Hey folks, just wanted to stop in and give a quick review of the silver bullet at altsmoke.
Just a couple quick things about my background, Ive tried over 25 different models of ecigs including the DSE901 unit, Titan 510, the pipe, the screwdriver, etc. Ive been vaping for close to a year now.
The unit I have is black in color so I guess you could say Im using the black bullet... Ok, not that funny. *sigh*
First off, the unit is relatively big. The battery portion (the fat area of the unit which doesn't include the atomizer - the small piece sticking out of the top) is a tad short than a cd\dvd (by perhaps half an inch). The thickness of the battery portion is exactly 3 atomizers put side by side. For Americans, if you have an American quarter (I love our confusing currency) handy, it is 'barely' thicker than a quarter. The battery end of the unit screws and unscrews about 1/3 down from the atomizer end so that you can take the batteries out for charging and put charged batteries in the unit.
For those that have a black atomizer handy, that is about what the color of the unit is. As best as I can describe it, it is a non gloss black that won't pick up finger prints (at least not unless you really look closely).
The exterior material isn't cold like metal so I think he used some sort of plastic coating like what is found on external USB hard drives or the titan 510 units. The interior of the unit is metallic. Looking closely, the black coating is about half the thickness, the interior supporting metal is the other half of the thickness. Have no fear, it is very durable and could most likely be run over by a car and still survive.
I'm not going to lie, I wanted the silver unit originally but now that I have the black unit, Im glad I went with it for the simple reason that I'm not constantly cleaning it.
The glossy silver button is indented in the side of the unit near the atomizer end about a quarter of an inch and has a silver outline around it that does not depress with the button (the outlined silver does not depress with the button). This is absolutely fantastic, the button doesn't get pushed by accident and it doesn't fall off (like the MKII screwdriver).
It uses 1 18650 battery (which is available from the website) and is designed to use 510 atomizers (also available from the site) without adapters. He also sells 510 to 901 adapters for those that like the 901's better.
There are two very small (almost not worth mentioning) issues I have with the design. First, the threads on the two pieces where the battery portion screws together are very sharp. I now have a scar on my index finger from when I cleaned the threads with a napkin to remove the buildup of gunk that is inevitable with metallic devices. So, if you decide to order one, don't press hard on the threads and be careful to remove any napkin pieces that tear away as you are cleaning.
The second is where the atomizer screws in. There is a small grooved metal ring that sticks out just a tad from the top of the battery end of the unit. I frequently like to clean connectors, especially where the atomizer connects to the battery as liquid will occasionally build up and reduce connectivity and thus reduce performance. Usually, to clean the connector, I just create a small wad with a napkin and twirl it inside the connector once or twice. However, because the connector sticks out of the top and has notches in it, you will end up tearing the napkin and have bits of paper to try to remove. I now resort to making a pointy tip and dabbing any fluid buildup.
vaping is fantastic. Absolutely the best unit I have so far. In fact, I have to be careful while driving. And they say cell phones are bad while driving...they haven't seen this thing in action...
Also a big plus, any leakage from the atomizer to the battery portion of the unit is confined to a cleanable area. This is a huge advantage to most units where the liquid occasionally will get down into areas that are impossible to clean. I occasionally unscrew the atomizer and in the connector is a silver mound or bump where the fluid will drip into. Simply making a point with a napkin and dabbing the drop of liquid so that it absorbs the liquid is all that is required. It doesn't collect in the threads so cleaning every night before I go to bed takes 30 seconds or so.
In all the looking and based on my own experiences, there are four 'potential' negatives to this unit that you should keep in mind should you decide to order one.
1. The battery threads and atomizer connector are sharp and will cut if you aren't careful.
2. It is big and slightly heavy. I don't have a scale but if I had to guess, with the battery and atomizer, it's near 8-10 ounces.
3. Not something I personally care about but it has no 5 volt option. I don't expect an ecig to have 'options'. 3.7 volts is fine (besides, my atomizers last longer).
4. A tad on the pricey side and somewhat confusing to order being that the 'starter kit' does NOT include everything you need to get started. This requires some explanation.
The core unit is $85. However, you also need add to your order, batteries and the charger (if you don't have them already) which total $31 if you order from altsmoke. However, if you need atomizers, tips, fluid, etc., it gets even higher. My experience is that a 'starter kit' should include everything you need to get started in one nice package. Thus, 2 versions would be sold. One that is the core unit for those that have spare parts sitting around and don't want extras and a true starter kit that includes batteries, charger, a couple atomizers, etc. I broke it down for a friend that is going to order one as his first ecig and the pricing came out to $200 after shipping and taxes (if applicable).
