Let me start by saying this is my first review. I am an end-user and I bought this device at full price (same with ALL my devices, hardware, juices, etc.). This particular device motivated me to write this review.
After 30 years of smoking cigarettes, I was introduced to vaping. Being the consummate researcher, I spent hours researching vaping, mods, vendors, juice, attys, batts, etc. (and my research continues…). I read EVERYTHING and watched many video reviews. 30 days after buying my first PV, I dropped the analogs but not the research. I was obsessed - and still am (happily)
Above all device types, I was transfixed on feeder mods but could not find the “right” one – for me. I was about to give up the search and surrender to the best cart mod I could find (dart mod for carts) and cartos. Then, along came Kaji and his announcement for this device. I was one of the first buyers. My research paid off big time and what follows are my reasons. I will endeavor to keep this organized and as easy to follow as possible.
THE VENDOR:
Let’s begin with Kaji ( Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods ). Any of us who have been vaping for even the shortest period of time have dealt with a bunch of different vendors. And we all know there are vendors and then there are VENDORS. Partly due to obsessive research and partly due to luck, I have been blessed to deal with some of the very best vendors in this industry. Barring one possible exception, mini-drama outcome not yet concluded (NOT Kaji), my vendor experiences have all been fantastic and I can easily recommend any of them (see my signature line). But Kaji is above and beyond even that. He is extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly understands all aspects of mod device design, components, construction, electronics, batts (by make and models: best, worst and in between), safety, adapters and tests every possible model of atty on his devices.
Kaji (Ryan) and I have corresponded at length on many aspects of this product and I have yet to come across any vendor (as I said, I have purchased form many) that has taken this kind of time, patience, and honest willingness to be helpful and informative. To go one step further, as mentioned, I was one of the very first purchasers and bought one of the earliest production pieces. Now don’t expect this folks, as this was a bit unique in that I had one of the earliest pieces, BUT it does show the quality of Kaji’s character. About 4 weeks after my purchase Kaji contacts me and says something to the effect of: “We have made some improvements and your early edition mod is not of the final design. I’m sending you a new one”. Needless to say, I was shocked. He did this for all the early buyers who did not receive the final version. Keep in mind, this is a $150 device!!! Find another vendor who would even consider doing something like this.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE DEVICE:
Each piece is hand-made. Kaji tells me it takes 7 hours to complete ONE! Kaji and his father do every step of the process. This is a labor of love: his love for his Dad (ask him about his Dad and vaping), love for vaping, love for finding a quality feeding and voltage ambidextrous mod that would meet his high standards (I think he told me he purchased something like 15 mods before deciding to design and create his own) and desire to offer the vaping community something different and unique.
The woods are all individually chosen for character (look, grains, etc), strength (relative to this specific use and design) and with an eye on practicality – some woods are just too pricey to use. The ones he did choose are all gorgeous!
The main body (back and sides) is made from a single piece with the door cut from the same piece of wood so the grains are consistent. The end pieces (depending on which you choose) are either matching (from the same piece of wood) or a complimenting contrast from a different color/type wood. 3 coats of polyurethane (sprayed on with a HVLP gun) leave the wood very touchable and you can feel the grain. And, it also nicely seals the wood to protect it. I love wood and I love the look and feel of wood. This mod gives me both. In some instances he may (for an extra charge) custom paint. I know of one that he did, but I do not know if he will continue to offer this option. The woods are absolutely gorgeous, why paint them?!
The feed-press-button was carefully thought out to give easy and consistent pressure to the internal juice bottle. Clearly great amounts of though and consideration went into each and every choice/decision made for every aspect of this design.
There are 2 magnets on the inside back panel and two more on the inside of the door. This is a very creative approach to “attaching” the door. They help hold the batts and hold the door in place (very securely – once the door is on, it will not come off unintentionally). You get a second set of small spacer magnets to put on top of the door magnets when using the smaller batts for 6V. IF this device has any Achilles heel, this is it. I am afraid of loosing these extra little magnets when not in use. But, I have found an easy solution! I keep a small metal cup right next to my chargers. It was always there but I noticed it when I was wondering how to not loose these little magnets. So, I keep them in the little zip-baggie they came in and when I am using the 18650 batt, I just place the baggie to the side of that metal cup and the magnets do the rest. They are always right there next to my batts and chargers which is exactly where I HAVE TO GO for the 6V batts.
