makes it a very ergonomic device. The Aegis Boost has the same impressive build quality as the other devices in the Aegis family and boasts the same IP67 rating. ___________________________________________________________________ Boost Specs and Features: Dimensions: 106.8 x 39.2 x 27.7mm Material: Zinc-Alloy, Leather and Silicone Battery Capacity: 1500mAh Wattage Output Range: 5-40W Voltage Input Range: 3.0-4.25V Voltage Output Range: 1.0-6.0V Resistance range: 0.2ohm/3ohm Firing Speed: 0.08s Max Power: 40W Coil: MESH Coil Resistance: 0.6ohm & 0.4ohm Charging: Micro USB port Charging Current: 5V/1.5A Refill Method: easy access top filling Airflow: easy access airflow valve Powered by a built-in 1500mAh battery for long enjoyment 2/3.7ml large e-juice capacity for a continuous vaping experience Portable size with elegant and minimalist design Perfectly compatible with Pod and RDTA With two coils designed for MTL and DTL vaping experience Stain-resistant, corrosion-resistant and tear-resistant Multiple protections Colours: Space Black, Devil Red, Almighty Blue, Aura Glow, Gunmetal ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod/Cartridge The pod is darkly tinted and although i usually don't take issue with tinted pods as long as the juice level can be easily seen this pod is just too dark and i needed to hold it up to a good light source to see the liquid inside. The pods capacity is 3.7ml (2ml TPD version) and accommodates replaceable coil heads that get press fitted into place. On the pod we have removable drip tip/mouthpiece and a fill port which is accessible without removing the pod from the device. We also have adjustable airflow in the form of a wheel which is a big pro. On the lower rear of the pod we have a textured catch and above it says "PUSH" this needs pressing to release the pod from the device. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking inside the pods bay and to the rear we can see the notch for the catch to fasten into place, we can also see the Gold plated, spring loaded central positive and outer negative contacts. We also have 3 venting pads with membrane seal underneath, just in case. You fit the pod front first and then press the rear of the pod down and it loudly clicks into place, the catch is sturdy and the pod fits very securely with no play whatsoever, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Drip Tips / Mouthpieces When you receive the device the pods drip tip has a plastic cover which is securely fitted, once removed we have quite a large drip tip that can be removed to fit the included more rounded drip tip. The drip tips are a proprietary fit and the pre-installed larger one is supposed to be for use with the 0.4ohm coil for DL and the rounded drip tip for use with the 0.6ohm coil for more of a MTL style. Really both drip tips have a bore suited for restricted direct lung or very loose MTL so you can use whichever one you find most comfortable, which coil you are using really doesn't matter. Both drip tips rotate while in use which can be annoying although with the rounded drip tip it doesn't really matter as much. They are not very loose more of a slight annoyance and hopefully they will be made to not rotate before the retail version is released. ___________________________________________________________________ Airflow Control I have heard some samples have a very loose airflow adjustment wheel making it feel flimsy but mine has quite a stiff tolerance in fact if it was any tighter it would be a con. I did today before i started writing the review hit Youtube and fast forward reviews to where they were talking about the airflow wheel and it does seem some are loose while others like mine are fine so hopefully this is just lack of QC with sample versions which quite often is the case that the retail versions are much more consistent. The Wheel is on the front of the pod/cartridge and we have texture to the edging. The airflow slot is kidney shaped like we see as fill ports on tanks and you can get access to the top of the wheel where the texturing gives good grip to adjust the airflow. The air goes through the slot and downwards before travelling through the base of the pod to the openings on the lower sides of your coil head, it seems quite a leak resistant design. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The filling i found a bit of an issue despite the fact i decant into a bottle that even works mess free with pods with small ports usually. On the lower slanted front part of the pod/cartridge we have a large bung with flap, as long as you haven't just cut your nails getting hold of the flap and pulling the bung free isn't much of a problem but it's a bit tricky to get the bung back into place, once in place though it gives a very good seal. The port is quite large but despite this good luck with getting the pod filled without some escaping e-liquid as the e-liquid is constantly backing up however slow you take it or even if using a thin nozzle, the placement of the fill port for the shape of the pod is far from perfect, on the up side once filled i had no leaking issues during the entire time testing the device. I used a thin bottle but if you were to use chubby Gorilla bottles the drip tip would get in the way so you would need to remove to fill more easily. ___________________________________________________________________ The Coils The Boost comes with 2 different coils which you simply press fit into place, i had no problem when it came to removing a coil but if you do find it's a bit tight you receive a tool to help. The coil heads are the coils with fitted base style and on the base full specs are given which is a big pro. From the outside both coils look the same being the same size and both having Orange o-rings. To tell them apart the 0.4ohm coil has slightly bigger wicking channels and slightly wider inner bore, of course the other way is by reading the specs on the base. Pre-installed we have a KA1 Mesh 0.4ohm rated between 35-33W and the other included coil head is a KA1 Mesh 0.6ohm rated between 15-25W. Also their is going to be an RBA pod available which i haven't got but from a couple of videos i have seen looks very promising. ___________________________________________________________________ IP67 Rating Not the pod/cartridge but the Aegis Boost device has the same IP67 rating as the other Aegis devices. We do have quite a bit of venting on the device but it all has a membrane seal underneath so only in the unlikely event of there being a problem the membranes will break and the device will vent. ___________________________________________________________________ The Display Compared to some of the recent Pod Mod devices that have aesthetically pleasing colour displays i find the Boosts display very basic and a little disappointing. The screen is small and other than the wattage the other information is in a tiny font that is hard to see unless you have very good eyesight. Top left we have the puff counter and then top right the resistance of your coil. We then have a horizontal line with the rest of the information underneath. Below the line to the left we have the battery status bar in an upright position then the wattage takes up the rest of the display. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Boost The Boost is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on the wattage can be adjusted in 0.5W increments from 5-40W using the navigational buttons. Really not a lot else going on, holding down the navigational rocker (so both up and down) will lock and unlock the device but when the device is locked it will still fire. Finally holding down and fire together will reset the puff counter, the boost also has all the usual safety protections you would expect from a regulated device. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections Over-Temperature Protection Over-Current Protection Short Circuit Protection Over-Discharge Protection Over-Charge Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Charging To charge first you need to locate the plug on the side of the device and pull out, once pulled out it stays attached to the device. First thing i noticed was it was a Standard micro USB port which surprised me as i was really expecting a Type C which really should now be the standard. The charge rate is claimed at 1.5A so with the 1500mAh battery i was expecting about an hour charge time but it can't be charging at much above 1A as the Boost took nearly 1.5 hours to fully charge, but it does support pass-through so you can vape while it's charging. ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes And Thoughts! The Aegis boost does have cons for me but most are minor and the majority will probably be put right on the retail version as Geekvape do tend to take note of issues brought up in reviews and try to address them before releasing the final version. One thing that will not change is the small very basic display with small font, out of all the latest "Pod Mods" i find the one on the boost the least appealing. Another issue which again isn't a deal breaker is how awkward it is to fill, i like the fact the pod can be refilled without removing it from the device but i would like it to be mess free instead of the use of a tissue always being needed. The last more major issue for me is the pod is just too dark and very difficult to see your juice level. The more minor issues is the rotating movement of the drip tips and although mine was fine they need to make sure the airflow adjustment wheel is not loose. Despite that seeming like quite a list of issues i love this device even if i'm thinking if Pod Mods get any more Mod like you might as well just get rid of the pod add a 510 connection and fit an external charging battery. I'm finding the draw on this fantastic as it's right up my street and while the 0.4ohm coil gives slightly more restriction it really is very slight and both coils vape very similar just with the 0.4ohm better at just slightly higher wattage and looser draw but both can be vaped pretty much however you want to set the airflow as this really isn't a genuine MTL option. To be a little more specific with airflow fully open the 0.4ohm gives a medium restrictive draw while the 0.6ohm coil gives a slightly more restrictive draw, you can then use the airflow adjustment to restrict the draw more and it gives a nice loose MTL with both coils, you can close the airflow right down to barely open to get a tighter MTL but the bores of the coils are not suited and vape quality starts to suffer. As for wattage depending how i had the airflow i was at 22W-27W with the 0.4ohm coil and 15W-20W with the o.6ohm coil. The Aegis Boost is one of the better pod/AIO devices when it comes to battery life but like all these devices if it's your main device it's going to need charging at least once a day, at the end of the day 1500mAh is only about half the life of a single 18650 device and at 20W+ vaping it doesn't take that many puffs before you need to charge, still it's comparable so good battery life all things being fair. 1.5 hours to charge for the device is par but when i read the claimed 1.5A i was hoping for around an hour also devices now should really be coming with type C USB, it does support vape while charging though. Finally the flavour with both coils straight off the bat is very good. The flavour from the latest pod mods the Vinci, RPM and now the Boost all are giving flavour we wouldn't think would be possible from a pod/cartridge not long ago. I received the boost towards the end of October so have been testing it for 5 weeks although that has been on and off while testing other products and both the included coils which i have used pretty much evenly are still giving plenty of flavour even if they have just gone past their best so no issues with longevity. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Build Quality as good as other Aegis devices Aesthetically pleasing (subjective) One of the most ergonomic devices i have used Device has IP67 rating Plenty of colour options 3.7ml Capacity Adjustable airflow Replaceable coils Removable drip tips (2 different ones included) Various restrictive direct lung and loose MTL draws Both coils gave really nice flavour Both coils gave good restrictive direct lung and loose MTL draws Both coils gave good longevity Full specs on coil base Experienced no leaking Pod fits into device very securely RBA pod available (and looks promising) Simple device to use Adjusts in 0.5W increments (does round robin) Good battery life (comparible) Charging time 1.5 hours (par) Supports vape while charging Cons Darkly tinted pod (hard to see juice level) Awkward to fill (not mess free) Display very basic Drip tips rotate during use (hopefully won't be the case with retail version) Drip tip fitting proprietary Not genuine MTL option Not Type C USB Charge rate i found to be around 1A not 1.5A I would once again like to thank Clay from Geekvape for supplying the Aegis Boost 40W Pod Mod Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Vaporesso GEN 220W TC Kit with SKRR-S. The GEN 220W TC Kit with SKRR-S was supplied for the purpose of this review by Jessica from Vaporesso. Introduction The Gen both as a mod only or in kit form including the SKRR-S Tank has been around for about 5 months now but i received mine a few weeks ago as new colours were released. The Gen introduces the new Vaporesso chipset called the Axon which delivers the same performance much loved by many vapers as their Omni Chipset while adding extra features such as Pulse Mode and Smart TC. The Gen generated a lot of hype but since it's released as been met with the sort of enthusiasm that suggests it lives up to that hype so i was really looking forward to finding out for myself! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Vaporesso GEN MOD 1 x SKRR-S (8ml) (TPD 2ml version available) 1 x QF Strips Coil 0.15ohm 1 x QF Meshed Coil 0.2ohm(Pre-installed) 1 x Replacement Glass Tube 1 x Silicone Case 1 x O-Ring 1 x USB Cable 1 x User Guide 1 x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Gen Kit came in the usual style of cardboard packaging that Vaporesso products come in with both the Gen device and SKRR-S in the top tray and other accessories below. on opening i was surprised how big the device is which for me is a con but not as much of a con as i thought it would be as it's so light, is curved front and back and has a really nice textured rubberised grippy feel actually making it very ergonomic despite it's size. I have the Black Purple version which is one of the new colours, the options are Gold, Black Green, Black Purple, Black Red, Black Blue, Black and Silver, I love how the Black starting at the bottom fuses into the main colour on the two toned devices. Despite their being 4 different SKRR-S colour options all versions come with a Black tank apart from the Silver and Gold versions which come with a Silver tank. We have matching Rose Gold fire button and 510 plate which looks aesthetically pleasing but also wish the navigational and mode buttons were also Rose Gold to match instead of being the colour of choice which looks a bit odd being in a different colour. The face of the device has the mentioned round protruding fire button towards the top and towards the bottom a vertical row of 3 smaller protruding which are the two navigational buttons with the mode button between. Right at the bottom of the face is the micro USB port which disappointingly isn't type C and between the fire and smaller buttons we have the screen. One side of the device has "Vaporeso" printed centrally while central bottom of the other removable side we have the Vaporesso logo, both again are in Rose Gold. Moving to the base we have venting and a notch to help remove the battery side panel, also again in Rose Gold we have branding and Safety stamps. Moving up top we have a central Rose Gold coloured 510 plate which is raised just enough to protect the device's surface while not giving visible gaping, the 510 is Gold plated and spring loaded with a medium throw. The device feels nice, looks nice and is very well made with what seems a very durable finish. ___________________________________________________________________ SKRR-S Specs and Features: Size: 30mm(D) (27mm TPD Version) x 56mm(H) Capacity: 8ml (2ml TPD) Coil: QF Meshed 0.2om, QF Strip 0.15ohm Drip Tip: 810 Improved secondary air flow distribution for richer flavor Easy top screw-up refill design Bullet-shaped coil preventing spit back Advanced QF coil with improved coil structure Widely compatible with GT coils 8ml large e-juice capacity Thread: 510 Colours: Black, Silver, Bronze, Rainbow ___________________________________________________________________ Assembling And Disassembling The SKRR-S The SKRR-S differs to the standard SKRR tank by having a more standard screw on Top-cap along with a standard 810 drip tip and no locking system. These changes makes it a simple subohm tank and separates into it's various parts very easily. Unscrew the base with coil then you can wiggle the glass free, the SKRR-S goes back together with the same ease. The standard version has a 8ml capacity thanks to a bubble glass and you also get a 5ml straight glass included, the TPD version comes with just a pre-installed 2ml glass and no spare. ___________________________________________________________________ The Coils The SKRR-S uses the same QF coils as it's bigger brother and you receive 2 of the new QF coils with the kit. Unfortunately you don't receive the new SK CCELL which uses SS wire which is disappointing as one of the features of the Gen device is Smart TC. The coils you receive are the pre-installed QF 0.20ohm mesh coil and also included is the QF 0.15 strip coil . Both included coils have identical recommendations of 50w to 80w with best at ratings of 65w to 75w, the coils use a Flax Fiber and Cotton mix for their wicking material. The coils have a hollow cone fitted centrally inside them which is sealed around the bottom essentially creating a juice well. Normally with a stock coil head all that stands in the way between the tank of liquid and the hollow in the centre of the coil head which leads straight into the base and then your airflow slots is the wicking material and wire, mesh, etc hence leaking has always been an issue with bottom airflow tanks, in fact even tanks referred to as "they don't have a leaking issue" just means the leaking isn't that bad. This is quite a simple idea but very clever, instead of the surplus liquid caused by over saturation and changes in temperature going down into the base and eventually out the airflow slots it just gathers in the well around the bottom of the cone, when you vape as well as re-wicking from the normal wicking ports on the coil head it also wicks from this well essentially recycling the liquid we would normally end up getting on our devices. The vast majority of manufacturers if they had come up with this idea would be claiming it's a leakproof system so you have to hand it to Vaporesso that they refer to it has leak reduction. The reason why some liquid can still potentially go into the base is because you still have the air entering the coil head through the sides of the cone and another cause of liquid getting into the base is spitting, all coils will spit occasionally it's just with stock coils we don't notice because it spits from the sides of the coil head to the centre hollow of the coil so we don't feel the spitting on our lips. Although some spits will just hit the metal on the cone and work its way down to the already mentioned juice well some spits will go through the air openings on the cone and down into the base, but that's a hell of a lot of spitting you would need before liquid would escape through the airflow slots. Happy Days! ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow This will be a short section as the cone has already been explained. The SKRR-S like the SKRR has tri cyclops with stoppers, the air when entering the tank instead of doing so through the hollow of your coil head enters the hollow of the already explained cone which is fixed into the hollow of your coil head. Halfway up this cone we have 4 cutouts all the same size evenly spaced around the cone which allows the air to enter the coil head, this is called the Quadflow air distribution system, which is claimed reduces leaking and spitback but also eliminates cold air intake giving a warmer richer flavour (not my words). ___________________________________________________________________ Gen Specs and Features: Dimensions: 93.5 x 53 x 27mm Display: 0.91' OLED screen Battery: 2x18650 (Not Included) Power Range: 5-220W Charge current : 2.5A Resistance Range: 0.03~5Ω All-new Axon chipset 2.5A fast charging system powerful 220W Power ECO mode and DIY mode Innovative PULSE mode and SMART TC mode Thread: 510 Colours: Gold, Black Green, Black Purple, Black Red, Black Blue, Black, Silver ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Batteries The Gen accommodates dual 18650 batteries and we have the inclusion of a battery ribbon for easy removal. The side panel can be removed by getting your fingernail into the little notch on the base and once removed we can see it's secured by large magnets top and bottom. Once again battery orientation is marked Black on Black which i just don't like, this needs to be more visible but other than that no complaints. The panel fits in place very securely and on the device i received i have absolutely no play of any kind, good job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Display We have a real contradiction with the Gen being such a feature rich innovative device yet as a very basic Old School style screen which still appeals to many and i believe this is quite deliberate as it makes the whole device less overwhelming and quite easy to navigate. The screen is bright and sharp and the brightness can be adjusted. Top left we have a single battery bar (wish we had one for each battery) and also within the battery status bar we have the remaining charge given as a percentage. Underneath the battery bar we have the resistance and then below that the time of your vape. Central and taking up most of the display we have the wattage, temperature or voltage depending which mode you are in and then top right we have the mode. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Gen The Gen is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on 3 clicks of the fire button locks and unlocks the navigational and mode buttons but when locked the device will still fire. Holding down both the mode and fire buttons together brings up an information screen giving serial number and firmware version. The menu is very old school giving a row of icons which when you try to carry on scrolling past the last one displayed if there are any more in that section then the others appear on the screen, the last icon is always exit and also having a mode button the whole system is easy to navigate even if sounding complicated when i try to explain it. To enter the menu you can either long press the mode button or click it 3 times and it brings up the following options, Pulse mode, Power Eco, Smart TC, DIY Mode, System Set and Exit. Choosing either Pulse mode, Power Eco or Smart TC takes you to that working screen and i will go through these features later. Choosing DIY Mode brings up the following options Variable wattage, Variable Temperature, Variable Voltage, Custom Wattage Curve, Bypass, Super Player Mode and Exit. Curves, Variable Voltage and Bypass are all straightforward and Super player mode is a feature that Vaporesso have included for a while now where it allows you to fire down to 0.05ohm and something i really don't care for. Choosing Variable Wattage gives you the choice of Normal, Soft or Hard pre-heats and Variable Temperature first allows you to choose your wire type and then allows you to alter the TCR, set wattage for temp control and lock resistance. The Final option in the main menu is System Settings which allows you to reset your puff counter, set vape time allowed, adjust brightness, turn smart wattage on or off, flip the screen, turn automatic eco on or off, set device to default and finally bring up the same information screen that can be accessed with the mode and fire button together from the working screen. The device adjust in 0.1W increments up to 100W and then switches to 1W increments up to 220W, holding the navigational button down will adjust in 1W increments from 5W to 220W and at a speed of knots but it doesn't round robin. ___________________________________________________________________ The New Modes I do find the fact the device by default is in Pulse mode and the first tier of the menu system is the three new modes and to use the standard Wattage, Temperature modes etc are further within the menu system a little strange. I do understand why it's been done this way as Vaporesso are showing faith in these new features and trying to push them but i still thing it should of been done the other way around. ___________________________________________________________________ Pulse Mode The idea of Pulse Mode is to give you more consistent power so instead of your initial fire which once it hits set wattage can dip in Pulse mode it's continuously firing every 0.02 seconds up to 500 times in one vape giving consistent power. ___________________________________________________________________ Power Eco Mode One thing i have noticed with the Gen is it's not very efficient and ploughs through battery life. I initially thought it was just pulse mode but then i spent most of my time using Smart TC and again it was not friendly on the batteries so finally tried using the more standard modes and it just appears not to be very efficient. When in Power Eco Mode it optimises your settings despite that you are still setting the settings, if you are in other modes it will also ask if you want the device to use Eco Mode when the battery life gets down to 40%. Why when it sill uses your settings does it become so much more efficient and why not efficient in the first place? I can only go by my experience using the device which say's complete gimmick as i noticed no better battery life whatsoever. ___________________________________________________________________ Smart TC When using Smart TC and you first attach your atomizer it fires the atomizer for a micro second and scans the information. It recognises wire type and ohms extra and automatically gives the best TC settings for that coil. When using Pulse mode it also fires and scans the atomiser and if it's a TC coil asks if you want to use Smart TC, likewise if you have the device in Smart TC mode and the atomizer you attach doesn't have a TC compatible coil it will jump the device out of Smart TC and into Pulse Mode. I absolutely love this mode and have been using it the vast majority of time while testing the device. ___________________________________________________________________ Charging I don't ever personally recommend charging external batteries in a device but with Vaporesso claiming 2.5A charging which will fully charge the batteries in 60 minutes this needed testing. The results i found were very disappointing as it barely at any point of charging got much above 1.5A and the batteries in the device took about 2.5 hours to charge. Good feedback is given while charging though telling you the percentage charge and charge time remaining for each battery. (REALLY????) ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Gen Kit To start with i will cover the SKRR-S tank as in the past i have used the SKRR-S, the SKRR-S Mini and the SKRR and they all use the same coils and vape pretty much the same apart from the SKRR giving a tonne more air. I much prefer RTA's and wanted to test the Smart TC so didn't on this occasion use the SKRR-S but from past experience can tell you it's leak resistance works well, both coils give really good flavour and smooth airflow and the standard version with installed bubble glass gives a whopping 8ml capacity. The threading is a touch crunchy on the top-cap but other than that it's a very good sub-ohm tank with the bonus of also being compatible with Baby beast coils which means a lot of mainstream coils will fit. The star of the show is the Gen with many quoting "best mod of the year" and it's definitely in the running. I like the Pulse Mode idea and indeed it did give a very consistent vape with no drop in power but then the Omni chipset i always found did that in normal power mode so i did also compare to the normal variable wattage mode on the device and although this is not a con for the Pulse mode but more of a plus for the chip in general i could tell absolutely no difference between pulse mode and normal wattage. The main con for the device is battery life giving below average vape time and having an Eco Mode sounds great in theory but i found it made little if any difference. Another con is the claimed charge rate and charge time, maybe it's a fault with my device but as mentioned in the review it charged at around 1.5A and took over 2.5 hours to charge which is miles away from what is claimed. All the usual modes worked great including curves and having variable voltage is another plus, i didn't use the normal TC but absolutely love the Smart TC mode which worked great for me and allows vapers to vape in TC without having to set anything. I also love the looks and feel of the device and it's lightweight allows it to be a good out and about device despite it's large size which is a con for me. It's central 510 position (most will love this) will allow up to 26mm atty's without overhang. All the buttons including the fire button are nice and clicky and it fires in an instant with great ramp up whichever mode you use. Finally the Gen is fully firmware upgradeable. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Good build quality Grippy textured rubber finish Finish seems very durable Ergonomic despite size High powered 7 Colour options Lightweight Old school, sharp bright display Easy to navigate Battery status shown both as a bar and as a percentage Mode Button Feature rich Variable Wattage, Voltage, TC, Bypass, SP Mode and Wattage Curve. Pulse Mode Power Eco Mode (not convinced) Smart TC (Loved using this mode) Performed excellently Battery panel fits very securely Battery Ribbon Up to 26mm atty's without overhang Firmware Upgradeable SKRR-S Very good inclusion with huge capacity (standard version) and mainstream coils compatible Cons Battery life below average Power Eco Mode does little from what i experience to improve battery life Claimed Charge Rate and Charge time nowhere near what i experienced Very large dual 18650 device Black on Black battery orientation SKRR-S threading a little crunchy I would once again like to thank Jessica from Vaporesso for supplying the GEN 220W TC Kit with SKRR-S for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Gather RDA/RDTA from Ultroner. The Gather RDA/RDTA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Linky from Sacowin, Ultroner's Marketing Company. Introduction Ultroner are part of the Sacowin family which also includes Cool Vapor, DJV and SXK. The Utroner Brand are best known for their affordable stabwood devices and long standing partnership with Asmodus which has for now come to an end. Ultroner have been very busy recently releasing a number of products and here we have something they haven't released for a while an Atomizer. The Gather is a single coil MTL/RDTL RDA/RDTA Hybrid which can be used with standard or BF pins in either Format. With airflow from one outer side airflow slot it relies on the use of inserts for adjustability. The Gather is a busy looking Atomiser comprising of Stainless Steel, Ultem and their signature stabwood. With filling either achieved via the use of the fill valve on the deck or Squonking using the BF pin it's very versatile making this little beauty well worth a look! ___________________________________________________________________ Information The Best I Can Do I first posted pictures of the Gather on one forum a couple of weeks ago but at the time of starting writing this review i can't find it on either Ultroner's or Sacowin's websites and a Google search brought up no results. So as far as technical Specifications and available colours Blah Blah, I have simply measured and listed content etc and gave whatever information i can. If future online content shows anything i have put is incorrect i apologise in advance but everything seems in order. I am just extremely early on this one which makes a change as i'm quite often very late to the party when hangovers for most have already set in! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Gather Deck with Standard Pin Sleeve/Top-cap with 510 Ultem drip tip Pipe Extension Base Ultem Tube BF Pin Standard pin Extension BF Pin Extension Peek For Extension Pins 3 Airflow Inserts Spare Post Screws Spare O-rings 2 Round Wire MTL Coils (no specs) Beauty Ring With Loop 2 Hexagonal Wrenches User Manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Gather came in Black draw style cardboard packaging, the box was plain apart from a fancy design and "Gather" both in Gold on the front of the box. The RDA/RDTA comes disassembled with each part having it's own compartment and spares etc placed in a plastic tubular container. i will describe it once assembled as an RDTA when in RDA mode the Ultem tube and extension pipe is removed. Up top we have an Ultem 510 drip tip which fits to the flat top surface of the sleeve/top-cap. The Sleeve/top-cap is one piece for performance purposes but the Stabwood section is held in place by 2 notches and an o-ring so can be removed for cleaning purposes, made of Stainless steel with the mentioned gorgeous stabwood section towards the top gives the Gather quite a unique look. The sleeve has an airflow slot one side and some sort of writing (in signature form) the other in Silver. Really not sure what it says but a little confused as it isn't "Gather" the name of the atty, and we also have "1" ringed. The colours of the stabwood section will be unique to each atty and the sleeve and base section of the one i received is Black, whether their are other colour options i have no idea. We then have a Ultem tube tank section followed by the disc base. The base has Silver branding and serial number. The build quality is excellent and in my opinion it's one very nice looking atty but of course that's entirely subjective. ___________________________________________________________________ Gather Specs and Features: Diameter: 22mm Height: 35mm Capacity: 2ml Materials: Stainless Steel/Ultem/Stabwood Single Coil RDA/RDTA Modes Standard or BF Modes (both RDA/RDTA) Filling Valve Top-Fill on deck/BF pin One Sided Airflow Airflow: Bottom/Lower Side by use of Inserts Thread: 510 Colours: ? Stabwood Top Section Unique ___________________________________________________________________ What You Receive? You receive the Stainless Steel sleeve/top-cap which has a gorgeous stabwood section at the top, pre-installed is a removable Ultem 510 so you can also use your own if you prefer. You then receive the deck section which comes pre-installed with standard solid pin (a standard BF pin is also included). Next we have the base disc, the very thick Ultem Tube (nice) and extension tube with extended 510 threading. We also receive standard and BF extension 510 pins for when in RDTA mode and a peek insulator for when using the extension pins. Also included is the Usual spare grub screws and o-rings as well as 2 different sized hexagonal wrenches. Next we have 3 different Ultem airflow inserts and 2 Round wire MTL coils but no specs are given (as explained i actually have no specs on anything). Finally we receive a beauty ring with a loop to fit a lanyard which i can only see being of use when using with a 18350 tube mod but a nice inclusion anyway. ___________________________________________________________________ RDA/RDTA The deck comes pre-installed with a standard pin and to use the Gather as a standard RDA simply screw the base onto the 510 threading and the sleeve/top-cap get's used in the usual manner. To use as an RDA with BF pin simply unscrew the standard pin using the larger supplied hexagonal wrench and screw the BF pin in it's place. If you want to use the Gather as a standard RDTA before screwing the base disc in place you need to screw the extension pipe onto the 510 threading which gives you some length of pipe and then new 510 threading. Now place the Ultem tube in place and screw the base disc over the threading, o-rings both secures and seals the Ultem tube section. We now have to place the supplied peek piece into the extended threading and screw the standard pin extension into place. If you want to use as an RDTA in BF mode then before adding the extension pipe you need to swap for the BF pin. Once the base disc has been screwed in place as before you need to insert the peek but then screw the BF extension pin in place. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The Gather when using as a standard RDTA can be filled using the fill valve positioned on the deck. I tried a few nozzles and they all worked fine, just push the valve in with your nozzle and fill. After filling withdraw your nozzle and the valve shuts, i found the valve worked great and filling was both quick and mess free however if you have glass dropper bottles you will need to decant to something more suitable first. When using as an RDA or RDTA with the BF pin set-up then simply press the squonk bottle. The liquid comes out the top of the pin central on the deck directly underneath your coil and flows to the hollow sections either side that form the seats of your juice wells when in RDA mode or are your wicking ports when in RDTA mode. