Sigelei Fuchai 213

[Adversarious1]

I recently found myself wanting a new regulated box mod with at least 150 watts in power mode and TC (temp control).   Although I only use TC occasionally with a handful of specific liquids, I am slowly switching to all SS wire for my DIY coils and SS coilheads (when available) for my tanks because it can be vaped in both power and temp mode.

I looked at several that mods that were within my budget and finally settled on the Sigelei Fuchai 213.  I know Sigelei caught a lot of flak over their original 213 in that it supposedly didn't go all the way to true 213 watts, but the highest I vape is between 125 and 150 watts, depending on the coil I'm using.  Yet I kept thinking back to my first Sigelei, a 100w +.  Even though it was simple in operation, that thing has been and continues to be a workhorse.  It is on the verge of having to be put out to pasture because it has been knocked over and knocked off my workbench more times than I can count, but even after a year and a half it is still chugging along.

Before settling on the Fuchai 213 I looked at others.  When it comes to mods I typically don't make purchases for the sake of making purchases.  I like to go to shops and actually look at them.  I like to hold them and see how they feel in my hand.  I like to screw a tank or RDA onto the 510 connector to see how good the threads are.  I like to click buttons.  Basically, I want to know if I'm going to like a mod before I buy it.  Nobody wants to have something that ends up being relegated to the Vape Graveyard because it ended up not being comfortable or because it just didn't feel right in their hand.

I'll admit it was a tough choice.  I looked at many but it really came down to two that were competing for my dollars; the Sigelei Fuchai 213 and the Wismec Reuleaux RX200S.  The thing that ultimately did it for me was the fact that the RX200S uses three 18650 batteries.  Some may like that.  In all honesty, I actually like that too, but it would have actually ended up being more of an inconvenience than I wanted to deal with at the moment due to the way I vape.  [NOTE – This was BEFORE I knew the RX 2/3 was being released.  I'm still thinking about one of those as well.]

The Size – Size was one of the deciding factors when I was narrowing down my decision.  I wanted something small enough to easily slip into a pocket and not be uncomfortable but at the same time big enough to feel it's presence in my hand.  Both the Fuchai 213 and the RX200S fit that bill.  The Fuchai 213 ended up being just a bit taller but was smaller in overall dimensions compared to the RX200S.  The Fuchai is 88mm tall x 29mm wide by 44mm deep vs RX200S at 84mm tall x 40mm wide x 50mm deep.  I included a couple of pics to give you an idea of the size.  The pics are of a Sigelei Fuchai 213 next to a standard 18650 battery case.

        

The Features – The Sigelei Fuchai 213 is a regulated box mod operated by two 18650 batteries.  It features an aluminum body, plastic but sturdy buttons, a spring loaded 510 connector and is available in four colors: black, gunmetal, blue and orange.   The display is a .91" OLED display that may sound a little small at first, but it has proven to be more than adequate and is bright enough to read outdoors on a sunny day.  It also displays a lot of information.  It has a micro USB port that is supposed to be for updates that haven’t been released yet, but can also be used for charging the batteries.

The battery compartment is accessed via a small cover at the bottom that swings out of the way,  This is a feature I have found to be rather convenient for when I'm on the move, as I don't have to worry about holding on to or keeping track of a separate cover as I change batteries.

The .91" OLED screen displays all of the information you would expect a screen to show: mode, current wattage/temperature, ohms, volts, amps and battery life.  Additionally it displays the current voltage of each battery separately. 

Resistance range is from .1 to 3 ohms.  Wattage is from 10w – 213w.  Temperature range is from 100C – 300C/200F-570F.

Included in the box with the Fuchai 213 are the standard user manual, warranty card, authenticity card, USB cable and it also includes a silicone sleeve.

The Functionality – I'll start by saying there is no "on/off" functionality for this mod other than physically removing the batteries.  As soon as you insert batteries, the mod powers on.  That may be a turn-off for some, but for me it's no big deal.  You can lock the fire button, though, so that may be an acceptable trade-off for not actually powering off.

In addition to locking fire button, you can also lock the wattage in power mode or the temperature in TC mode.  It's a nice option to have, but I honestly haven't found myself inadvertently bumping the wattage or temperature up or down.  The buttons are solid and have thus far shown they need to be pressed intentionally in order to change the settings.  That isn't to say you need to mash down on them, because you don't.  But you can put it in your pocket without locking the wattage or temperature and reasonably expect the watts or temp to be unchanged when you take it out.

