I received my third passthrough a few days ago (gave one away, bought this one for the office) from ExlectronicStix. Some initial thoughts on this model...
ElectronicStix 5 Volt Passthrough
It seems very well constructed in some ways. The connectors are well-reinforced, and the coil section also seems likely to reduce strain by signaling when you're near the end of your tether.
The manual switch feels soft and doesn't always engage (fails maybe 5% of the time). It is not as prominent as on manual batteries I've used, and you have to depress it nearly flush with the housing to get it to engage.
Unlike my other two passthroughs, this one seems very sensitive to amperage. (Bear with me here; I'm pretty ignorant of the ways of electricity and electrical things.) On a USB hub I use (unknown amps), it barely produces. On an iPod charger brick (1A) it is mediocre, and on a Griffin 2.1A brick I have, the passthrough gets very hot, very fast.
I can't believe I overlooked this on the site (literally; I think the warning was added after my purchase), but this passthrough does not support Joye carts. I've been using it with Boge cartomizers, and it seems to do well with those. I am disappointed about the carts, though.
Finally, there's a 5-second cutoff that drives me nuts. I've learned to kind of regulate my draws myself, by the vapor or the temperature of the cartomizer, and sometimes 5 seconds isn't quite enough.
All in all, I have to say I have very mixed feelings. As frequently as passthroughs are reported to fail, it was nice to see one that appeared to be well-made. I'll definitely keep an eye out for their next model, which is reportedly forthcoming.
ElectronicStix 5 Volt Passthrough
It seems very well constructed in some ways. The connectors are well-reinforced, and the coil section also seems likely to reduce strain by signaling when you're near the end of your tether.
The manual switch feels soft and doesn't always engage (fails maybe 5% of the time). It is not as prominent as on manual batteries I've used, and you have to depress it nearly flush with the housing to get it to engage.
Unlike my other two passthroughs, this one seems very sensitive to amperage. (Bear with me here; I'm pretty ignorant of the ways of electricity and electrical things.) On a USB hub I use (unknown amps), it barely produces. On an iPod charger brick (1A) it is mediocre, and on a Griffin 2.1A brick I have, the passthrough gets very hot, very fast.
I can't believe I overlooked this on the site (literally; I think the warning was added after my purchase), but this passthrough does not support Joye carts. I've been using it with Boge cartomizers, and it seems to do well with those. I am disappointed about the carts, though.
Finally, there's a 5-second cutoff that drives me nuts. I've learned to kind of regulate my draws myself, by the vapor or the temperature of the cartomizer, and sometimes 5 seconds isn't quite enough.
All in all, I have to say I have very mixed feelings. As frequently as passthroughs are reported to fail, it was nice to see one that appeared to be well-made. I'll definitely keep an eye out for their next model, which is reportedly forthcoming.
