Dear REOville and fellow REOnauts, and anyone lurking,
I wanted to write this 'review' of the REO for one, to show my appreciation for such a wonderful device, but, more so, to hopefully help any newcomers who are lurking here in REOville decide to make the move.
My device history includes an ego style, a ProVari and a Saber Touch VV. Toppers have included Vivi V-Fates, carto-tanks, ProTanks, a Kayfun and a couple RDAs.
The ego isn't even worth elaborating on. I love the ProVari, a mini Zombie to be exact. Paired with the Kayfun, it was a great vape. I got tired of fussing with the Kayfun, and also got sick of the limits of the ProVari.
I got the Saber Touch VV to use with a dripper, a Zenith V2.5 to be exact. This was a great pairing, and worked quite well. The regulator on this device has a ~5.5amp limit, so it still had it's limitation in build ability.
The flavor of the Kayfun was definitely good, but I loved the flavor of the RDA so much more. Dripping can be a drag though. Not very travel friendly either.
I came very close to purchasing a good mechanical tube device, so that my only limit was the battery. I also considered high wattage box mods. But, then, still dealing with a dripper or tank setup.
I had seen many posts and such from REOnauts, and notice many ECF members moving to REOville. So, I began to investigate! After doing lots of lurking here in REOville, spending countless hours gawking on the REO website, I'm not sure why I ever hesitated trying one. I began to stalk the ECF classifieds, looking for the right deal. Plenty of good deals were available, but I never saw one that was just right for me. So, for my one year vaperversary, right around Thanksgiving 2014, I purchased a brand new black wrinkle LP REO with a SL TRA door. My Zenith is the V2.5, so it came with the BF pin, so it was ready to go! Well, after I purchased a die to correct the threads.
So, hear are my thoughts on why this device should be seriously considered!
- It's obvious that Rob truly cares about his product. You can read many stories here on ECF about the wonderful service you can expect from him.
- This device just feels solid. The shape is great in your hand. I was shocked at how small the Grand really is. The mini must be tiny! The Grand is no bigger than a pack of analogs, definitely not as wide. It pockets extremely well, and the fire button locks for safety.
- I was worried how hard it would be to learn how & when to squonk. It's easy. Listen to your vape, it will teach you to squonk! You can pretty much squonk as much as you want, until you see juice in the air holes, as you release excess juice drains back into your bottle (efficiency of this depends on the drainage of your BF RDA).
- I am quite a chain vaper most of the time. The 6ml capacity joose bottles are great for this. Sometimes one bottle can last me all day, but often I go through two or more bottles in a day. Refilling or swapping out bottles is fairly simple. I've refilled bottles before while driving down the highway, never taking one hand off the wheel, at night even (straight roadway, cruise control on, no traffic!). With the Kayfun on the ProVari, I had to wait until I could pull over to refill.
- With the newer sub-ohm contacts that have been on the REO for a while now it seems, your only limit is your battery, and you ability to build, and most importantly your knowledge of basic DC electricity and battery safety, much like any mechanical device. PLEASE KNOW YOUR LIMITS & LEARN SAFETY!! I've done builds as low as .3ohms, but usually vape around .5ohms.
- I am using the newer AW IMR 2200mah 18650's, but you can use any high-drain 18650, flat or button-top on the Grand. Minis use 18490's. I have 4 batteries, labeled 1-4, so I can rotate them to extend their life expectancy. And I always have a fresh battery to use, in most cases! Charging with the Xstar VP4 @ .25a.
- I've taken my REO with me snowboarding 4 times so far this season. I keep it my outer jacket's inside pocket, with a couple hand warmers to help keep the battery & joose warm. It has worked wonderfully, surviving a few wipe outs without a scratch! Sure, in extreme cold temps, the juice gets little hard to squonk, but still very vapeable. I never liked the idea of taking a ProVari on the slopes, with it's length, if I fell a certain way it could probably hurt me!
- There are many toppers available, REO ready, from Rob's website and many others. Chowderhead can mod just about any RDA into a BF atty. You can also use cartos or standard dripping atties, although I haven't tried either. I have a Magma on the way back from Chowderhead, can't wait to build & try it on my REO! If you have the tools & skill, you can even mod one yourself. I did convert an IGO-W to a BF myself, and it worked well. I took one look at the Magma I received, and said "nope, I'm not touching it!".