Finally, there are a total of six modes on this mod; power mode plus five TC modes: Ni200, Ti, SS, TCR and TFR.  By now most of us are familiar with how Ni200, Ti and SS each work in TC mode.  TCR and TFR are two additional options for more advanced vaping/fine tuning for your specific wire, but explaining what TCR and TFR are and the differences between the two aren't the point of this review.  I will say that there are a ton of options in both TCR and TFR mode and you can really set this up for the specific type of wire you happen to be vaping.  For now I will also say they work.  I have tested them and vaped in both modes, but I have primarily stayed in power or SS.  I have gotten away from Ni200 and Ti wire completely, so I can't provide any input on how this mod performs in either of those two modes.

The Experience – So far I've enjoyed this mod.  It's not a brick, isn't too heavy but it’s heavy enough to remind you it’s there and the display is easy to read.  It does what it's supposed to do and more.  I was impressed with this mod enough in the first two weeks that I ordered a second and am considering rounding out the collection by purchasing the two colors I don't own yet. 

I have used a variety of tanks and RDA's on this mod so far.  From .15 ohm coils up to .5 ohm coils.  When I first got it, I used my Triton V1 with a .4 ohm coil and a 30/70 PG/VG liquid.  The two brand new Samsung 25R batteries I put in the mod upon receiving it lasted me 4 full days with moderate vaping before I had to recharge the batteries.  By comparison, the same batteries, moderate vaping, tank, coil and liquid on my iPV4 only lasted 2 and a half days.

I did notice it can get a little warm when chain vaping, but not hot.  When it got the warmest was when I was vaping in TC mode with a SS316L coil.  But TC mode for me was a dream.  It ramped up to temperature quickly, but gently.  It was definitely a nice experience.  The particular juices I vaped were vaped between 490F and 510F, just my preference.  By comparison, in power mode I have vaped everywhere from 40w to 125w.  It didn't get as warm in power mode as it did in TC mode.  It also has a pre-heat setting for TC mode that is adjustable from 10w to 213w and from .01 seconds to 9.99 seconds.

Finally, one feature that was a new experience with me was the fact this will ramp back the wattage in power mode if one or both batteries drop to a certain voltage.  My only other experiences with regulated mods have been that they simply won't fire at all and will display a "Check Battery" message.  This will display a "Check Battery" message as well, but the fact it ramps back the wattage rather than simply not firing was a surprise.  It still let me take a hit, though at a lower wattage than what I expected.  It was definitely noticeable.

The only real drawback I noticed, which can be a pain in the butt, is the button clicking necessary to lock or unlock the fire button.  The manual says five times in three seconds.  I quickly learned those five clicks can't be too fast.  They need to be five deliberate clicks with a short but noticeable pause between each click for the clicks to register.  Initially I was clicking so fast that my clicks weren't registering or it was only registering three clicks and I kept putting it in setup mode.  More of an annoyance than anything, but once I got used to it muscle memory took over and I haven't had an issue since.

It fits nicely in my hand and, as an added bonus, it also fits nicely in the tackle box I use to store vape gear when I'm traveling.  Not too heavy, not too light.  It is nicely balanced.  I did test the USB charging functionality to make sure it works.  I will likely never use it because I have I have well over two dozen 18650 batteries.  I carry extra batteries with me in case I happen to be away from a charger for an extended period of time.  But if for some reason the Zombie Apocalypse or worse,  Vapocalypse, happens and all of my backups (and backups for backups) decide to die at the same time, I know I can use the built in USB charging if it comes down to it.

Ultimately I would recommend this to anybody who may be in the market for a new mod.  I’ve seen them anywhere from about $45 to $60 online.  They are running $70 to $80 in B&M’s, so shop around if you decide to buy one.  It’s insanely easy to use in power mode and if you’re new to TC, the learning curve for figuring out temp control isn’t that steep if you have experience translating broken English.  If you don’t have experience, never fear, many of us around here do.

The Score – 8 (out of 10).  It's a nice little mod.  It isn't cumbersome, it's easy to operate, it has a lot of different options function-wise, it's sturdy and it's convenient.  The battery cover being attached is a plus because that's one less thing to have to juggle and potentially lose.  The threading on the 510 connector is smooth.  The finish on both the blue and the orange versions is really nice.  I would recommend it to anybody, even if you don't use TC mode. 

