HI ECF members, In this review i take a look at the Ranger GT234 TC Box mod from Hugo Vapor. The Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 TC Box mod was supplied for the purpose of this review by Alina from Everzon.
https://www.everzon.com/hugo-vapor-range...c-mod.html
Introduction
The Ranger Mod is a powerful 234w TC mod which has an 80's look about it and massive colour screen. The device looks nothing like any device i have seen before so let's give it a good look.
In the Box
Contents:
1x Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 MOD (no cell)
1x USB Cable(upgrading & charging)
1x Warranty Card
1x Warning Card
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Ranger comes in small cardboard box packaging but once opened the device itself is slightly larger than the average dual 18650 device and quite weighty due to being mainly constructed of zinc alloy. There are 2 colours available Red and Black, i received the Red version. The device stands out from the crowd with almost an 80's look and i look at it and for some reason i just think Lego has this is how a device could look if you built one out of the famous bricks, and i mean that in a good way the Ranger looks so different from any device i have seen before and in my opinion originality is good. The front of the device has a rectangular with cut corners Black fire button central top, towards the bottom we have the 2 navigational buttons with a mode button between them, these are also rectangular with cut corners and also Black but smaller. Central bottom we have the micro USB port but the main feature of the front is a large mirrored finish screen sitting centrally, and when i say mirrored i mean mirrored a lady could easily use it while touching up her make up, fellows too if that's your thing, i have no issues with that. Finally on the front of the devise there is a translucent strip down both sides next to the screen for LED's to shine through. The sides of the device has a slot each side for battery venting which also adds to the aesthetics of the device, The back of the device has "RANGER" raised in large letters the same colour as the device. The base has branding and safety stamps, up top we have a central raised platform which houses the 510 plate, the 510 is Gold plated and spring loaded. The build quality is very good but with all those edges (they are not sharp) and front fire button it's not the most ergonomic device.
Ranger GT234 Specs and Features:
Size: 88 x 45 x 31mm
Material: Zinc Alloy
Max Wattage: 234W
Temperature Range: 200°F–600°F
Input Voltage: 6-8.4V
Output Voltage: 0.5-8.4V
Resistance: 0.06-3.0ohm
Charging: 5V/2A USB Port
Screen: 2.0-inch TFT color screen
Modes: VW/TC(Ni,Ti,SS)/TCR/LED/Clock function
Battery: 2 x 18650 cells (Not included)
Powered by GT234 M4 MCU
Adjustable RGB LED light button
Real time clock function
Easy-operated user interface
No overhang with 26mm tanks
Firmware upgradeable
2A quick charge
Colours: Black, Red
Fitting the Batteries
To fit your dual 18650's the back panel needs removing, the panel covers half the device and where the panel meets the front half of the device each side there is an open slot which is both for battery venting and to help remove the panel. The battery compartment is very neat and tidy and although battery orientation is Black on Black the + and - are that large and the battery compartment is fully open to light i am ok with it. When removing the batteries there is no need for a battery ribbon as i have already explained the removed back panel covers the back half of the device so you can easily get your fingers around enough of the batteries to remove them. The battery panel secures into position with magnets, 2 large ones at the top and 2 smaller ones towards the bottom, the panel has no movement whatsoever it is impressively secure.
The Display
When the batteries are fitted the device comes on, to turn the device off is done in the menu system and once off to turn back on is 5 clicks. The screen is a massive 2" colour display and the Ranger makes good use of the real estate with plenty of information, large font, excellent layout and good use of colour. Top left of the display we have the status of the batteries shown by bars and as a percentage, top right we have the current mode the device is in. Central top we have the day and time, below this in very large font is the wattage (temp when in temp control) and to the right of this we have both the unit (W for watts, C for centigrade or F for Fahrenheit) and time vaped. Further down to the left is the resistance and to the right is the voltage, finally bottom left is the amps and bottom right the puffs In the menu you can both set screen timeout and set a wallpaper which is actually your screensaver, the device comes with a very nice large analogue clock set as the screensaver which i find very aesthetically pleasing but there is also a couple of other choices that also look good.
