SMOK Guardian 2

[Night Hawk]

The IClear everything sadly lacked in more ways then one! A year ago November when looking over several tanks and going for the MVP which came with an IClear 30 after already ordering one along with a SMOK Trophy and Vision Victory the only tank s to stand later where the Smok Tumbler, 5ml HBC, 4ml but Plastic nore GBC< and some not even tried until the Aerotank Mini and Mega tanks were given a look! Late summer and early fall 2014 however saw Aspire bring in the champs with the Nautilus and Mini tank followed by the Atliantis which won't run much below 20w to begin with.

The Atlantis would barely fire at 15w on the VTR here but wasn't the tank for the G2! The Nautilus foots the bill there for sure! The other tanks still needing replaccement coils would be the SMOK T-Dux 4.0 with T series coils which weren't running bad at 7-10w but were left for the first Guardian which is the Mech version of the epipe as well as some others seen out by Smoktech.

With the first Guardian you can close your hand over it like you would a golf ball due to how compact that is in comparison to this new one out! I did locate some other VW epipes when someone linked another earlier but saw staggering prices of $260-$300! Lately one vendor the Guardian II marked down to only $45!That's no surprise however since I was one of the first to see one come in from the pre-order waiting!

The vendor where I found another mod has the Guardian II priced the lowest found so far at $44.99 if you don't mind the long wiat to be shipped in from China that is! http://www.3fvape.com/vv-vw-mod/188...s-steel-wood-615w-1-x-18350.html#.VLFSVqIRvs0

For the month long wait you save $25 off the average price being seen for it at pennies less then $70. Size wise this one is definitely a vast comtrast compared to the other models Smoktech has out as well as K1000s and other mech types. It has the good solid feel for those with larger hands while it can be a little bulky for others. A good review on it can be seen at http://wiredrake.com/smoktech-guardian-epipe-2/

 

[MrSilicon]

Has anyone had any issues with the Guardian II? I got mine about a month back and after 4 days of light-moderate use it would not fire any of my tanks. The LED still works but no power is getting to the coil. See vid here that I sent to the supplier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=priuPVREfOU

I have a friend who also has one and I tried his screw on top on my base and it fired my coils, so it meant that something went wrong inside the top cap. They have sent me out a replacement cap but now I'm worried that it will die as well. I hardly ever went above 12W and never dropped it or misused it.

I hope it's not an issue with this model because the pipe itself is exquisite!

 

[Night Hawk]

Have you tried various tanks or just one? I suspect that the center pin isn't making the proper contact. With more and more mods now you are starting to see either adjustable or spring loaded center pins. Here I have had Smok Tumblers, Smok T-Dux 2.0 clearomizers, Nautilus 5ml and even the Mini tanks on at one time or another without any problem and mostly keep one Nautilus 5ml on with the stainless steel replacement tank on that.

One thing you could try there with the same tank would be adding on a 510/eGp adapter just to see if suddently the tank works as it should be. The adapters have a standard length while various brands of tanks are not uniform as far as how long the threading extends.

In another note on the first version of the Guardian this gets even more interesting is running the latest Kragen Atlantis 8ml replacement tank on the mech version of the epipe!

 

[MrSilicon]

Have you tried various tanks or just one? I suspect that the center pin isn't making the proper contact.

It's definitely not the pin. I tried 2 different tanks on the same base with the suspected faulty top-screw-cap and they both didn't fire. I even swapped out the coils to make sure it wasn't a coil issue. I then tried on a friends top-screw-cap on my base and both tanks fired.

The weird thing is that just before my pipe died I was watching TV with a small arial. Every time I hit the fire button on my pipe the signal would cut out. Happened like 5 times, then the morning after I had a couple vapes and it stopped working. I have a new top-screw-cap now and it's working great, but I was watching the same TV last night and it happened again, so now I'm paranoid that it's about to die again.

I checked the batteries with my voltmeter and they are functioning fine.

 

[Night Hawk]

If you can rule the center pin out how the base? Now is the base you are talking about a separate air flow controller by chance? I ordered a pair of those and neither one worked for a pair of Smok T-DUx 4.0 tanks that don't have the AFCs like an Aspire or Kanger tank would have since those are priced under $10 on average.

