Video Review:KR808D-1

[Nem]

Here is a video review of popular model ecig KR808D-1. Also known as Vapor King, Nebula, ECV92, HQV92, 208D and also Zeus. Had not seen the cart refilling technique on this model, so I thought I'd show it.
Hope you like the video!
YouTube - KR808D 1

 

[bizzyb0t]

You're demonstration was very informative. However, no offense intended but that model performs like garbage.

If I had tried that model first, I'd probably be back on analogs. Also, what a cumbersome cart design. Seems like a PITA to refill.

By comparison, here's a video of me using my JOYE306a "Super-Mini" from VaporGuys.com

YouTube - More JOYE306a Vaping

 

[Nem]

No offense taken however you are comparing apples to oranges here. KR808D-1 is a disposable atomized cartridge version and you are comparing short term vapor production of a 3 part system to the longevity of the KR808D-1 two part system. The joye306a will not outperform the KR808D-1 for battery or cart life at all! Plus you are going to have the added expense of buying atomizers and e-liquid seperate.
The refilling of the KR808D-1 is only if you want to do that but not required. I personally buy carts in bulk so I just screw on a new one and go. But this e-cig it lasts a lot longer than any thing else I've seen. Ipersonlly favor the 2 part disposable atomizer versions but to each his own.

 

[Cfidave]

Nem, very nice review, thanks. Is this also the same model being sold by Vaporello? I wish you had more time actually devoted to vaping this guy. The vapor amount looks a little on the light side, and you didn't mention your opinion on throat hit. I am trying to decide if these two piece designs could be a replacement for my 901, without sacrificing vapor production & throat hit.

 

[franklyspeaking]

Thanks for the review Nem, I don't own a 2 piece model like that and was curios about the performance. I personally top off carts too often to consider these models a viable option. I never really understood the appeal of a disposable atomizer design. With regular rotation between atomizers mine last for months.

 

[Nem]

Hey All, Sorry i did not spend more time on vaping it on the vid. There are a couple other videos on the vapor king that show that better, Leaford and Deficit both did one. These are all the same but company specific rebranded. Yes, vapor production is a little less than some other ecigs but throat hit is better, especially in the higher mg's. Not sure about the Vaporello but the carts and charger look the same. I would say probably yes to that as there are only a few model disposable atomizer types. There is a KR808D version with cartridge having the male post on it instead. Then you get into different names and model numbers for that one. It is the 100mm version I believe. The appeal of this type for me at least is no need to fill carts or drip all day, no extra att's to buy or worry that they will fail, just easier all around to use. Just screw on a cart and go!

 

[bizzyb0t]

No offense taken however you are comparing apples to oranges here. KR808D-1 is a disposable atomized cartridge version and you are comparing short term vapor production of a 3 part system to the longevity of the KR808D-1 two part system. The joye306a will not outperform the KR808D-1 for battery or cart life at all! Plus you are going to have the added expense of buying atomizers and e-liquid seperate.
The refilling of the KR808D-1 is only if you want to do that but not required. I personally buy carts in bulk so I just screw on a new one and go. But this e-cig it lasts a lot longer than any thing else I've seen. Ipersonlly favor the 2 part disposable atomizer versions but to each his own.

The reason why those carts last so long is it seems they're using the liquid at a VERY slow rate. However, to me the KR808D-1 wouldn't simulate enough of the smoking experience to keep me off the analogs. Perhaps it is wrong to pit that model to the joye306a because it'd be like comparing a compact Toyota hybrid to Corvette. A reasonable comparison can be made for the battery life, and I'm pretty sure it's just not powering the atomizer to make a lot of vapor-- and in that case I'd think it a quite gimmicky way to stretch battery life or a poor and inefficient design.