One time, I forgot the extra little magnets and the device and door all worked just fine without them. But, they do snug everything up quite nicely when using the smaller batts for 6V vaping. Perhaps Kaji will sell additional sets of these as accessories. One final point about this “Achilles heel” (if it is one), is that sometimes when you remove the door, the batts come with it. Luckily, the magnets are strong enough that the batts stay stuck to the door
THE SIZE:
While not exact measurements (you can get those form Kaji), the box is approximately 3.5 inches tall, width about 1.6 inches, and depth about 1 inch. The earlier edition I had was just a bit bigger and yet the smaller version difference is dramatic. This fits perfectly in my hand. I am in contact with several other proud Journeyman owners and they all say the same thing. Interestingly enough, we all have very different sized hands. The feeding button is very well placed for easy pressing, as is the primary activation button (also very high quality – nice size and strong click).
This size is easy to hold, no matter your hand size, and easy to pocket (as long as your pants are not too tight) or briefcase, knapsack or purse.
So far, I have only one “wish” for future versions and that would be for Kaji to consider making some with the opposite button orientation (button, atty, batt and juice bottle to opposite sides).
THE ELECTRONICS:
The electronics are extremely well thought out. You will not see bunches or tangles of wires like on some other box mods. You will not see gobs of silicone sealer like in some other box mods. In fact, I could only find two little wires visible in the entire mod. One travels about 5/8” from the 6 amp on/off switch to the rail on the inside leading up to the primary activation button. The other is less than ½” long leading from the primary activation button to the bottom of the atty connector. There are no other wires as all other connectivity is done with rails (metal strips on the underside of the top and down along the inner side panel with the primary activation button - see pics below).
As you may have heard/read elsewhere, this device is designed to operate at 3.7 volts or 6 volts. It does both exceedingly well. At 3.7 it uses the 18650 batt and Kaji recommends for 6 volts use 2 of the AW LifePO4 3.0 volt rcr123a batts. He also recommends using a 3 volt charger (one with a manual switch to force limit the charge to only 3 volts) as this prevents any chance of the batts over charging to 3.7+.
Everything is sealed and hand soldered and all done more cleanly and neatly than you might imagine could be in an all hand made device (see pics).
THE FEED SYSTEM:
This is a bottom feeding system. The box holds a 3 ml bottle which Kaji has custom altered with a tiny tube, o-ring and cap that all accommodate the feed tube and prevent any leaking. There are a few pieces, which we cannot see, which all go together nicely to ensure easy, consistent feeding right up through the connector into the bottom of the atty.
The 3 ml bottle comes out and replaces very easily. The device comes with two of these customized bottles and I think Kaji will be selling additional ones as accessories sometime soon. What is great is that they are standard 3 ml bottles so you can have as many as you want and just swap out the customized cap, tube and dropper tip (with O-ring and tube hole) which all swap out in about 15 seconds or less. So, you can easily carry as many different juices as you care to carry in regular 3 ml bottles.
There is a little bit of a learning curve when you first start using the device (swapping bottles, how much juice to feed, door magnets) but you should be up and vaping in minutes and within a day you will have it down. You’ll never suffer a flooded atty again!
The mod comes native with a 510 connector and comes with a specially customized 901 adapter (with customized built in feeding tube) I have used mine with both and it works flawlessly. I believe the customized 801 apdaters can be bought on request for $5.99. You press the feed button and hold it (no pumping needed) until you see juice at the bottom of the atty (between atty bottom and connector) – or, if using 901 until you see a droplet forming at the 901’s air intake hole. This usually takes about 3 seconds. {don't worry about any visible juice as that immediately sucks back into the atty and bottle when you release the button.
} Now your atty is “fed” and good for about 7 or 8 draws on 3.7 and about 4-5 draws if using 6V (we all know 6V vaping uses more juice).
The design of the tube and feed system let you feed right down to the last drops in the bottle. And, as we already covered, swapping out a new bottle takes about 15 – 30 seconds start to finish (depending on your dexterity).
MY CONCLUSIONS:
I have used this device at 3.7 and 6V. I have also used the 306 LR, 510 LR, the regular 2.5 oHm 510, the 3.3 oHm 510, regular (3.3 oHm) 901, and HV 4.5 oHm 510 attys on this device – ALL WORK FLAWLESSLY. I am looking forward to getting an 801 adapter from Kaji so I can try it with a HV 4.5 oHm 801 atty as well. Smokie901 tested the new LR cartos from Provape on the mod and says those work great, so some cartos will work. Check with Kaji because apparently there are a couple attys that do not easily accommodate the bottom feeding system.
The mod looks BEAUTIFUL, feels wonderful to the touch, great size in hand and functions flawlessly. If I could have only one mod – this would most certainly be it! Luckily
that is not the case cuz I’m friggin obsessed and have several AWESOME mods!!!
Happy Vaping!