The other thing as far as the tops on the tanks themselves being swapped would suggest your base is grounding out some how. I bought a Big Dripper clone off of Amazon that seems to be seeing the same type of problem. It simply will not fire at all where I suspect the center contact on the RDA is where the problem is since when the dual coils were inplace it read 0.5ohms like it was supposed to but wouldn't fire on mods that run the Aspire Atlantis sub ohm tanks.

You may have ejuice get in there somewhere and gum up the works in some fashion which is a more common cause then people realize at times.

 

[MrSilicon]

Sorry, I think I've confused the situation. By base I'm referring to the wooden, varnished base of the smok e-pipe, where the battery is housed. By top-screw-cap I'm referring to the stainless cap of the smok e-pipe which has the wattage selector and firing button.

I have two of the stainless pipe caps now and if I leave the same tank on one cap will fire the tank, and the other won't.

 

[Night Hawk]

That would suggest one isn't making contact with the small spring loaded contact pin you see around the opening when looking down in. It also could point to one cap not being from a genuine Guardian but a mockery or a machining error in manufacturing or the top isn't being threaded down fully in order to make contact with the pin.

One thing to consider would be a fault inside the top itself that you can't see since the workings are self contained. These would be the most likely things to look at since the top and chassis is all part of the same electrical circuit.

The slide contacts are in the top as well as the on/off 6-10w, 11-15w range changer button and from the information I was being told Smoktech was spending more time with these to make sure they wouldn't be running problems like these. Now the other thing I could ask here would be the type of battery you are using as far as is it a flat top or button top? While button tops can still be fitted in they are not advised since the battery space is very confined not allowing much room. I had one 18350 get stuck simply since the diameter was too fat! Fortunately I was able to slap it out without any damage seen since it was instantly wedged in.

 

[MrSilicon]

I came to the conclusion that there was, like you said, a fault within the top itself. I haven't yet worked out how to take apart the top to have a look. I hope it was just a fault with this particular top and not a problem with the Guardian 2 model. Have you heard of anyone else having issues like this?

I've only used efest 18350 flat top batteries and they slip in easily.

 

[Night Hawk]

I've checked out a few brands one being a 700mah I still had left over from the Smok DSE601 automatic. One thing I noticed when removing the top on mine to look again and then putting it back was a sticky spot in the threading about half way.

When I worked it a bit and then saw it sit flush against the top of the wooden body it made me think that you have the same situation there and while you may think the top was down recheck to be sure the top is threaded all the way on and it sits flush against the top of the wood. Otherwise you will only be seeing an intermittent contact. That would explain why it would light up and still be not enough of a contact to see any tank fire correctly. It's a thought anyways.

 

[MrSilicon]

I've never noticed any sticky spots in the threading and the cap always comes down flush to the wood base, but I am worried about intermittent contact. I just got my replacement cap in the mail and tried it out (I had been borrowing a friends cap in the meantime). It works fine, but I can hear an electrical buzz every time I press the fire button, which has me worried. I tried on my friends cap and at first it didn't buzz, but then after a couple vapes I could hear the buzzing. Is the buzzing a normal sound with this mod??

Now I don't know what to think.

 

[Rathamar]

...mmm... I have not heard a buzz in mine, but I also have bad hearing and have not listen for it either. I will check mine when I get home from work. I am one of those unlucky people who cannot vape at work so I only carry a couple of pocket sized mods with me.

 

[Night Hawk]

I've never noticed any sticky spots in the threading and the cap always comes down flush to the wood base, but I am worried about intermittent contact. I just got my replacement cap in the mail and tried it out (I had been borrowing a friends cap in the meantime). It works fine, but I can hear an electrical buzz every time I press the fire button, which has me worried. I tried on my friends cap and at first it didn't buzz, but then after a couple vapes I could hear the buzzing. Is the buzzing a normal sound with this mod??

Now I don't know what to think.

