Reviews of the Apex Alpha Unit

[Slo Ryd]

This is the place to review your experience with the Apex Alpha Unit. Anybody posting here please explain exactly which unit you are using, RES or no RES, liquid preferences with it, anything that can help others understand what the Alpha is all about. Our goal is to expand and change the way people look at ecigs and get that idea planted that quality does matter, and we will only settle for the highest quality available.

 

[alldayvape]

First Hour Impressions: Will update again in a week (Updated One day of use)

Well it def all works Had to fill the RES up with more than 36 drops though. I think 10 more or so.. Next time I'll fill a syringe with 2ml..

But to give anything other than a 'it works' right now would not be appropriate. Will have to see how the RES holds up with less and less liquid.

Cosmetic:

device looks astonishing. Everything about the outside screams precision. All the parts fit very tightly with no gaps etc etc.

The Apex Alpha UltraMax is very light, I've not owned a mod that is this light. The battery sleeve functions as the switch as well, and IMO that's pretty innovative.

The RES is made out of a ceramic type material that shines kind of like diamonds. It absorbed the 100% VG liquid (Gorilla juice) with ease.

Cosmetically this device looks amazing. I like all the grooves and the threads are thick and everything on the outside is manufactured flawlessly.

Operational

I've only tried the device with the RES so far, and given I've only tried it for 1h at this point and don't want to give an opinion yet.

It would be unfair to give a review about how well the RES functions.

Edit: Using the Apex Alpha All Night Long:

Have only good things to say. The RES does not work like a tank or something of that sort. Think of it as sponge.
After dripping 40 drops total into the atomizer (10 at a time waiting 2min), the RES is filled. I was able to use it for 90 or so minutes of heavy vaping, before even a cold hit (taking a small fast hit to get the juice into atty) was not giving me the same taste.

I just dripped 10 more drops into the atty and I'm good for another 45min or so of heavy vaping.

Using this method all night, I have had no problems whatsoever. I great amounts of vapor and great taste.

Lastly, this 17670 has been lasting me all night. At one point I metered it and the meter read 3.8v, that is after using it for 3-4 hours.

The battery switch slides up with ease. IMO less is more with the switch. Meaning the harder you try the harder it gets. Wet fingers will def complicate things, since it's harder to get a grip on on the switch. But I found that sometimes it's actually easier when you barely use any 'force' so to speak.

For what it's worth I'm really digging the RES and how it functions. Just remember the RES will dry out at which point more drops are needed and you're good to go again!



Summary:

If the RES holds up and delivers to its promise, then this mod is a 100% win. The warranty gives me assurance that if anything goes wrong Innovapor will take care of it.

Edit: The RES IMO functions like a Sponge. It will not act like a Tank, but it works as a reservoir. After getting a diminished taste you have to re-drip, with the UltraMax RES 10-12 drops, which will give you another 30-45min of heavy vaping.

I am sure if you are not a heavy vapor the RES can and will much longer! Thumbs Up to N8 and the Crew!

For just the base kit I think the new price is fair as well. It really is an aesthetically beautiful.

But for what it's worth right now its working, and working good!

 

[N8T]

Right on! -stoked that you like it.

I think I see a ghost in the pictures..

 

[SleepHater]

First Hour Impressions: Will update again in a week

Well it def all works Had to fill the RES up with more than 36 drops though. I think 10 more or so.. Next time I'll fill a syringe with 2ml..

But to give anything other than a 'it works' right now would not be appropriate. Will have to see how the RES holds up with less and less liquid.

Cosmetic:

Device looks astonishing. Everything about the outside screams precision. All the parts fit very tightly with no gaps etc etc.

The Apex Alpha UltraMax is very light, I've not owned a mod that is this light. The battery sleeve functions as the switch as well, and IMO that's pretty innovative.

The RES is made out of a ceramic type material that shines kind of like diamonds. It absorbed the 100% VG liquid (Gorilla Juice) with ease.

Cosmetically this device looks amazing. I like all the grooves and the threads are thick and everything on the outside is manufactured flawlessly.

Operational

I've only tried the device with the RES so far, and given I've only tried it for 1h at this point and don't want to give an opinion yet.

It would be unfair to give a review about how well the RES functions.

Summary:

If the RES holds up and delivers to its promise, then this mod is a 100% win. The warranty gives me assurance that if anything goes wrong Innovapor will take care of it.

For just the base kit I think the new price is fair as well. It really is an aesthetically beautiful.

But for what it's worth right now its working, and working good!

Outstanding, glad you like it, please lets us know how it continues to work for you! Nice thing about the RES is that it should not wear out, so it should work for you 1 year from now the same way it does today. Thank you for being one of the very first owners of the Apex Alpha!

 

[dordas23]

My ultralite arrived with a broken ceramic cylinder. I have contacted innovapor in hopes of getting a refund.

 

[Slo Ryd]

My ultralite arrived with a broken ceramic cylinder. I have contacted innovapor in hopes of getting a refund.

I'm am terribly sorry about that. That is not what we want our first impression to be. I dont believe it was broken when we sent it out, but we have no control over how the post office treats it once it leaves our hands. We can send you out a new RES right away to replace the broken one. I will send you a PM with my contact information and also Mark's contact info (the owner of the company) so we can get this issue resolved immediately.

