First impressions of the Ego

[JaYBoNeS]

Well, I picked up my new ego today. I told myself I wouldn't review anything until I'd had the item for a few weeks, but I am too eager to review this, so I will post my first impressions and updates along the way.

First of all, I ordered from HappyVaper.com and out of the box it is very nice looking and well packaged. It had a slight tear on the outside envelope, but that did not affect the contents, nor penetrate the bubble wrap inside. This could be more attributed to Canada Post than anything else. Shipping was quicker than usual, Canada Post actually delivered it 2 days before scheduled, and I had to wait for the weekend in order to be able to pick it up (I commute to work and was unable to pick it up during the post office hours).

Two batteries, one atomiser, pre filled carts and the rapid charger were packed inside in a nice box along with a little bag to carry everything. The finish I picked was stainless steel and I am very happy with the overall look of it. I was undecided between black, titanium and stainless, and once receiving it, I am glad I chose stainless, it has a very elegant look.

Out of the box, both batteries were fully charged and ready to go. In minutes, I was vaping away on one of the no nic cartridges that came with it. In my haste I did not blow out any primer, nor drip anything right on the atty. I also wanted to see how a novice might experience the first vape right out of the box. I have an rn4081, and multiple 510s, so I am used to vaping and adding my own liquids and mixes.

So, my comparisons would be to the 510 and the rn4081. The rn4081 is a model which I rarely use and in my opinion is a little underrated, I believe it to be a decent vape, but the auto batt was a huge drawback and limited the potential of the unit. Needless to say it was soon replaced, so for comparison purposes I will use the 510 as a reference point.

For flavour, I was immediately blown away at how much the cone and battery seemed to enhance the vapour as compared to my 510. I tasted much more from the supplied cartridge than I expected. So, I proceeded to try some of the flavours I was used to, and was impressed at how much warmer, richer and more flavourful they were. The cone definitely makes a difference, warming the vapour and tightening the draw a little, but not too much. I was concerned that the tighter draw would be an issue, but it isn't to me at all. The increased flavour, warmth and richness far outweigh the slightly tighter draw.

Out of the box, this unit so far has impressed me a lot. About the only drawback so far is the cone. Screwing it on requires the threads to be aligned perfectly, or it won't thread correctly. This seems to be solved by screwing it on last, so the atty and cart align the threads correctly, definitely not a deal breaker for me.

So far I am very happy with my purchase and have been vaping it for a couple of hours.

The breakdown:

Shipping time: excellent, better than expected.

Price: good, $79.95 Canadian, under 100 bucks with shipping. Another atty and cone in the box would have been nice though, 2 complete units seems to be the standard for most starter kits on the market, but at this price point, having the rapid charger and the service level I have come to expect from Happy Vaper, as opposed to ordering from that other vendor who deliberately removes the rapid charger and warranty and just throws in an extra atty, is a trade off I am more than willing to make.

Look: excellent, the stainless steel is very elegant, and even with the cone off, the gold band and stainless atty combo make me almost wish that I preferred vaping it this way.

Ease of use/construction: good, the only drawback so far being the alignment of the threading, but this has been easily solved for me already. The button could have been recessed a little more, to prevent it from accidentally being depressed. I'll comment further on this, as I have yet to travel with the unit and do not know if this will be an issue or not.

Customer Service: Excellent with a capital "E", anyone who has dealt with Jack at Happy Vaper will know this without needing to read this comment.

Overall, so far I give it an A. Two thumbs up with a forefinger still on the button.

Thanks for reading,

JayBoNeS

 

[redrhino]

Excellent review......

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Thanks redrhino, to be honest I hadn't been motivated to post a review yet at all, especially with the amount that are on here already on these units. But upon first impression, I had to share it with everyone.

 

[JaYBoNeS]

A small update:

I have been vaping constantly since I got this at about 10 am. It is now 2:45 and I have just ran the first battery dead. This is far more than I usually vape though. I guess it's the "new toy" thing, I have not been able to put it down. And I used this battery right out of the box without charging it. I have put a new fully charged batt on and will see how long it lasts.