The Menu System
Throughout the menu system again the Ranger makes good use of the large screen, all layouts are user friendly and there's good use of colour. Pressing the - and + together locks and unlocks the navigational and mode buttons but the device will still fire, pressing the fire button 5 times locks and unlocks the device completely but doesn't turn the device off. To enter the menu is 2 presses of the mode button which takes you to the screen where you can choose between power, temp control etc, to choose from this screen you need to press the mode button again which stops the word "mode" central bottom of the display from flashing and highlights PW which is wattage mode. You can now scroll through the modes using the navigational buttons, the modes are PW, BP (Bypass), Ti, Ni, SS and M1 which is a curve setting. When you scroll to any of these modes pressing the mode button will take you to the first thing you can alter and then each press of the mode button takes you to the other things you can alter (all screens in the menu system work like this), of cause you alter things by using the - and + buttons. In PW mode you can change your preheat, you have the choice of standard, hard or soft, when on a temp control wire you can set both wattage and TCR. When M1 (curve) is highlighted then pressing mode brings up 7 settings which you can + or - wattage for and seconds duration which is set to a tenth of a second. The overall time of the 7 settings can't add up to more than 10 seconds if it already adds up to 10 seconds and you enter a longer time on one of the settings that time will automatically come off the bottom setting, it sounds complicated but the included picture of the curve screen will make it clear. Going back to where we first entered the menu system and if when the word mode is flashing we don't press mode again we can press the + and - buttons to scroll through the other menu screens which are Puff, Colour settings, LED's, Info and clock. On the puff screen you can reset puffs, on the colour settings screen you can set the colour you want certain information to be displayed on the screen, the colour options are Red, Yellow, Purple, Cyan and Green, also on this screen you can set standby time, brightness and choose between 3 different wallpapers. The LED screen is where you both set your LED's but also is the screen where you turn the device off, if you turn the device off you need to press the fire button 5 times to power the device back on. You can choose your LED's to be Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Cyan or White, there are also different modes which are normal, loop or breathe, the final option on this screen is to turn the LED's off. The next screen is the info screen which displays hardware and software information, the final screen is where you set your time and date. The menu is aesthetically pleasing and flows well my only issue is turning the device completely off is buried deep inside the menu system i would prefer the normal clicks of the fire button to turn the device off.
My Experience Using the Ranger
As usual the first thing to say is i do not vape in temp control and i do not have the equipment to get data so i simply review a device as my personal experience using it. Like most devices released these days the Ranger fires fast with no detectable delay also the fire button is very easy to find and nice and clicky. I used the device with a few atty's over a period of time in fact i believe it is pictured in the Vapefly Core RTA review i did recently, i have used the device from low wattage up to a maximum of 100w and at all wattage's it seemed very accurate, i have no idea what the top wattage is of the device i doubt very much it will be close to the 234w but still i found the device to be a very good device in power mode and certainly at 100w it felt there was plenty more to come. I like the curve feature on this device, i wouldn't say it's any better or worse than my favourite devices with curve features but i like how it's set just because it's different. The display is awesome and really like the mirror the screen becomes when the device is off, i also like the fact the device has a mode button making what is a large menu system simple to use. It's not perfect though if ergonomics is a priority then this isn't the device for you, i also don't like the raised platform on top of the device which means over 26mm atty's will overhang this platform, yes that means the vast majority of atty's will be fine but feel it's a wasted opportunity , if it had a flat top the Ranger would accommodate up to 30mm atty's. The fact you need to go into the menu system to properly turn the device off is another con as is the fact that the huge screen is a fingerprint magnet but going back to the positives i like the LED strips down the front sides of the device and if your anti LED's simply turn them off. The device seemed bang on the norm when it came to battery life for a dual 18650 device, the Ranger supports balanced 2A charging and is fully firmware upgradeable.
Pros
Very good build quality
Original aesthetics
Large, bright colour screen
When off screen can be used as a mirror (seriously)
Very good screen layouts
4 button device (makes menu easy to navigate)
Temp control (not tested)
Performed well in power mode
Centre 510
Fires instantly
Curve feature (set differently to other devices)
Very nice wallpapers (especially the clock)
Battery door very secure (no movement)
Battery life good
2A balanced charging
Firmware upgradeable
Cons
Not very ergonomic
Need to enter menu system to turn the device off
Raised platform means over 26mm will have overhang (a missed opportunity)
Large mirrored screen fingerprint magnet
I would once again like to thank Alina from Everzon for supplying the Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 TC Box MOD for the purpose of this review.
https://www.everzon.com/hugo-vapor-range...c-mod.html
https://www.everzon.com/hugo-vapor-range...c-mod.html
Introduction
The Ranger Mod is a powerful 234w TC mod which has an 80's look about it and massive colour screen. The device looks nothing like any device i have seen before so let's give it a good look.
