Been inactive here since I decided not to follow up on my e-pipe (and many props to the Jazz Pipe for making it work). Been using my homebrew mods since then, but lately I've been traveling and don't have access to most of my tools. Finally got tired of sticking my mods back together with solder and glue and decided to jump back into factory-built.
I had considered all of the new mod-inspired versions, and the Ego style devices, and the only thing I was sure of was that I wanted something that could handle the dual-coil cartomizers (all my mods were based on an 801 connector and couldn't use them). I decided on the E-Power because of the modular nature of the system, what you get is essentially a factory-built big-batt mod. The 14650 batteries aren't quite as available as the 14500's or 18650's, but they do have a few vendors (including AW IMR's) and at $4 or so per (for generics), it's well under the pain level induced by Ego's and such.
I bought mine from SmokTek (not to be confused with SmokTech, the manufacturer) because they had the widest variety of DCC's, and were the only ones who seemed to carry the DCC's designed specifically for the E-Power (which are apparently new). So this will be a review of the E-Power DCC as much as anything.
In a word: Awesome. I ordered the unit Saturday morning, and Rob had it in the mail that day. It arived this afternoon, and I've been using it since. It came in the pretty box, with all of the parts in their slots. Like any big-batt, it suffers less of a voltage falloff than the minis (although still more than my flat-pack homebrews). I was able to trigger the timer cutoff, but only by deliberately trying. Vapor production from the included 510 atomizers was what I expected: Slow but thick and hot.
From the DCC was a very different story. It drew even easier than my 801 LR's, producing a much cooler yet thicker vapor. I actually managed to give myself a nicotine buzz while trying to hit the timer (which seems to be 8-10 seconds), and the huge liquid capacity (5.5mL) really is nice. It's probably *easier* to draw than analogs.
The whole combined unit is a bit of a monster in size, nearly 7 inches long including the rubber mouthpiece. Not bigger than your typical 18650 mods, though (and those would be even bigger with a big DCC like these on them), and considerably lighter.
The E-Power DCC fits exactly to the switch unit, so that what you wind up with looks like an oversized dogwhistle. It's a nice, clean finished looking unit that seems like an E-Cigar overall.
Two issues presented themselves: (1) The aluminum of the battery tube is very thin, and it seems like it would be easy to strip the threads if you crossthread them. (2) The second battery was DOA, failing while in the charger for the first time (I didn't discover this until after closing time in Florida, so I haven't heard back yet from SmokTek.com).
The first one isn't too bad, especially as the tubes are replaceable for $12. I'm just used to the more typical mod where the battery tube is a piece of heavy aluminum tubing you can drive over with a truck. On the other hand, such mods generally run $70-100 without batteries or charger, where the E-Power was $46 with both. Even if I have to buy a new battery, I was probably going to need another spare, anyway (I already have a Tenergy 2-cell charger that can handle a couple of 14650's).
One thing is for certain: I won't be going back to single-coil atomizers. The sheer volume of vapor produced combined with the large liquid capacity is not something I could give up. And this combination is about the best you're going to find for capacity and draw, with the only drawback being the combined size.
--Dave
I had considered all of the new mod-inspired versions, and the Ego style devices, and the only thing I was sure of was that I wanted something that could handle the dual-coil cartomizers (all my mods were based on an 801 connector and couldn't use them). I decided on the E-Power because of the modular nature of the system, what you get is essentially a factory-built big-batt mod. The 14650 batteries aren't quite as available as the 14500's or 18650's, but they do have a few vendors (including AW IMR's) and at $4 or so per (for generics), it's well under the pain level induced by Ego's and such.
I bought mine from SmokTek (not to be confused with SmokTech, the manufacturer) because they had the widest variety of DCC's, and were the only ones who seemed to carry the DCC's designed specifically for the E-Power (which are apparently new). So this will be a review of the E-Power DCC as much as anything.
In a word: Awesome. I ordered the unit Saturday morning, and Rob had it in the mail that day. It arived this afternoon, and I've been using it since. It came in the pretty box, with all of the parts in their slots. Like any big-batt, it suffers less of a voltage falloff than the minis (although still more than my flat-pack homebrews). I was able to trigger the timer cutoff, but only by deliberately trying. Vapor production from the included 510 atomizers was what I expected: Slow but thick and hot.
From the DCC was a very different story. It drew even easier than my 801 LR's, producing a much cooler yet thicker vapor. I actually managed to give myself a nicotine buzz while trying to hit the timer (which seems to be 8-10 seconds), and the huge liquid capacity (5.5mL) really is nice. It's probably *easier* to draw than analogs.
The whole combined unit is a bit of a monster in size, nearly 7 inches long including the rubber mouthpiece. Not bigger than your typical 18650 mods, though (and those would be even bigger with a big DCC like these on them), and considerably lighter.
The E-Power DCC fits exactly to the switch unit, so that what you wind up with looks like an oversized dogwhistle. It's a nice, clean finished looking unit that seems like an E-Cigar overall.
Two issues presented themselves: (1) The aluminum of the battery tube is very thin, and it seems like it would be easy to strip the threads if you crossthread them. (2) The second battery was DOA, failing while in the charger for the first time (I didn't discover this until after closing time in Florida, so I haven't heard back yet from SmokTek.com).
The first one isn't too bad, especially as the tubes are replaceable for $12. I'm just used to the more typical mod where the battery tube is a piece of heavy aluminum tubing you can drive over with a truck. On the other hand, such mods generally run $70-100 without batteries or charger, where the E-Power was $46 with both. Even if I have to buy a new battery, I was probably going to need another spare, anyway (I already have a Tenergy 2-cell charger that can handle a couple of 14650's).
One thing is for certain: I won't be going back to single-coil atomizers. The sheer volume of vapor produced combined with the large liquid capacity is not something I could give up. And this combination is about the best you're going to find for capacity and draw, with the only drawback being the combined size.
--Dave
Last edited:
One thing that does concern me is that after I ordered it, I went online to ttry to find some high quality, 14650 replacement / backup batteries like the Ultrafire. Everyone seems to be out of stock. I know the 14650 isn't used by too many mods but I hope this is just a temporary situation due to the popularity of the new e-power. Any suggestions where to look for batteries?
