I got my 510 PCC (portable charging case) today from Windows. They have a competitive price on them and, best of all, they're not branded with the Janty Electronic Cigarette logo.
The case is made from what I'd describe as medium grade aluminum. The metal is thick and sturdy feeling, but I'd be somewhat concerned about dropping it on a hard surface. It looks like it would dent pretty easily.
In terms of size, the unit is about 3/4 of the width of a standard cigarette pack, slightly more shallow (maybe a centimeter or so) and about 3/4 of an inch taller. It reminds me of the half pack boxes of 100s that you can get at some stores. The lid works just like the lid of a cigarette box, only it's spring loaded and activated by a little silver button on the left hand side. Activating the spring causes the top to flip back fairly violently, producing a pretty satisfying *snap* sound.
The unit features three status LED lights on the front. The bottom one toggles between red and green, showing the charge state of the case's internal battery when it's plugged it. The unit takes approximately four hours to charge according to the (badly translated) literature that comes with it, but mine switched from red to green after about two hours of charging. It's probably a good idea to give it at least four hours on the first charge no matter what the light says just to be safe.
The middle LED light is used when the case isn't attached to a power source. It lights up red when the case's internal battery needs charging. The top LED shows the status of the 510 (or 306) battery that's being charged by the case. When the battery is being charged, the light glows red. When the battery has received a full charge, the light goes out. The manufacturer claims that the case can charge a dead 510 battery 5 times on one case charge.
Power for the case is supplied by a USB connection. The one I got came with a USB cable for plugging into a computer's powered USB port, but you can also get a transformer for use with mains or a car charger cable that plugs into a cigarette lighter (ironic!). The plug for the USB connection is on the bottom of the case.
Inside, there are four slots. One slot holds a 510 (or 306) battery, one holds an atomizer and the remaining two hold capped cartridges. Because the atomizer slot is fairly deeply recessed, it can actually hold an atomizer with a cartridge attached to it, meaning that the case can hold 1 battery, 1 atomizer and 3 cartridges. That's about the perfect setup for a night out on the town or a short trip out of the city. If you bring along a travel bottle of fluid, you could use this setup for a long weekend in Vegas.
The battery slot is spring loaded so that the battery doesn't start to charge until the lid of the case is closed, depressing the spring and making contact between the case's electronic element and the battery's poll. When you flip the case top open the battery hops up on it's spring, so you have to be a little careful about holding it upright, otherwise the battery may jump out of the case altogether.
The build quality of the unit is good, but not fantastic. It has a very spartan look, with screw heads clearly visible and crisp but obvious joins where the various parts come together. It feels very sold in your hand and doesn't give much flex if you press on the various surfaces with your thumb. Even the lid seems reasonably rugged. Gaps in the different pieces of aluminum let light slip out around the bottom when the LEDs are lighted, but not in a distracting way. Also, on my unit, the USB connection isn't perfectly aligned with the hole in the aluminum, so I have to flex the bottom of the case a little to get it lined up to accept a cable. It's only a millimeter or so off though so it's not a huge problem. The spring on the case lid is also a very basic affair but seems solid enough to do the job it's meant to do.
Overall impressions:
I really like the size and feel of this case. It's smaller than a normal cigarette pack, so it seems like it'll be a great way to cary my 510 around. I got the blue finish, which is actually a very attractive deep purple. The paint is a kind of powder coat that gives the case a subtly textured feel. The various slots inside are exactly the right size for the battery, atomizer and cartridges. If anything they grip each piece a little tighter than I'd like (with the exception of the battery, which, as I pointed out above, can jump out of its slot if you open the case at the wrong angle. On the whole, I'd give this thing about an 8 out of 10 right now. It could use some additional attention to build quality, fit and finish, but those are minor considerations, especially if you respond to an industrial/spartan design approach. I haven't used it on the road yet, but once I test it out in the field I'll append this review to reflect it's reliability and usefulness in terms of its core charging functions.
I'm really happy with it so far. If it gives a good charge and can get the advertised 4 - 5 battery charges per case charge I'll be even happier.
EDIT: One nice feature is that the cover is actually a slightly different color than the body of the unit. It's a shade darker, giving it a nice two tone look.