I'm knocking off the two points for a couple of reasons.  First, for the fact there isn’t an “on/off” mode, only a fire button locking mode.  I bounce from device to device, especially on the weekends.  I have been known to forget to turn a device off because of a switch, then not get back to it until much later than originally anticipated.  Usually the batteries have been dead and in a couple of instances, they were dead beyond resurrection.  The other reason is because of the temperamental nature of the button clicking to lock or unlock the fire button.  Again, the button clicking isn't a huge deal; it was more of an annoyance until I became used to it.  I shouldn't have had to get used to it, though.  All others I own will register my clicks as fast or slow as I want and long as all of the clicks happen within the prescribed amount of time.

Additional colors would be nice, perhaps a red or a green or even a pink or purple for those who like those colors, but the lack of colors doesn’t take away from the fact it is a very functional device.  In fact, if the lack of color options ends up being the only thing stopping you from getting one, the selection of wraps available for it is almost endless.

[Tam]

What an impressive and thorough review! Now, if we can get you to do these in vids... I think you could give some of the "big names" on youtube a run for their money. Good job! 

[Adversarious1]

What an impressive and thorough review! Now, if we can get you to do these in vids... I think you could give some of the "big names" on youtube a run for their money. Good job!  [emoji4]

Not gonna happen, Tam. Ya'll don't wanna see my ugly mug all over Youtube [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

But Thank You for the compliments [emoji4]

Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

[Edna]

18 hours ago, Adversarious1 said:

Not gonna happen, Tam. Ya'll don't wanna see my ugly mug all over Youtube

But Thank You for the compliments

Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

Thanks to you when I went into the local B&M today and was looking at mods I looked at this mod.Killing time, The sales guy said it was great and I said it's not for me because I told him that it didn't turn on and off and he thought I was nuts until he popped batteries into it and tried it out. I told him to read your review  to get the low down on the mod.

[Adversarious1]

6 minutes ago, Edna said:

Thanks to you when I went into the local B&M today and was looking at mods I looked at this mod.Killing time, The sales guy said it was great and I said it's not for me because I told him that it didn't turn on and off and he thought I was nuts until he popped batteries into it and tried it out. I told him to read your review  to get the low down on the mod.

Hmmm...

Maybe I SHOULD get over being camera shy and start putting the "big guys" to shame on YouTube.  I follow a lot of them and respect their reviews (and what many are doing for advocacy), but I have always found many of the reviews lacking in that they don't go into the nitty-gritty details of every function of every device they review.  It's usually a "yeah, I like it.  It produces clouds for days" for devices or "you'll like the flavor" for juices.  No explanations of the ins and outs or the subtle nuances of different flavors.

Hmmm...

[Tam]

6 hours ago, Adversarious1 said:

Hmmm...

Maybe I SHOULD get over being camera shy and start putting the "big guys" to shame on YouTube.  I follow a lot of them and respect their reviews (and what many are doing for advocacy), but I have always found many of the reviews lacking in that they don't go into the nitty-gritty details of every function of every device they review.  It's usually a "yeah, I like it.  It produces clouds for days" for devices or "you'll like the flavor" for juices.  No explanations of the ins and outs or the subtle nuances of different flavors.

Hmmm...

Doooo eeeeeet!   

[Adversarious1]

36 minutes ago, Tam said:

Doooo eeeeeet!   

Maybe I can put a bag over my head and be "The Unknown Vaper" 

[Tam]

7 minutes ago, Adversarious1 said:

Maybe I can put a bag over my head and be "The Unknown Vaper" 

Or you could do the whole -- silhouette thing for your face if you're that camera shy.   

[Adversarious1]

You may have talked me into it Tam.  I have to get a couple of things worked out but...

Warning...turn down the volume if you don't like loud, aggressive guitar intros a la Five Finger Death Punch.  If you do, then crank it up!

 

[Tam]

Looking forward to seeing your review.    

[jasonculp]

I like it!  I am definitely in the "Crank it up" camp

[Edna]

I turned it up and enjoyed your graphics...Now please get going on some reviews

[Misty2016]

Looking forward to seeing your review