That sounds a bit odd for sure! So far the new epipe has been quite smooth operating except for hearing the metal button pressed down since there does seem to be a little play there. I suspect you may have a defect either with the new cap as well as the original. With mine going to remove the cap at times seems to see a bit of play in the threading where I may have thread it back down and then see it come off normally.

...mmm... I have not heard a buzz in mine, but I also have bad hearing and have not listen for it either. I will check mine when I get home from work. I am one of those unlucky people who cannot vape at work so I only carry a couple of pocket sized mods with me.

Well with 18350 size batteries running down fast as a rule needing more recharges I suspect you would want carry something with a bit more mah like a compact box mod or other option for on the go vaping. I have the first version I grabbed at PBDragon being a small mech mod I can even run the Atlantis sub ohm tank on.

 

[MrSilicon]

I'm starting to think that maybe it's an issue with the wooden base and that's what killed my previous top. It could be that it's not making a good connection with the battery somehow. I'm going to try my friends base with my top and listen for the buzz.

And once again when I press the fire button the reception on my TV cuts out. There's no way that that could be good!

 

[Night Hawk]

I would say if your tv reception cuts out there's something totally unknown going on! As far as the base everything there would be common ground with the negative side of the battery facing down at the contact spring seen there. If the spring wasn't pushing up high enough I would have said simply lift up on it easily to stretch it slightly where it would regain the necessary tension.

But with the buzzing sound would suggest something arcing going on which would might explain some low band VHF type interence. You would have to be right up close to the tv set to see something like that happening as a result of any vaping gear. I would more likely suspect another source perhaps some electrical appliance you have running at the same time you sit to watch tv being a more likely cause.

 

[Rathamar]

So I do not hear any buzz in mine, though I had to dial the power way down and throw a protank on as I could not tell over the Nautilus pop & crackle

 

[Night Hawk]

I've had the Nautilus and another tank turned upto 13w and 15w and never heard any buzzing with Guardian 2 or from any other mod in the last two year period.

As for the popping, gurgling sounds those are normal when not rushing to take a puff as soon as the button is pressed but pausing a for a second or two to allow the coil(s) to heat things up. I get that even more from the Atlantis tanks which seem to take just a bit longer to get going even on a 150w mod!

The thing I would suggest is seeing if the base can be sent back for an exchange as the vendor already sent you a new top. Let the vendor deal from there under the warranty period with Smoktech while you get a replacement that works. It definitely sounds like some type of fluke you ended up with there.

 

[MrSilicon]

I went to see my friend and tried my top on his base and I could also hear a buzz when the button is pressed. We also tried his top+base and there was still a buzz. I have my ear up to the base when I press the button so I can hear it over the gurgling. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and a little buzz is nothing to worry about?

I contacted the vendor about the buzz and they have been ignoring me.

 

[Night Hawk]

All I hear is the tank in the background when holding the base as well as top against my ear. The buzzing may not actually be a buzzzzzing sound but the coil in the tank heating up where you get kind of a whispering static sound llke a hand held two way radio with the volume all the way down.

Before the popping and gurgling starts when the coil is first heating up with just about any tank you hear that low level hiss that sort of resembles the static heard on a walkie talkie a kid would have with the volume turned down for the few seconds. The vendor most likely assumes the same is what you are hearing and won't take that seriously unless you report a problem like you did in order to see a new top send out.

 

[MrSilicon]

The vendor contacted me a today and said that they have been talking to Smok about the buzz. Smok said it's something that they haven't come across as yet, so I supplied them with some audio of the buzz. I'll let you guys know what they say.

Here are the audio files if you want to have a listen:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gm9isklrgov1k95/AAC2oxdJk3DbBeaQKbSx1y34a?dl=0

 

[Night Hawk]

Besides the clicking of the button what you seem to be hearing is a hissing sound coming from the tank itself. Even when there is only a small amount of ejuice in the coil itself you will hear a hiss not a popping gurgling sound heard when the coil is saturated. As long as the normal amount of vapor is being produced I am not hearing anything out of the ordinary. I hear that all the time coming from Smok Tumblers on the variable batteries used here as well as from different tanks in use on other mods.