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow relies on inserts for airflow options but the outer airflow inlet on the sleeve can't be adjusted for further precision. We have 3 inserts one has about a 4mm narrow slot which is slightly misleading as it's milled through the insert not just to slope downwards but also one side slopes inwards making it a smaller outlet as it's directed at the lower side and underneath the coil. On one side of the deck we have the fill valve and then the insert sits next to that and appears offset to the coil, also when the sleeve gets fitted over the deck we have a notch that locks the sleeve in position so the airflow inlet on the sleeve lines up with the insert so again appears offset, the slot on the sleeve is a much bigger slot than the one on the insert it'self and is more the size of the whole upper insert section. The slot on the insert as mentioned is milled sloping both downwards and inwards one side, because it's only the one side that is sloped inwards the smaller slot outlet is to the inner side of the insert lined up to the centre of the deck so not actually offset as it appears. We have two other inserts one with 2 separate 1mm (approx) holes and another with a single 1mm (approx) hole. Again the inserts appear offset to the coil but travel downwards at a left to right angle through the insert so the outlet lines up perfectly. The airflow from all inserts will be directed at the bottom side of the coil and kissing underneath giving lower side and bottom airflow. Finally with 2 large posts to one side of the deck and insert and valve to the other once the sleeve with the concave ceiling is in place we have quite a reduced chamber area which should encourage flavour. ___________________________________________________________________ The Build Pictured is the build i did in RDTA BF mode but also (again with BF pin installed) did a build in RDA mode and the only difference is obviously wicking which for both is straightforward simply wick as you would any other RDA or RDTA. I used both supplied round wire coils which are 3.0ID one for each build, the pictured RDTA build came out at 0.46ohm and the RDA build 0.45ohm. We have both large posts side by side so your leads need to face the same way and i would not install an airflow insert until after doing your build to give you plenty of space to work in. We have an angled slot with lip on the outer side of each post, slots angled downwards help prevent your leads popping out while fixing into place as does having a lip so having both means there is pretty much zero chance of having any issues making it a very easy single coil build. With both leads slotted into place and holding the coil centrally over the top of the pin you can secure your leads from above tightening the very good quality, Gold plated hex screws (my favourite). If needed use a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool to improve the position of your coil and then snip your leads. After pulsing to burn off any residue from manufacture and get rid of any hot spots, wick and then put whichever insert you want to use in position, job done! ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes And My Thoughts! I tried the Gather first in RDA mode with the BF pin and then mainly with the pictured build in RDTA mode again with BF pin. Before settling down to squonking i filled the tank on a few occasions using different nozzles to check how it fills as if i was using as a standard RDTA and i am very impressed with this valve filling method it was quick and mess free. As for using the Gather in standard RDA mode just from trying as a BF RDA i can't see any reason whatsoever why it shouldn't work well with a standard pin. The only thing worth mentioning about filling is because the liquid comes out the top of the BF pin directly on the deck because it needs to do it this way while being used as an RDA the liquid also enters the deck rather than the tank directly when using as an RDTA. This gave me no issues but i did use this RDTA a little differently than i normally use RDTA's with a BF pin taking this into account. Normally i wait until the tank is quite low before i give the squonk bottle many presses to fill the tank up. With the liquid entering the deck from the squonk pin instead i just gave the bottle a couple of presses after every few vapes going for a little but often approach and it worked brilliantly! As for airflow more adjustability to go with the inserts themselves allowing for more precision would be better but the three inserts all give very different draws, they can also be swapped on the fly. The single hole insert gives quite a tight draw so very suitable for those that like a cigarette type pull, The dual hole which is the one i used the most gives a mid to loose MTL draw but still very much a MTL vape. Finally although i didn't use it quite as much as the dual hole insert the slot insert was actually my favourite which gives you the option of either a very loose MTL or restricted direct lung hit. I did wonder with having air coming from one side if that would affect performance but while vaping i forgot this was the situation and the airflow is quite smooth. When it comes to flavour it doesn't pull up any trees but then again i can't actually complain as it's pretty decent and it's even possible messing around with different builds more potential may be unlocked I have already mentioned even more airflow adjustability would be better and also like all these atty's that use inserts they could get lost if you are not careful. The Gather can be changed from RDA to RDTA very easily and being able to use as both is a big pro but again it does add more small parts that could get lost. I do like the matchy matchy look of the Ultem drip tip with Ultem tube section and it suited the Gather when using with the slot insert both for a loose MTL draw or restricted direct lung hit but i switched to a longer drip tip with narrower bore when using with the other 2 inserts as this suited the tighter draw much better. With the airflow inlet/inlets starting quite high and sloping downwards i didn't have any leaking issues and lastly the build quality is absolutely fantastic! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes High End Build Quality Gorgeous Stabwood section (unique to each atty) Aesthetically pleasing (subjective) Matching Ultem tube and drip tip Not Jack of all trades but both a high standard RDA and RDTA Included standard and BF pins + extensions RDA and RDTA can both be used with standard or BF pins Worked great with BF pin as both RDA and RDTA Can be converted from RDA to RDTA with ease Very easy build Fantastic quality Grub Screws Great performing fill valve (quick and mess free) 3 Ultem Inserts giving very different draws Inserts can be swapped on the fly Locking sleeve/top-cap Smooth airflow Decent flavour Didn't have leaking issues Cons Airflow inserts could easily get lost (nature of atty's that use inserts) In general because it's a RDA/RDTA hybrid many parts (again could easily lose a part) Drip tip not well suited for tighter draws Even more airflow adjustability would allow more precision If using Fill valve glass dropper bottles will not be suitable No Coil Specs given I would once again like to thank both Linky from Sacowin and Ultroner for supplying the Gather RDA/RDTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the MVP5 120W TC Box MOD 5200mAh from Innokin. The Innokin MVP5 120W TC Box MOD was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore. Introduction Innokin were one of the pioneers of mainstream vaping products and along with Aspire have possibly been more responsible for people giving up the stinkies than any other vaping manufacturer. Innokin even after all this time are still releasing products that are at the forefront of vaping technology and performance and here we have the 5th generation of the MVP. The MVP whichever version has always been a rugged, made to last device that offers something just a little different to other devices being released around the same time. The MVP5 has took that concept to the next level being the ultimate out and about vaping companion. As well as all the latest vaping features the MVP5 also features a flashlight, compass, barometer, Altimeter and thermometer ideal for those hill climbers and adventurers. I have been using the MVP5 for quite a while now and it's one of those devices i am enjoying that much i will continue to use, but it's now time to give my thoughts! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Innokin MVP5 MOD 1 x Micro USB Charging Cable/wrist band 1 x User Manual 1 x Warning and safety Booklet ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The MVP5 came in the usual Innokin cardboard drawer type packaging their products tend to come in, and once opened the very nice looking device (in my opinion) is on show in the top tray. I received the Forest version, the options are White, Sand, Forest, Black or Grey. The MVP5 doesn't come like the Aegis devices with an IP67 rating but is without doubt very rugged and made to withstand the outside elements. Both top and base are very shiny and Zinc Alloy also the top section of the body is also Zinc Alloy while the main lower body section is Aluminium to keep the device as light as possible, we then have a protective grippy coating over the entire body surface. On one side of the device we have "MVP5" carved into the Zinc Alloy top section while the lower section as a corrugated effect and triangular resin panel, we also have a little plaque bottom right which shows a mountain range to show the device comes into it's own while using outdoors. The opposite side has "INNOKIN" carved into the upper Zinc Allow and again a corrugated effect on the lower section with triangular resin panel. The face has a shiny Octagon shaped large fire button top which is concave for comfort and protrudes nicely. At the bottom we have more geometrically shaped buttons in the form of the navigational buttons and mode button between, between the fire button at the top and bottom buttons we have a very large colour screen. The Spine of the device has a rail top for fitting the included wristband/USB cable and towards the bottom we have a type C USB port which has a bung inserted to protect it from the elements. On the base as well as printed branding and safety marks we have the push pad for switching the flashlight on and off and another bung this time protecting a type A USB port for using the device as a power bank. Up top we have a 510 plate to one side with Gold plated, spring loaded 510 and to the opposite side a large flashlight. The device is very boxy so not the most ergonomic but i am finding it a nice weight being quite substantial while not too heavy. The device is very well put together, i have no complaints about it's build quality whatsoever. ___________________________________________________________________ MVP5 Specs and Features: Battery capacity: 5200mAh /3.7V Wattage Range: 6-120W Voltage Max: 7.5V Display: 1.14-inch Colour Screen Cut off time: 3-18sec Max Output current: 35A Resistance Range: 0.1-3.5ohm Thread Type: 510 Charging Current: 5V 2A 5th generation of the legendary MVP 120W with temperature control 5200mAh USB output power bank function Flashlight function and a sensor suite with a compass, thermometer, barometer, and altimeter Large 1.14-inch vivid colour screen with easy-to-use UI Colours: White, Sand, Forest, Black, Grey ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The display is very sharp and the brightness is reasonable with also the option of adjusting in the menu system but it does have a tinted cover which works well on one level as it stops any glare but not too sure how visible the display will be in bright sunlight. Whenever i took the device outdoors i had no issues with the display but as i haven't seen the sun in a few weeks a cloudy day isn't a real test. The display is very uncluttered with only the minimum information on show which will be to a lot of peoples preference. Central top we have the time and underneath this a large elongated battery status bar but no status given as a percentage. Then we have a circular design which accommodates the wattage then underneath the time of your present puff. Underneath the circular design to the left we have the pre-heat and to the right the resistant, finally central bottom of the display is the mode. When in TC mode the working screen is obviously slightly different displaying temperature instead of wattage for example but the information is displayed in a very similar way. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The MPV5 Like many Innokin products the device is 3 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 3 clicks to turn off. Once on we have some combination key press features which firstly is both navigational buttons together dims the screen then repeating brings the screen back to the original brightness. Mode and up together displays a padlock to the right of the display underneath the battery status bar which means the whole device is locked and it will not fire, again repeating unlocks the device. The final combination key press feature is down and mode together brings up an information screen and again repeat to go back to the working screen. The device doesn't have a feature to lock just the navigational buttons but doesn't really need it as they need to be activated to use. To activate the navigational buttons to change wattage or temperature (depending which mode you are using) you need to long press either button until the wattage or temperature blinks, it can then be altered in the usual way (wattage adjusts in 0.5W increments all the way up to 120W). To enter the menu is 3 clicks of the mode button which brings up your main menu screen which is a list of options. The list comprises of Wattage, TC Mode, Cutoff, Puffs, Display, Sensors, System and Exit. Exit obviously takes you back to the working screen and system is where you can alter the clock, set a passkey and find out both the ID of your device and firmware version. Display allows you to customise the display using a bar palette to change the colour of certain items on the screen, Display is also where we can change the screens brightness and timeout. Puffs is where we can find both how many puffs we have taken in total and how many on the current day and also both can be reset to Zero, you will have to go some to clock this puff counter as it starts on 000000000. Finally before going through Wattage and TC Mode we have cutoff which allows you to choose the limit of the length of a puff. When choosing Wattage we get another list comprising of Normal, Boost, Soft, Ajax, Z-Coil, Curve and back. Normal, Boost, and Soft are the usual pre-heat options we find on most devices and curve features 4 memory slots with pre-installed curves which can be altered to your own preference. Ajax and Z-coil are interesting features which basically when one of them is activated it only allows you to stay within the wattage parameters that suit the coils. Really you don't need an Innokin tank to make use of these features they can just be treated as a DL and MTL feature as the wattage parameters will suit many different tanks. When choosing TC Mode we get another list comprising of SS316L, Titanium, Ni200, TCR, Temp unit and back. The only other feature in the menu system is Sensors which i will cover in the next section. Despite this being a real bells and whistles device the menu system flows nicely and is very user friendly, despite each screen having a back option because mode is select rather than fire, pressing the fire button at any time takes you back to the working screen. ___________________________________________________________________ Sensors The Sensors feature is really neat and one of the standout things about the MVP5, if they don't interest you that's fine but rather than whinging "There's no place for this on a device, a vaping device should just allow you to vape and that's it because i'm a bore who bores everyone around me who are sick of me constantly whinging" i don't really understand why you would read and comment on something that isn't for you but no doubt some familiar member on at least one forum will have the same old record stuck whinge. My view is added features that give the device added uses can be of benefit to some and doing no harm to others and personally i really believe this is a neat piece of kit for those into hill climbing and similar outdoor pursuits. When first selecting the Sensors where the compass should be displayed we have a graphic which moves in a figure of 8 while calibrating, you need to just move the device about for a few seconds for it to calibrate and then the compass appears. The features are a digital displayed Compass, a Thermometer, a Barometer and an Altimeter, i just can't stop having a play. ___________________________________________________________________ The Flashlight I have a flashlight on a few devices but it's the most impressive on the MVP5, it can be found on the top of the device the opposite side to the 510 plate and the same size. On the base of the device we have a pad that can be pressed to turn the flashlight on, this automatically brings up the flash light screen on the display that allows you to choose various modes. With the flashlight on using the display we can choose brightness between 3 different settings max, mid and min. As well as steady on we have 3 more modes which are SOS, Beacon and Strobe. Also at the bottom of the display it tells you how long the battery will last if you leave the flashlight on, this will be different depending on the brightness or mode you are using. To turn the flashlight off either press the pad again on the base of the device or press the fire button, you can't vape and have the flashlight on at the same time. ___________________________________________________________________ Power Bank The MVP5 also next to the flashlight on/off pad has a hidden type A USB so can be used as a Power Bank for charging a smart phone for example. You need to lift up the bung to reveal the port and then plug in, while you are charging an external device on the screen it displays the Amps out, total mAh on the charging device and how much time it will take to fully charge, you can also vape while using as a Power bank. ___________________________________________________________________ Charging the Device The MVP5 uses a type C USB and supports 2A charging. Again like the type A USB for using the device for a Power Bank the type C USB port has a bung that needs pulling out and downwards to fit the USB cable. The USB cable you receive can fit on the device and be used as a wrist band (not big enough to wear around the neck), these lanyard/USB C dual purpose inclusions are nice and now getting quite common (which is a good thing, they are neat), this is the third device i have received recently having one. While charging the display tells you the Amp of the charge and also time remaining for the device to be fully charged. I found the device fully charged in just less than 3 hours which for a 5200mAh battery is very good! The device does support pass-through. ___________________________________________________________________ My Thoughts and Performance Firstly i do not have access to data so simply review devices based on my user experience. I am not a big TC user but as i had a couple of atty's with SS builds in them i did give the MVP5 a quick try in TC and it gave a smooth vape and passed the dry burning test so if you are a TC user it might be worth checking out a review that fully covers the device in TC mode. With the device being a 120W device i did brave the upper limits and coped very well as it seems a bit underpowered giving about 100W max. After saying that no other complaints when it comes to performance, it fires instantly with impressive ramp up and all wattage's below 100W seemed accurate to me. One thing to note is the 510 plate sits absolutely flush so over time the surface around the 510 plate will get scuff marks. There is so much to like, the curve feature is both done and works particularly well and especially for newer vapers i love the Ajax and Z-Coils wattage parameter features which can be used for other tanks that are best at similar wattage's. Apart from the Flashlight that i have already found useful on a couple of occasions and is done much better on this device than a flashlight has been done before on other device's would i actually have use for a Compass, Thermometer, Barometer or Altimeter, and the answer would be no. But although they are not of use to me i still find myself having a play and love the Sensor feature being on the device as they are always going to be there just in case as you never know. Although i don't need the Sensor features i can see this being a neat piece of kit for those outdoor lovers that like hill climbing or camping etc. The battery life is really good and charging in 3 hours for such a large battery is very good as is the inclusion of a Type C port but the obvious drawback is if this took external batteries you could just chuck a couple more batteries in and off you go. The MVP5 will accommodate up to 25mm atty's up top without overhang so all your 22mm and 24mm will fit fine and finally it's fully firmware upgradeable. ___________________________________________________________________ Conclusion The MVP devices have always stood for reliability, durability and versatility. From my experience using the device the MVP5 have stayed true to these concepts while taking the versatility to the next level. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very well made Durable Protective grippy coating Feels substantial without being too heavy 5 Colour options Very large colour display Performed well in power mode up to 100W (slightly underpowered) Fires instantly with impressive ramp up TC seemed fine (but i'm a novice at best) Curve feature executed well Like Ajax and Z-coils wattage parameter features (can just be used as DL & MTL for similar tanks) Adjusts in 0.5W increments Flashlight with 6 modes including SOS, Beacon and Strobe Sensor feature includes: Digital Compass Barometer Thermometer Altimeter Power Bank (Type A port protected with bung) Good feedback while charging other devices Battery life very good Type C port (protected with bung) 2A charging Charges within 3 hours 5200mAh internal battery (pro for some con for me) Excellent UI Menu flows nicely aided by mode button Display can be customised 25mm atty's without overhang Fully firmware upgradeable Cons Seemed slightly underpowered (my gut feeling from using it) Not the most ergonomic and quite large Internal battery (can't just switch batteries but need to charge) Con for me not for others Display has tinted screen which may effect vision in bright sunlight (couldn't test but usually tinted screens don't fair well with bright sunlight) 510 plate sits flush (will get scuff marks over time) I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the Innokin MVP5 120W TC Box MOD for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Q-Pro Kit from Lost Vape. The Q-Pro Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Lotus from Lost Vape. Introduction Lost Vape are known for their quality regulated devices hosting the DNA chipset and have gained a great reputation as well as manufacturing quality affordable devices through their sister brand Modefined. The Orion DNA GO saw their entry into the AIO Pod market which was followed by a couple more pod systems under the Quest brand which houses a proprietary chipset one of which was a budget version of the Orion. More recently we saw the release of the Orion Plus which is an upgraded version of the Orion DNA Go offering replaceable coils, better compatibility and has 5 rather than 3 power settings. The Q-Pro Kit is both the updated version of the Orion Q and the budget version of the Orion Plus offering the same 5 power settings, replaceable coils and the same excellent compatibility. The Q-Pro powered by Lost Vapes proprietary chipset may not be able to have settings altered via Escribe as the Orion Plus can but it's out the box settings are a match for most pod/AIO devices available so more than worth a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Lost Vape Q-Pro device Q-pro pod 1.0ohm regular coil (installed) 0.5ohm regular coil Lanyard USB cable User manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics I am not going to go into great detail as the device will be explained as the review goes on and plenty of pictures are included. The Q-Pro is a small portable device which fits in the hand nicely or can be worn around the neck using the supplied lanyard. The Chassis is Zinc Alloy and comes in different frame colours and the panels come in various materials. I received the Ochre Stabwood version, the options are Blue Stabwood, Ochre Stabwood, Red Stabwood, Silver Weave, Black Weave, Blue Weave, Gold Weave, Rainbow Weave, SS Fantasy, Black Ocean, Blue Aurora, Gold Dazzling and Rainbow. The Q-Pro is made very solidly and really can't fault it's build quality. ___________________________________________________________________ Q-Pro Specs and Features: Size: 93x37x13.5mm Weight: 87g Output: 8-24W (5 power levels) Battery: 950mAh (internal) Display: LED indicator E-liquid capacity: 2ml Pods: Refillable with replaceable coils – compatible with Orion coils and pods Top adjustable airflow Colour/Designs: Blue Stabwood, Ochre Stabwood, Red Stabwood, Silver Weave, Black Weave, Blue Weave, Gold Weave, Rainbow Weave, SS Fantasy, Black Ocean, Blue Aurora, Gold Dazzling, Rainbow ___________________________________________________________________ The Pods Unlike the Orion Go and original Orion Q where the coils couldn't be replaced in the pods so every time a coil no longer performed it was the whole pod that needed replacing the Q-Pro pods are like the Orion Plus pods so accommodate replaceable coils. The Q-Pro has 3 coil options which are the 1.0ohm Q-Pro regular coil but it also accommodates the Orion Plus 0.5ohm regular coil (included) and the Orion Plus 0.25ohm mesh coil, both Orion Plus coils are SS316L. Of late only receiving one pod with pod devices is becoming the unfortunate trend so a big pro for the fact you receive both the 1.0ohm coil (pre-installed) and the 0.5ohm coil. The pod gets fixed into place via a catch that has a release switch on the side of the device towards the top, the switch and locking mechanism seems very durable and the pod snaps into place very securely. The whole of the pod is visible and the pod is not as darkly tinted as the pods for the Orion Go or original Orion Q, in fact they are just slightly tinted and the e-liquid can be clearly seen with no problems whatsoever. The pod has a proprietary Delrin drip tip which is very comfortable between the lips, we also have adjustable airflow which is found at the base of the drip tip. The airflow control is dual mini cyclops and there is some texturing for grip, it moves less freely than on the Orion Go and Orion Q in fact it seems to be the exact same designed pod that comes with the Orion Plus and wish it was just slightly looser but i'm being a bit petty. Also on the top of the pod we have a cap with texturing for grip, this is for filling the pod so the pod doesn't need removing to fill. The threading on the cap is good and an o-ring completes the seal, the fill hole is very generous so even glass droppers will be fine. The pod holds 2ml of e-liquid and when purchasing a replacement pod it comes with both a 0.25ohm coil pre-installed and a 0.5ohm coil when buying an Orion Plus pod (which is fully compatible) or a 1.0ohm coil (pre-installed) and an extra coil in the packaging when buying the 1.0ohm pod. Just the coils can be purchased as the pods should last for many coil changes, all 3 coil types come in packs of five. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Coils As mentioned one of the upgrades is that the pod accommodates replacement coils. The replacement coils come attached to a rectangular base section so rather than unscrewing the base from the pod and then the coils being screwed inside that base the whole base section is replaced with each coil change. To remove a coil you need to unscrew the drip tip and adjustable airflow section, this allows you to touch the top of the chimney section of the installed coil. You need to press down on the chimney with a bit of force which moves the coil downwards, now enough of the base section can be gripped to pull out the base and coil section. Installing the new base and coil section is just the simple task of press fitting into place and then screwing the drip tip/airflow section back into place which screws on to the top of the chimney. Cons are hard to find with the Q-Pro as a couple of the cons i had with the first generation Orion's have been addressed but i must say trying to remove the pre-installed coil took quite some effort although once you have had e-liquid going through the pod removing the coil after the first initial time was easier. ___________________________________________________________________ Using The Q-Pro The Q-Pro despite not having the DNA Go chip is still quite an advanced pod system but unlike the Orion Plus you can't alter the settings using Escribe and it has no Replay feature, apart from that it works very similar to the Orion Plus just at half the price. On one side of the device we have a round fire button towards the top and a horizontal pill shaped mode button towards the bottom, below this is an LED indicator light followed by the micro USB port. The device can be locked and unlocked with 5 clicks of the fire button and with the device unlocked a quick click of the fire button shows the battery status, the indicator also shows battery status while vaping. The battery status indication is really spot on with the Orion DNA Go devices having 5 tiers well spaced out but unfortunately only 3 tiers on the Q-Pro and terribly spread out in my opinion and is the following: Green = 50% - 100% Blue = 8% - 50% Red = 0% - 8% The Q-Pro auto detects the resistance of the coil in the pod and adjusts the output accordingly giving the option of five power settings which is the main upgrade to the Orion Q which only has three. When it detects the 1.0ohm regular coil is inserted it gives 5 power setting options for MTL mode and when it detects the 0.25 mesh coil is inserted it gives 5 power settings options for DL mode, the settings given for the 0.5ohm regular coil are suited for both a loose MTL or Restricted direct lung hit. You can change your power setting by simply pressing the mode button, each press takes you to the next setting and the setting you are on is indicated by the colour of the LED. In MTL mode (1.0ohm coil) White is 8 watts, Blue is 10 watts, Red is 12 watts, Yellow is 14 watts and Purple is 16 watts. When in DL mode (0.25ohm coil) White is 15 watts, Blue is 17 watts, Red is 20 watts, Yellow is 22 watts and Purple is 24 watts. Finally when using the 0.5ohm coil White is 12 watts, Blue is 13 watts, Red is 16 watts, Yellow is 18 watts and Purple is 20 watts. ___________________________________________________________________ Pod Compatibility The good news is all previous Orion coils and Pods are compatible. So both the original pods for the Orion DNA Go and Orion Q will fit although it does recommend for both the 0.5ohm and 0.25ohm DNA Go pods only the first 2 settings (white and Blue) are used. Also the pods for the Orion Plus are identical and both coils fully compatible, in fact the 0.5ohm Orion Plus coil is even included with the kit. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections Short Circuit Protection Temperature Protection Low Battery Protection Over-charge Protection Low/High Resistance Protection ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Q-Pro Just like the Orion Plus i like the Q-Pro a lot and the types of draws you can achieve suit my preferred style of vaping but it does need pointing out despite it being marketed for both MTL and DL the only MTL you can achieve is a loose draw even with the airflow closed right down. After saying that when reviewing the Orion Plus i did say very loose rather than loose because the 1.0ohm coil pre-installed in this device does give a more genuine MTL draw compared to the other coils even if still on the loose side. The adjustable airflow does work well but the cyclops nature of it really just gives varying restricted lung draws and the very loose MTL draw you can get with the other 2 compatible coils works equally as well with both coils on all the settings, the higher the setting the warmer the vape. Having a pod with replaceable coils is along with having 5 instead of 3 power settings the two main upgrades but a lot of work (and improvement) have gone into the coils themselves which was also noticeable with the Orion Plus. The flavour with both original Orion Go pods was very good but had quite a long break in period and also struggled to wick when chain vaping or using any liquid thicker than 50/50. I didn't use the original Orion Q but they were pretty much the same type of coils so i would imagine suffered similar problems. All three replaceable coils if anything are giving even better flavour with next to no break in time and wick so much better which in turn have improved their longevity greatly, for me the 0.25ohm mesh coil (not included) edges it when it comes to which coil i prefer out of the Orion Plus coils but i am loving the 1.0ohm coil on the Yellow (14W) setting with airflow just open for e really nice MTL vape even if on the loose side. The 950mAh battery gave really good life with the 1.0ohm coil lasting most of the day but with the Orion Plus coils it will need charging during the day and i would consider battery life about par for this type of device. I kept missing when it was fully charged as i was relying on looking at the charging device as the charge completed and even i haven't got that sad that i will permanently stare at a charging device to be 100% accurate but can say it was charged within 1 and half hours which for a 950mAh pod device supporting pass-through is acceptable in my opinion. Another thing i noticed is although the better the flavour usually the higher the juice consumption, not in this case. I noticed with the Orion Plus how efficient both coils were on e-liquid and the 1.0ohm coil even more making 2ml a good capacity. When it comes to performance we are only dealing with wattage settings and the proprietary chip performs admirably, the device fires in an instant with immediate ramp up. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Stabwood, Weave or Honeycomb panels 5 Frame Colours Pocket friendly, comfortable in hand Comfortable drip tip Adjustable airflow Replaceable Coils 1.0ohm and 0.5ohm regular coils included 0.25ohm Mesh coil also available All past Orion pods and coils compatible Large 950mAh Battery (compared to average pod device) Battery charges in about 1.5 hours (fair) Supports Pass-through Battery status indication Pods fit with durable catch (release switch on side of device) Pods fit very securely Top fill with generous fill port Auto detects resistance and alters power settings accordingly 5 power settings Can clearly see juice level 2ml Capacity Efficient E-liquid consumption Coils have next to no break in time Very good flavour from all 3 available coils Wicks fine with all types of juices i used (up to 70VG) Average longevity (much improved) Performed well with instant ramp up Half the price of Orion Plus Cons Only a loose MTL for MTL vapers (restricted lung vapers are well catered for) Airflow control ring slightly tight Pre-installed coil/base section was very tight Battery status indication poorly executed (3 tiers badly spaced out) I would once again like to thank Lotus from Lost Vape for supplying the Q-Pro Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Podstick from Vaporesso. The PodStick Pod Kit 900mAh was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this review by Jessica from Vaporesso. Introduction Vaporesso are one of the most popular mainstream vaping manufacturers and continue to produce high quality devices whether it's high quality vape pens right up to high powered devices with the latest innovations. The PodStick is quite a basic device but excellently executed giving both a genuine MTL and DL option. With 3 power levels, 5 tier battery feedback and a suburb slide to fill valve filling method the PodStick may be quite basic but it's well worth q good look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x PodStick Kit 2 x Pods - CCELL 1.3ohm (Pre-installed), MESHED 0.6ohm（In box） 1 x E-juice Bottle 1 x USB Cable 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The PodStick came in the usual Cardboard box packaging with plastic inner tray that Vaporesso products tend to come in. We have recently seen what have been referred to has Pod Mods and the PodStick with it's squared off front and rounded body can best be described as a Pod Vape Pen so PodStick is a very apt name for it. I received the Splashed version but there are options to suit most tastes which are Blue, Black, Splashed, Phantom, Gold and Silver. Up top we have a tinted pod with fixed central Black rounded drip tip, the pod fits into the device at an angle with plenty of the pod showing to see your juice. On the squared front of the device we have a round protruding Bronze coloured fire button towards the top, this is followed by a vertical row of 5 LED indicators for battery status. At the bottom of the flat face we have branding but apart from also a small vaporesso logo at the bottom of the spine the device is quite plain. Finally we have the micro USB port on the base which i must admit is not my favourite position as i like to stand vaping devices upright while charging. The PodStick is very light being constructed of Aluminium and is also very portable and comfortable in the hand, it's build quality can't be faulted. ___________________________________________________________________ PodStick Specs and Features: Dimensions: 18 x 22 x 111mm Pod Capacity: 2ml Pods: 1.3ohm CCELL, 0.6ohm Meshed Battery: 900mAh built-in battery Battery Indicator: 20%-40%-60%-80%-100% Charging Current: 1A Material: PCTG, Aluminium Fitting sub-ohm and MTL vaping 5 Level LED Battery Indication Automatically recognizes coil to reduce dry hit 5 Times bigger contact area for faster heating and richer flavors PTF-on-top combined with a sliding top cap increases PodStick Child-safety even further. Colours: Blue, Black, Splashed, Phantom, Gold, Silver ___________________________________________________________________ The Pods The Pods are sealed units as far as the coils are concerned so when you are no longer getting decent flavour it's the whole pod that needs replacing as the coils can't be replaced. you receive 2 pods which house different coils one being a 1.3ohm CCELL and the other having a mesh coil with a resistance of 0.6ohm. The Pods have a fixed mouthpiece that mimics a straight 510 well positioned centrally and the pod itself is quite darkly tinted which some might find as a con but as i had no issues seeing the juice level for me its a non-issue. The base of the pod is flat and metallic, towards the rear we have our negative and positive contacts. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The Pods The Pods for the PodStick have a fantastic filling system that i love which comprises both slide to fill and push to fill methods into one, the system is both quick and easy but also child safe. First you push back the top of the pod where clearly indicated which reveals a push down filling valve. Push the valve with the nozzle of your bottle and fill, once filled remove your nozzle and the valve closes. After filling the top of the pod can be slid shut and that's it ! The pods hold a "good" 2ml of e-liquid. ___________________________________________________________________ Supplied Filling Bottle Some nozzles might be too big for a mess free fill although most are fine but you do receive a bottle to decant to which works great. I actually didn't use the bottle in the package as i already use the same design bottle i also received with a Vaporesso product over a year ago and use it to fill all my tanks, pods and cartridges as it doesn't matter how big the fill port it always gives me a quick, mess free fill. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking inside the bay we can see the two Gold plated, spring loaded contacts on raised platforms and towards the front quite a large rectangular magnet. We can also see to the rear a very small cut-out which will let air to the pod and the fit is on the angle. When it comes to fitting the pod it stops with about 0.5mm left then you press down and it gives one hell of a satisfying click as it securely fixes into place, it seems the magnet is just for back up as the pod is going nowhere just how tight it press fits, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ Using The PodStick The Podstick is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and off and we get a little light show to confirm either action. When on the device fires using the physical fire button (so not draw activated) but we do have 3 different power settings. Because we get different wattage outputs dependant on which pod is being used the 3 different power settings are obviously different constant voltage outputs but are just referred to as low, medium and high and rather than giving the voltage the different wattage outputs are given instead. To change between power settings is 3 quick clicks of the fire button and then the surround of the fire button flashes 3 times in the corresponding colour to the setting now set, each 3 clicks moves to the next setting. The power settings corresponding colours and wattage outputs are the following: CCELL 1.3ohm Pod Red = 9W Blue = 10.5W Green = 12.5W Meshed 0.6ohm Pod Red = 17W Blue = 20W Green = 22W The PodStick also has excellent battery status indications with 5 LED's each one representing 20% of battery life. When taking a vape the LED's light up to give feedback so indications are the following: 0 - 20% = 1 light 21 - 40% = 2 lights 41 - 60% = 3 lights 61 - 80% = 4 lights 81 - 100% = 5 lights As well as battery status given while vaping the surround of the fire button also lights to show which power setting you are using. Finally the PodStick as all the usual safety protections which when they kick in are indicated by various flashes. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The PodStick The PodStick might not have all the bells and whistles of an Orion or Pod Mod but it's one excellently executed device. You can tell the difference in the three power levels which isn't always the case with these type devices and can use them to get the warmth of vape you prefer. The PodStick offers both genuine MTL and DL options and the battery status feedback is as good as it gets on pod type devices. Using the 0.6ohm pod i found this gave a choice between a restricted lung hit but a loose MTL was also possible, the flavour was good with no break-in time and the 5 refills that Vaporesso claim i can't argue with because after 5 refills the flavour did just start to drop off but i got another 2 fills before i considered the flavour too muted to continue use. I used this pod with the Blue, middle setting with 3mg 70VG e-juice and the battery life wasn't terrible but it did need charging a couple of times in a day (that was when using it as my only device) but then i vape a lot. Moving to the pod with the CCELL i used this with 20mg 50/50 nic salts on the highest Green setting and it really gave a satisfying MTL draw. The draw isn't super tight but more of a mid range cigarette pull but definitely suited to those trying to quit the stinkies! The flavour with this pod started quite muted but by the time i had got through the first pod full the flavour was singing, this really shines! I am at the 5 refills stage with this pod and not suffering any drop off in flavour so the longevity of this pod is very good. When using the CCELL pod the battery life is much better as it's using less power and less pulls needed with high mg or nic salts so it will last the average vapor if not the entire day the best part of it. Overall comparable to other pod type devices battery life is good and having 1A charging the 900mAh battery was charged in an hour which is spot on but i don't like the USB port being on the base. Again i must say how well executed battery status feed back is and you can easily check both battery status and the power setting you are using. Finally the fill method is excellent and supplied bottle another big pro. Although a really good job as been done with the draw for the two different pods obviously adjustable airflow would of been better and also not being able to replace the coils but having to replace the whole pod isn't the most efficient when it comes to economics but it's another great product from Vaporesso! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Light Portable Ergonomic 6 Colour options Three constant power levels Can easily check battery status and power setting Excellent 5 tier battery status feedback Different fixed airflow for the two different pods CCELL (MTL) Pod and Mesh (DL) Pod CCELL Pod gives cigarette type draw Mesh Pod gives restrictive lung or loose MTL (whichever you prefer) Mesh Pod good flavour on par longevity CCELL Pod gives excellent flavour and very good longevity Very good battery life with CCELL Pod Pods fit very securely Charges in an hour Side to fill valve filling system Supplied filling bottle Experienced no leaking Cons Coils not replaceable Airflow not adjustable Tinted Pods (not a con for me personally as i could see the juice level) Micro USB port on base (can't stand up during charging) I would once again like to thank Jessica from Vaporesso for supplying the PodStick for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the EOS II 180W TC Box Mod from Ultroner. The EOS II 180W TC Box Mod was supplied for the purpose of this review by Linky from Sacowin who are the marketing company for Cool Vapor, DJV, SXK and Ultroner . Introduction The EOS II is one of the last projects between Ultroner and Asmodus and brings together 2 things i particularly like. I love Ultroner designed and manufactured Products as they actually produce products with high quality stabwood finishes that i can afford. I also love Asmodus touchscreen devices so here we have the best of both worlds for me, an Ultroner Stabwood mod powered by the Asmodus GX-180UTC chipset featuring an IPS colour Capacitive touchscreen. This gorgeous lightweight device accommodates dual 18650 batteries giving 180W max power and is full of all the bells and whistles features we tend to get from an Asmodus chipset, so let's give it a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Ultroner EOS II mod Velvet carry bag Wood buffering tool User manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The EOS II came in the usual flip open sturdy cardboard box with viewing window that most Ultroner Devices are packaged. Due to the nature of stabwood all devices are unique but you do have the choice of Black, Blue, Green or Purple as the most prominent colour but as i found out this is no guarantee as the one i received is labelled Blue yet it has a lot of Green, Purple and of course Brown of the Wood but barely any Blue, after saying that no complaints as the device looks gorgeous. The EOS II has a stabwood body comprising of both sides and the very ergonomic curved spine on a Black Aluminium frame which makes the device light so it's a dual battery device that's portable and suited for out and about. The Stabwood doesn't have the most polished finish, in fact it's quite rustic which might add to it's charm for some people but if you do wish to work on it to get a more polished finish then emery boards are included to aid you. The face of the device is recessed again to help ergonomically and has a large domed round fire button top, micro USB port bottom and the colour touchscreen between. The base is heavy on the printed branding and also display's safety stamps while moving to the top of the device we have more printed branding to one side. The opposite side to the branding we have the 510 plate with Gold plated, spring loaded 510. The build quality is excellent with no gaps at all between the stabwood and frame, a really good job has been done! ___________________________________________________________________ EOS II Specs and Features: Dimensions: 26mm x 58mm x 87mm Battery: 2×18650 (not included) IPS colour Capacitive touchscreen Full stab wood body with Aluminium frame Firmware upgradeable Chipset: GX-180UTC Modes: Soft, Normal and Hard Output: 180W max Charging: Balanced 5V/2A Accommodates tanks up to 26mm Resistance range: 0.1-3ohm Net Weight: 113g Main Colour (Refers to Stabwood body): Black, Blue, Green, Purple ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Batteries The EOS II accommodates dual 18650 batteries which are installed via the latch door on the base of the device. I like these type of doors over those just relying on a small piece of metal or plastic not failing. The door needs sliding forwards before lifting up and once the batteries are installed press the door down firmly before sliding secure. The door does need pressing down with some force to allow it to slide secure but i don't mind this as it means no battery movement or rattle whatsoever and once shut the doors going nowhere. Finally as normally it would be something i moan about we have battery orientation very clearly marked White on Black which is good to see, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The EOS II has a colour screen which is sharp, bright and very well laid out and i had no issues at all reading the display outdoors. At the top we have the mode then underneath the mode we have 2 battery status bars (1 for each battery) the status is also given as a percentage above each bar. Below the battery status bars we have the wattage that displays temperature instead when in temp control. Further down to the left we have the volts then under this seconds vaped, to the right we have the resistance then underneath the resistance is your puffs. Finally at the bottom of the display to the left is the preheat or temperature control wire type when in temperature control, bottom right we have a padlock which indicates if the touchscreen is locked or unlocked. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The EOS II Those that have used Asmodus touchscreen mods in the past will be familiar with how the device operates but if not it does take some getting use to. Some people just won't get on with touchscreen devices while others like me like them and once a bit of time is invested in how everything works i find Asmodus mods are amongst my favourites to use and navigate. The device is 5 clicks to turn on but to turn off needs to be done in the settings. With the device first switched on the touchscreen is locked (when it's locked you can still vape) and to unlock simply swipe downwards and it stays unlocked until the fire button is pressed which re-locks it. With the screen unlocked swiping up or down changes your pre-heats between Normal, Soft or hard and swiping side-wards where the mode is displayed scrolls through the various modes which are Power, TFR, TCR, Curve and Temp. When it displays temp long pressing "TEMP" brings up where you change between the various wire types and pressing the displayed temperature changes to wattage and then another press displays temperature again, a long press when the temperature is displayed allows you to adjust the temperature and when you change it to wattage displayed long pressing allows you to set wattage for temp control (you can only set wattage up to 120W for temp control). Going back to Power mode and again long pressing the wattage allows you to adjust the wattage which adjust in 0.1w increments from 5w right up to 100W before switching to 1W increments the rest of the way to 180W. The scrolling isn't the quickest and a little confused why it's 0.1W increments right up to 100W before switching to 1W increments up to the maximum wattage as most Asmodus powered mods switch to 1W increments once past what would be considered MTL wattage making getting from a low to mid or high wattage setting much quicker. There are plenty of other features that are accessed by 5 clicks of the fire button which brings up your first icon which is the power icon, long pressing the power icon powers the device down. When the power icon is displayed side swiping scrolls through the various icons which need pressing if you want to select the feature. Amongst the features are adjusting brightness, changing how the touchscreen locks and unlocks, resetting and limiting puffs, adjusting screen timeout settings and many others. Finally 3 clicks of the fire button locks the whole device so it will not fire. ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes and Thoughts! The first thing to say is i do not use equipment to get data so simply review devices as i experience them so when it comes to accuracies i am relying on gut feeling and comparisons. I will start with any issues which are mainly subjective the first being touchscreens aren't to everyone's liking but personally i find the Asmodus touchscreens excellent both from a user interface point of view and response, they work very well and are user friendly along with the operation of the device after saying that if you haven't used one before there is a learning curve. Next some would much prefer a more polished look to the stabwood which is entirely subjective and although emery boards are included you will have to be careful not to scuff the frame if you decide to work on the wood. Finally the only issue i had which isn't subjective is it scrolls in 0.1W increments and isn't the fastest, because i was constantly changing atty's at times during testing i found if going from a MTL atty to a much higher DL atty adjusting wattage took far too much time than i would like. I am not a big TC user and unless using Replay on a DNA device tend to stick to power modes but i did have a little play and although if you are a TC user i would read or watch other reviews that deal more in depth with TC i found when testing dry burning protection it worked fine and prior to that i was getting a smooth vape. I used the device with various atty's from 12W up to 90W and all wattage's i vaped at seemed accurate although for the main as i was also in progress of testing out a few MTL atty's i mainly used it at low wattage's. It fires instantly with immediate ramp up (very much like the Minikin 2) and the fire button is both easy to find and very clicky. It was also very noticeable how efficient the device is giving really good battery life, well over the average i would expect from dual 18650's. The menu works well and all the features worked as they should, i particularly like the curves feature with Asmodus chipsets and no difference with the EOS II. The device supports 2A balanced on-board charging although i wouldn't personally recommend charging in the device, it is also fully firmware upgradeable (their is a firmware upgrade to change to a monochrome display if that's your preference). Finally the EOS II will accommodate up to a 26mm atty without any overhang so the vast majority of atty's will look good up top. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Excellent build quality Light Stabwood body Included emery boards to work on wood Included Velvet pouch for device Each device unique IPS Colour Capacitive touchscreen Excellent user interface touchscreen very responsive Feature packaged TC seemed OK (more research needed if TC user) Curves and preheats worked as they should Performed well in power mode Fires instantly with immediate ramp up Seemed Accurate Achievable top wattage Very efficient Nice Colour display Solid battery door Labelled battery orientation White on Black 2A balanced charging Up to 26mm atty's will fit with no overhang Firmware Upgradeable Monochrome display firmware version available Cons Stabwood could have more polished finish (subjective) Touchscreens don't suit some (subjective) If not used Asmodus Touchscreen before there is a learning curve Adjusts in 0.1W increments up to 100W I would once again like to thank Linky from Sacowin for supplying the ULTRONER EOS II 180W TC Box Mod for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Mesh V2 RDA from Vandyvape. The Mesh V2 RDA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Viktor from VandyVape. Introduction Since VandyVape released the Mesh RDA atty's using mesh have moved on making it look quite outdated, so here we have it the updated Mesh V2 RDA which has had quite a substantial overhaul. We now have honeycomb airflow that gets angled towards the mesh and much deeper juice well. The diameter has been increased to 25mm allowing for a wider strip of mesh, the wider clamps and greater distance between the two means a much increased surface area for both more vapor and flavour. Lastly of course we have the now mandatory spring loaded ceramic seat to keep the cotton fully in contact with the mesh at all times avoiding nasty dry hits. Coming with 4 different mesh strips so you can find your preference and available in 7 colours let's give the Mesh V2 a good look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1pc M V2 RDA 1pc Squonk Pin 1pc Spare Parts Bag 1pc Instruction Manual 1pc 510 Adaptor 1pc Mesh bending tool 1pc Screwdriver 1pc Allen wrench 2pc Vape Cotton Laces 1pc A1 Mesh 0.15ohm 1pc Ni80 Mesh 0.15ohm 1pc Dual Mesh 0.15ohm 1pc SS316L Mesh 0.12ohm ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Mesh V2 came in Black Cardboard box packaging which on the side was marked Sample but everything listed in the contents was present. I received the Stainless Steel version which comes with a really nice Green Resin 810 drip tip installed, the colour options are Matte Black, Stainless Steel, Gold, Gunmetal, Shiny Blue, Rainbow and Frosted Grey. On the front of the sleeve we have the same etched "M" formed by geometric shapes that was present on the original Mesh RDA. Towards the top of the sleeve we have dual honeycomb style airflow comprising of 2 rows of 10 holes so 20 holes each side in total. The protruding top section of the inner sleeve has cog like teeth which both gives good grip while also adding aesthetically and as already mentioned the Mesh V2 comes with a rather nice 810 Resin drip tip. Moving to the base we have etched branding and safety stamps, the V2 comes with a standard, Gold plated pin pre-installed. The 25mm in diameter RDA is quite heavy with thick walls, very solid indeed so no issues with build quality! ___________________________________________________________________ Mesh V2 RDA Specs and Features: Diameter: 25mm Height: 25.5mm Mesh strip build deck E-liquid capacity: 2ml Top adjustable airflow Larger size mesh element for improved heating area Spring clamp for cotton below the mesh Deep Juice well Squonk pin included Thread: 510 Colours: Matte Black, Stainless Steel, Gold, Gunmetal, Shiny Blue, Rainbow, Frosted Grey ___________________________________________________________________ The Overhaul I think vapers can get tired of new versions of pre-existing atty's coming out when there is very little difference from the original both in design and performance but in this case the Mesh RDA has had a complete overhaul. With the Mesh V2 RDA we keep the same angled airflow on the inner sleeve but now we have the smoother honeycomb offering on the outer sleeve inlets. The deck section is where most of the changes have been made firstly with now having the spring loaded ceramic seat which wasn't present on the original. The post clamps are now both wider and set slightly further apart creating a higher dome so therefore much greater surface area. Finally we go from having barely no juice well to speak of on V1 to now having a very deep juice well making the Mesh V2 very squonk friendly. ___________________________________________________________________ It's Various Parts And What You Receive? The Mesh V2 RDA consists of Goon fitting 810 Resin drip tip, inner sleeve/top-cap, outer sleeve and base deck section. It comes with a standard gold plated pin pre-installed but included is also a Gold plated BF pin. You don't receive an alternative drip tip but you can fit your own 810 and also included is a 510 adaptor. You receive all the tools needed including a mesh bending tool which bends the mesh to the exact shape needed to install onto the deck. You also receive 4 different mesh strips which is a massive pro which includes a SS316L Mesh strip giving a TC option. You also receive 2 6mm thick shoelace cotton pieces and of course plenty of spare screws and o-rings. ___________________________________________________________________ The Included Mesh You receive 4 different mesh strips all 17x9.8mm in size. The different mesh strips are Kanthal Dual Mesh with a resistance of 0.15ohm and recommended rating of between 45W - 70W. We also receive a Ni80 Mesh strip 0.15ohm with a recommended rating between 55W - 70W and with yet again a resistance of 0.15ohm a single mesh Kanthal strip with a recommendation of between 50W - 65W. Finally to give TC users an option we have the SS316L Mesh which has a resistance of 0.12ohm and is rated between 50W - 70W. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The outer sleeve has 2 rows of 10 holes each side which is commonly referred to as honeycomb and when fitting the sleeve over the deck lined up with the coil the sleeve moves on a track with stoppers. The top section of the inner sleeve protrudes out from the outer sleeve and has cog like teeth which gives really good grip. The inner sleeve has a slot each side that you line up with the honeycomb airflow of the outer sleeve. The slots are angled downwards and inwards aiming directly at the side of the mesh and moving the inner sleeve reduces the airflow closing a hole in both rows one at a time giving really good adjustability. This way of closing the airflow down on some atty's i have does offset the airflow but with the Mesh V2 as we close the airflow down we can then turn the outer sleeve on it's track to line it back up perfectly with the mesh. Another thing which i like about the Mesh V2 is the tolerances are absolutely spot on, when the inner sleeve is turned the outer sleeve stays put but when needed the outer sleeve can also be turned with ease, nothings too tight or too loose. Finally when looking at the inner sleeve/top-cap we can see it's conical shape which should encourage flavour. ___________________________________________________________________ Spring Loaded Ceramic Seating The use of Mesh has become the way to go with stock coils upping the flavour and giving coils more longevity but mesh RDA's until very recently have not been met with the same enthusiasm being inconsistent with flavour and renowned for dry hits. Mesh gives great flavour, yes that's just my opinion but it is an opinion shared with countless others but the mesh needs total contact with the wicking material and a combination of the flexible mesh and cotton which expands, then shrinks as it dry's and also can sag and change shape as it's constantly expanding shrinking and sagging means with all the best will in the world trying to keep the cotton touching the entire surface area of the mesh in the past has been a big problem. It has worked perfectly with stock coils as the cotton is packed between the mesh and the outer shell of the coil head so the cotton always covers the mesh surface area. Then came along the Wotofo Profile and Mr Justright's solution the use of a spring loaded ceramic seat which sits directly underneath where the Mesh domes over from post to post. The Ceramic seat pushes the cotton against the mesh and has the cotton expands, then shrinks etc the ceramic constantly pushes the cotton against the mesh with the spring allowing it to lower or raise to achieve this. Such is the borrowing of ideas nature of vaping and lack of integrity since the Profile we have seen other manufacturers using the spring loaded ceramic seat. That's not a dig at Vandyvape as all vaping manufacturers without any regard to ownership of ideas use existing ideas constantly and as vapers we have actually benefited. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build The Deck is very simple with a vertical sitting clamp each side for the end of your mesh to slide into. The grub screws are on the sides, so simply loosen the screws, slide your mesh ends evenly in place and tighten the screws, it's that easy. The grub screws are phillips heads so in my opinion better than flatheads but would of preferred hex but phillips are fine. To make it even easier you are supplied with a simple tool to bend the mesh around before fitting, it bends the mesh to the perfect shape (another copied idea from the Profile). Before wicking pulse your mesh at about 15w (20w max) to get rid of any hot spots and burn off any residue from manufacture. Wicking is done very generously and you get supplied with 2 shoelace cotton pieces which are 6mm in diameter purpose made for wicking the mesh, the cotton is available in packs of 10 and previous mesh strips from Vandyvape are also available in packs of 10 so i expect it will be no different with the 4 different mesh strips supplied with the Mesh V2 RDA. What i do like with the deck is the very deep juice well so after combing through and giving your cotton ends a bit of a fluff up you don't need to be shy stuffing the cotton down into the wells. ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes and Thoughts! I used 2 of the supplied mesh strips, the pictured build is the SS316L Mesh which i actually used with the BF pin installed on my Half Moons Mech BF Mod with the airflow half open. I also used it again with the BF pin and half open airflow this time with the Dual Kanthal Mesh on the Aegis squonk mod which i found best at 55W. Before using the supplied Mesh i did a build with the standard pin using NexMesh to get some comparison with the Profile and when it comes to flavour there really is nothing in it but i am finding the airflow smoother on the Mesh V2. The 2 different supplied mesh strips i tried both gave flavour very close to the NexMesh with the Dual Kanthal Mesh pretty much matching it. The Mesh V2 with airflow fully open gives plenty of air which can be adjusted to get the restriction you like and as already mentioned the airflow is particularly smooth. Apart from the lack of Innovation as this as all been done before i only have one issue as it's a really good Mesh RDA. The issue is when swapping pins the ceramic seat and spring also comes off the deck which i found quite annoying, seeing has everything with the Mesh V2 is copied you would of thought they could of at least come up with some idea of their own so pins could be swapped independently of the ceramic seat. Finally back to the pro's, the Mesh V2 really shines on a BF device, leak resistant with the high angled down airflow, deep juice well and the juice entering directly on the cotton below the mesh with the surplus entering the wells either side for your cotton ends to soak up. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Spot on tolerances 7 Colour options Nice looking (subjective) 4 different Mesh strips included TC mesh option Full Specs given for mesh strips Cotton included screwdriver and Allen wrench included Mesh bending tool included 510 adaptor included Conical shape on the the top-cap Honeycomb airflow Leak resistant BF and standard pins Deep juice well BF friendly Stopper on outer sleeve which moves on a track Airflow can be realigned after adjustment Flavour very good Very smooth airflow Very nice Resin 810 drip tip Can fit own 810 Spring loaded Ceramic seat Cons Nothing new (lack of innovation) Swapping pins also means disassembling ceramic seat and spring I would once again like to thank Viktor for supplying the Mesh V2 RDA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Panda Hybrid RDTA from Bear Lair Mods. The Panda Hybrid RDTA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Nikita from Bear Lair Mods. Introduction Bear Lair mods are based in Russia and produce Genesis style high end products for those that still like using mesh as a wicking material. The Panda is actually a single coil Hybrid allowing it to be wicked with cotton when doing an horizontal build, then when changed to Genesis mode for a horizontal build either mesh or cotton can be used. The Panda arrived with a BF pin installed but a standard is included and it offers both a restricted lung hit or loose MTL draw dependant on how you adjust the simple but clever airflow system. I have never used mesh as the sole wicking material before so am quite eager to share my experience, so let's do just that! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: • 1x PANDA Hybrid Atty • 1x Reducer for genesis mode • 1x BF Pin with insulator • 1x Non-bf pin with insulator • 1x Spare Parts • 1x Plastic owners card with serial number • 1x Gift Pack ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Panda arrived in cardboard drawer style packaging, and pulling out the drawer revealed a unique looking atty and Plastic Panda's owners club card with serial number. The Panda comes in just the one colour option which is a Stainless Steel outer sleeve and base with Ultem inner sleeve, 510 drip tip and tank section. On the outer sleeve we see an abstract Panda logo front and a 1mm in height rectangular airflow slot on the reverse. Both sides of the sleeve also have centrally positioned rectangular airflow slots, these being 2mm in height. Above the outer sleeve we can see the protruding polished Ultem of the inner sleeve which can be turned for airflow adjustment, the inner sleeve up top accommodates a polished Ultem drip tip. The drip tip has quite a distinct look which will be like Marmite (you will love it or hate it) being very rounded, thick walled with quite narrow bore and goes so well with the matchy matchy inner sleeve it does look one solid piece but does actually pop out with a tug to reveal a standard 510 fitting. The Tank section is also Ultem which looks aesthetically pleasing with having the matching Ultem upper section then moving to the base we have branding in the form of "BEAR LAIR MODS" and the Bear Lair Mods logo. The one i received came pre-installed with a BF pin with Peek surround although a standard pin with separate Peek section is included. The build quality is top-notch with clean machining, tolerances perfect and every part of the Panda having a high quality feel and look to it! ___________________________________________________________________ Panda Specs and Features: Diameter: 22mm Height (without drit-tip and connector): 27mm Capacity: 1.5ml in BF mode, 2ml in non-bf mode Diameter of mesh holes and refueling hole: 3.5mm Air flow control: DL in RDTA mode (2x slots 4x steps 0.5mm) / MTL in Vertical coil mode (Regulated single blowing through the hole 1mm or 0.5mm) Atty materials: atty, screws, plugs – SS AISI 316, tank – ULTEM, insulators – PEEK O-rings: Silicone Positive pin: SS, not adjustable BF and non-BF Weight: 35g Thread: 510 Colour: Stainless Steel & Ultem ___________________________________________________________________ What You Receive? The Atty i received was sent for review and the box unsealed so it is possible a couple of extra items could come with the purchased atty so for example i received a strong good quality allen key for changing the pins but no flathead screwdriver was in the box for tightening or loosening the grub screws. The Panda came pre-installed with the BF pin although some literature i've read say's it comes pre-installed with the standard pin so this would need to be checked first but whichever pin is installed the other with its own peek surround section is also included, the pin it'self secures the atty together tight. Installed is the unique looking Ultem drip tip, you don't receive an alternative but it is a standard 510 fit so you can fit one of your own if you prefer. We then have the inner Ultem sleeve which controls airflow and outer stainless steel sleeve which fits over the o-rings of the deck with just the right tolerance, not too tight but not loose. Underneath the sleeve we have the deck set up for a horizontal single coil build with 2 wicking channels which double up as fill ports when the BF pin is not being used. On the underside of the deck we get the central pipe section that leads from the deck to the bottom of the atty, the Ultem tank gets fitted between. The Ultem tank section has a 2ml capacity which is reduced to 1.5ml when in Genesis mode as the wicking/fill hole plug that needs to be inserted sits deep reducing the capacity but as the Panda is really designed for use with the BF pin (especially when in Genesis mode) the main capacity comes from your squonk bottle. You don't receive a spare tank section or alternate glass option but then glass wouldn't really go with the look of the Atty. As mentioned you receive a wicking/fill hole plug, spare screws and o-rings and finally an allen key but no cotton/mesh or wire included which has to go down as a con because in my opinion any rebuildable should come with what is needed to do at least one build. Some Useful Information From The Manufacturer! ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow as been designed to give air from both sides of the coil which can be adjusted with a horizontal build but also gives adjustable airflow from one side when doing a vertical build whether this is with cotton or mesh wick. On the posts we have 2mm high rectangular cutout sections to allow air to be directed through the posts and at the sides of the coil. On the outer sleeve we also have the same sized rectangular slots that get lined up with the cutouts when fitting the sleeve over the deck. With the airflow slots on the sleeve and posts lined up we do have a very narrow cavity between allowing for the inner sleeve to turn between. Looking at the inner sleeve we can see both sides have steps but very narrow stepping with each one only being 0.5mm different to the step before. This means with the airflow fully open we have the mentioned 2mm high slots, but as we turn the sleeve this can be reduced each side to 1.5mm, 1.0mm or even just a 0.5mm narrow slot either side. As mentioned either side on the outer sleeve we have 2mm airflow rectangular cutouts and on the front we have the Panda logo but on the reverse to the logo (the remaining side) we have a smaller 1mm rectangular slot which while using the dual airflow for the horizontal build is closed off by the inner sleeve so redundant. When doing a vertical build the small 1mm slot gets lined up with your coil and the inner sleeve needs turning until the stepping comes into play or just before if you want the airflow fully open. With the stepping one side now at where we have the smaller slot the inner sleeve has closed the 2mm airflow slots and are now redundant, likewise the other side stepping is also redundant and will be positioned inside the sleeve around where the logo is. With the vertical build and smaller airflow inlet the 4 steps are no longer all in play as the slot is only 1mm in height so the choice is 1mm, 0.5mm or you can have a part step so for example have 0.5mm but start to move the 3rd step over which will close the airflow off completely just leaving a small gap. Finally when looking inside the sleeve it has a domed shape which in theory should encourage flavour. ___________________________________________________________________ Using With An Horizontal Build I mainly wanted to try the Panda with mesh wicking and share my thoughts but as i was doing research for a while on mesh wicking as it's new to me i chucked a horizontal build in just to see how it performs, and you literally can just chuck a build in it's that easy. The two posts face each other and we have open horizontal slots diagonal to each other with your screws being fastened from above and acting as clamps. The grub screws are a good size, have large heads and are good quality so i simply removed them completely as the screws aren't small and fiddly. We now have open vertical slots in the posts for your leads to just fall into and then putting the screws back in place and tightening down the leads just can't pop out as there is nowhere for them to go other than wave the White flag and get clamped in place. Once fastened you can improve the coils position with a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool and then snip your leads. Wicking is quite simple, you have two large wick ports which your cotton ends need poking through, some have them barely poking through, others go to the other extreme and have the cotton reaching the bottom of the tank, i would just suggest do whatever works best for you just bare in mind if you are using the standard pin these wicking holes is also where you fill so don't have your cotton packed tight (even when using BF pin as it won't wick so freely). ___________________________________________________________________ Preparing Deck For Vertical Build Whether using cotton or mesh for wicking a couple of alterations are needed to the deck to do a vertical build. Instead of the terminals being diagonal to each other with a fair distance between the 2 we need the terminals closer occupying just one small area of the deck and we also need to introduce some height difference between the positive and negative leads. On the opposite ends of the posts to where we have our terminal slots we have a hole on each post. The hole on the positive post is just a breathing hole but the one on the negative has threading for a grub screw. Taking the screw out of it's usual position on the negative post where it clamps down the lead where we have the terminal slot it can be moved and threaded into the hole positioned on the negative post opposite the positive slot. This also introduces the height difference needed as the positive lead gets clamped by the screw bottom in the positive slot while the negative lead gets clamped on the top of the negative post by the screw head. With only one of the wick holes needed for the vertical build included is a plug for the other which needs inserting, this also reduces the chamber. ___________________________________________________________________ Preparing The Mesh Wicking This was the first time i have used mesh for wicking so hit Youtube to get some pointers which was part an help but also made it more time consuming than it should of been as they all seemed to prepare a wick starting with a 5cm by 4cm sheet which after my initial roll i found was not just far too long but also at least twice as thick as needed (not even close to fitting through the wicking port). Length wasn't a problem as it can simply be cut to the correct length once the wick is completed and luckily i had only oxidised and rolled the mesh before realising the wick would be far too thick so i could unroll and cut to a more appropriate size which i found to be both 2.5cm for height and length to get it thin enough and the correct height. Making the mesh wick does take a little time but is pretty straightforward and far less time consuming than i thought and that was even including my trial and error on getting the correct size. First holding the mesh with tweezers i blow torched the mesh sheet both sides to oxidise it and get rid of any impurities. Then i made a small fold one end before rolling it from the other around something thin, i used the thinnest allen key i have. Then i drenched the wick with e-liquid before blow torching and burning this off, i repeated this process 3 times. Finally i heated the wick with the blow torch until it was glowing then plunged it into water, again i repeated this process 3 times and that's the wick made. Despite making the wick thinner than it was initially going to be it still was a very tight fit getting it through the wick hole but this allowed me to suspend it a couple of milometers above the bottom of the tank and kept the wick very securely in place so at this stage i'm thinking as long as wicking isn't an issue this is the size and thickness i want. ___________________________________________________________________ Vertical Build With Mesh Wick I have already explained getting the deck ready for a vertical build but really using the mesh wick for the first time i wasn't expecting it to turn out. I found a loose length of wire in my wick box and as i only buy Kanthal and SS wire either single round wire or prepared fused clapton all i can say is it was fused clapton but giving any other specs would be purely guesswork. I placed one end of the wire in the positive slot and tightened the screw down then simply wrapped the wire around the mesh wicking a few times before securing the wire underneath the grub screw head on the negative post, snipped the leads and expected very little. I pulsed and hey presto i have glowing wire around the mesh, as you can see from the pics it's not going to win a prettiest build contest but after dripping a little liquid over the mesh and seeing it vaporise with another pulse i am now getting quite excited, checked the resistance and it's 0.84 which kept the good news coming. I used the Panda with the BF pin but before putting it on my squonking device i did remove the wicking plug and filled the tank before securing the plug back into place and then placed the sleeve over the deck with the correct airflow lined up. ___________________________________________________________________ How The Panda Performs And My Thoughts! First i briefly used the Panda with a horizontal build and cotton wicking and as explained earlier in the review the build and wicking is very straightforward with the only things to point out being the terminal slots are not that wide so it's not suitable for chunky exotic coils, also there is no independent fill port so if using the standard pin then the panda both needs filling down one of the wick holes and with only being 2ml capacity it will need filling often. The draw using an horizontal coil with dual airflow is a restrictive direct lung vape and as you close each step on the airflow down it becomes more restrictive, in fact with just dual 0.5mm slots it is suitable for both a very restrictive lung hit or even a loose MTL style. With the horizontal build i had no issues with flavour either, the airflow was smooth, it just gave a really nice vape. With this build i used Kanthal fused clapton i wound myself that came out to 0.56ohm which i preferred with the airflow slots being 1.5mm and was at 25W. The vertical build in Genesis mode was how i have for the most part been using the Panda and despite the ugly looking build it couldn't have turned out any better from a vaping experience point of view. The wick i have wound very tight and it's also a very tight fit through the wicking port so i was worried about how well it would wick but it's wicking like a trooper and how tight the wick is allowed me to just have the Panda in my pocket on top of my Aether squonk mod when i was out and about. One of the issues i have heard about mesh wicking is that the tank needs to be kept upright else it will leak everywhere but with the wick being tight this turned out not to be the case at all. I had just one dry hit in the whole time of using the Panda and that was only when on purpose i was doing some mad chain vaping to test it out. It was quite weird because unlike cotton where you get warning as the vape gets less and less saturated before you get a dry hit the mesh just gave saturated vapes then out of the blue the worst dry hit i have ever experienced, i won't be experimenting chain vaping with mesh again that's for sure. After saying that i just waited 30 seconds and nervously took another vape and it was straight back to a saturated vape and under normal vaping conditions i had no other dry hits. Another thing i noticed was despite hearing the vapor production is not as great using mesh wicking i really didn't notice any reduction and in fact the vapor is much denser than with cotton to the point i needed to keep the living room door closed because it kept setting off the smoke alarm. Bearing in mind the smoke alarm only goes off occasionally when vaping normally and sometimes if testing certain atty's i can be at about 60W and with the Panda i was just at 20W with a loose MTL style so the lack of vapor production seems to be a complete myth. The draw with the airflow wide open with the vertical build allows for either a loose MTL or very restrictive lung hit, personally i had the slot at 0.5mm which still gave quite a loose MTL but not as loose as fully open and no longer possible for a DL vape of any satisfaction, as mentioned i was using fused clapton that came out to 0.84ohm and was at 20W. The flavour i just can't compare to anything as this is the first time using mesh wick but it's a much cleaner crisper flavour than using cotton and in my opinion superior. I was very impressed with the flavour and came to the conclusion although not realising it even when i think i am getting good flavour using cotton, cotton must mute the flavour slightly because the mesh is different league. The last thing to mention is the drip tip which i feel will divide opinion aesthetically, but whether you like the look or not it must be about the most comfortable drip tip i have used and the option of fitting your own is always there. Conclusion I am enjoying the Panda that much with mesh wicking i have ordered a couple of other Genesis style tanks to have a play with! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes High end build quality Polished Ultem and Stainless Steel finish Extremely comfortable drip tip (will divide opinion aesthetically) Drip tip standard 510 fit (can use your own) Standard single coil horizontal build Horizontal Build: very easy build and wick, Good flavour, smooth airflow, various restricted DL or even loose MTL smallest airflow setting. Deck can be altered for Vertical build (mesh or cotton wicking) Preparing mesh wick easier than expected Vertical Build very easy (even if my build looks ugly) Mesh wicking: Superior cleaner, crisper flavour Vertical Build: smooth airflow, mid to loose MTL, very restricted DL possible with airflow fully open Dual or single airflow design 0.5mm airflow stepping on inner sleeve Fully adjustable airflow Top and drip tip stay very cool Despite hearing differently could use the Panda out and about with mesh wicking without leaking issues. Mesh wicked like a trooper Mesh gave dense, creamy vapour (just lush with flavour to match) Included wicking port plug BF and standard pins included with their own peek surround sections Grub screws are high quality with large heads (spares included) Can use squonk bottle as extension of capacity Cons No independent fill port (only applicable when using standard pin) Small capacity (only an issue with standard pin) No building material included Preparing mesh wick is time consuming (but easier than i thought) Can't use thick wire I would once again like to thank Nikita from Bear Lair Mods for supplying the Panda Hybrid BF RDTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Aladdin MTL RTA from Kaees. The KAEES Aladdin MTL RTA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Pearl from Cigabuy. Introduction Kaees have a pretty solid track record of manufacturing decent rebuildable tanks and here we have their latest MTL RTA, the Aladdin. The Aladdin has two parallel track clamp style terminals and gives the choice of using a single airflow hole or a series of different sized holes using a cyclops adjustment. With it's unique looking top cap with bayonet style fitting and horned shaped 510 drip tip the 304 Stainless Steel constructed RTA is well worth a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x ALADDIN MTL RTA (2ml) 1 x Spare 4ml Glass Tube 1 x Hex driver 1 x User Manual 1 x Spare Parts ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Aladdin comes in quite basic cardboard packaging but on opening a very unique looking little RTA is on show. I received the Gunmetal version which comes with a matching 304 Stainless Steel horn shaped 510 drip tip, the colour options are Rainbow, Blue, Gunmetal, Black and Stainless Steel, all come with matching horn drip tip. The stand out aesthetic feature is the Minaret Crown top-cap looking very Middle Eastern, we also have the usual abstract Kaees Lion logo on the small chamber that can be seen through the glass. On the bottom we have both a narrow cyclops slot that can be lined up with a series of holes and a single airflow hole for airflow adjustment. The base see's printed branding and safety stamps, we also have a protruding, Gold plated 510. This is quite a low price compared to many RTA's yet the build quality, machining and threading is excellent. ___________________________________________________________________ Aladdin Specs and Features: Size: 53.7 x 22mm Capacity: 2ml (straight glass) 4ml (bulge glass) Drip Tip: 510 drip tip Material: Food-grade 304 stainless steel Quick lock system and half-circle ON/OFF on top cap Two paralleled tracks with one post each on its build deck Airflow adjustment system and 304 SS horn type drip tip Thread: 510 Colours: Rainbow, Blue, Gunmetal, Black, Stainless Steel ___________________________________________________________________ The Aladdin's Various Parts The Aladdin comprises of a horn shaped stainless Steel 510 drip tip that fits into a top-cap that is shaped like a Minaret Crown. The base section houses a deck which is raised enough for me to class as a floating deck. We have a standard Gold plated pin installed and a 2ml straight glass which when the tank is screwed together is secured and sealed top and bottom with o-rings. Underneath the top cap we have the fill plate with filling ports with attached small chamber underneath, the chamber screws onto the outside of the deck to fasten the tank. We also get a spare 4ml bulge glass, spare screws, o-rings and a hex driver. There is no second drip tip included although it's a standard 510 fit so you can install your own. Also no coils or cotton is included which is a pet hate of mine as it's my opinion every rebuildable should come with what is needed to do at least one build. As mentioned the Aladdin is quite a cheap price but surely they still could of threw a small pad of cotton and a coil in the box. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow How the airflow is controlled is what we have seen many times in the past. When you remove the airflow control ring there is a series of 5 different sized holes, the sizes are 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.3mm and 1.4mm and then looking at the airflow control ring we have a narrow cyclops slot followed by a single 1.4mm hole. The airflow control ring once fitted runs on a track so has stoppers both ends and we can line the cyclops slot up with either all 5 holes, 4 holes, 3 holes, 2 holes or just the last hole. If we keep turning the airflow control ring the slot is no longer in play and we can use the single 1.4mm hole to line up with one of the different size airflow inlets. If you were to remove the pin and didn't see the solid outer end you could be mistaken at first glance to think it was a BF pin as it has 2 holes towards the top (one either side) and then it's hollow with the top open. The air comes in through the hole or holes on the base and then enters the pin through the mentioned side holes. The air then travels the small distance through the rest of the hollow pin and out the top and through the small outlet hole on the deck positioned underneath where your coil will be placed. When looking inside the chamber it has a low ceiling and has some doming, also with the large post walls either side the chamber will be very reduced which should encourage flavour. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The Aladdin MTL RTA employs a bayonet style fitting which is becoming more and more common. Just a quarter of a turn and the top-cap is off, when securing again it's just a quarter turn and job done! The fill plate has 2 large kidney shaped fill ports more like you would expect with a subohm tank rather than a MTL RTA so no issues with filling whatsoever, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build The deck looks a bit different due to having large rectangular walls facing each other with a slot towards the end of one side in each wall. This gives a thin section of wall for the screw to clamp the wire against while the screw is fastened from the side through the much thicker section of wall so the screws are recessed quite a way inside these wall sections so the hex tool needs pushing quite away inside the opening before it contacts the screw. I haven't looked at any other reviews of the Aladdin but i have a feeling having the screws recessed will give a few reviewers an easy con but i actually like the way it's done as when the tool contacts the screw it's automatically lined up so bites immediately so tightening and loosening the screws is a doddle. In fact i love this deck for how easy it is to build on, you can just lay your coil in place and your leads fall in the terminal slots then simply tighten your screws, then with a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool position your coil centrally over the airflow outlet. When it comes to trimming your leads there is two horizontal cutouts in the thin wall sections which you can bend your access leads into before trimming as this directs the leads to where there will be more space between them and the fitted chamber to prevent shorting. Personally being very happy with how flush my cutters snip the leads didn't bother and left these redundant but they are there if you wish to use them. It's raised enough to be classed as a GTA style floating deck so wicking is also a doddle, just cut your cotton ends bow tie style (not too long) and just poke them through the round juice channels so they are not going to suffocate the flow, once the cotton is saturated gravity will allow the cotton to find it's own level. The pictured build is one of two builds i did, its using a superfine MTL Fused Clapton Ni80 ID 2.6, 32ga*2+38ga 6 wraps which came out to 1.25ohms which i experimented with different airflow options. I also used a simple round wire coil with 3.0ID i wound myself using 26ga Kanthal wire that came out at 0.78ohm which i vaped loose MTL (airflow fully open). ___________________________________________________________________ How it Vapes and My Thoughts! After a long period where MTL vapers were mostly ignored 2019 has seen a resurgence of MTL products which has been long overdue. I both vape restricted lung and i also like a loose MTL at times and although most MTL products suit me those products that give the full MTL draw spectrum are still a rarity. The Aladdin MTL RTA is one such tank being 100% MTL giving a loose MTL (forget getting a restricted lung hit) with all 5 holes open right down to an extremely tight draw. I mainly experimented with the slot adjustment as when using the single hole the draw was just far too tight for me but at the same time it brought a smile to my face as i'm thinking those true Mouth To Lung vapers are going to love this. Looking at how the airflow is controlled, the small single outlet underneath the coil and domed low chamber ceiling there is nothing new to expect anything special but the Aladdin shocked me as it made my e-liquid sing bringing the back notes to life. I am a fan of the berserkers and Vapefly MTL offerings but for me the Aladdin out performs them, i'm finding it a bit special. The tank isn't noisy but at times with certain airflow set-ups seems as if it's trying to whistle but it's not turbulence as the airflow is as smooth as a baby's bum. Being more into a loose draw i just used 3mg for the most part but even with 6mg when trying a tighter draw it gave quite a satisfying throat hit (although that's not really what i'm looking for these days), i also tried some 20mg 50/50 nic salts that worked great and all liquids including my DIY 70VG wicked like a dream, i have also had no flooding or leaking whatsoever. To finish my pro's for the Aladdin both doing a build and filling the tank is as quick and easy as it gets. So are there any cons? just a couple which are firstly the lack of what you receive as a coil, cotton and alternate drip tip would bring it more into line with what i would expect. The only other con i have is when you tighten the tank down on a device the airflow control ring sits flush so also tightens to the device meaning i needed to loosen the tank off slightly, then hold the RTA still with one hand while adjusting the airflow with my other but the quality of the flavourful vape the Aladdin produces i can overlook this issue. I must say i prefer the look with the straight glass so have been sticking to that but for a genuine MTL RTA the Aladdin ploughs through e-liquid far quicker than expected so i am probably going to switch to the 4ml bulge glass. ___________________________________________________________________ Conclusion The best MTL RTA i have used to date, i rarely actually recommend products leaving it up to the reader to read and watch many reviews as well as doing there own research, but on this occasion i highly recommend the Aladdin MTL RTA, giving it two thumbs up! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Excellent build quality (best from Kaees so far) Unique looking Aesthetically pleasing 5 colour options Bayonet top-cap fitting (needs just quarter turn) Large kidney shaped fill ports Filing quick and easy Spare 4ml bulge glass included Very easy to build GTA floating style deck Wicks like a dream Full MTL spectrum, super tight to loose Airflow adjustment slot and individual hole allows micro management No leaking or Flooding experienced Flavour a bit special Smooth airflow across the board Cons Do not receive coil or cotton Do not receive alternate drip tip Airflow control ring fastens tight on device Thirsty for MTL RTA I would once again like to thank Pearl from Cigabuy for supplying the KAEES Aladdin MTL RTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the RPM 40 Pod Mod Kit from Smok. The SMOK RPM 40 Pod Mod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Tinna from Buybest. Introduction Smok haven't been quite as prolific of late but have recently brought out a few devices the RPM 40 Pod Mod being one of them. The cuboid shaped pod mod with screen and fully adjustable wattage is the way i believe the market will go in regards pod/AIO devices in 2020 with the market reaching saturation point when it comes to the smaller, simple pod devices. The RPM has adjustable wattage which can be adjusted up to 40W, a display that can be customised and comes with 2 different pods/cartridges, one which accommodates replaceable RPM coils and the other accommodates Nord coils so the available coil options are multiple. With a 1500mAh in-built battery, an RPM RBA available and coming in 8 colour options, let's give it a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Standard Edition: • 1 x RPM40 Device (1500mAh) • 1 x RPM Standard Pod (RPM Mesh 0.40ohm Coil Preinstalled) (4.3ml) • 1 x RPM Nord Pod (Nord DC 0.60ohm Coil Preinstalled) (4.5ml) • 1 x USB Cable • 1 x User Manual EU 2 ml Edition: • 1 x RPM40 Device (1500mAh) • 1 x RPM Standard Pod (RPM Mesh 0.4ohm Coil Preinstalled) (2ml) • 1 x RPM Nord Pod (Nord DC 0.60ohm Coil Preinstalled) (2ml) • 1 x USB Cable • 1 x User Manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The RPM 40 comes in a cardboard box with outer cardboard sleeve and when opened we find all items on one layer. I received the Prism Gold version, the colour options are Bright Black, Prism Chrome, Orange, White, Prism Rainbow, Purple Red, Green and Prism Gold, depending which version 3 sides have either colourful designs or Carbon Fiber panels. The form factor reminds me of the Cube X from OBS but slimmer and of course instead of fitting a tank up top we have the Black protruding squared off mouthpiece of the pod/cartridge. If the other metallic colours are the same as the Gold i received the chassis is a fingerprint magnet but overall seems a durable finish and the build quality is very good. On the face we have a Black panel which houses a square protruding fire button at the top and side by side rectangular navigational buttons towards the bottom, in-between we have a large coloured screen. Both sides and rear have carbon fiber panels on the version i received with some understated branding on the rear panel. Both sides towards the top we have slots cutout to allow air to the pod/cartridge and moving to the base we have the micro USB port. The device is a nice portable size and weight and feels great in the hand when in use. ___________________________________________________________________ RPM 40 Specs and Features: Size: 25 x 25 x 99mm Weight: 99g Capacity: 4.3 ml Battery Capacity: 1500mAh Standby Current: <140uA Input Voltage: 3.3V-4.2V Output Voltage: 0.5V-4.1V Firing Time: 0.001S Output wattage: 1W-40W Charging Current: 0.88A (Max) Charging Voltage: 5V Output Mode: Watt Resistance Range: 0.22-2.502 Overcharge Voltage: 4.3V Over-discharge Voltaqe: 2.4V • Ultra portable pod mod that shapes like a cuboid • Large 1500 battery capacity for longer vaping time • Newly IQ-R chip shortening the firing time to 0.001S • Max output power—40W • 0.96 inch TFT screen to clearly show the detailed vaping data • More coil options Colours: Bright Black, Prism Chrome, Orange, White, Prism Rainbow, Purple Red, Green, Prism Gold ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Different Pods/Cartridges You receive 2 different cartridges and while they both appear to have the same dimensions each house a different family of coils which itself changes the pod/cartridge capacity. Both Pods/Cartridges are 2ml with the TPD version although i don't see how they can have exactly the same capacity as the RPM coils are bigger than the Nord which surely reduces capacity. With the standard version the Pod/Cartridge that accommodates the RPM family of coils has a capacity of 4.3ml and can be identified by being a clear pod/cartridge with a Red fill bung which says "RPM" on it. The pod/cartridge that houses the Nord coils have a 4.5ml capacity and can be identified by having a smoked finish and a Black fill bung which says "NORD" on it. Although the Nord pod/cartridge has a smoked appearance there is no issues with seeing the e-liquid inside, with both pods/cartridges the coils get press fitted with attached base section into the pods/cartridges. ___________________________________________________________________ The Pods/Cartridges The pods are a cube shape with Black squared off mouthpiece and i have already explained the differences between the 2 pods/cartridges you receive. On one side of the pod/cartridge we have a large bung that can be pulled out via the outer edge leaving the bung still attached to the pod/cartridge. The fill port is one of the biggest i have seen on a pod/cartridge just make sure you have the pod/cartridge on it's side then you can fill quickly and absolutely mess free. Looking at the base of the pod/cartridge with installed coil you can see the round central positive and negative surround spit in 2 parts (allowing pod to be fitted 2 different ways) peek separates the positive and negative sections. The pods/cartridges have no adjustable airflow but if you look at both sides of the device we have 2 generous slots cutout to allow plenty of air to get to the pod/cartridges leaving airflow to be controlled by the bore of the coil heads. ___________________________________________________________________ The Coils You get 2 coils included both of which are pre-installed in the included pods/cartridges. In the RPM pod we get the RPM 0.4ohm Mesh coil with a recommended wattage of 25W, in the Nord pod we get the Nord regular 0.6ohm dual coil recommended at 20W. Being able to use both RPM and Nord coils gives plenty of available options: ___________________________________________________________________ RBA Available If you spotted it bottom left on the picture of the available coil heads you would of noticed there is an RPM RBA head available which will spark an interest i'm sure. The RBA comes with wire and cotton to do a 0.6ohm build and when doing other builds you need to make sure the minimum resistance is 0.25ohm, it's a real shame this isn't included in the kit. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod/Cartridge Looking inside the pods bay we can see the positive and negative Gold plated, spring loaded contacts and the inside of the side cutouts which will allow air to the pods. We can also see front and back small indents that correspond to protruding notches on the pod/cartridge. These notches just make the pod even more secure when press fitted into place, the pod/cartridge fits very securely in fact it takes quite an effort to remove which normally should be a pro. I said should be a pro but i wish the pod/cartridge could actually be removed just slightly more easily as one of the main cons for the device is that only the Black mouthpiece of the pod/cartridge protrudes from the top of the device so you can't see your juice level which means you need to remove the pod/cartridge to check, luckily i received the standard version so with having a large capacity this isn't as much of a problem as it could be. ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The colour display is very bright and impressively sharp with all the information needed on show. Top left we have "SMOK" then top right we have the battery status bar. Underneath we have the wattage and below this a wavy line. Underneath the line positioned centrally we have the time of your vape which stays displayed until your next puff is taken. Next we have resistance followed by voltage and then your puff count. Bottom left we have a painting pallet icon followed by 6 different coloured squares in an horizontal row. The main information is in white but added icons and the mentioned wavy line can be customised to be one of 6 colours. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The RPM 40 The RPM 40 may have a pod/cartridge that fits to the device but the device operates just like any other variable wattage regulated device. The device is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on the wattage can be adjusted in 1W increments from 1W to 40W, it doesn't round robin. We do have a number of combination key press features which include pressing fire and left together resets the puff counter and fire and right together moves to the next colour option if you want to change the colour of certain items on the screen, the colours to choose from are Red, Orange, Blue, Magenta, Green and White. Pressing the fire button 3 times locks the whole device so it will not fire, alternatively you can lock just the navigational buttons by pressing them both at the same time. Finally as expected the device has the usual safety protections and if one kicks in a message is displayed on the screen. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections High-Temperature Protection 8 Seconds Cutoff Short Circuit Protection Low Voltage Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Charging The RPM 40 has 1A charging, well actually they admit it is actually 0.88A but most manufacturers round the figure up so 0.88A is about norm for the claim of 1A charging. You charge the device via the micro USB cable and both a battery status bar and the charge given as a percentage is displayed while the device is being charged, the RPM 40 also supports pass through so you can vape while charging. The USB port is on the base of the device which i don't like as i much prefer to be able to stand devices upright while charging. Charging took just under 2 hours on each occasion i charged and that included doing a bit of vaping during it's charge. ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes and My Thoughts! The device is cracking, it really is much better than i was expecting. I have also been testing the Voopoo Vinci which of course is so very similar and although that device has certain things in favour of it going by what i have heard on forums i thought as a comparison it would be a hands down victory to the Vinci but it's a lot closer contest than that. Unlike the Vinci where i get (not 100% certain whether it's condensation or a bit of escaping e-liquid) moisture in the pods bay the RPM 40's bay stays dry, also there are so many coil options including an available RBA for the RPM 40 which goes in it's favour. How the two devices perform is very similar but i do like that i can see the juice level without having to remove the pod on the Vinci and of course you also have the option of draw activation as well as the physical fire button. The Draw using the RPM 40 is a restricted direct lung with the bore on the coil heads determining just how restrictive, some of the coil heads might allow for MTL but considering the air the pods are getting it's going to be a loose MTL but really the mouthpiece just isn't suited to that style of vaping. The device fires as quick as any modern regulated device and hit's set wattage instantly, i found it performed excellently and really have no complaints. The Nord coil performed great giving solid flavour although i have used Nord coils in the past so knew what i was going to get but the pick was the RPM Mesh coil which gave really good flavour and lasted for 6 refills before any sought of drop off but even now the flavour is far too good to toss the coil just yet. I was fine with the 20W recommendation with the Nord coil but found the 25W for the RPM coil didn't give a cool vape but just felt a bit more warmth would be ideal, i bumped the wattage up to 30W and this was much better and the coil took the extra wattage comfortably in it's stride in fact while testing 70VG liquid even wicked perfectly ok with a bit of chain vaping at 35W. I used both 50/50 and 70%VG juices and both coils handled both well and as mentioned the RPM coil had no problems wicking well over it's recommended wattage. I also like the shape, size and weight of the device it's ideal for a carry about, i feel charging was about par for a 1500mAh battery and supporting pass-through is a pro but i really don't like the position of the USB port. Other things i like is the display (including customisation), the amount of coil options available and also having an available RBA head but i really think the RPM 40 would gain much more interest if this was included. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Nice build quality Plenty of colour options Portable, ergonomic device Supports Nord and RPM coils Both Nord and RPM pod/cartridge included Large fill port (mess free filling) RBA head available Various restricted DL draws (dependant on coil used) Good flavour (supplied Nord Coil) Very good flavour (supplied RPM coil) Longevity above average both supplied coils Adjustable wattage 1W-40W (1W increments) Puff counter (can be reset) Sharp, bright, colour display Display can be customised Large capacity both pods/cartridges (standard version) 1A charging (0.88A to be precise) Supports Pass-through Detected no leaking or condensation inside pod/cartridge bay Cons Need to remove pod/cartridge to see juice level No adjustable airflow Not really suitable for MTL (loose MTL at best with available coils) RBA head not included Micro USB port on base I would once again like to thank Tinna from Buybest for supplying the SMOK RPM 40 Pod Mod Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Mulan MTL RDTA from Cthulhu Mod. The Cthulhu Mulan MTL RDTA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore. Introduction Since Cthulhu Mod came on the scene they have continuously released MTL atty's even when the MTL scene was quiet so now the releasing of MTL products has picked back up (which at long last as been the case in 2019) Cthulhu show no signs of slowing down. The Mulan MTL RDTA (i would prefer it being called a top coiler RTA as really RDTA's don't seem to exist anymore, they are simply RTA's with the tank on the bottom but they are not used for dripping so technically shouldn't be called RDTA's) is Cthulhu latest offering which brings us an internal domed chamber inside the sleeve and airflow inserts that can be changed on the fly. Coming with both a standard and BF pin, short delrin and longer Stainless Steel 510 drip tips and both a glass and poly-carbonate tank section let's give the Mulan MTL RDTA a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Mulan MTL RDTA 1 x 510 steel drip tip 1 x PC tube 1 x Manual 1 x Spare o-ring bag 3 x Airflow inserts 1 x Flannel bag ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Mulan MTL RDTA comes in cardboard tubular packaging with the atty itself being placed inside a little pouch. I received the Black version but there is also a Silver option, it comes with a shortish delrin MTL drip tip installed. The Mulan is made of 304 Stainless Steel and comes with a glass tank installed, we have a short tank section at the bottom then much larger metal top section as this is where the deck is housed. Halfway up the top section we have a groove that encircles the sleeve making it look like it's in 2 parts but it's purely aesthetics as we have a one piece sleeve. Underneath the groove we have a 2mm airflow hole and the top of the sleeve tapers to meet the drip tip. Moving to the base we have printed branding and safety marks, the Silver plated pin which comes pre-installed is a standard but a BF pin is included. The build quality is very good and certainly the finish on the Black version i received seems durable and in general there is a retro look about the Mulan. ___________________________________________________________________ Mulan MTL RDTA Specs and Features: Height: 33mm (without drip tip) Diameter: 22mm Type: Single Coil RDTA Drip Tip: 510 Material: 304 food grade steel Double chamber system to dissipate heat Changeable airflow insert without rebuilding coil Three airflow inserts (0.8mm 1.4mm 2.0mm) Silver-plated positive pin Perfect for restricted MTL vaping Squonk-friendly for squonker MODs Thread: 510 Colour: Black, Silver ___________________________________________________________________ It's Various Parts and What You Receive The Mulan comprises of drip tip, sleeve, deck section, tank and finally the base with 510 pin. The mulan comes pre-installed with a delrin drip tip, glass tank and Silver plated standard pin but included is a longer Stainless Steel drip tip, s poly-carbonate tank section and a BF pin if you prefer squonking. The Mulan utilises airflow inserts and as well as the one installed you receive 2 extra (all have different size airflow outlets). You also receive spare o-rings and screws, screwdriver and an allen key for the BF pin but sadly there is no cotton or pre-wound coils included which is a pet hate of mine when it comes to rebuildables (It should come with everything that is needed to do at least one build). ___________________________________________________________________ Airflow Inserts The Mulan utilises airflow inserts that can be best described as a piece of pizza, removing the insert is like removing a slice from the whole pizza (the deck) and inserting one completes the pizza. The inserts get secured by screwing them down from above, the screw is to the outer of the insert so fully accessible while a build is in place and the insert can be removed and slid in place without disturbing your build so you can swap inserts on the fly which is a big pro. The air enters the insert through a side hole which is 2mm on all three inserts, it then travels through the insert until coming out the outlet which gets positioned directly underneath the coil, these outlets are what differs on each insert, the outlets are 0.8mm, 1.4mm and 2.0mm. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow is part controlled by turning the sleeve to adjust the airflow alignment but is mostly determined by which insert is fitted, the 2mm airflow hole which is on the outer sleeve needs lining up with the airflow hole (also 2mm) on the outer edge of the insert, of course when perfectly lined up that's the airflow fully open but this can be micro managed. The air then travels through the insert and then up through the outlet hitting the underside of your coil, not having an insert in place isn't an option with the Mulan. Looking inside the sleeve we can see an indented section on the sleeve which gets lined up with the fitted insert, this needs to be lined up for the sleeve to fully fit and then once in place it gives just enough play for adjusting airflow before acting as a stopper. Even more interestingly instead of just having the outer sleeve as expected we have an inner domed chamber attached to the inside of the sleeve that sits over your build giving both a very reduced chamber but it also protects the outer sleeve from getting hot. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling I personally used the Mulan with the BF pin but did initially fill the tank. The fill port can be found on the deck and on the opposite side of the deck we also have a tiny breathing hole. The fill hole is not very big so some nozzles will be an issue my only advice would be to take your time when filling or decant to a needle nose bottle. When using on a BF device simply squonk to keep the tank topped up, the liquid comes out of holes either side at the top of the pin just before the deck section. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build We have a 22mm deck which like the atty itself is quite retro looking. We have tubular posts side by side so both leads need to face the same way which get fed through round terminal holes one in each post, the leads get tightened from above with philips grub screws. With your leads thread through the terminal holes just hold the coil in position while tightening the screws. After installing the coil you can use a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool to position the coil exactly where you want it before then making sure your screws are still tight then snip your leads. With these top coiler atty's people have their own way of wicking from having the wicks feeding down to the bottom of the tank to the other extreme like how i wick just poking my wicks slightly through the ports, just stick to whatever works for you! I did 2 builds, one round wire and a fused clapton build and both builds were easy enough. ___________________________________________________________________ How The Mulan Vapes and Thoughts! I used the Mulan with the BF pin installed as that's how i use RDTA's (top coilers) when a BF pin is included using the squonk bottle as an extension of it's capacity. As mentioned i did 2 builds and being able to swap the inserts on the fly allowed me to try all 3 inserts with both builds. The 2.0mm insert gives a very loose MTL which worked better with the 0.68ohm fused clapton build as a restricted lung hit, when using this insert the airflow was a little choppy. The 1.4mm again gave a loose MTL draw but when closing the airflow down on the outer sleeve it gave more of a mid range MTL, both coils suited this insert well and the airflow was much smoother. The smallest insert gave a nice tight draw very similar to a cigarette pull which again was very smooth, this suited the round wire 1.12ohm build much better. Both builds with all inserts except for using the 0.8mm with the 0.68ohm build gave cracking flavour and i would say the Mulan was at it's best with the 1.12ohm coil with the 0.8mm insert at 15W. The build wasn't difficult and the Mulan worked well with the BF pin installed, i tried different PG/VG ratios and had no issues with wicking and being able to change inserts on the fly is a big pro! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Good build quality Nice retro looking Top coiler Build easy enough Can use squonk bottle as extension of it's capacity Cigarette type draw right up to restricted DL possible 0.8mm and 1.4mm gave smooth airflow Fantastic flavour Wicked well with all ratios i tried 50/50 up to 80VG 2 different MTL style drip tips included Can use your own 510 Glass and Poly-carbonate tank sections included Standard and BF pins included 3 Airflow inserts Inserts can be swapped on the fly Inner domed chamber attached to sleeve Sleeve locks in place allowing enough play for airflow adjustment micro manage airflow further with sleeve Cons Doesn't include coils or cotton Small fill port 2.0mm insert, airflow slightly choppy I would once again like to thank Ella for supplying the Cthulhu Mulan MTL RDTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Brunhilde MTL RTA 5ml/2ml from Vapefly. The Brunhilde MTL RTA 5ml/2ml was supplied for the purpose of this review by Mindy from Vapefly. Introduction Vapefly was about the most underrated vaping manufacturer mostly going underneath the Radar with their first few releases despite bringing us some seriously good products which showed they were not going to shy away from trying to be innovative. Now the cat is out the bag and most vapers recognise Vapefly as an excellent manufacturer leading the way when it comes to innovative products especially regarding airflow designs that actually work and improve flavour. The German 103 Team were founded by Martin Hartkopf who has been a Youtube reviewer since 2013 with his channel DampfWolke7. The team comprises of 103 mainly German speaking members headed by Martin who's goal is to think outside the box however crazy the idea to design innovative products and in Vapefly they have a perfect partner. The Brunhilde Top Coiler MTL RTA is the third project, the first being the Core RTA and the second the Brunhilde MTL RTA's big brother, the original which is a DL version. The Brunhilde MTL RTA is quite correctly named by vapefly being a top coiler RTA rather than an RDTA as dripping just wouldn't be practical, in my opinion over half the RDTA's that are released should be called top coiler RTA's for the same practical reason, nobody drips on the deck! It's an interesting RTA which uses Steel replenishing rods to transfer e-liquid from the tank to the deck before cotton takes over to wick the coil. It features a side fill method, large capacity and airflow inserts to get the precise MTL draw you are looking for. I am a big fan of the original Brunhilde top coiler RTA so let's give it's MTL brother a good look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1×Brunhilde MTL RTA 1×Extra Glass tube 1×Long drip tip(resin) 2×Stainless steel wires 6×Screw airflow sets 9×O-rings 2×Pre-built 1.0ohm 26GA (Ni 80) 1×Allen Key 1×T-type screwdriver 8×Screws 2×Firebolt Cotton 1×User manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Brunhilde comes in a cardboard box with a sleeve which is a rather nice shade of beige. I received the Stainless Steel version and while i have no complaints i must say the Gunmetal is the pick for me. The colour options are Stainless Steel, Black and Gunmetal, up top is a short shapely 510 drip tip which is Black on all versions and looks to be delrin. The Brunhilde is 23.00mm in diameter and a whopping 65.5mm in height, it's a skyscraper like it's bigger brother just with a smaller diameter. The tallness and overall look of the Brunhilde will separate people into three camps, those that think it's a monstrosity, those that really like it and those like me who like it but strictly not to be seen in public, just too tall for out and about. The RTA has a hell of a lot of metal to it and all machining and quality of finish is top notch, not just on the outside but also deck and inside the tank itself. I'm not going to get into an argument whats high end but does it need to have at least 3 figures to join the club. The bottom 40% is the glass section which has an outer cage which is 2 crests one on the front and the same on the back which shape leaves plenty of cutout sections to see both your liquid and the Steel replenishing rods, the crests also have some nice engraving on them, very nice. We then see the joint of the metal sleeve and further up what looks to be another joint but is just a machined groove for aesthetics. On the sleeve low down to one side we have a 3.2mm diameter hole, this gets either lined up with the airflow hole which directs air under the deck or can be turned 180 degrees to line up with the fill port. At the top of the sleeve/top-cap we have a ring of round indentations which from any sort of distance looks like studding, above this the top-cap steps to the drip tip. ___________________________________________________________________ Brunhilde MTL RTA Specs and Features: Diameter: 23.0mm Height with Drip Tip: 65.50mm Coil Rebuildable: single Coil Building Capacity: 2ml(TPD Edition) / 5ml(Standard Edition) Airflow Adjustable: bottom Fill Liquid: Side Automatic e-juice transfer Six levels airflow meet your different needs Premium Stainless steel wires from Germany Easy single coil building, best coil position Convenient side filling design 5ml large capacity for all day vaping (TPD 2ml version available, silicone reduction section fitted) Thread: 510 Colours: Stainless Steel, Gunmetal, Black ___________________________________________________________________ What You Get? As well as the Brunhilde MTL RTA you also receive plenty of spare o-rings and screws. You get a 5ml spare glass and this is also the case with the TPD version. The TPD version has the exact same specifications as the standard version but has a silicone piece installed in the shipped RTA reducing the capacity to 2ml so a lot of silicone is going to find it's way into the bin. You also receive a gorgeous Resin longer 510 drip tip with heat sink fins, allen key, T-piece, 2 spare replenishing rods, 2 pieces of Firebolt cotton and 2 coils. The coils are simple MTL round wire micro coils, 1.0ohm 26GA (Ni 80). It's Various Parts ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The German 103 team have managed to keep the original design by just getting rid of the honeycomb side airflow and keeping the hole on the side of the deck to allow air to travel underneath the deck and is then controlled by using inserts that screw into the deck directly underneath the coil. On the deck like the original design we have a hole each side the only difference is the holes are 3.2mm instead of 3.0mm but that is more to do with filling the tank. One hole is your fill port and the opposite directs air as described, on the outer sleeve we have just one 3.2mm hole so to fill it gets lined up with the fill port which is indicated by liquid drops and during normal operation it needs rotating 180 degrees to line up with the airflow hole. You receive six inserts in a case and also having the choice of not installing one gives you seven options, you can also micro manage the airflow further by slightly adjusting the outer airflow hole alignment. The different airflow outlet diameters of the inserts are: 0.9mm 1.2mm 1.4mm 1.8mm 2.1mm 2.5mm When looking inside the top-cap we can see it's slightly domed but not as much as i am accustomed to with MTL atty's. ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The Brunhilde uses a side fill method which means the sleeve just needs rotating 180 degrees to reveal the fill port so no need to take the sleeve off. On the outside of the deck section as mentioned in the airflow section, we have a 3.2mm hole each side and a 3.2mm hole on the outer sleeve. While vaping the hole on the outer sleeve should be lined up with the airflow hole and when you need to fill you turn the sleeve to line it up with the fill port, very simple and sounds great, but it's far from ideal. On Vapefly sites they do emphasise the size of the fill port has been increased but we are only talking by 0.2mm which makes little difference. The problem really isn't the size of the hole it's simply side-fill isn't that practical. Most nozzles will fit you just have to really take your time and it can get a bit messy. Using a needle nose bottle is a good solution making it mess free but filling a 5ml capacity tank with a needle nose takes quite some time, at least once it's filled you don't need to refill for a while. ___________________________________________________________________ Replenishing Rods As well as the tilt of the tank while vaping your cotton gets replenished via capillary action through Steel wire rods. The rods are made from premium German steel and is many strands of wire woven together to allow many hollows inside going from the bottom to the top. The rods are made from weaving 7 strands of Steel together, then 7 of these sections that comprise of seven strands of Steel are again woven together to complete one rod, so 49 strands of Steel in total. The Brunhilde MTL RTA comes with the two Steel rods already installed they just poke through the wicking ports and go to the bottom of the RTA. You also get two spare and can buy sets separately. ___________________________________________________________________ Replenishing When the original Brunhilde top coiler was released some people said it wicked great and others found the replenishing rods are not doing their jobs and it only wicks the side you tilt. When i received it i couldn't help noticing the way the rods seem to of been installed in manufacturing is they are pushed through the wicking holes until they hit the bottom of the tank so the e-liquid does not go underneath the rods but just circulates them so no capillary action will take place. I took the bottom section of the tank off and just pushed the rods up by just 1mm so they are no longer touching the base. They catch the sides of the wicking ports enough that they don't drop down while doing your build and once the tank is filled the ends of the rods stay suspended in place by your e-liquid, and i found they worked fine and no difference with the MTL version. Rods just lifted slightly! ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build It's a very user friendly deck, first make sure the steel replenishing rods are lifted slightly and also screw in place whichever insert you want to use if any. We have 2 large posts facing each other with a terminal to either side so 4 terminals in total so it doesn't matter which way the coil is wrapped. Your coil leads just slide in the terminals from the side and then the hex screws (my favourite) are fastened from above. Holding your coil in place while fastening the leads is easy enough and a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool can be used afterwards to improve the position if needed. Then just snip your leads and wick as if you are wicking an RDA but leave enough cotton to fill the channels. I did 2 builds, the one pictured using one of the supplied round wire coils and the other using a fused clapton and both builds were a piece of cake! ___________________________________________________________________ How It Vapes And Final Thoughts The first thing to mention is you can't swap inserts on the fly as they need screwing in and out directly underneath the coil, after saying that with a bit of use people would know which insert they prefer with which builds but at first you have to rely on an educated guess. Doing 2 builds but trying to get a good knowledge of the airflow spectrum i used the second smallest with the supplied 1.0ohm coil and the second biggest with the 0.7ohm fused clapton i used. The draw with the second smallest insert with the hole on the sleeve fully open i got not a super tight pull but what i would consider s cigarette draw, when i closed the outer hole slightly the draw became tighter still so with a smaller insert available those that like a really tight draw should have no issues with this. When using the second largest insert this gave me the exact loose MTL draw i prefer and with both a larger insert and the option of using no insert at all even a restricted lung hit will be perfectly possible. The flavour i have absolutely no complaints about, i have had better but this is still giving well above average flavour with the fused clapton edging it over the tighter draw i was using with the supplied coil which surprised me slightly. When it came to wicking lifting the rods slightly seemed to do the trick again as i had no issues with my cotton getting supplied with liquid in fact apart from it's a large tank which might put some people off and time needs taken when filling i have absolutely no complaints, it's a winner! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Excellent build quality Aesthetically pleasing (in my opinion) 3 Colour options (Gunmetal the pick for me) Unique look (kind of cool seeing the woven rods through the glass) Clearly see juice level 5ml Capacity 2ml TPD version just has easy remove silicone piece (Ssshhhhhh) Fill without removing sleeve Steel wire rod replenishing system Flavour on point Draw (full MTL spectrum plus restricted lung hit possible) Smooth airflow 2 included 510 drip tips (one a gorgeous Resin 510) 6 airflow inserts Easy build Spare glass Coils and cotton included 2 spare steel rods Steel rods replenished cotton as they should (i had no wicking issues whatsoever) Cons Large Need to take time filling else it can get messy Can't change inserts on the fly I would once again like to thank Mindy from Vapefly for supplying the Brunhilde MTL (top coiler) RTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the 150W Druga Foxy VW/VV Box MOD from Augvape. The Augvape 150W Druga Foxy VW/VV Box MOD was supplied for the purpose of this review by Tinna from Buybest. Introduction Augvape are known for their Merlin series of atty's and mods with a car engine design but here we have an entirely different offering, the Druga Foxy. The Druga Foxy is one for the power users only as it's stripped down getting rid of all the baggage someone who simply wants to vape in power mode doesn't need. Taking already used ideas and adding a bit of innovation has combined to bring us a sleek looking dual 18650 device with a bit of character and certainly worth a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: • 1x AUGVAPE Druga MOD (no cell) • 1x Battery Warning Card • 1x User Manual • 1x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Druga Foxy came in cardboard packaging with clear plastic viewing window to see which colour is inside the box. I received the Silver version which has the cube geometric design panels and Silver Chassis. The device comes with various geometrical design or Resin style panels with different chassis colours the options are, Silver, Gun Metal, Gold, Rainbow, Black Red and Black Blue. The device is narrower but taller compared to the average dual 18650 device and is quite heavy which might be an issue to some while others might see the weight as a sign of it's very good build quality. The sides are curved and along with it's narrow size and large square protruding fire button is ergonomic whether firing with the finger or thumb. On the front panel towards the top positioned centrally we have a smoked viewing window for the screen, on the reverse panel in the same position we have the Druga logo within the geometric design. On one side towards the top we have the already mentioned fire button and on the opposite side the atomizer quick release button. Moving to the base we can see the notches for panel removal, both etched branding and safety stamps as well as venting holes. Moving up top we have a central 510 plate with special quick release 510 threading, the 510 is spring loaded and Gold plated. I can't speak for all versions but the one i received is a fingerprint magnet. ___________________________________________________________________ Druga Foxy Specs and Features: Size: 49 x 26 x 93mm Material: Zinc Alloy Output Power: 5-150W Output Voltage Range: 0.5-6.5V Resistance Wire: 0.05-3.0ohm Battery: 2x 18650 cells (Not included) • Compact design and curved body for comfortable hand feeling • High quality Zinc Alloy construction • Powered by dual 18650 batteries with 150W max output • Switchable IML panels (sold separately) • OLED screen display • Read resistance automatically • Advanced quick release button, easy to install atomizer Thread: 510 Colours: Silver, Gun Metal, Gold, Rainbow, Black Red, Black Blue ___________________________________________________________________ Overview The Druga Foxy is a device combining old ideas and innovation to bring us something just a bit different. The navigational buttons and screen are underneath the front panel as we find on the Billet Box (and some recent AIO devices) so we have no issues about settings altering by accident and once the panel is reinstalled it gives the device a sleek look with most things hidden away. Unlike the Billet Box that of course has a Boro Tank that also gets hidden inside the device the Druga Foxy is a normal device apart from an innovative atomizer quick release system. The quick release fits the device like a glove as it's all concept is being as simple to use as possible. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Batteries The Druga Foxy accommodates dual 18650 batteries which are fitted by removing the back panel. The panel which needs to be removed is the one that doesn't have the screen viewing window and instead as the Druga logo within the design. We have a notch at the base of the panel which your nail can easily get access to for panel removal and once removed we can see a deep battery compartment with fitted battery ribbon which is needed to remove the batteries. Orientation is disappointingly labelled Black on Black so doesn't stand out (White please) but apart from that no complaints. We have a narrow long magnet top and bottom that are even stronger than their size would suggest and the panel snaps in place very securely with no movement whatsoever, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Screen The Druga Foxy has a tiny rectangular (almost square) display that is positioned underneath the removable panel. With the cover removed the display is very bright and sharp and despite being very small very little information is on show so the display can be read very easily in or outdoors and adjusting and setting modes can be done with perfect visibility. When the panel is put back in place we have a small tinted viewing window to be able to see the display which makes it very dim and understated and viewing outdoors is an issue but i am sure this is on purpose as it's almost apologetically on view as if they even considered needing to remove the panel to see it. After 20 seconds of inactivity the display dims further before 20 seconds later the display disappears. Most of the display is taken up by either the wattage or voltage depending which mode you are in while top right we have the resistance and bottom right a vertical battery status bar, while vaping the display shows the time of your vape. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Druga Foxy The Druga Foxy is a very simple device comprising of just Variable Voltage and Variable Wattage and no other settings whatsoever. To access the navigational buttons the front panel needs removing which like the battery panel we have a little notch at the base. This panel secures via 2 round magnets at the top that fix to the navigational buttons and one round magnet central bottom, again the panel secures extremely securely. With the panel removed we can see the two round navigational buttons top and underneath a very small but very bright and sharp screen central. The whole inside plate is metal which possibly explains the weight and the whole lower section has ohms law formulae and symbols etched on to the metal which looks really cool. The device is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and off and the mode can be switched between wattage and voltage by pressing the navigational buttons together. The wattage adjusts between 5W and 150W in 1W increments and round robins while the voltage adjusts between 0.5V to 6.5V in point 1V increments and again rounds robins, and that's it! So simple. ___________________________________________________________________ Quick Release Mechanism The Druga Foxy hosts an innovative atomizer quick release system which you can choose whether to use or not. So atty's can be screwed on and off in the usual manner but at the top to the opposite side to the fire button we have a quick release button. The threading is split in 2 halves and when the button is held in the half furthest away from the button retracts allowing the atty to be removed with just a quarter turn. Again when fitting an atty if you hold the button in first just push the atty down rather than screwing it in then release the button, if the atty isn't fully in position again just a quarter to half a clockwise turn secures it tight. Apart from confirming atty's can be attached in the usual manner i have solely used the device with the quick release and gone through periods where i have constantly been removing and attaching atty's to put it through it's paces and i must say i am a big fan and have had no issues with connection or resistance readings! ___________________________________________________________________ Available Panels There are plenty of replacement IML panels available from both Augvape and third parties to give the Druga Foxy a new look! ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Druga Foxy I love the simple nature of the device and the quick release feature that works great. It's also good to see a device claiming realistic wattage rather than being a 200W+ device which just isn't happening with dual 18650 batteries. Like most modern devices it fires with no delay and with impressive ramp up, i really have no complaints. The device is quite heavy but very ergonomic and the settings not being able to be altered accidentally will be a weight of some peoples minds. The device just works very well but of course is one for those that like devices that are as simple as possible as it has no TC or extra settings. With being just variable wattage and voltage there will be no need for firmware upgrades so no micro USB port is on the device and while i never recommend charging batteries internally it does mean the device is not for those that only internally charge. Finally up to 26mm atty's sit really nice up top and the centrally positioned 510 will be liked by most. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Various colours and panel designs Ergonomic Sleek looking and shaped device Innovative Atomizer quick release Navigational buttons hidden underneath panel Screen when panel removed is bright and sharp Cool ohms law symbols and formulae etched on metal plate under the panel Very simple variable wattage and variable voltage device only Realistic claimed wattage performed reliably Fires instantly and with impressive ramp up Panels fit securely with no movement Installed Battery Ribbon Can customise with separately sold panels Up to 26mm atty's look good Centrally positioned 510 Cons No micro USB (for those that rely on charging internally) No TC or extra settings (it's meant to be a simple power only device) Quite heavy Black on Black labelled battery orientation With panel fitted display quite dim due to smoked viewing window (i don't mind this as i would know what i have set it to and it can't alter by accident) Fingerprint magnet (at least the version i received is) I would once again like to thank Tinna from Buybest for supplying the 150W AUGVAPE Druga Foxy VW/VV Box MOD for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the PIXIE Starter Kit 380mAh from Ultroner. The ULTRONER PIXIE Starter Kit 380mAh was supplied for the purpose of this review by Sacowin. Introduction Ultroner are part of the Sacowin family which also includes Cool Vapor, DJV and SXK. The Utroner Brand are best known for their affordable stabwood devices and long standing partnership with Asmodus which has for now come to an end. Ultroner have been very busy recently releasing a number of products and here we have one for the low powered MTL vapers who vape high Mg, Nic Salts or CBD. The tiny device accommodates CCell atomizers and has 3 constant voltage settings, low, medium and high. With the indication light communicating both voltage level and battery status let's give this cute stabwood stealth device a good look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x PIXIE MOD (380mAh) 3 x PIXIE Atomizer 1ml (Ceramic Coil) 1 x Leather Lanyard with LOGO 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Pixie comes in the usual Ultroner packaging which consists of a flip open cardboard box with viewing window the same size and shape as the device. I received the Blue version, the options are Blue, Green, Purple and Black Yellow, due to the nature of stabwood each device is unique. The device is tiny and i absolutely love the stabwood construction which suits it's size well. The device is quite curvy, light and it's ultra small size makes it ideal for stealth and very ergonomic. To one side at the top we have a frame for a CCell atomizer to be inserted and also viewing cutouts front and back. On the front we have a slightly protruding round Stainless Steel fire button with concave centre and on the reverse towards the bottom we have "PIXIE" in White. Next to the bottom of the "E" of "PIXIE" we have a small but bright LED which gives both power level and battery status feedback. We also have an opening to one side on the top and another at the top of the side so the supplied rope style lanyard with logo badge can be fitted. Moving to the bottom we have a stainless Steel base with venting, branding and the micro USB port. It's Tiny ___________________________________________________________________ Pixie Specs and Features: Mod Size: 58 x 37 x 18mm Battery: Built-in 380mAh Wattage Range: 5-10W Output Voltage: high-grade(red light)/middle-grade(blue light)/low-grade(green light) Juice Capacity: 1ml Coil: Ceramic Coil 1.5ohm Material: SS+Stabilized Wood Internal 380mAh battery and 1.5ohm ceramic coil Three protective functions and three working voltage with innovative chip Clear indicator light and USB charger High-end SS and Stabilized Wood frame Colours: Blue, Green, Purple, Black Yellow ___________________________________________________________________ The Atomizers Included are 3 CCell 1.5ohm atomizers with a 1ml capacity very much like what you can buy 5 or 10 at a time on places like Ebay, they can be refilled but the coil can't be replaced. To fill simply unscrew the metal drip tip which secures to the air pipe, we also have plenty of o-rings on show to keep the atomizer leak free. Fill between the outside glass and the air pipe then screw the drip tip back into place. Looking at the drip tip it has quite a wide bore for MTL at it's opening but tapers inwards to give a tiny bore at it's base. With each atomizer you get a small metallic ring which screws over the 510 threading so metal can come into contact with the magnetic surround around the device's 510 connection, keep these rings as they can be used to make other CCell atomizers compatible with the Pixie. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Atomizer Looking into the device at the Gold plated 510 connection we can see a magnetic surround slightly indented. The ring that screws over the atomizers 510 comes into contact with the magnetic surround securing it in place. The atomizer fits very securely in fact it takes quite a tug to remove but the opening at the top of the frame is about 1mm wider than the atomizer allowing a lot of movement. Apart from the movement which did bug me overall as mentioned it fits securely, makes very good connection and we have large viewing cutouts front and back so you can always see the level of your juice. ___________________________________________________________________ The Atomizer's Poor Performance and Solution I will talk about the atomizer's performance earlier in the review than normal because it does let the kit down. The draw is a tight if not super tight MTL draw very much like a cigarette pull and i found using with high mg it does give a great hit, both the atomizers and device is ideal for high mg, Nic Salts and CBD but the biggest issue (in fact the only real issue) is the supplied atomizers don't just give muted flavour, i could detect no flavour at all. Luckily by using the rings included with the supplied atomizers other CCell atomizers are compatible, in fact the supplied ones are just slightly narrower than most others available and the ones i bought no longer gave any movement so also sorted that problem out. I bought a bundle of 10 that worked out at only about £1 each which had a 1.5ohm CCell coil the same as the supplied ones (but gave decent flavour), 1.5ml capacity and i have no complaints about the flavour. All these CCell atomizers give a cigarette type draw and work well with what the device has been designed for, high mg, Nic Salts and CBD. