New Kangxin 50W TC device - Mini VF KX-50D: single 18650; LED torch; USB charge; multiple colours

[TheBloke]

Mini VF KX-50D:

• 50W DNA40-style VW Temperature Controlled mod
• single 18650 battery
• top-mounted LED torch/flashlight with two modes
• bottom-mounted USB charging
• available (eventually) in black, silver, gold, grey, green, red (more like pink)

Listed at Focalecig, so far the only supplier I've seen with it; currently only listed in black.

Availability is currently given as April 20th, with a warning that it could be longer (isn't it always?) and you're advised not to purchase it with other products.

Alibaba link showing all colours. The green looks particularly nice in my view.

It's very likely the same board as is going in the new Heatvape Invader Mini, which is also a dna 40-style TC 50W device.

I'm rather temped by the Kangxin I must say. I'd like a small TC device, as although my Waidea VF is lovely, it's also pretty chunky - not ideal while driving, for example.

However we know from Kangxin's Vapor Flask clone, the VF, that their build quality was poor - loads of hot glue, dodgy buttons that might fail over time. Of course they rushed that out, and have had a lot more time to get this new mini device better. But it's still a risk.

I think that when Focal have it in green, I would find it very hard to stop myself taking a risk and buying it. But that's at least a week away, quite probably more.

The big competitor for this device at the moment is the above mentioned Heatvape Invader Mini, which likely has an identical board, but has some physical advantages - easily adjustable 510 (because none of these cheap/clone TC devices have sprung pin, yet), and water resistant and rugged.

The advantages of the Kanxin would be it looks much better, it has USB charging (for what that's worth as it's probably 0.5A), and it has the LED torch which I do think would be pretty handy actually!

Here's what it looks like - my favourite the green, and the black:

 

[ThunderDan]

Oh.. LED torch! I'm sold.

 

[TheBloke]

Oh.. LED torch! I'm sold.

Yeah I think that's actually a really useful feature. I often need a torch and I get my phone out, but it murders a 1000mah phone battery and it's not a convenient form factor for lighting stuff up - usually trying to balance the phone while I peer in to some dark recess.

A single battery mod is pretty much the same shape as a real torch, so I'm surprised no-one thought of this before! (Or probably they did and I've not seen it, but not many have anyway.)


Here's the two modes of the torch: "normal" and "blue" - maybe the latter is a subtle reading light or something?

 

[TheotherSteveS]

Damn you beat me to it!

 

[TheBloke]

Damn you beat me to it!

Oh sorry mate! You did point it out first. But it'd been a few hours so I thought you weren't going to post it up

 

[TheotherSteveS]

Oh sorry mate! You did point it out first. But it'd been a few hours so I thought you weren't going to post it up

Lol! No worries lad. I would have forgotten to do it anyway!!

Still want one btw....

 

[TheotherSteveS]

I mean its like a TC iStick50 with a frickin torch...what is not to like about that?!?!?!?

 

[TheBloke]

Yeah now I've ordered my other goodies from focal I'm seriously thinking of putting in a pre order. I was going get another VF but do I need two devices the exact same?

This is much more portable, the VF is pretty heavy, noticeably so when you pick it up after holding an istick 50. It has a torch. It's 50W. And, assuming it's identical chip to the Intruder Mini, it operates more smoothly than the Waidea. Only minor glitches but still noticeable, like it not showing resistance as soon as a new coil is put on, and firing kanthal in TC mode for one second rather than realising it's kanthal before you fire.

I just want that green! I'm going to email focal to ask if that will be available at the same time, or if not when.

Sent by fondling my slab.

 

[TheotherSteveS]

Yeah now I've ordered my other goodies from focal I'm seriously thinking of putting in a pre order. I was going get another VF but do I need two devices the exact same?

This is much more portable, the VF is pretty heavy, noticeably so when you pick it up after holding an istick 50. It has a torch. It's 50W. And, assuming it's identical chip to the Intruder Mini, it operates more smoothly than the Waidea. Only minor glitches but still noticeable, like it not showing resistance as soon as a new coil is put on, and firing kanthal in TC mode for one second rather than realising it's kanthal before you fire.

I just want that green! I'm going to email focal to ask if that will be available at the same time, or if not when.