In the Box
Contents:
1x Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 MOD (no cell)
1x USB Cable(upgrading & charging)
1x Warranty Card
1x Warning Card
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Ranger comes in small cardboard box packaging but once opened the device itself is slightly larger than the average dual 18650 device and quite weighty due to being mainly constructed of zinc alloy. There are 2 colours available Red and Black, i received the Red version. The device stands out from the crowd with almost an 80's look and i look at it and for some reason i just think Lego has this is how a device could look if you built one out of the famous bricks, and i mean that in a good way the Ranger looks so different from any device i have seen before and in my opinion originality is good. The front of the device has a rectangular with cut corners Black fire button central top, towards the bottom we have the 2 navigational buttons with a mode button between them, these are also rectangular with cut corners and also Black but smaller. Central bottom we have the micro USB port but the main feature of the front is a large mirrored finish screen sitting centrally, and when i say mirrored i mean mirrored a lady could easily use it while touching up her make up, fellows too if that's your thing, i have no issues with that. Finally on the front of the devise there is a translucent strip down both sides next to the screen for LED's to shine through. The sides of the device has a slot each side for battery venting which also adds to the aesthetics of the device, The back of the device has "RANGER" raised in large letters the same colour as the device. The base has branding and safety stamps, up top we have a central raised platform which houses the 510 plate, the 510 is Gold plated and spring loaded. The build quality is very good but with all those edges (they are not sharp) and front fire button it's not the most ergonomic device.
Ranger GT234 Specs and Features:
Size: 88 x 45 x 31mm
Material: Zinc Alloy
Max Wattage: 234W
Temperature Range: 200°F–600°F
Input Voltage: 6-8.4V
Output Voltage: 0.5-8.4V
Resistance: 0.06-3.0ohm
Charging: 5V/2A USB Port
Screen: 2.0-inch TFT color screen
Modes: VW/TC(Ni,Ti,SS)/TCR/LED/Clock function
Battery: 2 x 18650 cells (Not included)
Powered by GT234 M4 MCU
Adjustable RGB LED light button
Real time clock function
Easy-operated user interface
No overhang with 26mm tanks
Firmware upgradeable
2A quick charge
Colours: Black, Red
Fitting the Batteries
To fit your dual 18650's the back panel needs removing, the panel covers half the device and where the panel meets the front half of the device each side there is an open slot which is both for battery venting and to help remove the panel. The battery compartment is very neat and tidy and although battery orientation is Black on Black the + and - are that large and the battery compartment is fully open to light i am ok with it. When removing the batteries there is no need for a battery ribbon as i have already explained the removed back panel covers the back half of the device so you can easily get your fingers around enough of the batteries to remove them. The battery panel secures into position with magnets, 2 large ones at the top and 2 smaller ones towards the bottom, the panel has no movement whatsoever it is impressively secure.
The Display
When the batteries are fitted the device comes on, to turn the device off is done in the menu system and once off to turn back on is 5 clicks. The screen is a massive 2" colour display and the Ranger makes good use of the real estate with plenty of information, large font, excellent layout and good use of colour. Top left of the display we have the status of the batteries shown by bars and as a percentage, top right we have the current mode the device is in. Central top we have the day and time, below this in very large font is the wattage (temp when in temp control) and to the right of this we have both the unit (W for watts, C for centigrade or F for Fahrenheit) and time vaped. Further down to the left is the resistance and to the right is the voltage, finally bottom left is the amps and bottom right the puffs In the menu you can both set screen timeout and set a wallpaper which is actually your screensaver, the device comes with a very nice large analogue clock set as the screensaver which i find very aesthetically pleasing but there is also a couple of other choices that also look good.