1 Core Unit from www . altsmoke . com - $85
2 18650 Batteries from www . altsmoke . com - $16
1 Charger from www . altsmoke . com - $15
3 510 atomizers from www . altsmoke . com - $30
2 30 mil bottles of fluid from www . ecigsales . com ($16 a piece) - $32
1 "Shorty" Wide Mouth Contoured T-Tip (stainless steel) from www . supertmanufacturing . com - $20
So, two quick mentions. First, the drip tip is awesome. No metallic taste at all and after you put exactly 3 drops (no more, no less), blow into the atomizer opening (about like you would if you were whistling). Don't wrap your lips around the tip when doing this, hold the opening 3 inches or so from your lips. It is simply wonderful. No more burned plastic taste either.
Secondly, I want to mention the atomizer quality from Altsmoke. I have ordered atomizers from different places (probably 10 different sites). Within 2 weeks, all atomizers generally had to be replaced with a new one. However, with the Altsmoke atomizers, I'm still using the original atomizer I placed on the unit nearly 15 days ago and it is performing just as well as when I originally put it on the unit. I don't know where Rob gets his atomizers from, but I will be ordering all of my atomizers from him in the future.
As a final note, I did have an issue with the site placing 2 different orders for me. However, the issue was immediately fixed and I even received a phone call from Rob himself explaining what was going on (about 2 hours after I placed the order - at 10 PM at night - my address and Rob are both in the same time zone). I'm not even sure it was his website as my internet dropped while I was placing the order so that could have been the problem as well. Simply put, if you have any issues, customer service was excellent for me.
If you are looking to upgrade or just get a unit that works and works well, this is the unit. No, it isn't customizable. But it works. It doesn't fall apart, doesn't have to be re-screwed every 5 minutes, buttons aren't falling off or being pressed by voodoo forces in the universe. It works REALLY well. Nothing janky about this product.
Now what I want to know is, does anyone know where I can see a video of the AFS (originally for the GG/GGTS ecig) working with the silver bullet? I really would like an AFS system for this thing!!
Just a couple quick things about my background, Ive tried over 25 different models of ecigs including the DSE901 unit, Titan 510, the pipe, the screwdriver, etc. Ive been vaping for close to a year now.
The unit I have is black in color so I guess you could say Im using the black bullet... Ok, not that funny. *sigh*
First off, the unit is relatively big. The battery portion (the fat area of the unit which doesn't include the atomizer - the small piece sticking out of the top) is a tad short than a cd\dvd (by perhaps half an inch). The thickness of the battery portion is exactly 3 atomizers put side by side. For Americans, if you have an American quarter (I love our confusing currency) handy, it is 'barely' thicker than a quarter. The battery end of the unit screws and unscrews about 1/3 down from the atomizer end so that you can take the batteries out for charging and put charged batteries in the unit.
For those that have a black atomizer handy, that is about what the color of the unit is. As best as I can describe it, it is a non gloss black that won't pick up finger prints (at least not unless you really look closely).
The exterior material isn't cold like metal so I think he used some sort of plastic coating like what is found on external USB hard drives or the titan 510 units. The interior of the unit is metallic. Looking closely, the black coating is about half the thickness, the interior supporting metal is the other half of the thickness. Have no fear, it is very durable and could most likely be run over by a car and still survive.
I'm not going to lie, I wanted the silver unit originally but now that I have the black unit, Im glad I went with it for the simple reason that I'm not constantly cleaning it.
The glossy silver button is indented in the side of the unit near the atomizer end about a quarter of an inch and has a silver outline around it that does not depress with the button (the outlined silver does not depress with the button). This is absolutely fantastic, the button doesn't get pushed by accident and it doesn't fall off (like the MKII screwdriver).
It uses 1 18650 battery (which is available from the website) and is designed to use 510 atomizers (also available from the site) without adapters. He also sells 510 to 901 adapters for those that like the 901's better.
There are two very small (almost not worth mentioning) issues I have with the design. First, the threads on the two pieces where the battery portion screws together are very sharp. I now have a scar on my index finger from when I cleaned the threads with a napkin to remove the buildup of gunk that is inevitable with metallic devices. So, if you decide to order one, don't press hard on the threads and be careful to remove any napkin pieces that tear away as you are cleaning.