PS. Come join us in elixirtv.com for nightly live chat/video shows. The discussions revolve around vaping and diverge. We laugh, learn and share. There are vape enthusiasts, vendors, youtube reviewers and giveaways. It is all free and we have lots of fun. I warn you tho – all uncensored
After 30 years of smoking cigarettes, I was introduced to vaping. Being the consummate researcher, I spent hours researching vaping, mods, vendors, juice, attys, batts, etc. (and my research continues…). I read EVERYTHING and watched many video reviews. 30 days after buying my first PV, I dropped the analogs but not the research. I was obsessed - and still am (happily)
Above all device types, I was transfixed on feeder mods but could not find the “right” one – for me. I was about to give up the search and surrender to the best cart mod I could find (dart mod for carts) and cartos. Then, along came Kaji and his announcement for this device. I was one of the first buyers. My research paid off big time and what follows are my reasons. I will endeavor to keep this organized and as easy to follow as possible.
THE VENDOR:
Let’s begin with Kaji ( Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods ). Any of us who have been vaping for even the shortest period of time have dealt with a bunch of different vendors. And we all know there are vendors and then there are VENDORS. Partly due to obsessive research and partly due to luck, I have been blessed to deal with some of the very best vendors in this industry. Barring one possible exception, mini-drama outcome not yet concluded (NOT Kaji), my vendor experiences have all been fantastic and I can easily recommend any of them (see my signature line). But Kaji is above and beyond even that. He is extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly understands all aspects of mod device design, components, construction, electronics, batts (by make and models: best, worst and in between), safety, adapters and tests every possible model of atty on his devices.
Kaji (Ryan) and I have corresponded at length on many aspects of this product and I have yet to come across any vendor (as I said, I have purchased form many) that has taken this kind of time, patience, and honest willingness to be helpful and informative. To go one step further, as mentioned, I was one of the very first purchasers and bought one of the earliest production pieces. Now don’t expect this folks, as this was a bit unique in that I had one of the earliest pieces, BUT it does show the quality of Kaji’s character. About 4 weeks after my purchase Kaji contacts me and says something to the effect of: “We have made some improvements and your early edition mod is not of the final design. I’m sending you a new one”. Needless to say, I was shocked. He did this for all the early buyers who did not receive the final version. Keep in mind, this is a $150 device!!! Find another vendor who would even consider doing something like this.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE DEVICE:
Each piece is hand-made. Kaji tells me it takes 7 hours to complete ONE! Kaji and his father do every step of the process. This is a labor of love: his love for his Dad (ask him about his Dad and vaping), love for vaping, love for finding a quality feeding and voltage ambidextrous mod that would meet his high standards (I think he told me he purchased something like 15 mods before deciding to design and create his own) and desire to offer the vaping community something different and unique.
The woods are all individually chosen for character (look, grains, etc), strength (relative to this specific use and design) and with an eye on practicality – some woods are just too pricey to use. The ones he did choose are all gorgeous!
The main body (back and sides) is made from a single piece with the door cut from the same piece of wood so the grains are consistent. The end pieces (depending on which you choose) are either matching (from the same piece of wood) or a complimenting contrast from a different color/type wood. 3 coats of polyurethane (sprayed on with a HVLP gun) leave the wood very touchable and you can feel the grain. And, it also nicely seals the wood to protect it. I love wood and I love the look and feel of wood. This mod gives me both. In some instances he may (for an extra charge) custom paint. I know of one that he did, but I do not know if he will continue to offer this option. The woods are absolutely gorgeous, why paint them?!
The feed-press-button was carefully thought out to give easy and consistent pressure to the internal juice bottle. Clearly great amounts of though and consideration went into each and every choice/decision made for every aspect of this design.
There are 2 magnets on the inside back panel and two more on the inside of the door. This is a very creative approach to “attaching” the door. They help hold the batts and hold the door in place (very securely – once the door is on, it will not come off unintentionally). You get a second set of small spacer magnets to put on top of the door magnets when using the smaller batts for 6V. IF this device has any Achilles heel, this is it. I am afraid of loosing these extra little magnets when not in use. But, I have found an easy solution! I keep a small metal cup right next to my chargers. It was always there but I noticed it when I was wondering how to not loose these little magnets. So, I keep them in the little zip-baggie they came in and when I am using the 18650 batt, I just place the baggie to the side of that metal cup and the magnets do the rest. They are always right there next to my batts and chargers which is exactly where I HAVE TO GO for the 6V batts.
