The Joker - Av

[Burn]

I received the updated Joker - AV (adjustable voltage) a week and a half ago. I have been using it exclusively ever since.

Vitals:

Mod Name - The Joker-AV

Vendor link - VaprLife: The Joker-AV

Price - $99.00 for e-cig mod, $129.00 for Kit (see site for details)

Batteries - 2 X cr123 size 3.7V or 3.0V

Supported Atomizers - choice of 501 or 801 sitting

Appearance:

The Joker-AV is a long and slender tube style design. The diameter is just slightly larger than the CR123a battery type making for a nice fit for the batteries, there is not any battery shake with this mod. It is a little bit (approx 1/4") longer than most mods in this class (The Buzz, Silver Bullet, Omega) and also quite a bit lighter. When I opened the package, what I noticed first was that the mod was so light. I thought for sure the tube would be not be solid. I tried to squeeze the center of the tube with my fingers to see if it had any give as I expected aluminum to have (like an aluminum can) an it does not, I am still surprised by this. This aluminum tube must have been machined from a solid block and not die cast. As it is a tube, there is not a lot of creativity available in the design but the beveled top rising to the atty connector and the overall finish is very sleek and professional. The beveled cut does look good holding the atty connector but it should be noted that there is not any reservoir for atty spills/atty leaks and it will go right down the side.

The voltage controller area is a silver band under the button and looks very good with black. there is a small hole to access the blade style screw head to adjust the voltage. The atty connector, which is at the top of the tube and not sunk into the tube so it is flush looks terrific when it is silver/nickel. When received, there was a very thin plating of gold that clashed with the silver. This plating wore off in a few days and now the entire look is black/silver and very sharp. The button is the customary ball in socket design that many of the Vaprlife products feature. The button is very responsive and while it is a mechanical and CAN go off accidentally in your pocket, the small button face makes this unlikely. the end cap is also silver with the joker logo and is vented for safety. This is a very comfortable unit to hold, looks great and while is too long for a shirt pocket, does fit well in a suit jacket and has been just fine carrying in loose fitting pants.

Features:

Safety has been a consistent feature set of VaprLife products and this model is another example of that standard. Saftey features include; short circuit protection, output limit protection, dropout protection, reverse polarity (battery) protection and even thermal protection has been built into the unit. The unit delivers regulated voltage to the atomizer. What this means is that the output voltage is fixed and less than the total battery output (6.0 or 7.4v combined battery voltage). This ensures consistent performance throughout the charge cycle of the battery. A non regulated battery will start out at a certain voltage and then begin to diminish over the charge cycle. Regulated devices will deliver the same performance until the battery runs out of charge. In addition, you can change the voltage of the device to a setting you prefer. The device ships at 5.0V and by using the supplied screwdriver you can lower and raise the voltage. This device can now be any voltage you prefer/require. It can be a standard volt (3.7/4.2v) or a high volt 6.0 or anything in between.

The device has an activation LED that looks very good and is shaped like a diamond. This LED falls under features and not appearance because the LED is also a low battery indicator. It should be noted that the low battery indicator comes on by changing colors when the battery voltage goes below 5V. this is fine if you are using 3.0V batteries, because the 2 batteries will reach that low of a voltage. I did find that when using 3.7 V batteries, they shut off when the combined voltage hits 5.2 (Li-ion battery protection). From my tests with 4 sets of batteries, only the 3.0 volts turned the low indicator on and the 3.7 did not. Is this a big deal? No, not really to me. 3.7 volts are lasting almost twice as long as the 3.0 I have and the lack of indicator really doesn't bother me at all as I always have a second set of batteries charged and ready. I was concerned at first when the power ran out and the device seemed to stop working. Replacing the batteries got my joker back up and vaping.

The performance is what I have come to expect from an AV device, very consistent and customizable. I have run standard atties from 4.2v to 5.0v, cartomizers at 4.5v and 6.0v and even used an adapter for some 901 styles at 5.5 volts. All performed very well and exactly as I expected. Variable voltage allows you to experience several different battery configurations in one device.