The second is where the atomizer screws in. There is a small grooved metal ring that sticks out just a tad from the top of the battery end of the unit. I frequently like to clean connectors, especially where the atomizer connects to the battery as liquid will occasionally build up and reduce connectivity and thus reduce performance. Usually, to clean the connector, I just create a small wad with a napkin and twirl it inside the connector once or twice. However, because the connector sticks out of the top and has notches in it, you will end up tearing the napkin and have bits of paper to try to remove. I now resort to making a pointy tip and dabbing any fluid buildup.
vaping is fantastic. Absolutely the best unit I have so far. In fact, I have to be careful while driving. And they say cell phones are bad while driving...they haven't seen this thing in action...
Also a big plus, any leakage from the atomizer to the battery portion of the unit is confined to a cleanable area. This is a huge advantage to most units where the liquid occasionally will get down into areas that are impossible to clean. I occasionally unscrew the atomizer and in the connector is a silver mound or bump where the fluid will drip into. Simply making a point with a napkin and dabbing the drop of liquid so that it absorbs the liquid is all that is required. It doesn't collect in the threads so cleaning every night before I go to bed takes 30 seconds or so.
In all the looking and based on my own experiences, there are four 'potential' negatives to this unit that you should keep in mind should you decide to order one.
1. The battery threads and atomizer connector are sharp and will cut if you aren't careful.
2. It is big and slightly heavy. I don't have a scale but if I had to guess, with the battery and atomizer, it's near 8-10 ounces.
3. Not something I personally care about but it has no 5 volt option. I don't expect an ecig to have 'options'. 3.7 volts is fine (besides, my atomizers last longer).
4. A tad on the pricey side and somewhat confusing to order being that the 'starter kit' does NOT include everything you need to get started. This requires some explanation.
The core unit is $85. However, you also need add to your order, batteries and the charger (if you don't have them already) which total $31 if you order from altsmoke. However, if you need atomizers, tips, fluid, etc., it gets even higher. My experience is that a 'starter kit' should include everything you need to get started in one nice package. Thus, 2 versions would be sold. One that is the core unit for those that have spare parts sitting around and don't want extras and a true starter kit that includes batteries, charger, a couple atomizers, etc. I broke it down for a friend that is going to order one as his first ecig and the pricing came out to $200 after shipping and taxes (if applicable).
1 Core Unit from www . altsmoke . com - $85
2 18650 Batteries from www . altsmoke . com - $16
1 Charger from www . altsmoke . com - $15
3 510 atomizers from www . altsmoke . com - $30
2 30 mil bottles of fluid from www . ecigsales . com ($16 a piece) - $32
1 "Shorty" Wide Mouth Contoured T-Tip (stainless steel) from www . supertmanufacturing . com - $20
So, two quick mentions. First, the drip tip is awesome. No metallic taste at all and after you put exactly 3 drops (no more, no less), blow into the atomizer opening (about like you would if you were whistling). Don't wrap your lips around the tip when doing this, hold the opening 3 inches or so from your lips. It is simply wonderful. No more burned plastic taste either.
Secondly, I want to mention the atomizer quality from Altsmoke. I have ordered atomizers from different places (probably 10 different sites). Within 2 weeks, all atomizers generally had to be replaced with a new one. However, with the Altsmoke atomizers, I'm still using the original atomizer I placed on the unit nearly 15 days ago and it is performing just as well as when I originally put it on the unit. I don't know where Rob gets his atomizers from, but I will be ordering all of my atomizers from him in the future.
As a final note, I did have an issue with the site placing 2 different orders for me. However, the issue was immediately fixed and I even received a phone call from Rob himself explaining what was going on (about 2 hours after I placed the order - at 10 PM at night - my address and Rob are both in the same time zone). I'm not even sure it was his website as my internet dropped while I was placing the order so that could have been the problem as well. Simply put, if you have any issues, customer service was excellent for me.
If you are looking to upgrade or just get a unit that works and works well, this is the unit. No, it isn't customizable. But it works. It doesn't fall apart, doesn't have to be re-screwed every 5 minutes, buttons aren't falling off or being pressed by voodoo forces in the universe. It works REALLY well. Nothing janky about this product.
Now what I want to know is, does anyone know where I can see a video of the AFS (originally for the GG/GGTS ecig) working with the silver bullet? I really would like an AFS system for this thing!!
Last edited:
