Darwin by Evolv Initial Impressions

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Chi-TownTx

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To many pages to dig through to find the answer on this one. My only question is how durable is the device? With the swivel on the side i am hesitant to buy one from fear of dropping it. I work out doors and often find myself dropping my current ecig from time to time. The reviews for this seem great but i am abit concerned if it falls out of my shirt pocket or i just lose my grip and it falls.
 

NebulaBrot

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To many pages to dig through to find the answer on this one. My only question is how durable is the device? With the swivel on the side i am hesitant to buy one from fear of dropping it. I work out doors and often find myself dropping my current ecig from time to time. The reviews for this seem great but i am abit concerned if it falls out of my shirt pocket or i just lose my grip and it falls.
Know you don't want to read but here is the thread of Darwin owners over in the NHaler (selling Darwin) vendor sub-forum: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/nhaler/151096-darwin-evolv.html

The device is extremely durable - possibly the most durable device I have had. The double hard coat anodized aluminum leaves the body giving the impression you could hammer nails with it (although I wouldn't try that). The swivel is extremely durable. Those who think it is not have not seen it and few have seen inside (opening voids warranty). There are a few posts by people who have opened it and posted pics. While only part is visible, what is visible is also inside - sort of dumbbell shaped - with the narrow sandwiched by the double hard anodized aluminum body. It cannot break off.

There are several reviews and many of them discuss the durability and many other impressive features. But, the best place to find out what many owners think is to go to that thread linked above where people buying and using the device are posting daily.
 

visitlynn

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Does anyone know when the Darwin will be available? discount code? Is there a better place to post this question? I didn't want to bug Drew with a ton of "is it here yet?" "is it here yet??" "is it here yet???" emails. I've signed up at nhaler to be notified but I thought I would check here in case it helps acquire that elegant device more quickly. :)
 

BigBopper

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Does anyone know when the Darwin will be available? discount code? Is there a better place to post this question? I didn't want to bug Drew with a ton of "is it here yet?" "is it here yet??" "is it here yet???" emails. I've signed up at nhaler to be notified but I thought I would check here in case it helps acquire that elegant device more quickly. :)

Your best bet it to drop Drew an email directly to be added to the list to notify. He sends out an email to those that have asked to be on the list before they are put up for sale on the site.

Al
 

visitlynn

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SheerLuckHolmes,
Regarding the time frame - on May 16 Drew replied "Just keep an eye on the Darwin thread and you will surely hear about them when they arrive. I currently have you on our notification list. I will send you an email 24 to 48 hours before we put them on the site."
 

clyde2801

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I've killed a couple of Darwins through dripping. There, I said it. To be objective about it, I'm tough on mods and a newb when it comes to dripping. There's a lot of variables involved: me being a dumb-:censored:, possibly my kind of juice, attys, and the design of the mod itself.

Putting a 510 in the naked bronze arm leaves the atty's airholes completely exposed. Great airflow and vape, but a little inattention can cause juice to seep out onto the pivoting arm and possibly further down the side of the mod with the thumbwheel and vape button. A few juice baths later, dead Darwin.

Brandon is a hell of a stand up guy, and has stood by his warranty for me. Period. Hell, I even felt bad contacting him. But he'd overnight me a replacement the same day. I think I would have given myself a cussing and a scolding if I were him. He also worked on redesigning the internals to make them more resistant to this problem. I didn't give up on the Darwin...because it's a HELL of an outstanding vape when it's working right. Perfect vape, every time.

My solution (discovered by accident) is to use a shorty 510 to 510 connection from clouds of vapor. Still vapes as well as it ever did, but any overjuicing is held by the adapter and oozes out the side of it, keeping it safely away from the Darwin's magical innards. I think this is a must for the Darwin; it certainly is for me.

I also recently got an GG iAtty, and did my first coil. Got it working on the first try, but it ended up being 2.3ohms instead of the 1.5 to 1.8 I was aiming for. Still happy it's working, but a bit tepid using a 3.7v 18650 on the GGTS.

Now where the Darwin really, really shines is with the iAtty. The combo satisfies my juice feedin' cravings, and makes it irrelevant as to exactly what oms my coil making skills ended up with. The wattage control makes it easy to dial in the heat for tasty vape without scorching juice.

I'm going to try again with the iAtty for a LR coil, but I want to see how long this first setup will last. Thanks to the Darwin though, it is hardly a sacrifice.
 

clyde2801

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Very kind of you, thanks. I was told about the updated electronics, but thought I had come up with the adapter trick myself. Oh, well.

Liking the combination of the build it yourself, almost steampunk, iAtty and the super high tech Darwin. It's like these mods were almost made for each other.
 

candre23

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My original Darwin is still going strong. I drip as well, but I drip into cartos (which are less leak-prone), so I haven't manged to kill it with juice. I have had the occasional leak, but they've been minor and haven't caused any real damage. I find sliding a piece of paper between the brass connector and the case soaks up any liquid that gets in there.

Still, it's good to hear they've done some upgrades to eliminate the problem for others.
 

clyde2801

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Okay, I may have gone a little overboard with rebuildable atomizers. I've got two mark t's on my precise pluses, kicking 'em both, and two Bulli Smoker A2-Classics. I decided to quickly test a new coil I made on one of the latter, so I put it on my Darwin to test it out.

Now I can't put it down. Of course, the Darwin measures the resistance of the coil 90 gazillion times a second and delivers the right amount of power for my wattage setting without prematurely popping it. The thumbwheel lets me easily dial in the right amount of heat I need based upon my juice, need for TH, and the like. The bulli, unlike the mark t, easily fits in the darwin's native brass ring connection without an adapter (must have something to do with the 510 connector threading on them). I've learned to vape with the air inlet hole on rebuildables facing up slash away from me so there's less gurgling sounds and no possiblity of blowing hot juice onto myself if I accidentally exhale into the unit; unlike round symmetrical tube mods, the Darwin ensures the same setup everytime I pick it up. The Bullied Darwin can close just enough to turn the unit off, which generally doesn't happen if I'm awake.

The Darwin's ability to be used in passthrough(ish) mode with a mini usb cord is a touch I'm appreciating more and more. I've got a few of them, and they're setup strategically in my work computer, my easy chair, and my car. The bottom line with this setup is that I can vape it all day "like a research monkey" and still have almost a completely filled battery.

It's not a magical, all day, never ending suck stick, but it's remarkably close. Dripping on the bulli is not too much of a chore (would be nicer if a vape mate fit a little tighter on the bulli to 510 connection, may have to play with some o rings), but it's not much of an issue unless I'm driving.

There is a little possibility of overdripping and leaking with dripping the bulli, but it doesn't seem to be too bad. I've regained enough confidence in the Darwin's durability that I don't hemorrhage if a little juice gets onto the collector arm anymore.

Postscript

Well the vapemate fit securely enough it it's sitting on top of a cherry vape universal tip. (picture enclosed).

Photo on 3-15-12 at 1.16 PM.jpg

Now....if I only had a magical, never ending suck stick that left a little more of my dignity attached....:oops:
 

clyde2801

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The kicks aren't bad either, but definitely are the little brothers to the Darwin. Go getcha a nice bulk deal on wick and wire and go nuts. The beginner kits include just enough to get you started, but an extra ROLL of each gives me the courage to keep honing my skills.

When my wick and coils start to act up, I just chunk 'em and start anew. Why mess with maintenance when you start over for pennies? It's really nice to have that fresh from the package atomizer taste any time I dang well please.
 
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