timwis Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 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. ___________________________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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