As for the price of atomizers, they're pretty cheap and I've got a 306 atomizer that I used and abuse HEAVILY for 4 weeks straight and it still performs like a champ, it cost me $10 + shipping for each one of those and it's cheaper if I order more. As for calculating the cost of e-liquid, well, you can't even compare, I can fill a hundred carts for $15 of e-liquid and I can easily drip with the 306. The only way for the KR808D to even start to close the gap as far as economics goes is being able to refill the cartridges, you'd have to take the time to surgically take apart the carts but then that takes extra time and is harder to use. Not to mention, a 2-part design is not very flexible.

I'm not here to school anyone on economics but the KR808D-1 doesn't even begin to compare to the joy306a (or any other similarly priced 3-part e-cig) when it comes to price and the cost of upkeep. The 3 part system is actually more economical.

I'd say if you were not as concerned about the money aspect and wanted more convenience, than the 808D is a winner but more costly and the 306 could be considered visa versa concerning ease of use and cost.

But for me, the fact that it performs so poorly would negate any benefit gained from ease of use and economics aside. I want something that will simulate analog smoking as much as possible with look and feel and from what you demonstrated the KR808D-1 falls a mile short on that measure.

 

[Nem]

I'm happy you like your e-cig, and I like mine. To each his own, this is why there are so many diffrent e-cigs manufactured. To appeal to the end users wants and needs. These work for me but I am not pinching the penny.

 

[BigLance]

Honestly, I don't understand all the excitement about this model (Vapor King). I managed to get a kit about a month ago (with two batteries). I've used both batteries with carts. The flavor is good, but the vapor isn't the best. You have to take very long drags to get good vapor out of them. The e-cig style E9 is much better.

The Vapor King cartridges are almost identical to the newer cartridges for the e-cig E9 (aka Red Dragon, Bloog, Smoke51, etc). I am not speaking of the crappy cartridges from e-cig or Red Dragon that come 4 in a pack, but the newer ones that come 5 in a pack like available from Smoke51. The threads are not as deep on the VK carts, but are only slightly different.

If you compare the E-cig E9 (same concept disposable atomizer with cartridge) to the Vapor King, the E9 beats it hands-down. I've ordered a bunch of cartridges for the Vapor King from two different suppliers. I just pop them on both my Red Dragon and e-cig E9 batteries, or my U9 USB Passthrough, and the vapor production is MUCH BETTER. The threads don't match exactly but 98% of the Vapor King cartridges screw onto the E-Cig and work fine. They just don't screw all the way down. Occasionally I'll find a Vapor King compatible cartridge that doesn't fit on the Vapor King, but almost all of them do. The occasional odd-ball Vapor King cartridge that doesn't fit, is in a pack of 5 and amongst those that do fit. In another post LEAFORD noted that he couldn't get the Vapor King cart on an E-9 style. I believe him, as I say I encounter a very small number that don't fit either. However I've smoked at least 100 Vapor King cartridges on my E9s. Regardless, the newer style E-Cig compatible cartridges are almost identical to the Vapor King.

I've been smoking 8 cartridges a day for the last month, mixing and matching the Vapor King cartridridges with the E9 (aka, Red Dragon, Smoke51, Bloog, etc), and the E9 style batteries always work much better.

Beware, though. The E9 style cartridges don't fit on the vapor king. That's why I usually end up buying Vapor King Carts... they fit on the VK perfectly, and pretty well on the e-cig E9 style. I can use either type of batteries, but I only use the VK when my other batteries are dead, because they just don't produce the same amount of vapor.

I only own 2x Vapor King batteries, but i own a lot of the e-cig type: 6x e-cig E9 batteries, 2x U9 e-cig USB pass-throughs, and 2x Red Dragon Batteries. Unless both of my Vapor King batteries are odd-balls, the e-cig E9 is much better. Has anyone else owned and compared these two models and smoked the Vapor King carts on the E9?

 

[BigLance]

I wish I could figure out how to edit my posts, I always make a mistake... On the post above I said "Occasionally I'll find a Vapor King compatible cartridge that doesn't fit on the Vapor King, but almost all of them do.". I meant to say "Occasionally I'll find a Vapor King compatible cartridge that doesn't fit on the E9 or Red Dragon, but almost all of them do.