Sent by fondling my slab.

Go for it....I would/might/will get the black one (all my mods are black - I think its my dark side coming through..) Or maybe Im Henry Ford reincarnated - hope not lol!

 

[TheBloke]

I got the blue iStick 50W, silver/stainless Smok M80 (but only because black was out of stock), and then the black VF 40.

I am thoroughly sick of silver/steel devices, because all but one of my attys/RDAs are that colour.

I like the black VF very much. But I do like other dark colours as well - I love my blue iStick, I think it's one of my best looking devices for that reason alone. And that green Kangxin looks similarly nice from the photos.

A large part for me is that the attys are fairly monochrome, I like some variety coming from the mod. (There are some more interesting attys I know, but none yet that I've otherwise wanted.)

But if Focal say the green won't be available for months, then I would definitely order the black rather than wait.

 

[KenD]

Yeah, decided I'm going to order this. Will wait until I get my kangxin vaporflask clone though, which should be this week (I hope). This seems pretty much like the perfect device for me. Taller than the vaporshark, but otherwise smaller in dimension. About the size of my ZNA50 clones.

 

[TheBloke]

Good stuff Ken! I almost certainly will be as well before April 20th. I emailed Focal to ask about the other colours, but won't let that stop me if they say they're not coming yet which seems quite possible for the first shipment else surely they'd list them already.

 

[KenD]

Yeah I think that's actually a really useful feature. I often need a torch and I get my phone out, but it murders a 1000mah phone battery and it's not a convenient form factor for lighting stuff up - usually trying to balance the phone while I peer in to some dark recess.

A single battery mod is pretty much the same shape as a real torch, so I'm surprised no-one thought of this before! (Or probably they did and I've not seen it, but not many have anyway.)


Here's the two modes of the torch: "normal" and "blue" - maybe the latter is a subtle reading light or something?

Tell me about it! I frequently drop stuff on the floor when I'm rebuilding, and it's a PITA to find my flashlight (sorry, torch). I always have my mods close by though

 

[TheBloke]

Tell me about it! I frequently drop stuff on the floor when I'm rebuilding, and it's a PITA to find my flashlight (sorry, torch). I always have my mods close by though

Yeah great point! On both things actually - I forgot you guys don't call them torches

Oh, allow me to suggest to you one of my absolutely favouritest tools of all the favouritest tools:



I just googled to find that image, and it's called a "Telescopic Magnet Pickup Pen".

I inherited mine - it was one of many treasures I found when my Dad, who has done DIY all his life but is now too old, told me I could search his shed and garage and permanently borrow anything I found useful.

It is so awesome for building. I drop things on the floor approximately once per minute - coils, wire, screws, screwdrivers, attys themselves, etc. It'll pick up nearly all of that - excluding some parts of the attys themselves that aren't magnetic, but they're usually larger and easier to see anyway.

Quite often I just extend it to full length and sweep it over the carpet to find all the little bits of wire and screws I didn't even know I'd dropped!

HIGHLY recommended.

 

[KenD]

Yeah great point! On both things actually - I forgot you guys don't call them torches

Oh, allow me to suggest to you one of my absolutely favouritest tools of all the favouritest tools:



I just googled to find that image, and it's called a "Telescopic Magnetic Pickup Pen".

I inherited mine - it was one of many treasures I found when my Dad, who has done DIY all his life but is now too old, told me I could search his shed and garage and permanently borrow anything I found useful.

It is so awesome for building. I drop things on the floor approximately once per minute - coils, wire, screws, screwdrivers, attys themselves, etc. It'll pick up nearly all of that - excluding some parts of the attys themselves that aren't magnetic, but they're usually larger and easier to see anyway.

Quite often I just extend it to full length and sweep it over the carpet to find all the little bits of wire and screws I didn't even know I'd dropped!

HIGHLY recommended.

We here in Sweden call them ficklampor (taskulamppu when I'm visiting Finland)

The magnetic pen sounds awesome. Then again, I'd have misplaced it when I'd need it and require another magnetic pen to find the first one

 

[Croak]

Checked the valves on my Aprilia Tuono a few years ago, one was out of spec so I tore it down further to shim it, put it all back together, everything was fine.