 

[SleepHater]

My ultralite arrived with a broken ceramic cylinder. I have contacted innovapor in hopes of getting a refund.

Just to clarify, when we say we will send you a replacement. We mean we will EXPRESS MAIL you a replacement at our cost and it will ship out tomorrow (Saturday), with the hope of you having it in your hand on Monday. Please make sure to PM TmeisT with you order number so we can get your address.

Sorry for the damaged part, USPS must be playing rough! Although they are a ceramic they are pretty tough to break!

SH

 

[atavanhalen]

I hate sounding like a fanboy or something but this is really encouraging to see and makes me very confident about ordering. Very cool.

Just to clarify, when we say we will send you a replacement. We mean we will EXPRESS MAIL you a replacement at our cost and it will ship out tomorrow (Saturday), with the hope of you having it in your hand on Monday. Please make sure to PM TmeisT with you order number so we can get your address.

Sorry for the damaged part, USPS must be playing rough! Although they are a ceramic they are pretty tough to break!

SH

 

[SleepHater]

I hate sounding like a fanboy or something but this is really encouraging to see and makes me very confident about ordering. Very cool.

It is the right thing to do. If I purchased a high quality device and it arrived damaged, that is the kind of service I would expect.

Our goal is to always treat our customers and the great community of people on this forum the same way we would want to be treated. I figure as long as we do that, and go the extra mile, it all works out at the end of the day.

Cheers,

SH

 

[N8T]

My ultralite arrived with a broken ceramic cylinder. I have contacted innovapor in hopes of getting a refund.

That sucks, and is the first I've heard of a cracked RES core. I've been carrying an Ultralite RES around in my pocket for a month now, dropping it, leaving it in the bottom of my pack, etc, and it hasn't broken. I suspect it is an anomaly.

If you don't mind, can you let me know how it was broken, as in what way. Was it chipped or actually cracked in half?

You're new RES in en route, and if you don't love that one I will personally refund your money AND send you another one.

Sincerely,

Nate

 

[alldayvape]

My ultralite arrived with a broken ceramic cylinder. I have contacted innovapor in hopes of getting a refund.

u got any pics?

Mine came in a alpha box, very securely packaged. Bubble wrapped and everything.

sorry anyways

 

[dordas23]

Hi people, sorry for the delay. I wanted to check my email from support at innovape, but my email is down. Thank you for the kind reply, TmeisT.

When I first took the PV out of the box, I tried to unscrew the top. It resisted, and I tried turning it both ways - since I saw on the videos that the threads run in different directions. It made a grating sound, and when I slowly pulled the top up, 2 sections of the ceramic fell out. A larger part stayed on the metal core.

I have put photos in an "album" here. (The pix are lousy, sorry) I'll try to attach them here.

 

[alldayvape]

ouch that sucks!! Hope you'll have a new RES on Monday

 

[dordas23]

Thanks, alldayvape. Better days ahead, no doubt.

 

[Slo Ryd]

Thanks, alldayvape. Better days ahead, no doubt.

A new UltraLite RES is being sent out to you today via Express Mail which should arrive Monday. Also a switch has been installed in your new RES so that you will not have to install it yourself. We included a prepaid envelope to send back the old one so we can try to figure out what happened to the broken one. I hope you enjoy your new device once you get a working RES.

 

[dordas23]

A new UltraLite RES is being sent out to you today via Express Mail which should arrive Monday. Also a switch has been installed in your new RES so that you will not have to install it yourself. We included a prepaid envelope to send back the old one so we can try to figure out what happened to the broken one. I hope you enjoy your new device once you get a working RES.

Thanks! I hope it all works out.

 

[Stu]

​

I received my Alpha Ultra with RES this morning! I've only used it for a few hours so far but I wanted to post a first impressions review with some pics. Looks like I'll have to split this up into a couple of different posts.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone at Innovapor for the fast processing and shipment of my order. I ordered late Thursday night and my order shipped out Friday morning. I paid for express shipping (the ECF20 discount basically paid for that anyway), so that's how I got it this morning.

The unit was packaged very well. The box that the Alpha was in was wrapped in bubble and the Alpha was nestled in a foam cutout. I believe you can see this in another reviewers pics, so I didn't bother taking any pictures of it.

I have to say that I was very surprised at not just how small and lightweight (which I will get to later) the Alpha is, but how beautiful it is too. Pictures really don't do it justice. There is a very small ding on the RES but it's really nothing to complain about. You have to really inspect it to see it. The main body seems to be a bit shinier than the RES but again, I'm not complaining. The Alpha looks and feels GREAT!

Here is a quick first impressions review of the Alpha Ultra w/RES.

The Good:

• Great quality, lightweight construction in a small size.
• The switch. No need for an on/off switch or button protector. Doesn't seem like it would be possible for it to fire in your pocket or bag at all.
• The RES! No leaks. Acts like a cone (drip catcher, pre-warms vapor) but actually holds a reserve of liquid (maybe not a ton of liquid but worth it).
• I really like the draw. I was afraid it might be a little stiff but it's not at all.
• Works great with the 306. I was afraid I would have to use an extra long 306 drip tip because of the RES. NOT an issue.
• 10 year warranty on the entire unit! Nuf said.