The Menu System
Throughout the menu system again the Ranger makes good use of the large screen, all layouts are user friendly and there's good use of colour. Pressing the - and + together locks and unlocks the navigational and mode buttons but the device will still fire, pressing the fire button 5 times locks and unlocks the device completely but doesn't turn the device off. To enter the menu is 2 presses of the mode button which takes you to the screen where you can choose between power, temp control etc, to choose from this screen you need to press the mode button again which stops the word "mode" central bottom of the display from flashing and highlights PW which is wattage mode. You can now scroll through the modes using the navigational buttons, the modes are PW, BP (Bypass), Ti, Ni, SS and M1 which is a curve setting. When you scroll to any of these modes pressing the mode button will take you to the first thing you can alter and then each press of the mode button takes you to the other things you can alter (all screens in the menu system work like this), of cause you alter things by using the - and + buttons. In PW mode you can change your preheat, you have the choice of standard, hard or soft, when on a temp control wire you can set both wattage and TCR. When M1 (curve) is highlighted then pressing mode brings up 7 settings which you can + or - wattage for and seconds duration which is set to a tenth of a second. The overall time of the 7 settings can't add up to more than 10 seconds if it already adds up to 10 seconds and you enter a longer time on one of the settings that time will automatically come off the bottom setting, it sounds complicated but the included picture of the curve screen will make it clear. Going back to where we first entered the menu system and if when the word mode is flashing we don't press mode again we can press the + and - buttons to scroll through the other menu screens which are Puff, Colour settings, LED's, Info and clock. On the puff screen you can reset puffs, on the colour settings screen you can set the colour you want certain information to be displayed on the screen, the colour options are Red, Yellow, Purple, Cyan and Green, also on this screen you can set standby time, brightness and choose between 3 different wallpapers. The LED screen is where you both set your LED's but also is the screen where you turn the device off, if you turn the device off you need to press the fire button 5 times to power the device back on. You can choose your LED's to be Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Cyan or White, there are also different modes which are normal, loop or breathe, the final option on this screen is to turn the LED's off. The next screen is the info screen which displays hardware and software information, the final screen is where you set your time and date. The menu is aesthetically pleasing and flows well my only issue is turning the device completely off is buried deep inside the menu system i would prefer the normal clicks of the fire button to turn the device off.
My Experience Using the Ranger
As usual the first thing to say is i do not vape in temp control and i do not have the equipment to get data so i simply review a device as my personal experience using it. Like most devices released these days the Ranger fires fast with no detectable delay also the fire button is very easy to find and nice and clicky. I used the device with a few atty's over a period of time in fact i believe it is pictured in the Vapefly Core RTA review i did recently, i have used the device from low wattage up to a maximum of 100w and at all wattage's it seemed very accurate, i have no idea what the top wattage is of the device i doubt very much it will be close to the 234w but still i found the device to be a very good device in power mode and certainly at 100w it felt there was plenty more to come. I like the curve feature on this device, i wouldn't say it's any better or worse than my favourite devices with curve features but i like how it's set just because it's different. The display is awesome and really like the mirror the screen becomes when the device is off, i also like the fact the device has a mode button making what is a large menu system simple to use. It's not perfect though if ergonomics is a priority then this isn't the device for you, i also don't like the raised platform on top of the device which means over 26mm atty's will overhang this platform, yes that means the vast majority of atty's will be fine but feel it's a wasted opportunity , if it had a flat top the Ranger would accommodate up to 30mm atty's. The fact you need to go into the menu system to properly turn the device off is another con as is the fact that the huge screen is a fingerprint magnet but going back to the positives i like the LED strips down the front sides of the device and if your anti LED's simply turn them off. The device seemed bang on the norm when it came to battery life for a dual 18650 device, the Ranger supports balanced 2A charging and is fully firmware upgradeable.
Pros
Very good build quality
Original aesthetics
Large, bright colour screen
When off screen can be used as a mirror (seriously)
Very good screen layouts
4 button device (makes menu easy to navigate)
Temp control (not tested)
Performed well in power mode
Centre 510
Fires instantly
Curve feature (set differently to other devices)
Very nice wallpapers (especially the clock)
Battery door very secure (no movement)
Battery life good
2A balanced charging
Firmware upgradeable
Cons
Not very ergonomic
Need to enter menu system to turn the device off
Raised platform means over 26mm will have overhang (a missed opportunity)
Large mirrored screen fingerprint magnet
I would once again like to thank Alina from Everzon for supplying the Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 TC Box MOD for the purpose of this review.
https://www.everzon.com/hugo-vapor-range...c-mod.html