The following weekend I went out for a five day holiday mountain blast on it, through British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Bike ran great, but there was this horrible and quite unusual vibration-related noise at about 6500 RPM, which was particularly annoying because that's right in heart of that v-twin's power band, and where I'd usually be when squirting out of a corner.

Drove me nuts, to the point that I started babying the bike for fear that something was about to blow and I was hundreds of miles from home and riding remote mountain roads. Really took a crap on my holiday enjoyment.

Nursed it home, thinking I had possibly screwed something up when I did the valve adjustment. Tore it down, and lo and behold, what was left of one of those damned magnetic rods was stuck to the fuel pump mounted to the bottom of the tank, and when the engine was around 6500 RPM and the clutch was engaged, it would set that thing to vibrating on the plastic airbox underneath, from non magnetic end.

I'd used it to try and fish out a dropped airbox screw, before I spotted said screw directly under the bike. When I went to button everything back up, it must have jumped up to the metal fuel pump (the tank is spun plastic) and it aligned itself so it didn't cause any fitment issues, and I simply missed it.

TLR: I haven't used one of those things since.

 

[dam718]

Checked the valves on my Aprilia Tuono a few years ago, one was out of spec so I tore it down further to shim it, put it all back together, everything was fine.

The following weekend I went out for a five day holiday mountain blast on it, through British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Bike ran great, but there was this horrible and quite unusual vibration-related noise at about 6500 RPM, which was particularly annoying because that's right in heart of that v-twin's power band, and where I'd usually be when squirting out of a corner.

Drove me nuts, to the point that I started babying the bike for fear that something was about to blow and I was hundreds of miles from home and riding remote mountain roads. Really took a crap on my holiday enjoyment.

Nursed it home, thinking I had possibly screwed something up when I did the valve adjustment. Tore it down, and lo and behold, what was left of one of those damned magnetic rods was stuck to the fuel pump mounted to the bottom of the tank, and when the engine was around 6500 RPM and the clutch was engaged, it would set that thing to vibrating on the plastic airbox underneath, from non magnetic end.

I'd used it to try and fish out a dropped airbox screw, before I spotted said screw directly under the bike. When I went to button everything back up, it must have jumped up to the metal fuel pump (the tank is spun plastic) and it aligned itself so it didn't cause any fitment issues, and I simply missed it.

TLR: I haven't used one of those things since.

Back when I was still riding, I had a Apirlia RSV Mille R... What an incredible bike. Those V-Twins were monsters of both speed and such an aggressive and throaty exhaust note. Absolutely loved that bike, but sold it cause I needed a new car and couldn't afford both payments :/...

Sorry for the off topic Not often you see folks talking about Aprilia bikes, rare and magnificent creatures! Like the Unicorns of motorcycles! LoL

 

[Croak]

Yeah, my Tuono is the 1st gen, essentially a Mille 1000 with an upright seating position and most of the plastic removed. Everything mechanical is the same as the Mille. It's been surprisingly practical too, with that upright riding position it makes a great commuter and comfortable touring bike with some luggage, so much so that I ditched my Sprint ST and just learned to stop for fuel more often.

Here's mine, picture actually taken midway on that trip I was talking about:

And yeah, "Tuono" is Italian for "thunder", and with those dual Arrows on it, it certainly thundered.

 

[dam718]

You're a bad man... I had arrows on mine as well. When I would pull into the parking lot at work, people would say they thought I was riding a Harley... Haha... Mine was a 2001 model. When I got it, I looked at the Tuono as well, but I just didn't care for the stripped down look. The Mille R had a little bit better suspension components as well. Probably not so much that I ever knew the difference. LoL... Nice bike though, NEVER get rid of it, you'll hate yourself forever!

 

[Croak]

Naw, Mille R and Tuono R stock suspension was identical, same forks, just a slightly different rake to keep the bike a bit more stable with an upright rider at high speed, and the exact same shock and spring rates. That's not counting the Ohlins spec Mille models, but the Tuono had those as well. Note my fork tubes.

And yep, it's a keeper. I've went through dozens of bikes of all makes and models, none of them I've kept as long as I've had this 2003 Tuono. It just...fits..