- You can purchase REO doors separately, and swap them out for a different look and/or feel. Doors are also available as blemishes for a discount from Rob.
- Not only is the support from Rob top notch from what I can see (as I've not really had a need to acquire Rob's support, other than asking a few questions), but the support here in REOville is absolutely amazing. There are so many great people in this sub-forum, and they will answer any and all questions that they can. Anything you want to know about REOs, batteries, builds, toppers, or even vaping in general can be found here. It is so much so, that anymore, the only forums I spend significant time in is the REO & Nicoticket sub-forums. Two best places on ECF IYAM. Many REOnauts are found in the NuThouse, and many NuThouse members can be found in REOville!
- A great resource for REOinfo beyond ECF is youtube, especially videos by smxdrifter, also an ECF member who answers many posts here in REOville. A special thanks to you man!
Are there any negatives with the REO? Not really. I'll list the few that I've found, but these are a stretch as 'negatives'!
- Even though I'm right-handed, I often find it more comfortable & convenient to hold my REO in my left hand. When I have it in my left hand, with the way I press the fire button, it will tend to drift into the locked position. Not much of a big deal, just noteworthy.
- If you don't 'dry' out your wick somewhat before pocketing, joose may spill out of your air holes of your topper. Just make sure you vape down your wicks before pocketing.
- I have found that certain thick jooses, such as 100%VG juices(Open Source Vapor, in the thick option to be exact) are rather difficult to squonk and wick efficiently. (Open Source offers a thinned option, which solves this problem).
In summary, if you enjoy the capacity of a large tank, but love the vape quality of a RDA, then in my opinion, you need to seriously consider trying a REO. Filling up a bottle, popping in a fresh battery, and being able to vape for several hours without fussing and having the vape quality of dripping, is amazing to me!
In the odd chance that you discover that the REO is not for you, you can easily sell it on the ECF classifieds. I've watched many listings for REOs, and they don't last long, and you'll get top dollar for it, probably at least 90% of what you paid for it, if in good condition.
Thank you Rob for producing such a wonderful device, and thank you to all of REOville & my fellow REOnauts for making vaping perfect for me!
I can't praise the REO without posting a pic, so here she is, isn't she a beaut!?
Sincerely,
Dave.
I wanted to write this 'review' of the REO for one, to show my appreciation for such a wonderful device, but, more so, to hopefully help any newcomers who are lurking here in REOville decide to make the move.
My device history includes an ego style, a ProVari and a Saber Touch VV. Toppers have included Vivi V-Fates, carto-tanks, ProTanks, a Kayfun and a couple RDAs.
The ego isn't even worth elaborating on. I love the ProVari, a mini Zombie to be exact. Paired with the Kayfun, it was a great vape. I got tired of fussing with the Kayfun, and also got sick of the limits of the ProVari.
I got the Saber Touch VV to use with a dripper, a Zenith V2.5 to be exact. This was a great pairing, and worked quite well. The regulator on this device has a ~5.5amp limit, so it still had it's limitation in build ability.
The flavor of the Kayfun was definitely good, but I loved the flavor of the RDA so much more. Dripping can be a drag though. Not very travel friendly either.
I came very close to purchasing a good mechanical tube device, so that my only limit was the battery. I also considered high wattage box mods. But, then, still dealing with a dripper or tank setup.
I had seen many posts and such from REOnauts, and notice many ECF members moving to REOville. So, I began to investigate! After doing lots of lurking here in REOville, spending countless hours gawking on the REO website, I'm not sure why I ever hesitated trying one. I began to stalk the ECF classifieds, looking for the right deal. Plenty of good deals were available, but I never saw one that was just right for me. So, for my one year vaperversary, right around Thanksgiving 2014, I purchased a brand new black wrinkle LP REO with a SL TRA door. My Zenith is the V2.5, so it came with the BF pin, so it was ready to go! Well, after I purchased a die to correct the threads.
So, hear are my thoughts on why this device should be seriously considered!
- It's obvious that Rob truly cares about his product. You can read many stories here on ECF about the wonderful service you can expect from him.
- This device just feels solid. The shape is great in your hand. I was shocked at how small the Grand really is. The mini must be tiny! The Grand is no bigger than a pack of analogs, definitely not as wide. It pockets extremely well, and the fire button locks for safety.
