I received the iHybrid almost a week ago, and I have been using it exclusively since. I did pay for this product, but according to the manufacturer, the first 12 people who received the prototypes will also receive a production unit free of charge.
The iHybrid is a Genisis (mesh/coil) hybrid APV, which means it has the battery tube, switch and Genisis atomizer all in one. It appears to be admittedly inspired by the now gloriously famous Zenesis APV line. It is produced by Faceless and will be sold through a website - info about it can be found in this thread.
The concept is that of a hybrid mesh/coil APV that would have interchangeable aluminum tubes and sleeves for different batteries and of different colors to mix and match and switch around. Quite an appealing idea. The prototype comes with plain aluminum tubes, one for use with 18650 batteries or 18500 and a Kick, and another for use with 18350 batteries in mini mode as it were.
The atomizer base, center post, and chamber top cap are made of 304 grade stainless steel for safety and durability. The tank is made ofPyrex fused quartz (ty Fisty for pointing that out). The atomizer unit can be screwed off the battery tube, obviously, so different tubes can be used.
It also features a sleeve that goes around the tank and screws into the main tube to protect the tank and also help contain the top cap and prevent it from snapping off accidentally.
It looks pretty good. As you can see there is a slight angle to the top cap which is probably because of the way the tanks are cut (which has been fixed!)
The finish leaves a little to be desired, but this is a prototype after all. In fact, according to Faceless the "V1" production units will have a different finish. There were minor scratches on my aluminum tubes and sleeve. The threads are all smooth and never catch. The threading that connects the atomizer to the tube is particularly long and boring. But I'm assuming that is necessary for some reason.
The sleeve looks cool, fits well over the tank, and does secure the top cap so it's not wobbly or risks snapping out:
The most important component is, without a doubt, the atomizer. Here we see several elements inspired from the Zenesis - the positioning of the wick hole in relation to the positive and negative screwes, the size and position of the fill hole and the overall "feel" are similar. It is sturdy, flawlessly machined from stainless steel and feels durable.
Here's the airhole, seems a little smaller than on the Zenesis and much larger than on the DID:
Here's some top views for the post positioning and wick hole / draw hole:
This PV ships without any insulators for the wick. In my experience, there is no actual need for an insulator, and I am even using my Zenesis without the provided one. I think it's a matter of how well oxidized the wick is. However, I am sure it is easy to find a PTFE tube, perhaps one from a Bic pen ink tube as insulator. I find that especially when working out shorts, one can set the insulator on fire or melt it which causes more problems than it's worth.
The top cap has a more mundane form than the Zenesis or other gennies out there, but it still looks very sleek. I was not excessively impressed with the finish on this one either, it is a little rough to the touch and doesn't have any shine to it. Again, this might change with the final units.
Top cap comparson (DID, iHybrid, Zenesis):
The only slight gripe here is that not all drip tips fit well. The draw hole is on the smaller side, and most drip tips I have fit snugly, and several do not fit at all.
The Kick fits in the bottom part of the atomizer, and stays in snugly:
The switch, with locking mechanism and brass connector. I didn't take it apart. It presses with minimal amount of force, but makes a noise.. like metal on metal. This noise decreases substantially after a few hours of use, but it's still there albeit barely noticeable.
The switch does use spring not magnets as far as I'm aware. Again, it takes a minimal amount of force to activate and it still NEVER activates when the PV is just stood up. It also ha a locking ring that can be screwed on/off, which I find handy when I carry it in my bag, but it's not really necessary to be honest.
Placing a wick and coil in this PV is as easy as it gets. I usually coil my wicks outside the PV, but it's worth mentioning that this atty has A LOT of space to work with if you coil on PV. Another bonus - both the positive and negative screws work with the same Allen key. Faceless actually did not send any key with the prototype, but one of the Zenesis keys works sort of okay.
The wick hole is large enough for a 3-4 mm wide wick to fit in. I used a thinner one, basically a Zenesis sized wick and you can see that you could even fit a second one in the leftover space!