The not so good:

• With a brand new 1.5ohm Cisco LR 306, the RES struggles to keep up. Not a big deal to me and I had a feeling it wouldn't quite be able to feed it fast enough. But anyone who's used that atty knows how thirsty it is, especially brand new. I also expect that once the atty breaks in some it won't be as much of an issue.
• The switch. I actually had some real trouble with the switch as I was writing this review. I couldn't get the switch to move unless I actually gripped the ridges of the switch with my fingernails and really pushed. Finally I unscrewed the atty assembly from the battery and checked out the spring for the brass contact. I figured out that the brass contact was wanting to get caught up in the hole that it slides into. After pushing the brass contact repeatedly a few times, it seemed to be better. I reassembled the unit and sure enough it was much, much better. I don't know if it will happen again or not but at least I know what's happening now. So, if you have a problem with the switch, check out the brass contact and spring.

Keep in mind that this is really just my opinion after several hours of use. I'll report back after I've put it through some serious use.

Here is a picture of the Alpha Ultra w/RES in hand, with a LR 306 + drip tip. I was originally thinking that would need to use the extra long 306 drip tip that I have to accommodate the RES (I have several different length 306 drip tips; short, medium, long and extra long). However, I was pleased to find that I was able to use the medium length drip tip.

​

The quality of the machining is very nice. The cut out for the switch/battery sleeve is nice and smooth, so it's not going to catch on your fingers or anything. The threading is nice and smooth with the exception of the ceramic cylinder, which I don't plan on taking out very much anyway.

One of the first things that I did was take the entire unit apart. I like the atomizer connection. You can see, in this next picture, the little holes for air/liquid.

​

I also thought that it was pretty cool to see the ceramic wick for the first time up close with no liquid on it at all. So here is a pic of a virgin ceramic wick for the RES.

​

Here's another picture that you can hopefully see the little holes on the inside of the wick unit.

​

More on next post....

 

[Stu]

As a size comparison, I've used 2 other pv models, the eGo and the BB (which uses the same 14500 battery). The eGo was my main pv, so I took some pictures of the Alpha Ultra w/RES next to three different eGo battery sizes (650mah, 900mah and 1000mah). In this next picture you can see from left to right the Alpha Ultra w/RES w/306 atty, the 650mah ego w/510 atty, the 900mah eGo w/510 atty and then the 1000mah eGo w/306 atty and chopped cone.

​

I only use LR 306 atomizers now, but for the 510 crowd here's a picture of the Alpha Ultra w/RES w/510 atty next to the 650mah eGo w/510 atty and the 1000mah eGo w/306 atty w/chopped cone. Of course overall length will vary from atty to atty and drip tip to drip tip. The 510's are shown with regular ole cartridges.

​

Next is a picture of the Alpha Ultra w/RES next to a BB, which really is a better size comparison since they both use the same battery and both are made from aluminum.

​

You can clearly see that the Alpha Ultra w/RES is SLIGHTLY longer than the BB. Just remember that the BB does NOT have the RES!

In the next picture you can see that the diameter of the Alpha Ultra is significantly smaller than the BB.

​

More on next post....

 

[Stu]

I also decided to compare the weight of the Alpha Ultra w/RES to the BB. The next two pics are of them on a digital scale. Both have the exact same battery inside and the same exact atty/drip tip. Measurements are in grams.

The Alpha



The BB

​

I went ahead and took the batteries out and atomizers off and compared again.

The Alpha


The BB
​

So, as it turns out, the Alpha Ultra w/RES with battery in and atty attached, weighs less than the BB with no battery or atty.

Sorry for all the pictures. I just thought that seeing the actual pictures of each one on the scale would show that I'm not just pulling numbers out of my .....

And finally..........the End​

​

 

[SleepHater]

I also decided to compare the weight of the Alpha Ultra w/RES to the BB. The next two pics are of them on a digital scale. Both have the exact same battery inside and the same exact atty/drip tip. Measurements are in grams.

The Alpha

View attachment 36179

The BB

View attachment 36180​

I went ahead and took the batteries out and atomizers off and compared again.

The Alpha
View attachment 36181

The BB
View attachment 36182​

So, as it turns out, the Alpha Ultra w/RES with battery in and atty attached, weighs less than the BB with no battery or atty.

Sorry for all the pictures. I just thought that seeing the actual pictures of each one on the scale would show that I'm not just pulling numbers out of my .....

And finally..........the End​

View attachment 36183​

Stu, thank you for the very thorough first impressions review! Also the pictures and comparisons. The only trick I have had to use with my ultra (going on 2 months) is when in doubt I wipe to the outside if the battery sleeve, and the inside of the main body. That always seems to bring the switch operation back to being smooth and easy.

Really excited to hear more from you after you get to spend some time with it. I think you will find after the cisco breaks in for a few days it seems to find the sweet spot with the RES. I ran a cisco on mine initially and that was my experience.

Thanks again!

Cheers,

SH