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Pixie The Pixie is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on or off, when turning on the LED cycles through Green, Blue and Red to confirm and when turning off it lights Red for 2 seconds before powering down. The device has 3 different low voltage settings referred to as high grade, medium grade and low grade, these voltage settings equate to 3.5V, 3.0V and 2.5V so along with the 1.5ohm coil the device delivers very low wattage and is designed for high mg, Nic Salts and CBD users. To change power settings is 3 clicks of the fire button and the LED will flash 3 times in the colour corresponding to the power level, the indications are: Green = 2.5V Blue = 3.0V Red = 3.5V When pressing the fire button to vape the LED again lights in the power setting colour, when the fire button is released the light goes out then after a 2 second delay to give you time to look the light then displays the battery status for 2 seconds. It's the first device that i have used to my recollection that pauses then displays the battery status and i like this a lot. No specs are given about indicator percentages but i found them to be well spaced out and fit for purpose: High Battery = Green Medium Battery = Blue Low Battery = Red Very low battery led flashes Red 5 times and you need to charge The device also has Short Circuit, Over-charge and Over-discharge protections which if they kick in the LED flashes Red various amounts of times. The Pixie is charged via the micro USB port which is located on the base of the device (i would prefer this on the side but can see it was much easier installing it on the metallic base rather than stabwood body). When charging the LED pulses Blue until it gets to 90% then it lights solid Blue before going out when fully charged. On the specs it says it takes an hour to charge but each time i charged it was just less so although the Pixie has a small 380mAh battery any device charging in an hour or less is spot on! ___________________________________________________________________ Included Lanyard Personally i never use lanyards but the rope style lanyard (which is actually leather) with Ultroner logo badge you get supplied with is high quality and in my opinion aesthetically pleasing! ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Pixie As already covered despite getting a cigarette type draw ideal along with the power settings the Pixie gives for high nic, Nic Salts and CBD the supplied CCell atomizers just don't deliver any flavour but once i used CCell atomizers that can be bought in 10's at only about £1 a piece i was able to enjoy the device. So the supplied atomizers are disappointing but the Pixie i love as it works excellently for the purpose it's made for. The different power settings are noticeably different giving the low powered user a choice of settings and i love the delay before showing battery status which gives plenty of time to check. The device is only really suitable as mentioned for high mg, Nic Salts and CBD so trying for example 3mg freebase just won't give a satisfying vape. The device is tiny so therefore has a small battery but the Pixie isn't the sought of device suited to chain vaping and the low constant power settings along with the high ohms of CCell atomizers makes the battery life satisfactory and taking just under an hour to charge is excellent. The obvious other pro for the device is the build quality and gorgeous stabwood construction but of course stabwood doesn't come cheap! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very nice build quality Unique stabwood finishes Stealth device Ideal for high mg, Nic Salts and CBD 3 constant voltage settings Power setting indication Battery status indication Delay to show battery status giving time to check Juice level viewing cutouts Clicky Stainless Steel fire button Device can be turned off Using adaptor rings make other CCell atomizers compatible 3 CCell atomizers included Atomizers securely connect High quality lanyard included Battery life satisfactory Charges in just under an hour Cigarette type draw with CCell atomizers Efficient with e-liquid Gorgeous looking Cons Supplied atomizers deliver no flavour Supplied atomizers have a lot of movement when fitted Micro USB port located on the base Not cheap I would once again like to thank Sacowin for supplying the Pixie for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Takit Mini V2 Semi Mech Mod from Cool Vapor. The Cool Vapor Takit Mini V2 Semi Mech Mod was supplied for the purpose of this review by Sacowin the parent company for Ultroner, DJV, SXK and Cool Vapor. Introduction Cool Vapor are part of the Sacowin family which also includes Ultroner, DJV and SXK, i'm not that familiar with Cool Vapor products as although i have seen the odd device and atty from them on vendors sites this is the first product of theirs i have used. The Takit Mini V2 is obviously an updated device and a tube semi-mechanical device that can be used with an 18650 battery or shortened to house an 18350. The device is a semi-mechanical because although it takes the power straight from the battery as with a mechanical device we have a Mosfet PCB giving the device safety features and also means firing from a side button rather than a mechanical switch. The device comes with both an 18650 and 18350 mode Resin Sleeve or just have a metal look if you prefer. The Takit Mini V2 becomes a tiny device when using an 18350 battery and can accommodate an atty up to 24mm without overhang, it also comes with a decorative 24mm ring with a protruding loop to accommodate the included chain lanyard if that's your thing, let's give the Takit Mini V2 a closer look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Semi-Mechanical Mod (set-up in 18650 mode) 1 x 18350 Resin Tube 1 x Chain Lanyard 1 X Adaptor Loop User Manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Takit Mini V2 comes in cardboard packaging with everything on one level. It's main construction is a 2 piece stainless Steel tube and comes in either Silver or Black finishes with a choice of 3 different Resin sleeves which are Red, Blue or Green. The device comes set-up in 18650 mode and i received the Silver Blue Resin version. The Stainless steel is smooth on the Silver finishes while the Black has a textured finish. When in 18350 mode the device is tiny and just get's swallowed up in the hand making it an ideal out and about stealth device especially for a MTL vape. Moving to the base we have 2 large venting holes and centre section that turns to adjust the tightness of the battery fitting, on this central section we have printed branding. Up top we have central 510 threading with the mosfet positive connection. ___________________________________________________________________ Takit Mini V2 Specs and Features: Brand: Cool Vapor Model: Takit Mini V2 Weight 80g (2.82oz) Depth 24mm (0.94 inch) Height 78mm (3.07 inch) Width 24mm (0.94 inch) Material: Stainless steel + resin Battery: 1 x 18350 / 18650 ( Not included ) Max Power: 30W ( 18350 battery ) / 80W ( 18650 battery ) Input Voltage: 3.3 - 4.2V Resistance Range: 0.5 - 3ohm ( 18350 battery ) / 0.3 - 3ohm ( 18650 battery ) Thread: 510 Colours/ Silver with Red, Blue or Green Resin Sleeve/ Black with Red, Blue or Green Resin Sleeve ___________________________________________________________________ The Takit Mini V2 Various Parts The device consists of the top section which houses central 510 threading and unscrews from the main battery tube, looking inside this top section we can see a Mosfet fitted and looking down the 510 thread we can see the positive contact, on the side of this section we have a clear fire button. The battery tube is 2 sections screwed together and the bottom of the lower section protrudes to 24mm in diameter to match the top section while the rest of the tubing is 22mm in diameter to allow the Resin sleeve to take the diameter to 24mm. The battery cap screws into the base of the bottom tube internally rather than threading onto the outside. You receive 2 different size Resin sleeves as the top section can be screwed just to the bottom tube section to shorten the device to accommodate an 18350 battery. You also receive a 24mm decorative ring with protruding loop to allow the fitting of the supplied chain lanyard if you wish, this just gets fitted over the top of the device and when an atomizer is installed it secures the ring in position. ___________________________________________________________________ 18650 or 18350 Mode The device comes set-up to use with a 18650 battery but can be shortened to use with a 18350 and become a mini tube. The top section with fitted Mosfet screws off the top tube section which now allows the 18650 Resin sleeve to be pulled off, it is quite tight as we have a series of 4 o-rings (2 on each tube section) so the sleeve doesn't free spin. When removing the top section it is possible for the Mosfet to become dislodged and the fire button to fall out, not a big issue but you just need to be aware so you don't lose the fire button. You could now if you wanted screw the top section back on and have a Silver (or Black) look or the top tube can be unscrewed from the bottom tube before then screwing the top section back on to have a Silver (or Black) look in 18350 mode. Included is a shorter Resin sleeve so when the top tube is removed this can be slid over the bottom tube before screwing the top section back on so we know have a Resin look 18350 tube device. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Battery When in 18350 mode i used an EXO 18350S battery which is rebranded by many companies and can be found under the following: Vapcell 18350/1100mAh/10A Aspire 18350/1200mAh/10A The battery cap screws internally into the threading and once the thread is caught then i must say the threading is very smooth. On the inside of the battery cap negative is clearly marked, so good job there. Once the battery cap is screwed back in place you can turn the centre section of the cap to slacken or tighten on to the battery for the perfect fit, Good job all round! ___________________________________________________________________ This Is More Like It! I have another tube device that has a fitted Mosfet that can get shortened to take an 18350 battery by Cthulhu Mod which when first released there was nothing to stop the hook like connection you get on a Mosfet from becoming flatter and flatter from fitting different atomizers until connection to some atomizers became an issue (this has been resolved now). I also have the Ultroner Mini Stick which is an 18350 tube device again with a Mosfet that came with a Silicone block that needed the purchaser to fit themselves underneath the contact. So when i received this the first thing i did was to check the Mosfet 510 connection and was really pleased to see silicone already installed underneath so there shouldn't be any connection issues. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Takit Mini V2 The device can be turned on and off by 5 clicks of the fire button, the fire button lights Green for one full second to confirm either action. The device is a direct output device giving the full available voltage of the battery so just press the fire button to vape (the fire button lights Green when firing). The fitted Mosfet is why this is a semi-mechanical rather than a mechanical, the Mosfet gives various safety protections. My only real con is the usual story with devices using a Mosfet. We know the Mosfet gives safety protections but yet again absolutely no information to what they are, of course i could guess the obvious and would almost certainly be correct but that's not the point. It does state in the user manual if high drain batteries are not used the device will not fire and resets but not sure if this is even possible. It also gives recommendations of 0.5ohm - 3ohm when using a 18350 and 0.3ohm - 3ohm when using an 18650 but not sure if this means the device will not fire under 0.3ohm because the mosfet should give the device a resistance range and surely that should be within safe limits although giving a recommendation to be safe when using an 18350 is very good. ___________________________________________________________________ Using The Takit Mini V2 Despite my misgivings about the lack of information about the Mosfet protections i really enjoyed using the Takit Mini V2 and will carry on using it when i'm in a MTL mood as an out and about device. Yes after giving it a quick try with an 18650 i immediately switched to the 18350 set-up and personally i feel this will mainly appeal to MTL vapers preferring the stealth 18350 set-up. The button is nice and clicky and it fires both instantly and reliably with immediate ramp up. I used a few different atty's on top with builds that varied between 0.58 to 0.76 and found for me it worked best with RTA's that allow for a very restricted low wattage DL vape or even better as a MTL set-up. Using the device with modest builds especially with MTL builds of about 0.7ohm or higher gives decent battery life and also means any drop off in power as the batteries voltage drops become less noticeable. The build quality and look of the device is top-notch and all threading is very well done, i also like the adjustable battery cap that allows to get a secure fit of the battery. Conclusion I actually rate this device highly from the point of view of how i am enjoying it and my main con is the lack of information about safety protections. My only other con is quite trivial as it's the same for all these tube devices with a Mosfet and that is the Mosfet and fire button can fall out when the device is undone. A lot of experienced vapers who like a stealthy low wattage set-up might be tempted by this reasonably priced nice looking device but as far as new vapers are concerned stay well clear as you need a good understanding of ohms law and battery safety (i have no information about safety protections to advise differently). ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Good build quality All threading very good 6 Options Nice Resin Sleeves 18650 & 18350 set-up Resin sleeves for both 18650 and 18350 set-ups Good stealth device Great for very restricted DL or MTL set-up Clicky Fire button Fires instantly Fires reliably Impressive ramp up Mosfet (safety features just a ? what exactly the full specs are) Battery very good for 18350 with modest builds 18650 battery life as expected Device can be turned off Silicone fitted underneath 510 connection to prevent connection flattening Can adjust tightness of battery fitting Cons No specs of Mosfet given Only suitable for experienced vapers Direct output, power decreases as battery voltage gets less (not that noticeable with modest builds i would recommend) When removing top mosfet can become dislodged and fire button fall out (nature of type of device) I would once again like to thank Sacowin for supplying the Cool Vapor Takit Mini V2 Semi-Mechanical Mod for the purpose of this review ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk, In this review i take a look at the VKsma with the Yihi ESS Driver TC Kit from VSticking. The VKsma ESS Driver Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Hony from VSticking. Introduction The VSticking VKsma is the second portable device to be released incorporating the latest technology from Yihi, the ESS(Electronic Spray System) Driver integrated with the latest third generation temperature control technology. Don't shoot me if i'm wrong but as far as i can work out both iPV (Pioneer4You) who brought us the first portable device using the technology and VSticking are owned by Yihi SXmini so while SXmini concentrates on high end products we have iPV bringing us more affordable products while the aim of VSticking is to offer luxury but at an affordable price. The VKSma like the iPV V3-Mini brings us ADA's with preset temperature control settings to choose from that suit the ADA's available but the VKsma also offers DIY mode (a more functional TC mode) and a rebuildable ADA called an RADA. I love using the iPV V3-Mini and with the VKsma offering the same plus more i can't wait to get stuck in! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Package A 1x Vsticking VKsma Kit 1x Vsticking VKsma Disposable Auto Dripping Atomizer 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual Package B 1x Vsticking VKsma Kit 1x Vsticking VKsma Disposable Auto Dripping Atomizer 1x Vsticking VKsma Rebuildable Auto Dripping Atomizer 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual What You Get? From other reviews i have seen they have tended to suggest when you buy the kit you get what they received which means both types of ADA's and the rebuildable RADA but unfortunately this isn't the case. There seems from what i can find out two different packages on offer, with package A just one ADA is included (i assume the 0.3ohm Ni211 but not certain) which is very poor at least one of each ADA should of been included. Package B is the version i imagine most will be interested in which is much better as included is both an ADA (again not sure which one) and the rebuildable RADA, this does tend to be around $10 more though so you are paying for the RADA so still think this kit should of included both types of ADA's also. ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The VKsma came in sample cardboard packaging so what i received will differ from the retail version as Vsticking included everything to do a thorough review covering everything which ever package someone might be interested in. I received the Carbon Gunmetal version, the VKsma is available in the following options, Zigzag Silver, Coral Silver, Carbon Gunmetal, Diamond Gunmetal, Skull Black, Flame Black, Leather Black and Suede Black. The device has a Zinc Alloy construction and has quite some weight to it but is still very much a portable device. The overall build quality is excellent, it has a C-frame type form with nicely curved spine making it comfortable to both hold and fire. The device comes in plenty of designs and feel their is a design amongst the options to suit most people and the one i received with the Carbon Fiber sections looks very classy. The front has a Carbon Fiber strip down one side then to the other we have a large protruding round fire button, towards the bottom lined up vertically we have smaller round navigational buttons that also protrude. Between the fire and navigational buttons we have the screen, the buttons are also zinc allow that give a stiff satisfying click and we have no rattle or movement whatsoever. Towards the bottom of the curved spine we have the e-liquid tank that can be pulled downwards then moving to the base we can also see the bottom of the e-liquid tank, safety stamps and the USB port. The back of the device has a panel which on mine is Carbon Fiber but will differ depending on the design, up top we have an atomizer plate and proprietary threading. ___________________________________________________________________ VKsma Specs and Features: Size: 79 x 47.5 x 18.6mm Battery Capacity: 1400mAh Material: Zinc Alloy Display: 0.69" OLED Adjustable Wattages: Auto Modes : 0.3QNi211 P1 (10-15W) / P2 (20-25W) 1.0QSS316 P1 (5-6W) / P2 (10-12W) DIY Mode : 10-35J Temperate Control Range: 180-260°C (356-500°F) Output Voltage: 1.73V-3.5V Charging Voltage and Current: Standard DC 5V/1A E-liquid Container Capacity: 3ML (2ml TPD) Portable DIY kit with Yihi chipset 1400mAh Built-in battery and 2 power modes Innovative coil with adjustable airflow Colours/Designs: Zigzag Silver, Coral Silver, Carbon Gunmetal, Diamond Gunmetal, Skull Black, Flame Black, Leather Black, Suede Black ___________________________________________________________________ How The System Works The VKsma is a temperature control and bottom feeder device. The YiHi chip also controls the supply of e-liquid to the atomizer by pumping just enough e-liquid as you vape so when you press the fire button it heats the coil while simultaneously spraying the atomizer's build with e-liquid via the electronic pumping system, the system is called ESS (Electronic Spray System) Driver. The idea is that the e-liquid is completely isolated from the heating core apart from when you actually vape so you are always vaporising fresh e-liquid, so giving improved flavour. Although it's a temperature control device it's a proprietary system although unlike the iPV V3-Mini it does have a DIY mode which offers much more TC functionality. In Auto mode the settings have been tailored to suit the available ADA's and is very user friendly so those that only normally vape using power mode will have no issues using the device has it's very simple to use. The wattage boosts are P1 which is 10-15W with the 0.3ohm ADA and 5-6W with the 1.0ohm ADA and P2 which is 20-25W with the 0.3ohm ADA and 10-12W with the 1.0ohm ADA, the variations in wattage is because it's not a constant output device so the power will decrease (i barely noticed) as the voltage of the battery drops. ___________________________________________________________________ The SMA ADA The SMA ADA's look just like little 14mm RDA's and work the same way just are not rebuildable so once you are not getting satisfactory flavour you need to replace it with a new one. The all in one top-cap and mouth section can be turned to adjust airflow and of course it has a BF pin fitted but like with the ELF ADA's that came with the iPV V3-Mini it's not standard 510 threading but proprietary. The threading is much shorter but wider than the usual 510 threading and the connector on top of the device is shallow and has a fixed BF pin, the real bummer here is despite being proprietary like with the iPV V3-Mini they have managed to have it a slightly different size so the ADA's from each device are not compatible with each other (and they are essentially part of the same company, nice to see they have vapers interests at heart, shocking!). What makes the VKsma stand out over the iPV V3-Mini is there is also a rebuildable ADA but as explained it will not fit the iPV V3-Mini and also the device has a more functional DIY mode to allow more adjustable settings to suit your own builds. I can see the argument you would be very limited with using a rebuildable on the iPV V3-Mini because you only have the options of the preset settings that have been tailored to suit the available ADA's but those with a bit of knowledge could still of worked around this and benefited from having a rebuildable. ___________________________________________________________________ The E-Liquid Tank The e-liquid tank holds 3ml of e-liquid and towards the top there is an indented section to get your finger into for grip, just pull down and it slides out of the device. Looking at the device their is a pipe that feeds all the way down to the bottom, when fitting the tank just feed the pipe into the main hole at the top of the tank and slide back into position, it fits perfectly. Looking at the top of the tank we have a hole which is used for both filling and feeding the pipe into as already described. We also have a second minute hole which allows air to escape or suck air in depending on the requirement, make sure you leave enough volume for the pipe when filling. I found filling and both removing and refitting the tank quick, easy and a 100% mess free experience, this really just like the iPV V3-Mini is the cleanest most leak resistant bottom feed set-up i have used. The tank is clear and once your liquid level gets to about 65% from then on you can see the level clearly, really good job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The display is very simple but sharp and very bright, all the pictures included does show the display to be blurred but it's simply the case that it's too bright for my camera. To the left we have the battery status bar then centre we have the temperature either in Celsius or Fahrenheit depending what unit you have set. Finally we have the wattage boost setting which will be either P1 or P2 depending which you have selected. The display when in DIY mode is very similar but displays the settings you have made. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating And Operating The VKsma The advantage the VKsma has over the iPV V3-Mini other than DIY mode is it can be switched on or off by a long press of the fire button but it is a very long press i actually thought for a while that the device i had been sent was DOA. The device can also be locked by clicking the fire button 3 times, this locks the entire device and it will not fire, to unlock it's again 3 clicks of the fire button. The device is very easy to use, clicking the fire button 5 times changes the display to have temperature left, unit (C or F) centre and your boost (P1 or P2) right. The temperature will be highlighted and the up and down buttons can be used to adjust, pressing the fire button now highlights the unit which again can be altered between Celsius or Fahrenheit another click of the fire button highlights the wattage boost which you can choose either P1 or P2. When on the normal operating screen single pressing up or down alters by one unit the speed of the electronic pump, 15 being the lowest and 60 being the highest. If you find the vape is cutting out due to their not being enough e-liquid being delivered just increase the pumps speed. you can also hold down the up button to pump e-liquid to the atomizer without vaping. If you find the pumps setting is too high causing the deck to flood or giving spit back you can initially hold the down button which will suck the access liquid back into the tank before lowering the speed of the pump to a suitable speed. That's it! Just vape and the e-liquid will automatically be pumped to the atomizer at the same time. ___________________________________________________________________ DIY Mode The VKsma offers DIY mode to use with the rebuildable RADA which to enter you need to press both navigational buttons together. When you first enter DIY mode it briefly shows the software version number before going to the working screen which displays the battery status bar to the left, joules central and "DIY" to the right. Pressing the fire button 5 times changes the screen to have joules highlighted left, the temperature central and temperature unit to the right. With the Joules highlighted you can adjust with the navigational buttons between 10J and 35J, pressing the fire button highlights temperature which again can be adjusted, then highlighting the unit allows you to choose between Celsius and Fahrenheit. A further press of the fire button allows you to enter the TCR which for SS for example is 88 unless you have a preferred setting then a final press of the fire button asks you to enter the resistance which is a move that has to be completed for the rebuildable RADA to work. The DIY Mode really isn't ideal for beginners as it's a bit complicated and if you are not familiar with temp control my only advice would be not be afraid of it and although they are not the same treating Joules as Wattage will uncomplicate things and be a good starting point. ___________________________________________________________________ RADA Build Its a very simple single coil build and you will receive a couple of spaced SS coils to get you started. There is no rocket science involved building the RADA so rather than stating the obvious i will include pictures. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The VKsma To start with a bit of background as when i first heard about the ESS Driver technology i read up about it and was immediately intrigued. Also this is the second device i have reviewed using the technology and apart from the DIY mode which allows the use of a rebuiladable RADA the only difference i found functionality wise was that the VKsma can be turned off apart from that it functions and performs exactly the same as the iPV V3-Mini and that includes the performance i got from both ADA's. I loved the iPV V3-Mini and still use it and just because a more advanced version has come out i'm not going to trash talk it as it's the first device that brought us the new technology and it worked flawlessly. The VKsma works exactly the same although the pump is slightly louder which is one of it's few cons. I tried both ADA's and although the device is direct output even with the 0.3ohm ADA i only noticed slight drop off in power just before the battery died. I did prefer the 0.3ohm ADA although just like with the Elf ADA's i was surprised at the power the 1.0ohm seemed to give, yes it was less than the 0.3ohm but didn't seem by much. I also found i could DL and MTL with both ADA's although yes the 0.3ohm was better as a restricted DL vape and the 1.0ohm as MTL but both was able to give an acceptable vape in the opposite style. I found the device so easy to use, when you install a new atomizer and press fire the display say's No Liquid and the pump aggressively whirls away for a good few seconds, i found the next press of the fire button gave the same result but on the 3rd press the device was ready to vape. It became obvious very quickly the ADA's were giving the same performance and RDA type flavour the Elf ADA's i have got to know well give and have no doubt they will have the same impressive longevity, they seem to last forever which must be due to keeping the e-liquid and heating core separated. I have mainly used the VKsma with the rebuildable RADA and it takes this device to another league compared to the iPV V3-Mini and will attract more vapers interest. It's easy to build and gives very good flavour, wide open it gives a restricted lung hit but can be closed down for a really nice loose MTL draw. Like the iPV V3-Mini it's a really clean device and can be carried in the pocket without getting leaking e-liquid which will appeal to both those into portable devices and those with a squonking interest. The flavour from the ADA's is just like little RDA's and far superior to what pod systems provide despite how much they have improved. The pro's just continue, although the e-liquid tank holds just 3ml(2ml TPD) of liquid i have been finding due to the way the system micro manages the e-liquid supply it's outlasting a 7ml bottle on a standard bottom feed device. Finally the battery life is very good, because i have used the device for a few hours per day for the past 4 weeks rather than whole days it's difficult to be exact about battery life but i would say most vapers will find it lasting almost all day with the 0.3ohm ADA and more than a day with the 1.0ohm ADA, the RADA will depend on the build. The cons include the lack of compatibility between the iPV and Vsticking ADA's and RADA and i'm also surprised it doesn't host a type C USB charge and upgrade port. The device took 1 hour 45 minutes to charge and i would of liked that to be nearer 1 hour but it does support pass-through although the USB port is on the base which i also don't like, finally the device is firmware upgradeable. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Aesthetically pleasing Many colour/design options Portable Innovation ESS (Electronic Spray System) Driver Integrated YiHi Chipset Easy to use temperature controlled device (Auto Mode) 2 Wattage boosts E-liquid isolated from heating core until you vape Can manually pump e-liquid to atomizer or suck back into tank if needed MTL or Restricted DL Device lock Device can be turned off and on Clean leak resistant BF set-up 3ml tank of e-liquid goes a long way due to micro management system Removing, Filling and reinstalling tank very quick, easy and mess free Adjustable airflow RDA flavour ADA's Giving good longevity Rebuildable RADA package available Rebuildable RADA can be purchased seperately RADA easy to build and performs well (restricted DL or loose MTL) DIY Mode Very good battery life Supports pass-through Firmware upgradeable Cons Only 1 ADA included in Package A Slight drop off in power towards end of battery life (barely noticeable) Takes 1 hour 45 minutes to charge (could be quicker) USB on base of device and not type C DIY mode not ideal for beginners (a bit complicated setting up) RADA and ADA's not compatible with iPV device Pump slightly louder than on the IPV V3-Mini I would once again like to thank Hony from VSticking for supplying the VKsma ESS Driver TC kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Battlestar Baby Pod Kit 750mAh from Smoant. The Battlestar Baby Pod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Jessi from Smoant. Introduction Smoant are one of the most popular vaping manufacturers especially when it comes to mods and have released some of the most popular devices over the last few years. Here we have their latest pod/AIO offering which is an area they have been more inconsistent, so let's see how the Battlestar Baby stacks up! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Battlestar Baby Mod 1 x Type-C USB cable ( lanyard ) 1 x 0.6ohm mesh coil ( pre-installed ) 1 x 1.2ohm Ni80 coil 1 x Cartridge 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card 1 x Certificated Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics I received the retail version which came in a sturdy cardboard box with outer cardboard sleeve. On the front of the sleeve there is a picture of the device in the colour that matches the colour of the device which is in the box. I received the green version, it's also available in Black, Red, Stainless Steel, Gun Metal and Blue. The device is rectangular with some cut corners and indented spine section to add a more aesthetic friendly look and has a very metallic chassis which attracts fingerprints. Front and back we have some very nice designs on panels which have been achieved by using CPR Technology which gives very glossy bright colours with incredible detail but unlike the chassis doesn't attract fingerprints. Down one edge of the device we have an LED indicator light towards the bottom and the opposite edge has cut corners top and bottom and indented central section. The pods mouthpiece protrudes out of the top of the device but the tank section is hidden within the pod bay and we have no viewing window. On the opposite side to the protruding pod we have an opening and another opening on the slanted cut corner side section to feed through the included lanyard. Moving to the bottom we have a type C USB port which i'm happy about, i just wish it wasn't situated on the base. Like most small pod/AIO devices it's nice and portable and not sure what the metallic material is but it has more weight to it than expected. The panels have some very nice vibrant designs and the paint finish on the chassis seems high quality and durable, so far so good! ___________________________________________________________________ Battlestar Baby Device Specs and Features: Size: 60mm x 45mm x 15mm Battery Capacity: 750mAh Power output: 10/15 W Charging: 5V/0.8A Charging Port: Type-C Charging Time: 45-60 minute Surface Process: Electroplate + Patch Powered by a 750mAh built-in battery with long-time endurance LED indicator: Red 5%-30%, Blue 30%-60%, White 60%-100% Over time protection (8 seconds) Short circuit protection Low power protection Compatible with 2 types of coil: 0.6ohm mesh coil and 1.2ohm Ni-80 coil Adopting airflow design and leakproof design to provide cloudy flavour The Ant Smart Chip that adjusts and delivers automatically the output Compact size for easy daily carry CPR technology for colourful and durable stunning finish Battlestar Baby Pod Specs: Capacity: 2.0ml Material: PCTG Coil: Mesh Coil (0.6ohm, 15W) / Ni80 Coil (1.2ohm, 10w) Colours: Black, Red, Stainless Steel, Gun Metal, Blue, Green ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod The pod is one piece but is made up of a rectangular top mouth section and lower much larger rectangular tank section which has a capacity of 2ml. The Pod is tinted but with a good look the juice level can be seen, if a quick glance to see your juice level was to cause visibility issues it's a non issue as to see what juice is in the pod it needs removing from the device anyway. You only receive one pod but that's fine because the coils are replaceable and 2 coil heads are included. On one side of the pod we have a silicone strip with attached fill bung, the bottom edge of the strip acts as a flap that can be easily gripped to lift up to reveal the fill port. The fill port is a good size compared to most pods so as long as you take a bit of care filling can be mess free, the smaller the nozzle the easier and quicker filling is. Moving to the bottom of the pod we can see the circular positive with negative surround with peek between the two. The base has a metallic casing with some sought of coating, also on the base to one side we have the small opening that leads to the membrane switch. Moving back up top to the mouthpiece we have your inhale opening and then to one side a much smaller opening, studying the pod you can see this small opening feeds the opening for the membrane switch via a pipe that goes right down to the bottom of the pod. The pod has fixed airflow that can't be adjusted so any variant in the airflow can only be achieved by the bore of the installed coil, the Battlestar Baby pods house replaceable coils. ___________________________________________________________________ The Coils As mentioned the coils are replaceable and their are two different coils available both of which are included. We have the pre-installed 0.6ohm coil head and also a Ni80 regular 1.2ohm vertical round wire coil head. The coil head and base section with positive and negative that comes into contact with the device are all in one so the coil doesn't get screwed into the base section as usual, instead a whole new base + coil is installed each time, the coil head with attached base easily pulls out of the bottom of the pod to remove and to install are simply press fitted. ___________________________________________________________________ Installing The Pod Looking inside the pods deep bay we can see the positive and negative Gold plated, spring loaded contacts to one side and to the other side the small opening to the membrane switch with metal surround. We have a magnet in each corner to secure the pod which should give a very secure fit but whether the coating i described on the metallic base of the pod is weakening the magnetic pull i'm not sure but the pod has plenty of play and can be removed with no effort at all. To be honest because the pod doesn't come out during vaping and the contacts stay connected giving a good vape how loose the pod is doesn't concern me as it constantly needs removing anyway to check your juice level, but the side to side play did bug me slightly at times. ___________________________________________________________________ The Lanyard/USB Charging You receive a rather nice Lanyard that doubles up as your charging cable but as i have never ever seen a single person using a lanyard with a vaping device (despite them being regularly included) i don't think this will convert people, but still it's a nice touch and well thought out. But wait, it's also a tape measure now this is quite neat! Taking the plastic end piece off which clips on and off reveals both ends to your type C USB cable which can then be used to charge the device. Charging took approximately an hour which is acceptable and it does support pass through although this will slightly alter the charge time as charging pauses when taking a draw. When charging the device shows charging indication by how the LED behaves, the indications are: Red Blinking 5% - 30% Blue Blinking 30% - 60% White Blinking 60% - 95% Solid White 95% - 100% ___________________________________________________________________ Using The Battlestar Baby The Battlestar Baby is a very simple draw activated device that has no settings or physical button so you simply take a draw to vape. The device auto detects which of the coils is installed and then delivers the appropriate constant wattage output for that coil. With the 0.6 mesh coil installed it gives 15W constant output and when the 1.2ohm coil is installed the constant output is 10W. The device does give battery status indication and when i first saw it had four levels i thought great! but then realised that was only for charging and it has the usual 3 levels we see on most of these types of devices, the indications are the following: Red 5% - 30% Blue 30% - 60% White 60% - 100% The LED also flashes when a safety protection kicks in, protections include: Over time protection (8 seconds) Short circuit protection Low power protection ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Battlestar Baby I wish the pods fitted more securely in the device and there was a viewing window to see your liquid as it is a pain needing to pull the pod out to check the juice level, if there was a viewing window then the pods being tinted would be another con but as this isn't the case it's a non issue because with the pod pulled out the liquid can be clearly seen inside the pod. For the size of the device i found the battery life very good with the 1.2ohm coil and also acceptable when using the 0.6ohm coil, also an hour to charge is par for a 750mAh battery so no issues there. Having the separate air pipe down to the membrane switch makes the device very responsive and the constant output gives a reliable vape. When it comes to the draw i wouldn't recommend this to either a DL vaper or to someone trying to quit cigarettes as it covers everything in-between which actually will suit many who like the loose MTL style. The 0.6 mesh coil does give a DL draw but it's very restrictive and i found it much better as a very loose MTL, the 1.2ohm coil is tighter due to the narrower bore in the coil head but doesn't quite give a tight enough draw for someone quitting the stinkies as it's more of a medium looseness. The LED indicator lights up when you take a draw to show battery status, i could easily see the light while vaping and it's both a good size and bright. When it comes to possibly the most important areas the Battlestar Baby is a winner, the flavour i have been getting from both coil heads has been fantastic, which is giving the best flavour? it really is too close to call. Again when it comes to longevity i don't know if i got lucky with the coils i received but they lasted twice as long as i would consider acceptable. I tend to describe a device and say how i personally found it but fall short of saying whether i would recommend it as i believe vapers should seek out as many reviews as possible and also do their own research to come to a decision. Occasionally though i break this rule so if you like your looser MTL draw just based on the flavour and longevity of the coil heads alone i have to say i would spend my money on this. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very nice build quality Durable quality finish Colourful CPR Designs 6 Colour/Design options Portable Fair battery life Auto detect coil Constant wattage output (consistent vape) Switch responsive Very nice looser MTL draw Battery status indication nicely spaced out Simple device Decent size fill port with silicone bung Excellent flavour from both coils Excellent longevity both coils Replaceable coils Both 0.6ohm mesh coil and 1.2ohm Ni80 regular coil included Included Lanyard, also USB cable and tape measure Type C USB Charges in about 1 hour Supports pass through Cons Pod doesn't fit very securely (ok during use) Need to remove pod to see juice level No settings and can't switch device off Limited vape range mid MTL draw to Very restricted DL vape (not an ideal DL vape in my opinion) Fixed airflow USB port on base Chassis is fingerprint magnet I would once again like to thank Jessi for supplying the Battlestar Baby Pod Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Blotto RTA from Dovpo. The Dovpo Blotto RTA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Pearl from Cigabuy. Introduction Dovpo have impressed ever since entering the vaping market and really haven't made a false move. Of course the first product that will enter most people's head when Dovpo are mentioned is the Topside but they have been responsible for some very good RDA's, RTA's, fully regulated and potentiometer devices, and always at a fair price. Here we have their latest RTA the Blotto which is a collaboration with Sam Parsons also known as the Vaping Bogan and i promise i won't be saying f*** at all during this review. The Blotto has been designed for flavour whether doing a single or dual build offering honeycomb style airflow inlets and 242 degree air coverage (don't forget about the extra 2 degrees, very important lmao). It comes with a 2ml straight glass installed keeping it nicely TPD compliant but then included is both a glass and Ultem bubble glass. There has been a lot of hype about this one which will not influence how i found the Blotto performed, i'll crack on! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 × Blotto RTA (2ml tube pre-installed) 1 × 6ml Glass Bubble Tube 1 × 6ml Ultem Bubble Tube 1 × Accessory Bag 1 × User Manual 1 × Bottle Opener Note: I received the retail version. ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The Blotto comes in a cardboard box with clear plastic lid so you can see the RTA before opening, there is plenty of branding as well as all the usual specs etc on the packaging. The Blotto comes in three different colour options, i received the Gun Metal but it's also available in Silver and Black. The Drip tip is a goon fitting 810 and particularly nice looking with a metallic Silver band around it and frosted appearance on the Silver version, Ultem on the Black and Gun Metal. I love the appearance of the Blotto as it has a very distinctive look, both top and base look just like a bottle cap. The base has dual airflow which is two rows of many small inlet holes (referred to as honeycomb) and the Vaping Bogan skull is visible on the chamber. The Blotto comes pre-installed with a 2ml (and the rest) straight glass and moving to the base we have branding, safety marks and a Gold plated protruding 510. Overall the build quality is very good, clean and has superb threading. ___________________________________________________________________ Blotto Specs and Features: Size: 26.0(25.5mm at very base) x 54.5mm (with 2ml tube)/ 32.0 ×54.5mm(with 6ml tube) Type: 2ml TPD Edition; 2ml Standard Edition Capacity: 2ml (Extra 6ml ultem glass tube & 6ml bubble glass tube included) Build Deck: Supports dual coils or single coil building 242° airflow system Very easy to fill the e-juice. Dual diffusion airflow for a smooth draw Thread: 510 Colours: Gun Metal, Silver, Black ___________________________________________________________________ It's Various Parts and What You Receive Starting up top we have a very nice looking 810 drip tip but it is low profile which won't suit everybody and no other drip tip or 510 adaptor is included, of course you can fit your own. We then have the bottle cap top-cap followed by the one piece plate with juice ports and chamber. This is followed by the base section with floating deck, we have a standard, Gold plated, protruding 510 pin installed. The chamber screws over the deck and your glass section gets secured and sealed top and bottom by o-rings. Pre-installed is a straight glass which is advertised as 2ml to meet TPD regulations but i got 3ml in it no problem. You also receive 2 6ml capacity bubble sections, one glass and one Ultem. Also to go along with the being blottoed theme you receive a Bogan skull bottle opener which doubles up as a coil lead cutting guide. Although it comes with 2 bubble sections as well as the straight glass overall i'm not impressed with what you receive. Only 3 o-rings, 4 spare grub screws and a T-piece and that's it, no different option drip tip, no 510 adaptor and no coils and cotton. As far as i'm concerned an RTA should be the same as any other tank, if you received a subohm tank which came with no coils their would be an outcry and i really don't see the difference. I find it worse that it's a collaboration with an outspoken reviewer who i have heard slaughter tanks or pod devices that have only come with one coil/pod and then has put his name to something that comes with nothing to do a build, if you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk! ___________________________________________________________________ Filling The Blotto employs a bayonet style fitting for the top-cap like we have seen on many other RTA's including the various Zeus RTA's. I really like this method, just a quarter turn and the top-cap is off. We have a metal plate with 2 very large kidney shaped fill ports so any bottles will be suitable and filling is quick and mess free. When securing the top-cap after filling, again it is just quarter of a turn. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow inlets can be found on the base, it's like having bottom dual cyclops accept on the Blotto instead of wide open slots we have honeycomb airflow, 2 rows comprising of a total of 26 holes either side. The airflow control ring has a stopper and when adjusting it's the only poor quality i found with the RTA as it's very sketchy, it doesn't move very smoothly at all. The air enters through the described honeycomb airflow inlets and then enters the deck from underneath, directly underneath where your coil/coils will be positioned we have grill style outlets (narrow slots) and then either side we have ramps which curve to match the coil/coils outside contour, on these ramps we have more honeycomb air outlets. The airflow is described as a "242° direct to coil Airflow system", lol i'm not sure how scientific the process was to measure 242 degrees but let's just say your coil/coils are going to get plenty of air coverage (not to be confused with plenty of air). Looking inside the chamber it is very domed and the large post/airflow ramp sections will reduce it further, so all the ingredients are there to get good flavour, you just need to add your build. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build We have a floating deck on the Blotto and despite it not being a postless deck your coil leads are fitted much the same but at just a slight angle rather than straight down with the screws also being tightened at a slight angle. We have 2 large post sections that include the ramp airflow structures which face each other and each section is split between negative and positive so both leads get fitted the same way. The grub screws are flatheads which are my least favourite as i can find them fiddly and would of much preferred hex heads. Because the coils get fitted similar to on a postless deck the coil leads need pre-cutting because of this and a real lack of space (when doing a dual build) i really wouldn't say this was a deck suitable for a new builder, some reviewers will say it is an easy build but they are forgetting they are use to building. I did three builds all using Ni80 fused claptons, the one pictured is a dual 3.0ID build and as you can see it was a tight squeeze and i would much more recommend the other dual build i did which was using 2.5ID coils. The single build i did was using a 3.5ID coil which performed well but next i will be trying single builds with a 4.0ID and then 4.5ID because in future i will be using the Blotto as a single coil RTA and i want to find the best build. The supplied bottle opener doubles up as a lead cutting guide to cut your leads the correct length (dual build), personally i used the sought of coil cutting guide that gets included with quite a few RTA's and RDA's and cut my leads to 5mm which i found about right for a dual build, if doing a single build you need your leads a bit longer but you need to use your judgement depending on the ID of your coil. Wicking is easy (i love the floating GTA style decks), we have an outer containment rail so simply poke the ends of your cotton into the wicking channels and let gravity once the cotton is saturated to do the rest, the Blotto is very forgiving on the wicking! ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Blotto As mentioned i did three builds, 2 dual and one single and the first pro for me is that the single coil build gave great performance, so many RTA's that are for both dual and single builds give poor results with a single build compared to a dual. I really wouldn't recommend the dual 3.0ID build that's pictured as it's just too cramped for space and it made the RTA too restrictive even for me and i like a restrictive draw. The dual build i did with 2.5ID fused claptons gave the best results for flavour while the single build did give the Blotto more air but it's still very restrictive compared to most DL RTA's. As a comparison i usually with an RTA have the airflow either 2 thirds open, half open or a third open depending how airy the tank is but with the Blotto i needed it fully open with all 3 builds. The standout for me is how smooth i found the Blotto but with it having honeycomb airflow i was half expecting it. As mentioned in the last section all the ingredients are there to get great flavour and indeed the flavour was very good with all 3 builds i did but i haven't as yet quite had the Wow factor that some people have had but then i might of just not found the perfect build yet and being much more a single coil fan i will be experimenting with different 4.0ID and 4.5ID builds next. I much prefer top airflow RTA's because i hate e-liquid getting on my devices but after quite a bit of use i have had zero leaking and also have not experienced the deck flooding either. All three builds i did wicked great, i was a bit worried with the 3.0ID dual build as there was quite a lot of cotton and all i did was fluff the ends so no comb through, i was using 80VG e-liquid and it wicked fine without a hint of a dry hit. I much prefer the look with the straight glass and thankfully they have been a bit mischievous when stating the capacity as it holds 3ml, after saying that it still needs regularly filling especially with a dual build but with the top-cap just needing a quarter of a turn to remove it's no great drama and if you really want more capacity then having a 6ml option is great. I really wouldn't recommend this to someone new to building as a bit of experience would be beneficial before building on the Blotto but hey if you like a challenge, dive right in! Although i haven't quite got the wow factor when it comes to flavour (although t is very good) this is a very good RTA, just wish more came with it. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Good build quality Superb threading Unique bottle cap look Very nice looking RTA (subjective) Works well with either dual or single build Postless style of fitting coils Floating deck Honeycomb inlets 242 degree airflow coverage Very nice goon fitting 810 drip tip 2 spare 6ml bubble sections included (1 glass, 1 Ultem) Bottle opener/coil lead cutting guide included Top-cap has bayonet style fitting (just a quarter turn to open or secure) If you like restricted vape this should be right up your street Very good flavour (even if i haven't found it as outstanding as many others) Very smooth airflow Wicks great Very forgiving with the wicking Suffered zero leaking or flooding Cons Not suitable for those that like plenty of air (much more restricted than most DL RTA's) No coils or cotton included No 510 adaptor included No alternative drip tip included Just one spare set of screws and o-rings Not really to be recommended to someone new to building (cramped space and need to pre-cut leads) Would of preferred hex screws Limited to 3.0ID coils for dual build (and even that's quite cramped 2.5ID is much better) Airflow control ring movement a bit sketchy I would once again like to thank Pearl from Cigabuy for supplying the Blotto RTA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Aegis Squonk Kit from Geekvape. The Aegis Squonk Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Clay from Geekvape. Introduction When the original Aegis was released their was a bit of a buzz about it, almost indestructible, firing time to rival the Drag and battery options that included a 26650. Then more recently we had the Legend a dual battery version followed by the Mini and Solo giving smaller options with either an inbuilt battery or single 18650. The Aegis range of devices just keep coming with 2 more released simultaneously, the Aegis X which is a dual 18650 200W TC device with full face colour screen and a brand new menu system and this device, yes we now have a Aegis Squonk mod. What next for the Aegis, an Aegis pod mod? well the answer i already know is yes but that's for another day so i'll crack on! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Geekvape Aegis Squonk Mod 1 x Tengu RDA Atomizer 1 x Squonk Bottle 1 x 510 Drip Tip Adaptor 1 x Battery Door Assist Tool 1 x GV Triangular Tool 1 x 810 Drip Tip 1 x Spare Parts Pack 2 x N80 Fused Clapton Coil 2 x Feather Cotton 1 x USB Cable 1 x L-shaped Hexagonal Wrench 1 x Promotion Card & Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Aegis Squonk Kit came in cardboard box with outer sleeve and once opened i was met by the familiar Aegis look despite it being a BF device, in fact if fitting the standard spine (not supplied) it would almost pass as the Aegis Solo. The Aegis Squonk's aesthetics are very busy due to the use of many different durable materials, making the device look as solid as it is. The materials used include, LSR Silicone, Die-Cast Aluminium, Die-Cast Zinc Alloy, Leather (when standard spine is fitted) and Stainless Steel. I received the Black version, it's also available in Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, Golden, Blue and Rainbow, all versions come paired with a Tengu RDA in a colour that suits your colour choice. Looking at the device from the side towards the front we have army grade black silicone, then we have a Metal bracket in the colour of choice which helps secure the leather on the standard spine and when the squonk spine is installed we have the cutout for pressing the bottle instead. The front has an hexagonal fire button with raised rectangular face at the top and at the bottom we have the - and + buttons, between the fire button and navigational buttons we have a large screen. With the face of the device pointing to the left we have a rectangular silicone section bottom left which can be removed to reveal the micro USB port. The base of the device has a battery plate with fold out lever, moving to the top of the device the rear is rounded with grooves for sliding open (this is for filling). Finally towards the front at the top we have a large 510 plate with wide inner silicone raised rim, the uniquely designed BF 510 is Gold plated and spring loaded. The build quality is very good and the device is ergonomically sound, the Aegis Squonk Mod is as solid as the rest of the Aegis family. ___________________________________________________________________ Tengu RDA Specs and Features: Size: 24 x 28.3mm Juice Well Depth: 6mm Drip Tip: 810/510(with adaptor) Unique deck for easy dual coil building Honeycomb airflow for smooth and great flavor With Delrin drip tip and PMMA drip tip Standard 510 and BF squonk 510 pin included Thread: 510 Colours: Black, Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, Golden, Blue, Rainbow ___________________________________________________________________ Brief Description The RDA is 24mm in diameter and quite short with the top tapering smoothly to where the drip tip is fitted, below is a false seam which makes the Tengu look like it's a two piece sleeve but it's one piece as the airflow control ring is a piece fitted internally. On one side of the RDA we have the face of a Tengu etched cleanly in the metal which looks good and i prefer this much more than printed logo's. Either side we have honeycomb style airflow holes which consist of two rows, 6 in the top and 7 in the bottom. The base has etched branding and safety marks and comes pre-installed with a BF Gold plated 510 pin which protrudes enough to make it hybrid safe. The build quality is very good as i always find with Geekvape products, it's a nice looking RDA. ___________________________________________________________________ Tengu's Various Parts The Tengu consists of a one piece sleeve with detachable inner airflow ring, and deck section. Up top we have a ultem quite low profile goon fitting 810, an even lower profile delrin rounded 810 is also included as well as a 510 adaptor. Included are spare o-rings, hex grub screws (flatheads are pre-installed on the posts), a standard pin, hex tool, T-piece tool, cotton and 2 coils. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The Airflow consists of dual sets of honeycomb style holes, 2 rows each side. The top rows have 6 holes and the bottom rows have 7 giving 13 holes each side in total. The airflow control ring you can see pictured fits inside the sleeve and has 2 protruding sections both top and bottom. The top sections fit into grooves inside the sleeve so the sleeve can be turned to adjust airflow, when the protruding sections reach the end of the grooves they act as hard stoppers as the ring is fixed in position lined up with the coils on the deck. The bottom protruding sections slot into same sized notches on the outside of the deck section locking the ring in place and allowing the whole system to work. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck and Build The deck is similar to a velocity style in the way it works but i found with the negative post holes being tightened with grub screws at an angle rather than side-wards made it even easier to build on only twisting the leg slightly which is easily fixed with a coiling rod. The Gold plated positive post is a raised "T" with the negative posts being under each of the vertical protruding sections. The bottom of the "T" is hollowed with 2 small holes (one each side) so when the BF pin is installed the juice enters the deck through these holes. Your coil legs get fastened into place by the grub screws in the positive post being tightened down from above and they are tightened at an angle on the negative posts. There is plenty of room for trimming your legs so they don't need pre-cutting, just slot one leg in a positive terminal and the other in the opposite negative and when the coil is where you want it fasten down and trim your legs, then just repeat the process with your other coil. Then you can use a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool to manoeuvre the coils into the perfect positions. You can take the airflow control ring out of the sleeve and place it over the deck to check the position of the coils in relation to the airflow, i set mine where the top row would be giving side airflow and the bottom row would be skimming the bottom of the coils. Wicking is a doddle, you can be quite generous with the cotton as the Tengu has a deep open well, just tuck your cotton into the well. This was quite a long write up for this section but actually dual builds really don't get much easier and the Tengu would make a great first dual coil RDA. ___________________________________________________________________ Aegis Squonk Mod Specs and Features: Size: 87.7 x 30.9 x 53.5mm Liquid bottle capacity: 10ml Input voltage: 3.2V-4.2V Output voltage: 0.1V-8V Minimum voltage: 3.3V Longest vaping time: 10s Resistance range: 0.05ohm-3ohm Charger voltage: USB Micro 5V 1.5A Battery specification: 18650 (single battery) Display screen: 0.96inch (black and white screen) More powerful and excellent TC Kit from classic Aegis family 100W max power by single 18650 batteries Upgraded AS 100 chipset for fast and accurate operation 0.96 Inch screen for vivid display Switch between Squonk or Standard device Flawless and leakproof Squonk system Waterproof/Dustproof/Shockproof Design Thread: 510 Colours: Silver, Green, Black, Chameleon, Blue, Red ___________________________________________________________________ Waterproof, Dustproof and Shockproof Like the other Aegis devices It's a very durable mod and although no-one including Geekvape will suggest going diving with it or throwing the device from a 9th floor window you would have to go some to break the device by accident. Made from many different durable materials (6 in total) including army grade silicone it will take some knocks. The device is IP67 waterproof which means it will withstand being immersed in water up to 1 meter in depth for up to 30 mins and there's some clever ways the Aegis Squonk Mod is a fully operating device yet waterproof. When looking at the device you might think well water will get in there, there and there etc but there is a way it is kept sealed everywhere. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Battery The battery gets fitted via the bottom of the device, which has a removable plate with lift up lever like we have seen before on the original Aegis, Aegis Solo, Sigelei Evaya and Jackaroo to name four devices. Unscrewing the plate and screwing back on does take a bit of time that impatient people might not like but i like this method of fitting batteries as it's very secure and no risk of damaging your battery wrap and the threading is also shorter on the Aegis Squonk mod than the other mentioned devices. The plate has a fitted o-ring to complete the watertight seal, battery orientation is clearly marked both inside the battery tube and on the underside of the screw plate so a really good job all round! ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating the Aegis Squonk Mod The Aegis Squonk Mod is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and it has a large bright screen with a very clear layout, it does have a tinted cover which although didn't make viewing the screen impossible outdoors it was more difficult. Their are some combination key press functions which are, + and fire together increases the brightness of the screen, - and fire together decreases the brightness of the screen and - and + together locks the device. The screen displays the mode at the top, under this the wattage (temperature when in temp control), under this the battery status bar, then the resistance, under this the amps (wattage when in temp control), then the volts (TCR value when in temp control) and finally puffs which when you vape changes to time vaped and then goes back to puffs afterwards. Pressing the fire button 3 times highlights the mode which now can be changed. When highlighted each press of the + button takes you to the next mode and if you overshoot the - button takes you back, the modes are Power, TC-Ni, TC-SS, TC-Ti, TCR, VPC (variable power curve, usually called CCW) and Bypass. If you use temp control then when the mode you want is highlighted each press of the fire button takes you to the next item on the screen you can alter, you can lock resistance and set wattage. The interface is very uncomplicated and those that have the original Aegis, Mini, Solo or Legend will be very familiar with it. The only thing i personally am disappointed with is that Geekvape stuck to the mono screen of the Mini, Solo and Original rather than reverted back to the colour screen of the Legend. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections 10's Cut-off Protection Short Circuit Protection Over Charging and Discharging Protection Over-heat Protection Over-current Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Standard Spine There is a standard spine that was in my sample box but will be a separate purchase so if you no longer want to use the Aegis as a squonk device or just want to use it as a standard regulated device for a while you can switch spines. Of course any squonk device can be used as a standard device anyway but this is still a good idea because removing the entire squonk back section and replacing it with a much slimmer spine shrinks the device down to a more portable device, in this case it basically gets turned into an Aegis Solo (very similar). The 2 screws that need removing are done up very tight, are not the best quality and the allen tool provided is only just fit for purpose so this combination could quite easily cause one or both screws to get stripped when trying to undo for the first time which means you can't get the squonk spine off not just to switch spines but also for cleaning or replacing the bottle. I did tell Geekvape about my concerns and i have a feeling i'm not the only one with either a concern or have had stripped screws as they said they were aware of it and the retail version would have much better quality screws fitted. ___________________________________________________________________ The Squonk Assembly The squonk assembly is the entire back end of the device that can be removed by removing the top screw each side on the bracket. The whole spine removes along with the bottle and sliding top-fill section. Looking inside the device towards the top we can see a small horizontal protruding spout that leads to the plumbing under the 510, looking at the squonk assembly we can see a corresponding circular indented section that the spout fits into so the liquid will flow from the bottle to the 510 when the bottle is pressed. The Aegis has a unique BF 510 as the liquid doesn't get fed through a central hole but instead feeds around the 510, we then have deep cross hair grooves on the 510 that act as 4 channels to the centre and then up through the atomizers BF pin as usual. With the assembly (back section) fitted to the device it has a fill method to rival the Topside, in fact it's better and quicker but only if thin bottles are used which is it's downfall. To fill you simply slide the top open and then fill through a self sealing membrane but if chunky bottles are used then a fitted RDA stops the nozzle reaching the port so you need to remove the RDA to fill, for this reason i think it would of been a good move for Geekvape to of supplied a large but thin bottle to decant to. When it comes to the bottle nothing to complain about, it has a nice tension, you get a spare and it has a whopping 10ml capacity. ___________________________________________________________________ Cleaning The Squonk Section Cleaning is the biggest pain with the Aegis Squonk device as you need to first remove the spine before removing 2 silicone bungs and then a couple more screws. Removing the bottle is also awkward and time consuming but if you are like me and just tend to run your juice down and then add more liquid even if it's a new flavour and only look to clean it occasionally it's fine but those that often change flavours and like to thoroughly clean each time they will not like this at all. I have heard a couple of people offer a quick clean suggestion but after trying this method of just putting water into the bottle through the membrane seal when the spine is still attached and squonking to flush the system out and then try to get out all the water through the membrane again while the assembly is fitted i realised those making the suggestion haven't actually tried it because it's even more of a pain than cleaning it properly with not as good results. ___________________________________________________________________ My Thoughts As far as how the device performs taking the squonking aspect out of the equation? well just like the Aegis Solo and the menu system and chip is exactly the same so very happy, it performs well. If i was to have one gripe it is this surprisingly for an Aegis device is not heavy and isn't large for a single battery squonk device so i wouldn't of minded it being just slightly bigger to accommodate a 21700 battery so getting the full 100W wasn't in question and increasing the battery life which is slightly below average for a single 18650 device possibly just down to the 3.3v cutoff. As far as the screws are concerned if Geekvape say the screws on the retail version will be much better quality i believe them as Geekvape is one of the manufacturers i fully trust so there shouldn't be any issues there. The Aegis Squonk works great as a BF device and i love the top-fill method, large capacity and unique 510 feed method, however you can't use chunky bottles without removing the RDA and the thick silicone band around the 510 to stop any liquid leaking causes a gap between the device and the atomizer that may bug some people. The major con though is the pain of removing screws and seals when cleaning which isn't much of an issue if like me you would only clean it occasionally but those that have higher standards will find it a pain. Having a separate standard spine available to replace the squonk section is a great idea, yes some people will say just get an Aegis Solo also but some people are on a tighter budget so having one device that can be converted will be a real win for them. I do like this despite it being far from perfect, i hope the idea is revisited because a version 2 with just a few small changes could potentially be the best squonking device available. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Very good build quality Waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof Nice size and weight Plenty of colour options Performed very well (same chip as Aegis Solo) Worked great as a BF device 10ml Capacity Unique BF 510 feed Quick slide open top-fill method Tengu very good RDA Can buy standard spine to swap for squonk assembly Complete squonking section can be removed Spare Bottle Plenty of spares, tools coils etc Power, Curves, Bypass, TC and TCR modes Silicone seal around 510 Supports upgrades Cons Pain to clean thoroughly If filling with chunky bottles need to remove RDA Gap between RDA and device Would be much better with 21700 battery Battery life slightly below par Issues with screws but should be addressed I would once again like to thank Clay from Geekvape for supplying the Aegis Squonker 100W TC Kit with Tengu RDA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Grimm Kit from Hellvape. The Grimm Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Hellvape. Introduction Hellvape are best known for their various RDA's, RTA's and Subohm Tanks including the Rebirth, Drop dead and Dead Rabbit and wasn't tempted by the pod craze which is now slowing down. The pod craze has started to be replaced by the AIO pod mod which has tempted Hellvape into a collaboration with Grimm Green and Ohm Boy. The Grimm Kit houses a screen and offers both variable wattage up to 30W and Variable Voltage modes. The 2ml capacity pod/cartridge offers full visibility to see your juice level but is darkly tinted and houses a choice of replaceable DL or MTL coil. The Grimm Kit has adjustable airflow and a MTL airflow option making it a kit suitable for both styles. The device accommodates an inbuilt 1200mAh battery and keeps things as simple as possible with no TC or bells and whistle features. The Grimm Kit on the face of it ticks a lot of boxes to suit both those trying to quit cigarettes and more advanced users, but how good (or not so good) is it, i give my opinion! ___________________________________________________________________ Discrepancies I can only go by what i receive and what information i can find and although it says on the manufacturers site the pod/cartridge capacity is 3ml standard edition and 2ml TPD edition every place i can find the Grimm Kit whether it's in the UK, China or the US, it only seems available with 2ml capacity so i have to assume it's only available with a 2ml pod/cartridge. Also on Hellvape's website it shows that the base of the pod with installed coil head is just push fitted into place which is incorrect they need to be screwed into the pod. ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1x Hellvape Grimm Pod Kit 0.7ohm H3-01 Mesh Coil 1x 1.2ohm H3-02 Regular Coil 1x USB Cable 1x User Manual 1x lanyard ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Grimm Kit comes in open cardboard box packaging with clear plastic lid so the device is on show before opening. I received the Black Carbon Fiber version which has a Black rubberised paint over the Zinc Alloy chassis and Carbon Fiber panels front and back. The kit comes in a number of plain or Carbon Fiber options which are Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, Black, Rainbow, Red & Carbon Fiber, Blue & Carbon Fiber, Purple & Carbon Fiber, Black & Carbon Fiber and Rainbow & Carbon Fiber. Above the panel both front and back we have generous venting slots and on the face we have a square fire button at the top and a rectangular navigational rocker towards the bottom, both have the same rubberised finish as the chassis. The small OLed screen is housed centrally on the face between the buttons but the micro USB port is on the base which i don't like, on the base we also have printed safety stamps. Up top we have a fully visible tinted pod with a standard fit 510 drip tip. The build quality is good and as mentioned mine has a really nice rubberised finish, it's a nice portable size, quite light and fits in the hand very comfortably. ___________________________________________________________________ Grimm Kit Specs and Features: Collaboration with GRIMM GREEN and Ohm Boy Dimensions - 93mm by 44.5mm by 19mm Integrated 1200mAh Rechargeable Battery Wattage Output Range: 5-30W Voltage Output Range: 0.5-6.0V Resistance Range: 0.7ohm / 1.2ohm Zinc-Alloy + PCTG Chassis Construction Single Firing Button Two Adjustment Buttons OLED Display Screen 2mL Refillable Pod - Replaceable Coil Sliding Top Fill System Hellvape GRIMM Coil Series 0.7ohm H3-01 Mesh Coil 1.2ohm H3-02 Regular Coil Threaded Coil Installation Threaded Coil Based Airflow Control Ring Snap-In Pod Connection MicroUSB Port -1200mAh large internal battery capacity -Threaded Coil Based Airflow Control Ring -Collaboration with GRIMM GREEN and Ohm Boy -Equipped with GRIMM Coil Series for perfect vaping -Bright OLED Display Screen inform you essential parameters Colours: Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, Black, Rainbow, Red & Carbon Fiber, Blue & Carbon Fiber, Purple & Carbon Fiber, Black & Carbon Fiber, Rainbow & Carbon Fiber ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod/Cartridge The cartridge comes fitted to the device without a coil fitted and has a 2ml capacity. The whole pod/cartridge is visible when fitted to the device so in most lighting your juice level can be easily seen but the pod is darkly tinted so in certain light it can be a bit of a struggle. Once a coil with base is installed we can see on the base the central positive contact with a negative surround. I love the easy top-fill method employed by these pods. We have a large plastic piece which has an arrowhead and grooves for grip that just needs sliding open in the direction of the arrow. This reveals a very large filling port and once filled simply slide shut, possibly the quickest, most efficient method i have used yet so no issues whatsoever! ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Coils There are 2 different coils on release available and both are included in the kit. We have a Kanthal mesh 0.7ohm which has been given an ideal rating of 22W and a Kanthal vertical round wire 1.2ohm which has been given an ideal rating of 12W. The 0.7ohm is for DL and the 1.2ohm for MTL although i also got a decent loose MTL from the 0.7ohm coil. This is a first on me but despite the coils screwing inside the base section when you receive each coil it comes screwed into it's own base section. I have seen coils supplied like this before but when the base and coil have been a complete unit not when the coil heads screw into the base. I am a bit indifferent about this as yes it saves a bit of time and you don't have to worry about losing the base as you would have plenty of spare but isn't this going to unnecessarily put the price of the coils up? must do surely! To change coils simply unscrew the base from the pod and then you can either use the same base section and screw a new coil head into it or just fit the new coil head with it's new base into the pod. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow On the outside of the device front and back we have generous airflow slots where the pod/cartridge is inserted. These have been referred to as airflow slots but in an earlier section i called them venting slots because although they allow air to access the bottom of the pod it's the adjustable airflow and bore of the coil head that dictates the airflow and the main purpose of these slots it to keep the pod cool (heat dissipation). The base that the coil head gets screwed into has adjustable airflow in the form of dual small slots. Closing these slots down gives a really nice loose MTL draw or if you shut completely it opens a very small airflow hole instead for a much tighter MTL. The control ring moves with a nice tolerance (not too tight but not too loose) and has grooves to get a good grip. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod/Cartridge Looking inside the pod/cartridge bay we can see to one side 3 Gold plated, spring loaded contacts, the central positive and outer negatives. Towards the edges of the bay we can see very strong protruding clips, one either side, we can also see by the light entering the bay how much air is getting to the pod from what i will refer to as venting slots. The pod/cartridge gets pushed into the empty bay and you can hear the strong clips snap into place securing the pod, absolutely no play, great job! ___________________________________________________________________ The Screen The Grimm has a small OLed screen with old school display which many still prefer. Top left we have the resistance then underneath we have the puff count. Positioned centrally we have the wattage or Voltage depending which mode you are using. Top right we have the battery status bar and underneath this the time of your puff. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Grimm The Grimm is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off, once on there is a number of combination button press features. Up and fire together locks and unlocks the device and down and fire together is stealth mode, when the device is locked or in stealth mode it still fires. The final combination button press feature is up and down together flips the screen. To switch between variable voltage or variable wattage is 3 clicks of the fire button, both the wattage and voltage can be adjusted using the navigational rocker in point 1 increments (wattage 5-30W and voltage 0.5-6V). The Grimm also displays your puff count which to access is 4 clicks of the fire button, once pressing the fire button 4 times the puff count flashes and a long fire press will reset it. The Grimm also has all the usual safety features which when any kick in various messages are displayed on the screen. The device needs to be charged via the micro USB port and supports 1A charging, it takes just over an hour to fully charge which for a 1200mAh device is very good. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Grimm Kit I have to say i really like the Grimm a lot and it will be a device i continue using. I can get both the direct lung restriction and loose MTL i prefer but the Grimm offers more by also having a separate MTL airflow hole giving a much tighter draw very similar to a cigarette pull making this both a true MTL and restricted DL Kit. There are quite a few kits that say they offer both MTL and DL but very few actually deliver and only offer a loose MTL at best. At the time of writing there are a couple of unknowns like will supplying each coil with it's own base make the replacement coils expensive and is there actually a 3ml version going to be available as advertised because i can't find it, also In most light i can see the juice level perfectly well but in certain light it can be a struggle due to the darkly tinted pod/cartridge so at least it gives me a con to list because i am struggling. It's pros all the way, an AIO/Pod system with fully adjustable wattage and voltage modes, adjustable airflow that works really well and a great quick, efficient top-fill system. The 0.7ohm coil worked well using for a restricted lung hit but worked equally well closing the airflow slightly for a loose MTL. The 1.2ohm coil using the small airflow delivers a cigarette type draw ideal for those trying to quit the stinkies but i also tried using the dual slots and it also gives a good medium tightness and even loose MTL if you prefer. whichever coil or draw you prefer the flavour and warmth of vape can then be controlled in conjunction with your set wattage or voltage and the recommended 22W and 12W for the coils are a good starting point to adjust from so can't argue with these ratings. I tried all sorts of e-liquid from 50/50 nic salts right up to 80%VG and both coils handled all the various e-liquids i tried. The flavour isn't going to blow anybody away but compared to other pod/AIO set-ups i have tried i have absolutely no complaints with the flavour from both coils. I have been switching between coils regularly trying different airflow and wattage configurations and both coils have got through what i would consider enough e-liquid for acceptable longevity and both coils are still showing no signs of flavour drop off. Battery life is fair when using past the 20W mark with the 0.7ohm coil for a restricted vape to very good when being between 10-12W with the 1.2ohm for a tight MTL vape, the battery charges in just over an hour while supporting pass-through so all round very satisfactory. The Grimm shows how vaping chips have advanced because here we have a simple AIO/Pod device that fires instantly with immediate ramp up (most full size mods wouldn't deliver this performance a couple of years ago). The fire button is very easy to find and delivers a satisfying click when firing, i also like on this occasion the point 1 increments the wattage adjusts in as MTL vapers need more precision. My gut feeling is that the Grimm will sell very well so i would expect more Grimm coils released making the device even more versatile than it already is. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Good build quality plenty of plain and Carbon Fiber finishes Very easy top-fill system Replaceable coils Pod/Cartridge clips into place (absolutely no play) Adjustable airflow 510 drip tip (fit your on if you prefer) True MTL or restricted DL device MTL and DL coils provided Dual airflow slots + MTL airflow hole Old school display Adjustable wattage 5-30W point 1 increments for MTL precision adjustable Voltage 0.5- 6V Fires instantly From cigarette type pull to restricted direct lung draw Good flavour (both coils) Good longevity (both coils) Both coils handled various PG/VG ratios Puff counter Battery status bar Good battery life Charges in just over an hour Supports pass-through Very versatile Multiple safety features Cons Darkly tinted pod (can struggle to see e-liquid in dim light) Micro USB port on base of the device I would once again like to thank Hellvape for supplying the Grimm Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the STNG MTL RDA from Wotofo. The STNG MTL RDA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Antonio from Wotofo. Introduction The STNG MTL RDA is a collaboration between Wotofo and the Russian YouTube vape reviewer Vapor Place (a.k.a Uncle Stas). The STNG utilises post clamps for a very easy build and split airflow directly underneath the coil, the airflow adjustment is very limited so be careful you don't get stung by the ST(i)NG! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1pc STNG MTL RDA 1pc Dual Core Fused Clapton Coil 1pc Single-Strand Coil 1pc User Manual 1pc Extra Drip Tip 1pc Standard pin 1pc Cross Head Screwdriver 1pc Allen Key 1pc Cotton Strip 1bag O-rings ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics The STNG came in packaging that comprises of a cardboard base and plastic clear lid so you can see the STNG before opening. I received the Black version which has the band of the Silver base visible and comes with what i would describe as an old fashioned MTL drip tip. The colour options are Black, Stainless Steel, Gunmetal, Blue, Gold and Rainbow, all versions have a Silver band visible at the base as none of the base sections are painted. The top of the RDA has many tapered steps to the drip tip giving a quite rounded look, the front has the STNG logo carved into the metal which is the only feature apart from the single sidewards teardrop airflow inlet. Moving to the base we have a Gold plated, protruding standard 510 pin pre-installed and on the base itself plenty of branding and safety stamps. The build quality is nice and the finish on mine very good, i find the shape and logo aesthetically pleasing but i'm not a massive fan of the supplied drip tips despite them being comfortable but all that's entirely subjective. ___________________________________________________________________ STNG MTL RDA Specs and Features: RDA Type: MTL RDA Build Deck Diameter: 22mm Coil Configuration: Single Coil Wattage Range: 5-30W Recommended Ohm Value: 0.4-1.8ohm Overall Height: 43.15mm (with drip tip and 510 pin) Threading: 510 Thread Body Material: Stainless Steel Juice Feeding Method: Drip / Squonk Insulator Material: German PEEK Split bottom airflow All in one screw clamp system Colours: Black, Stainless Steel, Gunmetal, Blue, Gold, Rainbow INCLUDED COIL SPECS 1. Dual Core Fused Clapton Coil Recommended for normal nicotine vaping Material: Ni80 30G*2+38G Resistance: 0.75ohm Inner Diameter: 2.5mm Number of Wraps: 6 wraps 2. Single-Strand Coil Recommended for nic salts vaping Material: Ni80 28G Resistance: 1.2ohm Inner Diameter: 2.5mm Number of Wraps: 9 wraps ___________________________________________________________________ It's Various Parts and What You Get The STNG comprises of a 510 delrin MTL drip tip, one piece sleeve and base section which of course includes the deck. You receive 2 very similar style 510 drip tips that both have a 3mm inner bore but different outer diameters although i expect a lot of people will use their own 510. You also receive spare O-rings, screws, allen key, good quality screwdriver and cotton. Finally you also get supplied with 2 different Ni80 coils. The STNG comes pre-installed with a standard pin but a BF pin is included. ___________________________________________________________________ Supplied Coils You get two different coils, one of which is supposed to be more suited for freebase and the other for nic salts but really i always find that marketing mischievousness. One coil is a Ni80 dual core fused clapton 0.75ohm, the other is a Ni80 single wire coil 1.20hm, both coils have a 2.5mm ID. ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow has very limited adjustability and comprises of just one inlet which is about the same size as the largest hole on a typical MTL tank that gives you various holes with different diameters (i estimate the hole to be about 2mm). The airflow is adjusted by moving the sidewards teardrop hole on the sleeve so if you have the more narrower end of the teardrop over the hole it's reduced and can be adjusted till the opposite end of the teardrop is fully over the hole which is wide open. The air goes into the inlet and travels underneath the deck until it reaches the centre of the deck, it then gets diverted upwards where it is split between two small outlets underneath the coil. They are calling it a splitted air supply but it's nothing innovative and has been seen many times in the past. Looking inside the sleeve we can see it's very domed and also on the side we have 2 notches that allow the sleeve to be lined up when fitted. In conjunction with the side of the deck the sleeve moves on a rail system giving the airflow adjustment hard stoppers. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck And Build I am not a big dripper fan especially with MTL RDA's so before starting my first build i swapped for the BF pin and kept this installed for both the builds i did. The 22mm deck has 2 posts directly facing each other that utilise spring loaded "T" shaped clamps so as the screws are undone from above the clamps rise up giving shelves for the coil leads. The screw is positioned centrally on each clamp giving a shelf either side so it doesn't matter which way the coil is wound. This makes for such an easy build simply place your leads on the shelves and while holding the coil in position with a finger screw the clamps down. Once done if needed fine tune the position of your coil with a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool then snip your access leads. Wicking is a doddle simply cut your cotton to the second o-ring on the outside of the deck, fluff up and then tuck down in the quite deep wells. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The STNG The problem with the STNG is the limited airflow options and it's simply giving variants of a medium to loose MTL draw, some may even manufacture a very restricted DL vape but i would say not. To put it into context the airflow inlet is about the same size as the largest hole on the Berserker which then has 4 smaller options and although the teardrop does allow slight adjustability this is not suitable for those liking a really tight draw. The Clapton coil just seemed a strange vape as if it didn't suit the tank at all it felt it needed more air and wanted to be used as a DL draw but there is not enough air to satisfactory allow this. When using the supplied single wire coil it was much better and it did give very decent flavour but it felt the flavour wasn't optimised and could of been improved if the airflow could be closed down further, so although this gave a decent vape a tighter draw would be better yet the other supplied coil needs more air than the STNG offers. It worked well as a BF RDA but only after getting use to not being Zealous pressing the bottle so at first i did get leaking through the air inlet but after a learning curve it was fine. The STNG isn't a bad MTL RDA as long as you vape in it's narrow airflow range, and for a vaper who likes a medium to loose MTL draw but is new to building then doing a build on the STNG is as easy as building gets on an RDA but compared to an RDA like the Berserker it is somewhat lacking in performance! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Nice build quality Nice looking 5 Colour options Simple airflow adjustment Locking top cap rail system Drip tip standard 510 fit (can use your own) Very simple to build Clamp post system Quite deep juice well Decent flavour (single wire 1.2ohm build) BF and standard pin Plenty included including: 2 Drip tips 2 Different coils Cons Limited airflow adjustability Not as tight as most MTL dedicated RDA's No Innovation on show Really didn't find the supplied fused clapton suited the RDA If over zealous when squonking it will leak through inlet Not a massive fan of the supplied drip tips (subjective) I would once again like to thank Antonio from Wotofo for supplying the STNG MTL RDA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Barrage RDA from Asmodus. The Barrage RDA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Saly from Asmodus. Introduction The Barrage RDA is a collaboration between Asmodus and Vaping with Thesis and a very interesting innovative design. The RDA has airflow that is hidden within the heat sink fins and deflects off the bottom of the deck to "barrage" the coil with air. The concept is supposed to give the ultimate single coil performance giving copious amount of cloud as well as impressive flavour from the same RDA. So is the Barrage both a cloud chasing, flavour rocking RDA that's going to stand out from the crowd, let's have a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: Asmodus Barrage RDA 2x ONI pre-built Triple Fused Clapton coils 2x Allen key BF Squonk 510 pin Spare parts bag User manual ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics I always look forward to see what packaging an Asmodus product will arrive in as they like to be different, and this time around the RDA comes in a very sturdy triangular box with shallow lid. I received the Rainbow version which comes with a Goon style wide bore delrin 810 drip tip sitting up top, the colour options are Black, Gold, Rainbow and Silver. The Barrage is very easy to describe as it's only feature is 2 heat sink fins at the top of the sleeve before tapering towards the drip tip, the rest of the sleeve is plain. The base has branding and safety marks printed in Black and a Gold plated, slightly protruding standard 510 pin which can be removed with an Allen key. The machining is very clean and the build quality is a very high standard. ___________________________________________________________________ Barrage Specs and Features: Size: 24mm diameter Single coil rebuildable deck Drip or squonk compatible – solid and BF 510 pins included Stainless steel body 5.3mm deep juice well Non-adjustable top airflow 810 Goon style drip tip Gold plated 510 pins Gold plated coil clamp screws 3.5mmx1.4mm post holes Coil positioning guides in deck Thread: 510 Colour: Black, Gold, Rainbow, Silver ___________________________________________________________________ The Barrage's Various Parts The Barrage consists of an 810 Goon fitting drip tip and a one piece sleeve, then we have the base section housing the single coil deck. The Barrage comes pre-installed with a standard pin but a BF pin is included as well as 2 Allen keys, spare o-rings and screws. Also included is 2 triple fused claptons which are Kanthal(26Gx3+38G) but no cotton. Of course you can use your own Goon fit 810 if you prefer(me thinks another of Nick's stabwood drip tips will be making an appearance!). ___________________________________________________________________ The Airflow The airflow inlets are hidden within the heat sink fins and non adjustable. When looking inside the sleeve we can see a cavity either side that act like chute's which funnel incoming air straight down until it comes into contact with two angled slopes milled into the deck that then directs the air towards the bottom of the deck. Some of this air will skim the side of the coil on the way down (how much will depend on the size of the coil) while most of it will bounce of the deck underneath the coil and come upwards giving bottom airflow that will wrap around the coil. On both sides at the bottom of the inside of the sleeve we have a small indent and on the lip of the base 2 corresponding notches so the sleeve locks in place with everything lined up. ___________________________________________________________________ The Deck And Build The way we have just got angled milled slopes on the deck for airflow and with it being a 24mm deck i can't think of a single coil deck that has so much room. We have 2 posts diagonal to each other that have angled side openings (act the same as having a lip) which are fastened down from above via the hex screws. The terminals are huge compared to on most decks and with all that room you can fit a very large coil if you wish. There are two curved cutouts in the wall of the base so a coiling rod can be placed to help guide where to position the coil or just set it centrally by eye. Simply place each coil lead in the terminals and hold the coil in place while tightening down the screws. Once done you can use a coiling rod or fit for purpose tool to improve the position of your coil if needed and then snip your coil leads. Wicking is straightforward and the Barrage has quite a deep well, just make sure you don't place any of your cotton obscuring the milled airflow slopes. I did 2 builds first using one of the supplied Oni coils with the BF pin fitted and then a second build using a coil supplied by The Doctor which was an Alien 3*28+36 using Juice Junkie Ni80 with an ID of 3.0mm. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Barrage RDA The barrage is innovative yet quite a simple design making this one of my shortest reviews. This RDA laughs at the usual concepts that encourages flavour and likes dual build wattage thrown at it despite being quite restrictive. There is only one con i have for the RDA which is the glaringly obvious fact that the airflow can't be adjusted. As mentioned the airflow is more restrictive than most RDA's so not for those that like a Goon like airflow wide open but despite this i was at 70W where i got flavour for days and copious amounts of vapor to match. I did take it right up to 90W(it's just a single coil RDA) and the flavour still rocked with no sign of the juice cooking. I'm baffled with the restrictive airflow why it's lapping up the wattage so comfortably and why it's giving such good flavour without all the usual flavour encouraging attributes, but the Barrage really is both a cloud producer and flavour machine all in one. The very spacious deck is so simple to build on and both the room and large terminals will allow for a big coil if that's what you like. As mentioned the pictured build i did was using one of the Doctors coils and i will be switching the pins to go back to the BF pin but keeping this build for many a re-wick! The Barrage works great with the BF pin installed having an airflow design which makes it very leak resistant as well as having quite a deep juice well. Although it has a very friendly BF design it worked equally well just dripping liquid straight down the drip tip. The last thing to mention is again looking at the design i was expecting some turbulence but the airflow is as smooth as i would expect from a honeycomb airflow design. Another one of Nick's handcrafted Stabwood drip tips looking stunning on top of the Barrage RDA! (Check them out!) ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Nice triangular packaging Cleanly machined and very good build quality Aesthetics entirely subjective (i like the look) Heat sink fins Airflow hidden from outside Goon fitting drip tip Innovative airflow deflecting off deck bottom before surrounding the coil Very spacious 24mm build deck Very large terminals Very easy build Leak resistant Equally suited for using BF or dripping Smooth, restrictive lung hit Bags of flavour Cloud to match Included BF pin 2 Included Coils Locking sleeve Cons Non Adjustable Airflow I would once again like to thank Saly from Asmodus for supplying the Barrage RDA for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Reuleaux Tinker 2 200W TC MOD from Wismec. The Wismec Reuleaux Tinker 2 200W TC MOD was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ella from Sourcemore. Introduction The Tinker 2 is a dual 18650 device and shares the same sneaker type appearance as the original Tinker while having a form factor which most reminds me of the Geekvape Aegis legend. Like the Aegis series of devices and the Jackeroo from Vandyvape the Tinker 2 joins the IP67 club bringing us a durable device that is dustproof, waterproof and shockproof. Powered by the advanced Avatar Chip which brings us super fast firing response time the Tinker 2 gives up to 200W in power while also boasting a full TC suite. The Tinker 2 enters a club that already features some impressive devices so let's see how the Tinker 2 stacks up! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1x WISMEC Reuleaux Tinker2 MOD 1x QC USB Cable 1x User Manual 1x Warning Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Reuleaux Tinker 2 came in a very large cardboard box with cardboard sleeve with a picture of the device in the chosen colour on the front. The box is so big because they are using the same boxes for both the kit and device only so i had certain empty sections. I received the Titanium Grey version, the colour options are Titanium Grey, Black, Blue Purple and Red, in my opinion the picks are the Titanium Grey and Blue Purple options. The device maintains the sneakers look that the original Tinker has so no surprise it bears the same name but as a form very similar to the Aegis Legend with a bracket and curved leather spine. The device has a light switch style fire button and lower navigational buttons on an upward slant. We have a large cutout section for the screen but plenty of real estate wasted and the colour screen is smaller than ideal. Up top we have the Reuleaux logo to one side and the specially watertight 510 towards the spine, the 510 is Gold plated and spring loaded. The device apart from the leather spine is an all Zinc alloy construction but the metal must be thick as it's an heavy device and quite large. The large C frame like form is ergonomically friendly and the build quality is the best i have known from Wismec. ___________________________________________________________________ Tinker 2 Specs and Features: Size: 90 x 53.5 x 28.5mm Battery: 2 x 18650 cells (not included) Screen: 0.96-inch color screen Max wattage: 200W Output mode: Power/TC-Ni/TC-Ti/TC-SS/TCR mode Temperature range: 100-315°C/200-600°F (TC modes) Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm for TC modes 0.05-3.5ohm for Power mode Maximum charging current: 2A Maximum output current: 50A Output voltage range: 0.5-8V Durable and portable Box MOD from Reuleaux Tinker series 200W Max power with dual 18650 batteries Advanced Avatar Chip with 0.001s instant fire speed 0.96-inch colour screen and excellent vaping performance Perfect combination of leather and metal Fashionable appearance with attractive colours waterproof, shockproof and dustproof design Thread: 510 Colours: Titanium Grey, Black, Blue Purple, Red ___________________________________________________________________ Waterproof, Dustproof and Shockproof The Reuleaux Tinker 2 has the same IP67 rating as the Aegis series of mods making it an extremely durable device and although no-one including Wismec will suggest going diving with it or throwing the device from a 9th floor window you would have to go some to break the device by accident. The device's IP rating means it will withstand being immersed in water up to 1 meter in depth for up to 30 mins and there's some clever ways the Tinker 2 is kept sealed like having a silicone bung for the USB port, fitting membrane seals underneath venting holes and having a leakproof designed 510 connector. An IP rating only covers the waterproof and dustproof credentials of a device and although the Tinker 2 seems very solid it is essentially a whole metal construction unlike the Aegis Mods that are made from 6 different materials including thick army grade silicone which gives it most of it's shockproof protection. So just how shockproof the Tinker 2 is i'm not over convinced about and for certain if dropping it will scuff up a lot more than the Aegis Mods. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Batteries The Tinker 2 accommodates dual 18650 batteries that get fitted via the bottom battery hatch door. We have a strong grooved catch which needs pulling back to allow the door to open on it's spring. The catch is sturdy and needs quite a strong pull and also closing the door takes a bit of effort but for me not really a con because to keep this kind of design waterproof it has to be done this way and it does make it extremely secure so no chance of this door opening on it's own. The door design is the same as seen on the Aegis Legend and Aegis X, we also have decent venting which has a membrane seal to keep the battery compartment watertight. Battery orientation is labelled in white so happy with that, overall a good job and no complaints! ___________________________________________________________________ The Display The display is very colourful but not the brightest and for a colour display quite small being about the same size as the display on a DNA device. Throughout the menu all information is in a decent size font and displayed in lists so no issues there but on the main working screen certain information is in very small font and although i could read the information perfectly well i have good eyesight and i can see some people struggling. Top left we have the day and then to the right the date, underneath within a circular design we have either the wattage or temperature depending which mode you are in. Further down we have what looks like the face of a sign post which displays the subpara top which is amps by default and resistance underneath. Finally at the bottom of the display we have the two battery status bars, one either side although more accurate battery status is obtainable within the menu system. When pressing fire the wattage or temperature is replaced by the time of your puff and real time wattage. ___________________________________________________________________ Navigating The Reuleaux Tinker 2 The Tinker 2 is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off, once on i can only find one combination key press feature which is pressing both navigational buttons together locks and unlocks the device, when locked the Tinker 2 will still fire. The device has a menu system which just uses lists making it simple to use and also helps it flow smoothly. 3 clicks of the fire button enters the first tier of the menu system which lists the following options, Mode, Settings, Info and Exit. When choosing mode it gives another list comprising of Power(wattage), TC, TCR and RTC, when choosing TC it gives the wire options of Ti, Ni, SS and again we have Exit. If choosing RTC is gives you the choice of a digital or pointer(analogue) clock and the subpara automatically switches to displaying watts. When choosing Settings a new list is displayed which is Coil, Power, Stealth, Subpara, Clock, Preheat, Timeout and Exit. Coil gives you the option of locking the resistance and Power is where you set wattage for temp control. Next we have Stealth mode followed by subpara where we can instead of Amps have the working screen displaying puffs, volts or when in temp control, watts. Next is clock where the time and date can be adjusted then we have preheat which allows you to set the power and duration. This is followed by Timeout which has the options of 5s, 10s, 15s or off and once again we have exit. Finally if you choose Info from the main menu screen it allows you to view the accurate status of each battery and also the hardware and software versions. All screens as described have an Exit option and round robins which as mentioned makes the menu system flow very smoothly. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections Over-charge Protection Over-discharge Protection Over 10 Seconds Protection Short Circuit Protection Over-current Protection Reverse Polarity Protection Temperature Protection ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Reuleaux Tinker 2 I must state i have no access to data so i simply review devices as i personally experience them and on this occasion i did give it a try in temp control using an SS coil. I really had issues trying to get the temp control working properly so as i am a novice when it comes to temp control if that's how you vape i would recommend sourcing reviews that fully covers temp control. The device is another heavy IP67 device which personally i would use as a desktop mod as i really don't like carrying large, heavy mods about with me. The Ergonomics are very good though especially as a finger firer in the right hand with the curved leather spine resting against the palm, also every time i use a device with a light switch style fire button i point out how much i like it and no difference here. The device fires incredibly quickly with good ramp up and all the wattage's i tried seemed very accurate, i tried a few RTA's but was limited to 25mm as i hate overhang. The device supports 2A charging and is fully firmware upgradeable although i never recommend charging batteries in a device unless it's your only option. Another good reason to only use the USB port for any future firmware upgrades is constant removal of the silicone bung could compromise the watertight seal. I see the merits of simple mods but do like my feature rich devices and feel this is stuck a bit in the middle not having certain settings like screen brightness and i do prefer more feature packed device's to include the curves feature. I personally do like the display but can see some people struggling to see all the information on the working screen, i also like how the wattage adjusts using point 1w increments up to 20W then switches to 1W increments all the way up to 200W. When holding down the button to scroll wattage it changes to 1W increments up to 20W and 5W increments up to 200W, this i like a lot. When it comes to battery life i don't really have anything to report as it seemed to give the life i would expect from dual 18650 batteries. Studying the look and feel of the device i have no reason to doubt the IP67 rating and it's certainly a well built solid device but for reasons i covered in an earlier section not sure it's as durable or shockproof as the Aegis devices but that's just my feeling and i could be wrong. ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Excellent build quality IP67 Rating (waterproof,dustproof) Durable device Shockproof (not sure it's as durable as the Aegis devices in this regard) Aesthetically pleasing 4 colour options Ergonomic High powered dual battery device Really like the light switch style fire button Fires incredibly quickly with good ramp up Performed great in power mode Solid battery door with clearly marked orientation Colour screen Smooth flowing user friendly menu system Really like the wattage increments switching to 5W when holding the button down RTC mode Preheat TC mode (would suggest getting more information) Supports 2A charging Firmware upgradeable Cons Heavy, and large Small display (for a colour display) Small fonts on working screen some people might struggle to read Feel it's missing a couple of features like screen brightness and Curves Could not get TC to work properly I would once again like to thank Ella from Sourcemore for supplying the WISMEC Reuleaux Tinker 2 200W TC MOD for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________

Hi Staff, there is a link included but feel it is needed and of benefit to the reader and shouldn't be considered as Spam. If you click the link i hope you will agree.