The Darwin
I just picked up a Darwin during the offering last Friday and thought I'd offer my thoughts on the thing.
I've been vaping exclusively for about three months now, using a 650mah eGo and dripping onto de-wicked atties. Most vaping has been a standard resistance but I quite enjoyed vaping on an LR atty I got from AVE. In steps the Darwin.
What I like:
1) This thing really will last you all day. All day vaping your head off, direct dripping...and the battery just won't quit.
2) It does feel good in the hand. It was weird as can be at first, but I got used to the ergonomics quite quickly and I like it.
3) The vape quality is unparalleled. Stick on an atty, drip some juice, adjust the power and you're good to go. I've been sitting somewhere around 9.2W for most of my juices and getting gobs of beautiful, warm vapor. I do not think I could go back to a 3.2V PV with normal atties after using the Darwin. The vape is just so much more satisfying at higher power. This thing really is amazing.
4) It's very easy to tailor the hardware to your juice. For example, I've found that Boba's performs better for me around 8.9W, it really brings out the taste and the vapor production is ridiculous. Hotter, and the taste suffers, cooler and it affects vapor production. You can really dial this PV in to perfection. My other all-day vape, BWB Casablanca, vapes like a champ around 10.2W. No other PV gives you this level of *EASY* adjustability.
5) It really is built like a tank. I feel like I could drive over it in my car and it wouldn't even notice.
What I don't like:
1) The fit'n'finish. It's just not up to the level of its price. The machining is a little rough, the engraving is sloppy, there's play in the arm and button. Specifically, the patterning on the display side shows tooling marks where it should be flat, the engraving is rough enough to catch on a pocket and part of the evolv logo was not even cut, the arm allows my drip tip to contact the side of the case when closed. It's not horrible by any means, but it kinda bothers me every time I look at it.
2) The actual finish. This thing should be anodized, no doubt about it. The powder coat is going to wear off and it's going to look like hell. It's a nice powder coat job (except for the scratches at the end near the atty connection that were there the day it arrived), just not as nice as a good anodization would be.
3) Size. It's big. You feel crazy whipping this thing out in public. I get why it's big, I just wish it wasn't.
4) The thumb wheel is WAY too sensitive. Imagine using the coarse adjustment knob on a microscope to dial in final focus of a very small subject. That's what using this thumb wheel is like every time. The slightest turn and you've just shot up 2W when you meant to go 0.2W. Dialing the adjustment ratio down by an order of magnitude would not be unreasonable for this thing.
5) The thumb wheel sensitivity mixed with its location. It's very easy to knock the power setting out of where you want it. I've found myself puffing some Boba's at what I thought was that ca. 9W sweet-spot only to find it had been inadvertently bumped to a positively reckless 12W. Yuck. I'm getting better about not doing this, but it still catches me sometimes.
6) The lack of battery charging indication. It really is the unfortunate oversight that everyone says it is.
In the End...
So....all said and done, I love the Darwin so far. It does offer unparalleled quality of vaping, ease of adjustability, apparent durability and just a simple wow factor that can't be beat. If you can overlook the unfortunate (lack of) quality of the fit'n'finish and its minor ergonomic/software niggles, I don't think you can go wring with this PV. Overall awesomeness.
I just picked up a Darwin during the offering last Friday and thought I'd offer my thoughts on the thing.
I've been vaping exclusively for about three months now, using a 650mah eGo and dripping onto de-wicked atties. Most vaping has been a standard resistance but I quite enjoyed vaping on an LR atty I got from AVE. In steps the Darwin.
What I like:
1) This thing really will last you all day. All day vaping your head off, direct dripping...and the battery just won't quit.
2) It does feel good in the hand. It was weird as can be at first, but I got used to the ergonomics quite quickly and I like it.
3) The vape quality is unparalleled. Stick on an atty, drip some juice, adjust the power and you're good to go. I've been sitting somewhere around 9.2W for most of my juices and getting gobs of beautiful, warm vapor. I do not think I could go back to a 3.2V PV with normal atties after using the Darwin. The vape is just so much more satisfying at higher power. This thing really is amazing.
4) It's very easy to tailor the hardware to your juice. For example, I've found that Boba's performs better for me around 8.9W, it really brings out the taste and the vapor production is ridiculous. Hotter, and the taste suffers, cooler and it affects vapor production. You can really dial this PV in to perfection. My other all-day vape, BWB Casablanca, vapes like a champ around 10.2W. No other PV gives you this level of *EASY* adjustability.
5) It really is built like a tank. I feel like I could drive over it in my car and it wouldn't even notice.
What I don't like:
1) The fit'n'finish. It's just not up to the level of its price. The machining is a little rough, the engraving is sloppy, there's play in the arm and button. Specifically, the patterning on the display side shows tooling marks where it should be flat, the engraving is rough enough to catch on a pocket and part of the evolv logo was not even cut, the arm allows my drip tip to contact the side of the case when closed. It's not horrible by any means, but it kinda bothers me every time I look at it.
2) The actual finish. This thing should be anodized, no doubt about it. The powder coat is going to wear off and it's going to look like hell. It's a nice powder coat job (except for the scratches at the end near the atty connection that were there the day it arrived), just not as nice as a good anodization would be.
3) Size. It's big. You feel crazy whipping this thing out in public. I get why it's big, I just wish it wasn't.
4) The thumb wheel is WAY too sensitive. Imagine using the coarse adjustment knob on a microscope to dial in final focus of a very small subject. That's what using this thumb wheel is like every time. The slightest turn and you've just shot up 2W when you meant to go 0.2W. Dialing the adjustment ratio down by an order of magnitude would not be unreasonable for this thing.
5) The thumb wheel sensitivity mixed with its location. It's very easy to knock the power setting out of where you want it. I've found myself puffing some Boba's at what I thought was that ca. 9W sweet-spot only to find it had been inadvertently bumped to a positively reckless 12W. Yuck. I'm getting better about not doing this, but it still catches me sometimes.
6) The lack of battery charging indication. It really is the unfortunate oversight that everyone says it is.
In the End...
So....all said and done, I love the Darwin so far. It does offer unparalleled quality of vaping, ease of adjustability, apparent durability and just a simple wow factor that can't be beat. If you can overlook the unfortunate (lack of) quality of the fit'n'finish and its minor ergonomic/software niggles, I don't think you can go wring with this PV. Overall awesomeness.