- I was worried how hard it would be to learn how & when to squonk. It's easy. Listen to your vape, it will teach you to squonk! You can pretty much squonk as much as you want, until you see juice in the air holes, as you release excess juice drains back into your bottle (efficiency of this depends on the drainage of your BF RDA).
- I am quite a chain vaper most of the time. The 6ml capacity joose bottles are great for this. Sometimes one bottle can last me all day, but often I go through two or more bottles in a day. Refilling or swapping out bottles is fairly simple. I've refilled bottles before while driving down the highway, never taking one hand off the wheel, at night even (straight roadway, cruise control on, no traffic!). With the Kayfun on the ProVari, I had to wait until I could pull over to refill.
- With the newer sub-ohm contacts that have been on the REO for a while now it seems, your only limit is your battery, and you ability to build, and most importantly your knowledge of basic DC electricity and battery safety, much like any mechanical device. PLEASE KNOW YOUR LIMITS & LEARN SAFETY!! I've done builds as low as .3ohms, but usually vape around .5ohms.
- I am using the newer AW IMR 2200mah 18650's, but you can use any high-drain 18650, flat or button-top on the Grand. Minis use 18490's. I have 4 batteries, labeled 1-4, so I can rotate them to extend their life expectancy. And I always have a fresh battery to use, in most cases! Charging with the Xstar VP4 @ .25a.
- I've taken my REO with me snowboarding 4 times so far this season. I keep it my outer jacket's inside pocket, with a couple hand warmers to help keep the battery & joose warm. It has worked wonderfully, surviving a few wipe outs without a scratch! Sure, in extreme cold temps, the juice gets little hard to squonk, but still very vapeable. I never liked the idea of taking a ProVari on the slopes, with it's length, if I fell a certain way it could probably hurt me!
- There are many toppers available, REO ready, from Rob's website and many others. Chowderhead can mod just about any RDA into a BF atty. You can also use cartos or standard dripping atties, although I haven't tried either. I have a Magma on the way back from Chowderhead, can't wait to build & try it on my REO! If you have the tools & skill, you can even mod one yourself. I did convert an IGO-W to a BF myself, and it worked well. I took one look at the Magma I received, and said "nope, I'm not touching it!".
- You can purchase REO doors separately, and swap them out for a different look and/or feel. Doors are also available as blemishes for a discount from Rob.
- Not only is the support from Rob top notch from what I can see (as I've not really had a need to acquire Rob's support, other than asking a few questions), but the support here in REOville is absolutely amazing. There are so many great people in this sub-forum, and they will answer any and all questions that they can. Anything you want to know about REOs, batteries, builds, toppers, or even vaping in general can be found here. It is so much so, that anymore, the only forums I spend significant time in is the REO & Nicoticket sub-forums. Two best places on ECF IYAM. Many REOnauts are found in the NuThouse, and many NuThouse members can be found in REOville!
- A great resource for REOinfo beyond ECF is youtube, especially videos by smxdrifter, also an ECF member who answers many posts here in REOville. A special thanks to you man!
Are there any negatives with the REO? Not really. I'll list the few that I've found, but these are a stretch as 'negatives'!
- Even though I'm right-handed, I often find it more comfortable & convenient to hold my REO in my left hand. When I have it in my left hand, with the way I press the fire button, it will tend to drift into the locked position. Not much of a big deal, just noteworthy.
- If you don't 'dry' out your wick somewhat before pocketing, joose may spill out of your air holes of your topper. Just make sure you vape down your wicks before pocketing.
- I have found that certain thick jooses, such as 100%VG juices(Open Source Vapor, in the thick option to be exact) are rather difficult to squonk and wick efficiently. (Open Source offers a thinned option, which solves this problem).
In summary, if you enjoy the capacity of a large tank, but love the vape quality of a RDA, then in my opinion, you need to seriously consider trying a REO. Filling up a bottle, popping in a fresh battery, and being able to vape for several hours without fussing and having the vape quality of dripping, is amazing to me!
In the odd chance that you discover that the REO is not for you, you can easily sell it on the ECF classifieds. I've watched many listings for REOs, and they don't last long, and you'll get top dollar for it, probably at least 90% of what you paid for it, if in good condition.
Thank you Rob for producing such a wonderful device, and thank you to all of REOville & my fellow REOnauts for making vaping perfect for me!
I can't praise the REO without posting a pic, so here she is, isn't she a beaut!?
Sincerely,
Dave.