The funny thing is, I didn't notice any drop off in vapour production. Suddenly it just stopped working. No sputtering, juice in the mouth, bad taste, or anything else I am used to with a regular 510. It just died and the LED flashed to let me know the battery is dead. With a regular 510 battery I have experienced a drop off in vapour production and have even topped the juice up, assuming it needed more juice, only to be drinking that juice as it dies.

My grade still remains at "A," as this battery probably did not have a full charge after sitting for a few days in the post, and still lasted 5 hours of constant vaping. What I was hoping to achieve with this purchase was to have an all day vape. Considering that during the week when I am away from a constant power source, I only vape to and from work, at lunch, and in the evening, one battery should last me all day, based on what I have experienced so far. And it has delivered consistent, good vapour without that bad taste.

Consistency/battery life: very good* (*this rating is subject to change based upon more usage and testing), not the 8 hours that a lot of people claim, but performing as advertised, especially under heavy usage and from a battery straight out of the box with no additional charging. 5 hours of constant usage with no noticeable drop off for a battery of this size and weight is excellent in my books.

EDIT: I have to also say that the overall size and weight of this thing really surprised me. I was expecting it to be bigger, heavier and clunkier. So, the overall size is a plus, for me. Also, one drawback to the elegant stainless finish is that it may be a little too smooth. It's very slick in the fingers, and with a little sweat or juice on the fingers when refilling, it could slip out of your fingers (being able to stand it upright on a table and the cone really makes the juice on the fingers a non issue for me). It hasn't happened, but it may be something to be aware of for those of you that may have this as a concern. A painted finish may have more grip. More on that when I order new batteries with a painted finish.

Cheers,

JaYBoNeS

 

[Wojtek]

about the only drawback so far is the cone. Screwing it on requires the threads to be aligned perfectly, or it won't thread correctly. This seems to be solved by screwing it on last, so the atty and cart align the threads correctly, definitely not a deal breaker for me.

Do you have to unscew the cone in order to take off the cart from the atty in order to refill?

 

[shanobi187]

SO excited to get mine this week, all I have is my 510 (which has served me well) but now that my wife vapes I had to(which means the perfect excuse to) get a new PV
I've heard nothing but glowing reviews of this PV, I'm like a kid before christmas waiting for mine.

 

[Dudeman]

Do you have to unscew the cone in order to take off the cart from the atty in order to refill?

Nope. The atty goes right to the end of the cone.

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Do you have to unscew the cone in order to take off the cart from the atty in order to refill?

As Dudeman replied, you don't, the atty and cone are pretty much flush with each other when the cone is fully on. Although for this reason , I have also found that the atty is a little tough to remove with the cone on, you have to press the cart into the atty to turn it as you cannot grip the atty itself. With a cart that has been used a few times or with juice around the rim of it, it makes removing the atty with the cone difficult, if not near impossible at times.

SO excited to get mine this week, all I have is my 510 (which has served me well) but now that my wife vapes I had to(which means the perfect excuse to) get a new PV
I've heard nothing but glowing reviews of this PV, I'm like a kid before christmas waiting for mine.

I am sure you'll enjoy it. After a day and a bit of full usage, I am still very impressed. I have some quibbles with certain aspects of the design, but they are very minor and I would definitely not label them as deal breakers, rather just some things I personally would change to make it a little better. More on that later. So far I would highly recommend one, especially to someone who loved the 510 and is looking to upgrade it without losing the advantages that that the original 510 has.

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Day one update:

It's been a day and a bit since I started vaping the Ego, so I'll add a few things I have noted. I have had the opportunity to take this device with me, so I have been able to test what it could be like in the field. Also, after having met up with a fellow ECF forum member here in Vancouver, I have also had the opportunity to try some new things with it, namely new flavours and a different atomiser.

