Today I'm reviewing the MonkeyBoxx by the Wooder Man. I own a first gen box, a second gen (traded up for a 3rd gen) and now this 3rd gen box. The first box was heavily critiqued, so there's no point in repeating any of that. This is purely about the newest box but I will make some comparisons to the old versions so folks can understand the improvments made.
Craftsmanship/External - A
The box is very, very well finished and attractive. All corners are nicely rounded and surfaces are silky smooth. It feels very nice in hand, solid and substantial just on the edge of being too big, but it is not. It fits nicely in the hand. The wood seam gaps/tolerances are unbelievably tight. The lid is so precise, there is no need for magnets! It snaps in place with the precision of a Mercedes Benz door shutting....just a suburb fit. The safety, side, cut-off switch is extremely well integrated into the box now (more below). The wall thickness are about double the first and second gen, the unit feels much more sturdy. Everything about the basic construction feels and looks just as good as my Phidias if not slightly better...and that says a lot because fono is a supreme craftsman. Tom has shown he can hang with the best in wood construction with the 3rd gen MonkeyBoxx.
You can barely see the gap between the body and the lid!
Interior/Electronics - A
A vast improvment! The middle divider section has been removed. This was an excellent idea as it makes removing the battery and juice bottle a snap. The first/second gen was a little tight and it took a bit of effort to remove them. Swapping now is easy as pie!
The negative terminal wire has been replaced with a "metal guide" (not sure of the technical term). This is a LOT more heavy duty than the copper wire in the gen 1/2. It is routed nicely below and around the juice bottle and to the side-mounted cut-off switch. The cut-off switch is VASTLY improved. It is a much higher quality switch than the previous gens and it is 100% flush with the side of the unit. It is absolutely precision mounted with just the right amount of epoxy that is beaded nicely. It has a very professional look now. The switch has a very positive and solid feel, a huge improvment.
The battery spring is nice and heavy, it should last forever. I know this is a point of contention with some, but it is not for me. I don't see it as a safety device but I do see as a weak point on other boxes that use a whimpy spring as it would be easy to bend-up in the course of everyday battery changes. The MonkeyBoxx spring is nice and substantial and should never get accidently bend, fold or become damaged. The side total system cut-off switch is the best safety feature as the box should never be accidently "over cooked" with the switch in the off position. When this box is off, it is OFF and the circut cannot operate. The negative terminal spring is now slightly recessed which should also bode-well for durability. It's definately superior to the gen 1/2 spring setup.
The internal wire guage has been greatly increased. The wire distance travel has been reduced and kept to a minimum with very heavy-guage copper wire. All soldier looks to be silver and it is very well done. There's no slop, no excess and not too little. It's as good as it gets for a human! The positive battery terminal is larger and thicker compared to the gen 1/2. It is also slightly recessed and glued nicely like the cut-off switch.
Bottle placement is greatly improved, probably due to the box size increase. It is farther from the main power switch assembly now and the cannula (needle) is covered all the way to the bottle. That was a fear I had with the gen 1/2. The cannula was passing too close to the +/- terminals on the switch which could result in an accidental mis-fire. This is no longer a problem with the gen 3. Nonetheless, this is one of my few negative points. I much prefer using a cannula all the way from the bottle into the atty. Stuffing the tubing into the adapter is slightly difficult, but greatly improved from gen 1/2....but still slightly annoying compared to the Phidias. It's too easy to bend/kink the tubing. I'd really like to see a full needle feed from the bottle to the atty and some epoxy added over the switch terminals so there's zero chance of it shorting them with the exposed cannula. Fono places a rubber o-ring into the adapter to stop leakage and it works very well. However, that may not be possible with a bottom-fed/catch cup design, but it's worth mentioning.
The only other negative is with the lower, right epoxy placement on the negative terminal guide. There's a bead there that causes the bottle to not quite sit flush with the bottom of the unit. This should be a bit thinner so the bottle fits flush and square with the bottom of the unit, but this is a very minor issue and doesn't effect performance. That is literally the ONLY fit/finish issue I can see on the box.
vaping - A++
This box is a monster vaping machine! I think the improvements in the wiring have allowed the current to flow better compared to gen 1/2. I put the same battery and atty on the gen 3 and it produces EXTREME vapor. In fact, I can now take shorter hits because it really, really produces the vapor! I used to take about 5-6 second draws on the gen 1/2 but this one is only about 3 seconds before my lungs are overwhelmed with vapor. LOL If you're used to vaping using a standard ecig, you better look out because the MonkeyBoxx will make you silly with the vapor it produces.
Summary
This box is probably the absolute best value out there for a wood mod. With a retail shipped price of only $110 it's a down-right steal IMHO. The 6-mL bottle makes for more than enough juice for 1-2 days of heavy vaping. The wood craftsmanship is HUGELY improved from the previous generations and the electronics are supreme in every way. Add in the giant vapor production and The Wooder Man has come though with a clear WINNER!
Here's some more pictures for your enjoyment. It includes some size comparisons to the previous gen 1 MonkeyBoxx and the Phidias.
