I'm a long time DNA40 user. I will not get in to the intricacies of the DNA40 device(s) in this write-up. I will say that the DNA40 has served me very well; I've been using them since release back in October/November of 2014 on two different devices: The Protovapor XPV40, and the VaporFlask. I've been one of the lucky ones, in that I have never had to RMA a device and all three have well (as well as Evolv says they should) for me. No garbled screens, no odd "jumping" in resistance (as long as the connection is sound), no other issues.
I use the eLeaf Lemo exclusively, which has proven itself to be a great RBA/RTA for Ni200/temperature control. I have three of them, and the build I use is identical in all three: 8 wraps, 30AWG Ni200, tension wrapped around a M4 left-hand-thread machine screw on a jig. Details on my build are here:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rta/601945-lemo-rta-build-pics-258.html#post15286114
With any temperature control build using Ni200, the connections throughout, top to bottom, left to right, must be 100% perfect. Everything needs to be tight, and any situation where connectivity might be hindered must be remediated. There is no room for error. You need current to flow absolutely perfectly from the mod up through your atty and to the coil. Nothing can be loose, no surfaces can be dirty, nothing. There is no messing around with this and I cannot emphasize this enough.
With all of that said, on to my first impressions of the SX Mini M Class.
I am loving this thing. I paid ~$220 for the Protovapor XPV, I paid $300 for the Vapor Flask, and I paid $200 (shipped) for the SX Mini M Class. This has been the cheapest device of the three mentioned, and in my (initial) opinion, it is the best.
- The screen is fantastic. Sharp, large, and displays all kinds of great, useful information.
- The menu and controls work great and make perfect sense once past the initial 10-15 minute learning curve.
- The build quality is amazing. This thing is heavy; and I like that. It's a freakin' rock and feels incredibly solid.
- This is probably the best looking device I own; and probably the best built as well.
- The vape quality, with and without temperature control, is phenomenal; and while I originally thought the "soft/standard/powerful/powerful+" options were a bit gimmicky, I'm figuring out just how beneficial these settings actually are.
A brief mention of the basics: The screen is fantastic, bright, large, and easily readable. Everything that I would ever want to know is right there. The menu system is simple and works well. You can tilt the device to change settings, or use the up/down buttons. On the main screen, the bottom button to adjust the initial power output (soft/standard/powerful/power+) works perfectly for me; and this is definitely a setting that should be easily accessible (more on that later). I love that I have 5 memory settings and can easily change those settings with a couple of button pushes.
On to the performance...
The SX Mini has been flawless in this respect, and this is what makes this device shine. Geez... this thing is good. I have no idea what is going on with that green board of circuits, chips, and solder pads, but whatever it is, it's working.
On all three of my Lemos, with the build mentioned above, the vape is fantastic. A couple of things to remember when using Temp Control:
The SX Mini requires some intelligence from the user when it comes to temp control... which I label as a plus. The DNA40 has some "features" that will attempt to sense when a new atomizer is installed, will try to refine down to the proper resistance if it's recently been fired or is at a different temp, etc. When you put on a new Ni200 topper on the SX Mini, hold both up/down buttons to lock in the new base resistance. When you do this, make sure that both the mod and the atty are at the same temperature; if the atty has recently been fired, let it cool down to room temperature for a few minutes. If the resistance seems a little too high; check connections, let the atty cool if it's recently been fired, and then hold the up/down buttons again to set the new baseline.
Joules vs Watts. I know there has been a lot of debate on this. I'm not sure what the difference is here and I won't speculate. All that I will say is, I set my "Joule" level on the SX Mini in Temp Control mode to the exact same wattage setting as my DNA40s. So far this has worked fine.
I have yet to hit temp control; the SX Mini appears to read a bit cooler or work a bit differently (?) than the DNA40s. With identical builds/configurations, I would typically hit TC on the DNA40 after around 5-6 seconds on a typical build with my go-to liquid (50/50 PG/VG). Not so on the SX Mini... even when not taking a pull, it's not hitting TC nor is it coming close. I have no idea how it's working, and I will not and cannot speculate. The only thing that I've noticed is that the temperature display on the screen is refreshing way faster than the DNA40, so maybe it's making adjustments at a much higher rate/speed with more anticipation based on the current conditions(?)
The new feature I'm loving is the initial power settings (soft/standard/powerful/powerful+) ... I am typically at standard, but when I freshly re-wick and fill a Lemo, it sometimes takes awhile for it to build up vacuum/wick efficiently. This is where the "soft" mode shines. It delivers the perfect amount of power to prime and vape, and basically "initialize" a newly filled device. Oh, and in the mornings; when taking that first vape and you don't want a head rush...
I'm going to wind down this initial impression now; and will continue to post my thoughts/views/opinions on the device as I move forward. I'm really looking forward to a Pbusardo review of this one, as I want to see what it's doing on the scope during temp control operations. It definitely works "differently" than the DNA40, and up to this point, based on the fantastic vape quality I'm getting from this thing, I know it's doing something different. In this case, different might be quite a bit better.