Edited July 29, 2010 by Burn

[Burn]

Opinion:

This is a mature device that was well developed and it is apparent that a lot of thought went into the design and safety of the device. I was surprised that an adapter to connect to my multimeter (voltage reader) was not available for the device. I already had one that worked on the device so I could tune it but without that you really didn't know the exact voltage. Some atomizers I would not want to run at particularly high voltages so this is important to me. However, once you have it set, you really don't need to touch it at all. Vaprlife is now advertising a voltmeter that screws on the top of the device. This will be great for those that don't already have a voltmeter. This is not currently available at the time of this writing but is expected to be released soon according to the current home page of VaprLife

Another surprise was lack of manual and documentation. There isn't any instructions on how to control the voltage. Even a rough guide (one complete turn = .2 volts approx) would be helpful for the uninitiated. When I received my first AV unit, prior to The Joker-AV, I fiddled with it for a few days running experiments and tests. If this doesn't sound like you, then the above really wont bother you at all. Getting the best performance really is simple, if it is too cold, turn to the right, if it is too hot, turn to the left. Get it where you like it and forget about adjusting, it will be the same every time.

With the quality of the craftsmanship and professional touches, it is easy to forget that VaprLife is actually a small shop and not a large manufacturer like Janty or Joye. I can understand why this was released before the documentation and volt adapter/meter was delivered but as this is still true at the time of this writing, I feel it must be noted.

Summary

I have been vocal about 2 issues I had with VaprLife and the release of the original (non av) Joker. 1) The description of the voltage rating for the device. I believe it should be the battery rating for the battery(s) used in the device. VaprLife believes it is the voltage under load. I think that because the load does change not only between different makes and styles of atomizers but even within the lifespan of the atomizer the battery rating should be used. We will agree to disagree on that point but the av/regulator makes renders that subject moot.

The other issue I had was the price. The original $170 price was far too high, in my opinion and now VaprLife has come back with a very affordable price of $99 for the unit (with screwdriver) and $129 for the kit (4batteries, charger and holster case) which is also very reasonable. This has gone from one of the more expensive devices to one of the better values for a custom e-cig.

VaprLife removed both of my complaints and what is now left is a fantastic device. It feels comfortable to hold, has excellent safety features, dependable and customizable performance, looks terrific and my bank account appreciated the value as well. If you are looking for a regulated or adjustable voltage device, you can not go wrong with the joker-av.

Final Thought

As I also own what I believe to be the first variable voltage device (not selective voltage), The Buzz, inevitably I expect to be asked which of these do I prefer or think is better. I think they are both very good devices. They are well made and the performance is identical. The size and appearance is what really separates these units and those attributes are very subjective. I would recommend either of these devices and I would suggest that everyone consider a regulated device such as these as they really are to me, the best vaping experience.

If you just cant stop annoying your wife/husband/friend or cat with your constant spending on e-cigs, do what I did....buy one of each!

Edited July 29, 2010 by Burn

[Jeffb]

Excellent review Burn

[Brian]

Great review Burn! Pretty much right in line with my thoughts about it.

The gold plating around my atty connector seems to be pretty solid. No chips or nicks. I've had mine since the first release and got the upgrade back on Monday. I don't want to try and make it come off, but like you, I think it would look better without it.

I'm really enjoying the Joker AV. I've only used it with a carto at 5V. I do seem to get better flavor from the carto at 5V vs. 6v. I haven't had time to test it with an atty and different volts, but will get around to it.

[nana]

Another great review, Burn!

[Bigjim]

Excellent review, Burn! I appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

It's nice to see the price reduction on the Joker, as well as the quality workmanship. Seems like a pretty good unit!

[Burn]

Great review Burn! Pretty much right in line with my thoughts about it.