ORDER HERE: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarette-suppliers-forum/149569-monkeyboxx-wooder-man.html
Craftsmanship/External - A
The box is very, very well finished and attractive. All corners are nicely rounded and surfaces are silky smooth. It feels very nice in hand, solid and substantial just on the edge of being too big, but it is not. It fits nicely in the hand. The wood seam gaps/tolerances are unbelievably tight. The lid is so precise, there is no need for magnets! It snaps in place with the precision of a Mercedes Benz door shutting....just a suburb fit. The safety, side, cut-off switch is extremely well integrated into the box now (more below). The wall thickness are about double the first and second gen, the unit feels much more sturdy. Everything about the basic construction feels and looks just as good as my Phidias if not slightly better...and that says a lot because fono is a supreme craftsman. Tom has shown he can hang with the best in wood construction with the 3rd gen MonkeyBoxx.
You can barely see the gap between the body and the lid!
Interior/Electronics - A
A vast improvment! The middle divider section has been removed. This was an excellent idea as it makes removing the battery and juice bottle a snap. The first/second gen was a little tight and it took a bit of effort to remove them. Swapping now is easy as pie!
The negative terminal wire has been replaced with a "metal guide" (not sure of the technical term). This is a LOT more heavy duty than the copper wire in the gen 1/2. It is routed nicely below and around the juice bottle and to the side-mounted cut-off switch. The cut-off switch is VASTLY improved. It is a much higher quality switch than the previous gens and it is 100% flush with the side of the unit. It is absolutely precision mounted with just the right amount of epoxy that is beaded nicely. It has a very professional look now. The switch has a very positive and solid feel, a huge improvment.
The battery spring is nice and heavy, it should last forever. I know this is a point of contention with some, but it is not for me. I don't see it as a safety device but I do see as a weak point on other boxes that use a whimpy spring as it would be easy to bend-up in the course of everyday battery changes. The MonkeyBoxx spring is nice and substantial and should never get accidently bend, fold or become damaged. The side total system cut-off switch is the best safety feature as the box should never be accidently "over cooked" with the switch in the off position. When this box is off, it is OFF and the circut cannot operate. The negative terminal spring is now slightly recessed which should also bode-well for durability. It's definately superior to the gen 1/2 spring setup.
The internal wire guage has been greatly increased. The wire distance travel has been reduced and kept to a minimum with very heavy-guage copper wire. All soldier looks to be silver and it is very well done. There's no slop, no excess and not too little. It's as good as it gets for a human! The positive battery terminal is larger and thicker compared to the gen 1/2. It is also slightly recessed and glued nicely like the cut-off switch.
Bottle placement is greatly improved, probably due to the box size increase. It is farther from the main power switch assembly now and the cannula (needle) is covered all the way to the bottle. That was a fear I had with the gen 1/2. The cannula was passing too close to the +/- terminals on the switch which could result in an accidental mis-fire. This is no longer a problem with the gen 3. Nonetheless, this is one of my few negative points. I much prefer using a cannula all the way from the bottle into the atty. Stuffing the tubing into the adapter is slightly difficult, but greatly improved from gen 1/2....but still slightly annoying compared to the Phidias. It's too easy to bend/kink the tubing. I'd really like to see a full needle feed from the bottle to the atty and some epoxy added over the switch terminals so there's zero chance of it shorting them with the exposed cannula. Fono places a rubber o-ring into the adapter to stop leakage and it works very well. However, that may not be possible with a bottom-fed/catch cup design, but it's worth mentioning.
The only other negative is with the lower, right epoxy placement on the negative terminal guide. There's a bead there that causes the bottle to not quite sit flush with the bottom of the unit. This should be a bit thinner so the bottle fits flush and square with the bottom of the unit, but this is a very minor issue and doesn't effect performance. That is literally the ONLY fit/finish issue I can see on the box.
vaping - A++
This box is a monster vaping machine! I think the improvements in the wiring have allowed the current to flow better compared to gen 1/2. I put the same battery and atty on the gen 3 and it produces EXTREME vapor. In fact, I can now take shorter hits because it really, really produces the vapor! I used to take about 5-6 second draws on the gen 1/2 but this one is only about 3 seconds before my lungs are overwhelmed with vapor. LOL If you're used to vaping using a standard ecig, you better look out because the MonkeyBoxx will make you silly with the vapor it produces.
Summary
This box is probably the absolute best value out there for a wood mod. With a retail shipped price of only $110 it's a down-right steal IMHO. The 6-mL bottle makes for more than enough juice for 1-2 days of heavy vaping. The wood craftsmanship is HUGELY improved from the previous generations and the electronics are supreme in every way. Add in the giant vapor production and The Wooder Man has come though with a clear WINNER!
Here's some more pictures for your enjoyment. It includes some size comparisons to the previous gen 1 MonkeyBoxx and the Phidias.
ORDER HERE: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarette-suppliers-forum/149569-monkeyboxx-wooder-man.html
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