Here's my hasty-nasty wick and coil slapped on:
I had a remarkably good time with shorts and initial coil fixup - I'm not sure what it is, but this atty is more forgiving than the other ones I used before. It just feels like there is a LOT of space in there and everything is in the right place.
How it vapes? Oh, well, it turns me into a veritable dragon:
And after a couple of seconds:
Flavor, draw and vapor production are top notch. After a short break-in, all flavor subtleties come across boldly and clearly (the well known "high definition" flavor effect of a good Genisis atomizer, for which especially Zenesis devices are known for). Throat hit is solid and not irritating.
I noticed that it allows quite a lot of power from even half drained batteries. I am not sure why that is, Faceless says there's a secret in there, but the point is it does seem to be very, very efficient. With a Kick, obviously, it vapes at constant power and everything is sublime with every hit. There's nothing negative to say about the vape, really.
Again, the switch is very comfortable, no pinky cramps at all, no need for tricks.
One feature I did not use is the "tight draw" postive post. It basically has an additional, longer positive post screw that supposedly gives a tighter draw. I love the draw as it is, it's very close to the "open draw" of a Zenesis, and I think this type of airflow is what provides the best balance between vapor production and flavor development anyway. SO I don't need a tighter draw, but if someone would want that, there is this option available.
All in all, this is an impressive device. It looks pretty good, although I'm not a fan of the bland white aluminum. It will come with differently colored tubes and sleeves, that's the whole catch, so this may be a non-issue.
It's extremely light, but well balanced enough so, although it is necessarily top heavy because of the stainless steel atomizer, it never topples over.
It is rugged - I dropped it several times, once down an entire flight of stairs without any ill effects. Tank is intact, coil didn't pop, it just leaked condensation all over which is to be expected.
PROS:
- perfect mesh/coil atomizer with amazing vapor production of perfect flavor/throat hit
- easy to use with a Kick
- interchangeable tubes for different batteries and, soon, different color schemes
- tank protection with a sleeve which makes it more rugged still by containing the top cap
- light
- comfortable switch
CONS:
- some finish issues that hopefully will be addressed
- no 18650+Kick option
- some compatibility issues with different drip tips
Thank you - please be gentle, this is my first "formal" review.
The iHybrid is a Genisis (mesh/coil) hybrid APV, which means it has the battery tube, switch and Genisis atomizer all in one. It appears to be admittedly inspired by the now gloriously famous Zenesis APV line. It is produced by Faceless and will be sold through a website - info about it can be found in this thread.
The concept is that of a hybrid mesh/coil APV that would have interchangeable aluminum tubes and sleeves for different batteries and of different colors to mix and match and switch around. Quite an appealing idea. The prototype comes with plain aluminum tubes, one for use with 18650 batteries or 18500 and a Kick, and another for use with 18350 batteries in mini mode as it were.
The atomizer base, center post, and chamber top cap are made of 304 grade stainless steel for safety and durability. The tank is made of
It also features a sleeve that goes around the tank and screws into the main tube to protect the tank and also help contain the top cap and prevent it from snapping off accidentally.
It looks pretty good. As you can see there is a slight angle to the top cap which is probably because of the way the tanks are cut (which has been fixed!)
The finish leaves a little to be desired, but this is a prototype after all. In fact, according to Faceless the "V1" production units will have a different finish. There were minor scratches on my aluminum tubes and sleeve. The threads are all smooth and never catch. The threading that connects the atomizer to the tube is particularly long and boring. But I'm assuming that is necessary for some reason.
The sleeve looks cool, fits well over the tank, and does secure the top cap so it's not wobbly or risks snapping out:
The most important component is, without a doubt, the atomizer. Here we see several elements inspired from the Zenesis - the positioning of the wick hole in relation to the positive and negative screwes, the size and position of the fill hole and the overall "feel" are similar. It is sturdy, flawlessly machined from stainless steel and feels durable.
Here's the airhole, seems a little smaller than on the Zenesis and much larger than on the DID:
Here's some top views for the post positioning and wick hole / draw hole:
This PV ships without any insulators for the wick. In my experience, there is no actual need for an insulator, and I am even using my Zenesis without the provided one. I think it's a matter of how well oxidized the wick is. However, I am sure it is easy to find a PTFE tube, perhaps one from a Bic pen ink tube as insulator. I find that especially when working out shorts, one can set the insulator on fire or melt it which causes more problems than it's worth.