First of all, my concern about the button has been accidentally confirmed. I took both batts with me, each with an atomiser attached, and I suffered from the hot pocket. The one that heated up was in the supplied bag in a pocket with my keys. On the positive side, it wasn't as hot as I've had occur with a regular 510. This may or may not be an issue to some people, and in all fairness the manual itself specifically mentions to "keep the device separated from other articles such as keys and change that will collide with the device, in order to prevent the paint coating to be damaged, or The eGo to be damaged." Whether or not the bag should be considered as separation, I supposed is beside the point. Seriously though, common sense should prevail here and any device with a button, battery and a heating element should be transported safely. I'll consider this as user error, and simply note that I would personally have preferred the button to be somewhat more recessed to prevent this from happening as a lot of users will simply toss this in their pocket without a second thought. I'm also already thinking about a simple mod to address this but that's for another thread.

Secondly, as noted, I did try a new flavour and a different, non-genuine Joye atomiser (SLB) with it. a brand new flavour on this was unbelievable, and much richer, deeper and generally better than one on a regular 510. As for the SLB atomiser, I'd recommend sticking with Joye, at least for this device if you're looking for throat hit, vapour production and flavour, although the SLB will save you juice. That's also for another thread I guess.

As far as my concern about the finish being slippery, so far that has not come to fruition at all. It feels solid in the hands and while the finish is smooth, I don't find it hard to grip at all nor have been concerned that I may drop it at all yet.

It seems I am looking for things to find fault with here, and so far that speaks very well of the Ego indeed. I came up with two things that could be either attributable to user error or to using something other than what's designed specifically for this device, both of which shouldn't and will not affect any rating thus far. I also find myself wanting to rate this thing against some higher end devices that are more expensive and are not factory produced. Whilst that would not be a fair comparison, this is also a compliment to the Ego.

It looks like I'll be giving this thing a couple of weeks before writing a more conclusive review and perhaps making a video, but I'll update this as necessary if I find something that I feel needs posting here, to save rambling on about it if there's nothing substantial to report but that still keeps reference points for myself and for anyone following this thread.

Thanks again,

JaYBoNeS

 

[MsSki]

Im glad you did this review , Im looking into upgrading to the ego. Mainly just for the add life of the Batt

Tara

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Im glad you did this review , Im looking into upgrading to the ego. Mainly just for the add life of the Batt

Tara

Thanks Tara,

For added battery life and for something that's compatible with the 510, it seemed to me to be the least expensive and best option of upgrade for me at this point. That's definitely not to say I am not still interested in some higher priced devices and such, but so far there is no regret in my purchase. It's come as advertised, and at this price point it's actually seemed to go a step further, as a reasonably priced and almost comparable alternative to some of the higher end, more expensive mods on the market.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Savantster]

re: button.. I would recommend getting some kind of hard case for it; perhaps a cigar case of some kind? I would think _any_ button based e-cig would have a problem if it is just put in a pocket.

 

[JaYBoNeS]

re: button.. I would recommend getting some kind of hard case for it; perhaps a cigar case of some kind? I would think _any_ button based e-cig would have a problem if it is just put in a pocket.

Thanks for the advice. I'd rather be able to just drop it in a pocket, if possible. Bigger mods have a kill switch for this, and the general recommendation for the devices which do not is to transport your e cig disassembled. This is good advice, as there are definitely risks involved with a heating element and battery even in a case, especially with the lack of regulation and quality controls in this industry. I also have a few ideas for a modification that could help with this. Once I have some more time, I'll post my success/failure with this.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[sanfordf]

I should be receiving mine (Tornado version) tomorrow. I bought the extended atomisers and carts that wouild stick up further out of the cone. I think I should be able to exchange the atomizer cart combination at the same time. I like to keep my flavors matched with their own attie. Also, I have heard that the lower ohm atties from Nhaler will make it perform like a 5v (read more expensive) unit. I might give it a try.

Congrats on your (soon to be mine as well) new toy!

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Another small update:

The device is still working well, however I did manage to blow the atomiser that came with the Ego after 3 days. This is the first atomiser that I have ever blown. It started getting hot and producing a nasty blue smoke and then quit working right away. Not a huge issue for me, Jack is replacing it and I have a few others at hand and my they have been working just fine on the device since. For others, you should definitely consider extra atty's with your purchase if you don't already have some, just in case but that's typical for any device.

Also of note is that there does seem to be a drop off in vapour production although it is a small one. About a half or or so before the battery dies, vapour production seems to be lower than before. It took me a while to notice this, mainly because the batteries do not die as often and I have also been experimenting with different juices, making it difficult to tell sometimes whether it's the new juice or the battery dying. Take this with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.