One time, I forgot the extra little magnets and the device and door all worked just fine without them. But, they do snug everything up quite nicely when using the smaller batts for 6V vaping. Perhaps Kaji will sell additional sets of these as accessories. One final point about this “Achilles heel” (if it is one), is that sometimes when you remove the door, the batts come with it. Luckily, the magnets are strong enough that the batts stay stuck to the door
THE SIZE:
While not exact measurements (you can get those form Kaji), the box is approximately 3.5 inches tall, width about 1.6 inches, and depth about 1 inch. The earlier edition I had was just a bit bigger and yet the smaller version difference is dramatic. This fits perfectly in my hand. I am in contact with several other proud Journeyman owners and they all say the same thing. Interestingly enough, we all have very different sized hands. The feeding button is very well placed for easy pressing, as is the primary activation button (also very high quality – nice size and strong click).
This size is easy to hold, no matter your hand size, and easy to pocket (as long as your pants are not too tight) or briefcase, knapsack or purse.
So far, I have only one “wish” for future versions and that would be for Kaji to consider making some with the opposite button orientation (button, atty, batt and juice bottle to opposite sides).
THE ELECTRONICS:
The electronics are extremely well thought out. You will not see bunches or tangles of wires like on some other box mods. You will not see gobs of silicone sealer like in some other box mods. In fact, I could only find two little wires visible in the entire mod. One travels about 5/8” from the 6 amp on/off switch to the rail on the inside leading up to the primary activation button. The other is less than ½” long leading from the primary activation button to the bottom of the atty connector. There are no other wires as all other connectivity is done with rails (metal strips on the underside of the top and down along the inner side panel with the primary activation button - see pics below).
As you may have heard/read elsewhere, this device is designed to operate at 3.7 volts or 6 volts. It does both exceedingly well. At 3.7 it uses the 18650 batt and Kaji recommends for 6 volts use 2 of the AW LifePO4 3.0 volt rcr123a batts. He also recommends using a 3 volt charger (one with a manual switch to force limit the charge to only 3 volts) as this prevents any chance of the batts over charging to 3.7+.
Everything is sealed and hand soldered and all done more cleanly and neatly than you might imagine could be in an all hand made device (see pics).
THE FEED SYSTEM:
This is a bottom feeding system. The box holds a 3 ml bottle which Kaji has custom altered with a tiny tube, o-ring and cap that all accommodate the feed tube and prevent any leaking. There are a few pieces, which we cannot see, which all go together nicely to ensure easy, consistent feeding right up through the connector into the bottom of the atty.
The 3 ml bottle comes out and replaces very easily. The device comes with two of these customized bottles and I think Kaji will be selling additional ones as accessories sometime soon. What is great is that they are standard 3 ml bottles so you can have as many as you want and just swap out the customized cap, tube and dropper tip (with O-ring and tube hole) which all swap out in about 15 seconds or less. So, you can easily carry as many different juices as you care to carry in regular 3 ml bottles.
There is a little bit of a learning curve when you first start using the device (swapping bottles, how much juice to feed, door magnets) but you should be up and vaping in minutes and within a day you will have it down. You’ll never suffer a flooded atty again!
The mod comes native with a 510 connector and comes with a specially customized 901 adapter (with customized built in feeding tube) I have used mine with both and it works flawlessly. I believe the customized 801 apdaters can be bought on request for $5.99. You press the feed button and hold it (no pumping needed) until you see juice at the bottom of the atty (between atty bottom and connector) – or, if using 901 until you see a droplet forming at the 901’s air intake hole. This usually takes about 3 seconds. {don't worry about any visible juice as that immediately sucks back into the atty and bottle when you release the button.
} Now your atty is “fed” and good for about 7 or 8 draws on 3.7 and about 4-5 draws if using 6V (we all know 6V vaping uses more juice).The design of the tube and feed system let you feed right down to the last drops in the bottle. And, as we already covered, swapping out a new bottle takes about 15 – 30 seconds start to finish (depending on your dexterity).
MY CONCLUSIONS:
I have used this device at 3.7 and 6V. I have also used the 306 LR, 510 LR, the regular 2.5 oHm 510, the 3.3 oHm 510, regular (3.3 oHm) 901, and HV 4.5 oHm 510 attys on this device – ALL WORK FLAWLESSLY. I am looking forward to getting an 801 adapter from Kaji so I can try it with a HV 4.5 oHm 801 atty as well. Smokie901 tested the new LR cartos from Provape on the mod and says those work great, so some cartos will work. Check with Kaji because apparently there are a couple attys that do not easily accommodate the bottom feeding system.
The mod looks BEAUTIFUL, feels wonderful to the touch, great size in hand and functions flawlessly. If I could have only one mod – this would most certainly be it! Luckily
that is not the case cuz I’m friggin obsessed and have several AWESOME mods!!!Happy Vaping!
PS. Come join us in elixirtv.com for nightly live chat/video shows. The discussions revolve around vaping and diverge. We laugh, learn and share. There are vape enthusiasts, vendors, youtube reviewers and giveaways. It is all free and we have lots of fun. I warn you tho – all uncensored
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