The gold plating around my atty connector seems to be pretty solid. No chips or nicks. I've had mine since the first release and got the upgrade back on Monday. I don't want to try and make it come off, but like you, I think it would look better without it.

I'm really enjoying the Joker AV. I've only used it with a carto at 5V. I do seem to get better flavor from the carto at 5V vs. 6v. I haven't had time to test it with an atty and different volts, but will get around to it.

It looks much better without the gold plating. I thought the plating would take a while to wear off and I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed looking at the gold. Two days after I received it, I was wiping up a leak off the connector with a paper towel and I noticed it was starting to come off. I soaked up a corner of the paper towel with some juice, coated the connector and rubbed all the plating off. Now...it is silver and oh so sexay!

[JRVapes]

Wow Burn, great review! Couldn't have said it better myself (actually I couldn't that's why I was waiting on your thoughts, lol!) Very detailed & professional and I also agree with the new prices you really can't go wrong on this HV AV device.

[Jeffb]

Got an e-mail yesterday saying my Joker has been upgraded to AV and on its way back to me. After reading Burn's review I can't wait to try it out.

[Hawk]

Burn,

Yet another excellent review bud! Excellent writing, to the point, and informative. Thank you for your input to us all!

[Hawk]

@ JeffB,

Let me know how you like it brother. Haven't been on in a while, but I'm back in action now... Miss ya'll...

[Brian]

Just a tip - if you have a precision screwdriver set, the 2.4mm screwdriver works much better than the little one that come with the Joker (1.4mm I think). I had a hard time getting that little one in the groove and keeping there while turning it. The 2.4mm one fits the hole just right so it won't come off the groove.

[Jeffb]

Excellent advice Brian. I don't know why a larger screwdriver wasn't included, as you said it comes out of the slot easily.

[Mark]

Excellent advice Brian. I don't know why a larger screwdriver wasn't included, as you said it comes out of the slot easily.

That's what she said.....

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Edited August 1, 2010 by jeffb
Off Topic

[nana]

@ JeffB,

Let me know how you like it brother. Haven't been on in a while, but I'm back in action now... Miss ya'll...

Welcome back Hawk!! We missed you, too.

[miatafrank]

I just sent my Joker back for the AV upgrade, and I hated to let it go since none of my 3.7v devices even come close to satisfying me anymore. I bought a Buzz to use as a fall back while I send the Joker back for it's upgrade. When the Buzz came in, I ran a few tests before shipping the joker back. First I adjusted the Buzz for 5.00v, then I connected a 3.3ohm 25watt power resistor to simulate the 302 atomizer I am using. The voltage on the Buzz dropped to 4.90v with the 3.3ohm load, which is really quite impressive to drop only 0.1v under load. I then connected the non-AV/non-regulated Joker to the meter and the unloaded voltage was 6.58v, connected the 3.3ohm load and it dropped to 6.32v. This was not a bad result for unregulated battery voltage to drop only 0.26v, but it will be interesting to run this same test with the regulated version when I get it back.

Here are some results from the other units/batteries I have. A VP1 using a 10440 battery measures 4.17v fully charged, and drops to 3.70v with the 3.3ohm load. A standard 510 battery measured 3.39v (obviously not a full charge)unloaded, under load it was2.8v. A 510 mega batt was 3.14v (again not a full charge)unloaded, and dropped to 2.86v under load.

On another note, the Buzz is fatter and way heavier than the Joker. It took a while to get used to as this thing is like holding a brick in my hand compared to the joker.