The top cap has a more mundane form than the Zenesis or other gennies out there, but it still looks very sleek. I was not excessively impressed with the finish on this one either, it is a little rough to the touch and doesn't have any shine to it. Again, this might change with the final units.
Top cap comparson (DID, iHybrid, Zenesis):
The only slight gripe here is that not all drip tips fit well. The draw hole is on the smaller side, and most drip tips I have fit snugly, and several do not fit at all.
The Kick fits in the bottom part of the atomizer, and stays in snugly:
The switch, with locking mechanism and brass connector. I didn't take it apart. It presses with minimal amount of force, but makes a noise.. like metal on metal. This noise decreases substantially after a few hours of use, but it's still there albeit barely noticeable.
The switch does use spring not magnets as far as I'm aware. Again, it takes a minimal amount of force to activate and it still NEVER activates when the PV is just stood up. It also ha a locking ring that can be screwed on/off, which I find handy when I carry it in my bag, but it's not really necessary to be honest.
Placing a wick and coil in this PV is as easy as it gets. I usually coil my wicks outside the PV, but it's worth mentioning that this atty has A LOT of space to work with if you coil on PV. Another bonus - both the positive and negative screws work with the same Allen key. Faceless actually did not send any key with the prototype, but one of the Zenesis keys works sort of okay.
The wick hole is large enough for a 3-4 mm wide wick to fit in. I used a thinner one, basically a Zenesis sized wick and you can see that you could even fit a second one in the leftover space!
Here's my hasty-nasty wick and coil slapped on:
I had a remarkably good time with shorts and initial coil fixup - I'm not sure what it is, but this atty is more forgiving than the other ones I used before. It just feels like there is a LOT of space in there and everything is in the right place.
How it vapes? Oh, well, it turns me into a veritable dragon:
And after a couple of seconds:
Flavor, draw and vapor production are top notch. After a short break-in, all flavor subtleties come across boldly and clearly (the well known "high definition" flavor effect of a good Genisis atomizer, for which especially Zenesis devices are known for). Throat hit is solid and not irritating.
I noticed that it allows quite a lot of power from even half drained batteries. I am not sure why that is, Faceless says there's a secret in there, but the point is it does seem to be very, very efficient. With a Kick, obviously, it vapes at constant power and everything is sublime with every hit. There's nothing negative to say about the vape, really.
Again, the switch is very comfortable, no pinky cramps at all, no need for tricks.
One feature I did not use is the "tight draw" postive post. It basically has an additional, longer positive post screw that supposedly gives a tighter draw. I love the draw as it is, it's very close to the "open draw" of a Zenesis, and I think this type of airflow is what provides the best balance between vapor production and flavor development anyway. SO I don't need a tighter draw, but if someone would want that, there is this option available.
All in all, this is an impressive device. It looks pretty good, although I'm not a fan of the bland white aluminum. It will come with differently colored tubes and sleeves, that's the whole catch, so this may be a non-issue.
It's extremely light, but well balanced enough so, although it is necessarily top heavy because of the stainless steel atomizer, it never topples over.
It is rugged - I dropped it several times, once down an entire flight of stairs without any ill effects. Tank is intact, coil didn't pop, it just leaked condensation all over which is to be expected.
PROS:
- perfect mesh/coil atomizer with amazing vapor production of perfect flavor/throat hit
- easy to use with a Kick
- interchangeable tubes for different batteries and, soon, different color schemes
- tank protection with a sleeve which makes it more rugged still by containing the top cap
- light
- comfortable switch
CONS:
- some finish issues that hopefully will be addressed
- no 18650+Kick option
- some compatibility issues with different drip tips
Thank you - please be gentle, this is my first "formal" review.
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The new units are turned with a sleek finish. I'm also adding a new feature in a few weeks or so. It will be an extension sleeve that has a 510 connection (where the battery tube screws on), the top part can be used as an atty. Thanks for the review and keep in mind thats the prototype!!
