GP Piccolo is coming from Greece from 'GP Series by VapourArt', which started as a 'PAPS-team' at the beginning of the year 2012. At this time, they have developed and focused on three products: GP Paps, GP Piccolo and GP Spheroid. They have been making updates to these three regularly, based on the feedback and wishes coming from users.
Classic Piccolo v2.5 has same inner parts than the newest version v3, only difference mentioned by the GP's website that you cannot adjust the travel of the firing button on v2.5. On the outside v2.5 comes in classic package, it's a straight battery tube with 16mm diameter - like older versions.
Some details:
There surprisingly lot of parts inside the GP Piccolo v2.5, considering the size of this mod. (see picture) Insulated positive and negative screws are made of brass, and they are adjustable. You have direct contact with your battery and atomizer, without any springs between them. However, there is a spring preventing battery movement, since batteries have little bit differences in lengths - even between AW IMR's. Then there are other two springs, one for the negative screw adjustment and one for the button movement.
All these tiny parts considered, I founded still pretty easy to put my Piccolo into pieces and back together when I cleaned it. You don't have to do that very often anyway, and you don't need any tools for that. Usually wiping the contacts clean sometimes is enough for the maintenance.
How is it build?
GP Piccolo is designed as lightweight and small as possible for 14500 batteries. It is made from stainless steel, but the battery tube is very thin, and threads are fine and short. Downside for that is changing the battery is not always very pleasant, since the spring that holds the battery pushes back quite a lot. Caps gets easily screwed wrong, If you do that in a hurry. Polishing work has done very very well, the surface looks almost like if it would be chrome plated. New logos have engraved beautifully and they look sharp and neat. Locking ring works logically, although it's pretty tiny at least for my fingers.
I had a little hard time with the firing button - it felt sometimes scrathy, and sometimes I missed proper contact with it. I opened up the switch part, and located the problem area. Inside a button, there is a tube where the negative contact screw goes. Around that tube is a spring, that was scratching visible marks on that little tube, as it was tightly fitted around it. Adding some lubricant on to it solved the problem, and I didn't have problems with the switch anymore. My device was of course bought used as second hand, but it was just couple weeks old and otherwise pretty much flawless. Maybe better spring could solve this issue for upcoming batches?
Conclusion:
As an overall, I think GP Piccolo is worth of money. It fires beautifully, and especially people using small genesis style atomizers can appreciate direct brass contacts and lack of hotsprings. And of course, with GP Spheroid it makes very elegant and pocket friendly combination. But I guess that for some people, GP Piccolo may feel too much as a toy in hand.
GP Products are relatively easy to purchase, new batches of them are being added to GP's website quite often. Joining the VapourArt's facebook group will keep you informed well for future releases. About this classic version the website says: "It was available from December 21, 2012 until January 9, 2013. Only 125 units of Classic Piccolo have been produced." - so it's possible if you want a new one, you have to go on with v3, or look this one from classifieds. New GP Piccolo costs 85 euros + shipping.
Pros and cons:
+ Small and stylish, especially with GP Spheroid
+ Direct brass contacts to your battery and atomizer
+ Adjustable positive and negative screw
- Changing the battery is a little bit annoying.
- Button may require some attention, to get it to work smoothly.
Classic Piccolo v2.5 has same inner parts than the newest version v3, only difference mentioned by the GP's website that you cannot adjust the travel of the firing button on v2.5. On the outside v2.5 comes in classic package, it's a straight battery tube with 16mm diameter - like older versions.
Some details:
There surprisingly lot of parts inside the GP Piccolo v2.5, considering the size of this mod. (see picture) Insulated positive and negative screws are made of brass, and they are adjustable. You have direct contact with your battery and atomizer, without any springs between them. However, there is a spring preventing battery movement, since batteries have little bit differences in lengths - even between AW IMR's. Then there are other two springs, one for the negative screw adjustment and one for the button movement.
All these tiny parts considered, I founded still pretty easy to put my Piccolo into pieces and back together when I cleaned it. You don't have to do that very often anyway, and you don't need any tools for that. Usually wiping the contacts clean sometimes is enough for the maintenance.
How is it build?
GP Piccolo is designed as lightweight and small as possible for 14500 batteries. It is made from stainless steel, but the battery tube is very thin, and threads are fine and short. Downside for that is changing the battery is not always very pleasant, since the spring that holds the battery pushes back quite a lot. Caps gets easily screwed wrong, If you do that in a hurry. Polishing work has done very very well, the surface looks almost like if it would be chrome plated. New logos have engraved beautifully and they look sharp and neat. Locking ring works logically, although it's pretty tiny at least for my fingers.
I had a little hard time with the firing button - it felt sometimes scrathy, and sometimes I missed proper contact with it. I opened up the switch part, and located the problem area. Inside a button, there is a tube where the negative contact screw goes. Around that tube is a spring, that was scratching visible marks on that little tube, as it was tightly fitted around it. Adding some lubricant on to it solved the problem, and I didn't have problems with the switch anymore. My device was of course bought used as second hand, but it was just couple weeks old and otherwise pretty much flawless. Maybe better spring could solve this issue for upcoming batches?
Conclusion:
As an overall, I think GP Piccolo is worth of money. It fires beautifully, and especially people using small genesis style atomizers can appreciate direct brass contacts and lack of hotsprings. And of course, with GP Spheroid it makes very elegant and pocket friendly combination. But I guess that for some people, GP Piccolo may feel too much as a toy in hand.
GP Products are relatively easy to purchase, new batches of them are being added to GP's website quite often. Joining the VapourArt's facebook group will keep you informed well for future releases. About this classic version the website says: "It was available from December 21, 2012 until January 9, 2013. Only 125 units of Classic Piccolo have been produced." - so it's possible if you want a new one, you have to go on with v3, or look this one from classifieds. New GP Piccolo costs 85 euros + shipping.
Pros and cons:
+ Small and stylish, especially with GP Spheroid
+ Direct brass contacts to your battery and atomizer
+ Adjustable positive and negative screw
- Changing the battery is a little bit annoying.
- Button may require some attention, to get it to work smoothly.