[Burn]

I just sent my Joker back for the AV upgrade, and I hated to let it go since none of my 3.7v devices even come close to satisfying me anymore. I bought a Buzz to use as a fall back while I send the Joker back for it's upgrade. When the Buzz came in, I ran a few tests before shipping the joker back. First I adjusted the Buzz for 5.00v, then I connected a 3.3ohm 25watt power resistor to simulate the 302 atomizer I am using. The voltage on the Buzz dropped to 4.90v with the 3.3ohm load, which is really quite impressive to drop only 0.1v under load. I then connected the non-AV/non-regulated Joker to the meter and the unloaded voltage was 6.58v, connected the 3.3ohm load and it dropped to 6.32v. This was not a bad result for unregulated battery voltage to drop only 0.26v, but it will be interesting to run this same test with the regulated version when I get it back.

Here are some results from the other units/batteries I have. A VP1 using a 10440 battery measures 4.17v fully charged, and drops to 3.70v with the 3.3ohm load. A standard 510 battery measured 3.39v (obviously not a full charge)unloaded, under load it was2.8v. A 510 mega batt was 3.14v (again not a full charge)unloaded, and dropped to 2.86v under load.

On another note, the Buzz is fatter and way heavier than the Joker. It took a while to get used to as this thing is like holding a brick in my hand compared to the joker.

The size and weight of the Buzz didn't bother me one bit.....

then The Joker arrived and wow...

I still like the Buzz but the Joker is so much more comfortable to hold/carry, The Buzz is my backup now.

[Kodiak]

awesome review, and your final though sounds right on,

[JRVapes]

.....then The Joker arrived and wow....

Couldn't agree more! My Saber Touch is now my backup!

Edited August 4, 2010 by JRVapes

[Brian]

Couldn't agree more! My Saber Touch is now my backup!

Then it's time to replace your avatar.

[JRVapes]

Yeah Brian, I thought about that after I wrote that but I was to lazy to get the camera out to take a pic, lol!

[miatafrank]

I just sent my Joker back for the AV upgrade, and I hated to let it go since none of my 3.7v devices even come close to satisfying me anymore. I bought a Buzz to use as a fall back while I send the Joker back for it's upgrade. When the Buzz came in, I ran a few tests before shipping the joker back. First I adjusted the Buzz for 5.00v, then I connected a 3.3ohm 25watt power resistor to simulate the 302 atomizer I am using. The voltage on the Buzz dropped to 4.90v with the 3.3ohm load, which is really quite impressive to drop only 0.1v under load. I then connected the non-AV/non-regulated Joker to the meter and the unloaded voltage was 6.58v, connected the 3.3ohm load and it dropped to 6.32v. This was not a bad result for unregulated battery voltage to drop only 0.26v, but it will be interesting to run this same test with the regulated version when I get it back.

Here are some results from the other units/batteries I have. A VP1 using a 10440 battery measures 4.17v fully charged, and drops to 3.70v with the 3.3ohm load. A standard 510 battery measured 3.39v (obviously not a full charge)unloaded, under load it was2.8v. A 510 mega batt was 3.14v (again not a full charge)unloaded, and dropped to 2.86v under load.

On another note, the Buzz is fatter and way heavier than the Joker. It took a while to get used to as this thing is like holding a brick in my hand compared to the joker.

I just got the Joker back after the AV upgrade. I ran the same test, and here are the results. I adjusted the voltage to 5.08v, and with the 3.3ohm resistor load it measured 4.98V. That is exactly the same regulator performance as the buzz, in a package that is thinner, lighter weight, and better looking than the Buzz.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like the Buzz just fine, but as Burn said "the Buzz is my back up".

For anyone who might be wondering about the VP/PT, Connected to the AC supply the output is 5.46v, and loaded with the 3.3ohm resistor it is 4.80v. Connected to the USB port on my computer it is 5.08v, and loaded it is 4.28v. This was a surprising result.

[Brian]

Vaprlife has Joker instructions on it's site now. Not much to it, but it does say what you just confirmed... the voltae drop under load is 0.1V.

[JRVapes]

Hey Frank, thanks for taking the time and sharing some good info.

[Schizophretard]

That is one really impressive review! Now I'm curious. About a month ago I got an email about free upgrades. Is Jeso still doing that? Is there a time limit?