Not much else to report. I've noted that one of the batteries doesn't seem to last as long as the other and has seemed to die very quickly on the odd occasion. This could also be attributable to user error due to the longer life and having two of the same colour. It certainly has been tough to keep track of this. What I can definitively say, is that with two with me, only once have I had two dead batteries the same time. I am definitely considering an adapter or another charger when I buy more batteries, so that I will always have two fully charged. I am terrible at keeping a charge routine going and often forget to charge my batteries. The regular 510 forced me into a routine as I soon got caught without power if I did forget. The Ego on the other hand has lead me back to old habits and I forget again... go figure.

As for being able to remove both atty and cart at the same time, that seems to not be a big issue, 90% of the time if desired I can remove them both without removing the cone. The times I have had issues are a good reminder that I should probably just be tossing that particular cart in any case. I've noted that these tend to be my oldest carts.

As for the button issue, I have thought up a mod to try to address this. I will post my results along with a how to if it works out for me. I actually have not had it accidentally depress on me again as I now carry it in a top jacket pocket and away from keys, etc.

Thanks again for reading,

JaYBoNeS

 

[Kelemvor]

the kill switch is overrated imho, since the 1st 3-piece device you can just unscrew the atomizer and are good to go. and no the LED doesn't matter, it would take days to deplete the batterie charge.

the little mod you have in mind is maybe a good solution if you can just slide it over the batterie body in a second or 2.

 

[JaYBoNeS]

the kill switch is overrated imho, since the 1st 3-piece device you can just unscrew the atomizer and are good to go. and no the LED doesn't matter, it would take days to deplete the batterie charge.

the little mod you have in mind is maybe a good solution if you can just slide it over the batterie body in a second or 2.

Yes, the kill switch is definitely overrated especially on a device of this size and as you say, you can simply unscrew the atty a bit with the cone still on.

As for the mod idea, something along those lines is what I am thinking. I need to search around for items that will work without too many tools or work required.

 

[tunabubblegum]

Nice review, just noticed it.
I love my eGo.
It's the only 3.7V PV that I still use, it vapes like a 5 volter, (tons of vapor), it's tiny! you can stick it in your shirt pocket, and one load
of juice lasts me on my commute to and from work, about 1 1/2 hours
(using blue foam in the cart).

No other 3.7V PV comes even close to the eGo and with the exception
of the Super T's new Precise, I am no longer interested in anything
under 5V (and I have tried them all!!)

The battery lasts a good 2 days for me, though I only vape my eGo
while in my car and when I get home, I switch to a 6 volter.

Plus, it looks cool

What else could you want in a portable PV?

 

[JaYBoNeS]

Thanks for the comments tunabubblegum.

I concur with everything. Although I have not made the jump to 6volt yet. So far the Ego is enough for me. I definitely do have my eye on the precise as well. Purely for aesthetic reasons. The Ego is nice and all, and for it's price has no equal as far as I am concerned, but that precise, it's just a work of art. But I digress, that's for a future thread.

Cheers,

JaYBoNeS

 

[tunabubblegum]

Thanks for the comments tunabubblegum.

I concur with everything. Although I have not made the jump to 6volt yet. So far the Ego is enough for me. I definitely do have my eye on the precise as well. Purely for aesthetic reasons. The Ego is nice and all, and for it's price has no equal as far as I am concerned, but that precise, it's just a work of art. But I digress, that's for a future thread.

Cheers,

JaYBoNeS

Yeah I cant wait to get mine.
One thing that has me curious though, on their website (Super T) they
have pics of the Precise with their T-tips.
I dont know about anyone else, but I have never direct dripped on a
3.7V PV before, I always use a cart with blue foam as the juice "wick"
and sometimes I will top the atty off with a few drops of juice before
fitting the cart on it.
Just a small strip of blue foam saturated with juice and stuffed into a 510
cart actually goes a long way when using a 3.7V batt.
So, since I know the guys at Super T are "drippers", I am wondering how
well this is going to work with a cart!?