Here's some photos:
The case is made from what I'd describe as medium grade aluminum. The metal is thick and sturdy feeling, but I'd be somewhat concerned about dropping it on a hard surface. It looks like it would dent pretty easily.
In terms of size, the unit is about 3/4 of the width of a standard cigarette pack, slightly more shallow (maybe a centimeter or so) and about 3/4 of an inch taller. It reminds me of the half pack boxes of 100s that you can get at some stores. The lid works just like the lid of a cigarette box, only it's spring loaded and activated by a little silver button on the left hand side. Activating the spring causes the top to flip back fairly violently, producing a pretty satisfying *snap* sound.
The unit features three status LED lights on the front. The bottom one toggles between red and green, showing the charge state of the case's internal battery when it's plugged it. The unit takes approximately four hours to charge according to the (badly translated) literature that comes with it, but mine switched from red to green after about two hours of charging. It's probably a good idea to give it at least four hours on the first charge no matter what the light says just to be safe.
The middle LED light is used when the case isn't attached to a power source. It lights up red when the case's internal battery needs charging. The top LED shows the status of the 510 (or 306) battery that's being charged by the case. When the battery is being charged, the light glows red. When the battery has received a full charge, the light goes out. The manufacturer claims that the case can charge a dead 510 battery 5 times on one case charge.
Power for the case is supplied by a USB connection. The one I got came with a USB cable for plugging into a computer's powered USB port, but you can also get a transformer for use with mains or a car charger cable that plugs into a cigarette lighter (ironic!). The plug for the USB connection is on the bottom of the case.
Inside, there are four slots. One slot holds a 510 (or 306) battery, one holds an atomizer and the remaining two hold capped cartridges. Because the atomizer slot is fairly deeply recessed, it can actually hold an atomizer with a cartridge attached to it, meaning that the case can hold 1 battery, 1 atomizer and 3 cartridges. That's about the perfect setup for a night out on the town or a short trip out of the city. If you bring along a travel bottle of fluid, you could use this setup for a long weekend in Vegas.
The battery slot is spring loaded so that the battery doesn't start to charge until the lid of the case is closed, depressing the spring and making contact between the case's electronic element and the battery's poll. When you flip the case top open the battery hops up on it's spring, so you have to be a little careful about holding it upright, otherwise the battery may jump out of the case altogether.
The build quality of the unit is good, but not fantastic. It has a very spartan look, with screw heads clearly visible and crisp but obvious joins where the various parts come together. It feels very sold in your hand and doesn't give much flex if you press on the various surfaces with your thumb. Even the lid seems reasonably rugged. Gaps in the different pieces of aluminum let light slip out around the bottom when the LEDs are lighted, but not in a distracting way. Also, on my unit, the USB connection isn't perfectly aligned with the hole in the aluminum, so I have to flex the bottom of the case a little to get it lined up to accept a cable. It's only a millimeter or so off though so it's not a huge problem. The spring on the case lid is also a very basic affair but seems solid enough to do the job it's meant to do.
Overall impressions:
I really like the size and feel of this case. It's smaller than a normal cigarette pack, so it seems like it'll be a great way to cary my 510 around. I got the blue finish, which is actually a very attractive deep purple. The paint is a kind of powder coat that gives the case a subtly textured feel. The various slots inside are exactly the right size for the battery, atomizer and cartridges. If anything they grip each piece a little tighter than I'd like (with the exception of the battery, which, as I pointed out above, can jump out of its slot if you open the case at the wrong angle. On the whole, I'd give this thing about an 8 out of 10 right now. It could use some additional attention to build quality, fit and finish, but those are minor considerations, especially if you respond to an industrial/spartan design approach. I haven't used it on the road yet, but once I test it out in the field I'll append this review to reflect it's reliability and usefulness in terms of its core charging functions.
I'm really happy with it so far. If it gives a good charge and can get the advertised 4 - 5 battery charges per case charge I'll be even happier.
EDIT: One nice feature is that the cover is actually a slightly different color than the body of the unit. It's a shade darker, giving it a nice two tone look.
Here's some photos:
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