 

[Nem]

BigLance check out my review of the Red Dragon, I also am a fan. The RD is quieter for sure and produces good vapor. Yes there is a lot of hype on the VK, I think a lot of the excitement is due to Steves great customer service. There also seems to be a growing popularity toward these typr e-cigs in general as evidenced by the various models coming out now. I just thought I'd post a little review to cover a few things on this model from my perspective.

 

[BigLance]

Nem, thanks for the great RD review... I just checked it out.

Steve from Vapor4Life does have EXCELLENT customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to order from him again... in fact I have a number of times for carts.

You're right about the VK being noisy... it really is. I tried the VK again today. Additionally, I have to take so much air into my mouth to get the same vapor from the RD... Almost twice the air volume is required... my tongue soon got sore and my cheaks were puffing out. Switched back to my RD and E-cig E9 and U9 USB Passthrough. Happily vaping another day away.

 

[RsL]

Honestly, I don't understand all the excitement about this model (Vapor King). I managed to get a kit about a month ago (with two batteries). I've used both batteries with carts. The flavor is good, but the vapor isn't the best. You have to take very long drags to get good vapor out of them. The e-cig style E9 is much better.

The Vapor King cartridges are almost identical to the newer cartridges for the e-cig E9 (aka Red Dragon, Bloog, Smoke51, etc). I am not speaking of the crappy cartridges from e-cig or Red Dragon that come 4 in a pack, but the newer ones that come 5 in a pack like available from Smoke51. The threads are not as deep on the VK carts, but are only slightly different.

If you compare the E-cig E9 (same concept disposable atomizer with cartridge) to the Vapor King, the E9 beats it hands-down. I've ordered a bunch of cartridges for the Vapor King from two different suppliers. I just pop them on both my Red Dragon and e-cig E9 batteries, or my U9 USB Passthrough, and the vapor production is MUCH BETTER. The threads don't match exactly but 98% of the Vapor King cartridges screw onto the E-Cig and work fine. They just don't screw all the way down. Occasionally I'll find a Vapor King compatible cartridge that doesn't fit on the Vapor King, but almost all of them do. The occasional odd-ball Vapor King cartridge that doesn't fit, is in a pack of 5 and amongst those that do fit. In another post LEAFORD noted that he couldn't get the Vapor King cart on an E-9 style. I believe him, as I say I encounter a very small number that don't fit either. However I've smoked at least 100 Vapor King cartridges on my E9s. Regardless, the newer style E-Cig compatible cartridges are almost identical to the Vapor King.

I've been smoking 8 cartridges a day for the last month, mixing and matching the Vapor King cartridridges with the E9 (aka, Red Dragon, Smoke51, Bloog, etc), and the E9 style batteries always work much better.

Beware, though. The E9 style cartridges don't fit on the vapor king. That's why I usually end up buying Vapor King Carts... they fit on the VK perfectly, and pretty well on the e-cig E9 style. I can use either type of batteries, but I only use the VK when my other batteries are dead, because they just don't produce the same amount of vapor.

I only own 2x Vapor King batteries, but i own a lot of the e-cig type: 6x e-cig E9 batteries, 2x U9 e-cig USB pass-throughs, and 2x Red Dragon Batteries. Unless both of my Vapor King batteries are odd-balls, the e-cig E9 is much better. Has anyone else owned and compared these two models and smoked the Vapor King carts on the E9?

I also have a kr-808d-1 as well as a Red Dragon and Green Smoke. My comparison of the two will differ from yours. It's just my opinion...take it for what it's worth. I guess that's the great thing about these forums is that we can all state our own opinions, and really, none of us are wrong then, right?

To me the KR beats the RD and GS. Why? Because of the longer battery cut off. The RD & GS cut off after 3 seconds and I'll agree with you that you get some really good vapor from them! But for me, it doesn't matter if I'm blowing out rock band fog machine type smoke if the throat hit isn't there to satisfy me. The RD & GS just don't give me any throat hit...unless... I work at it. IE: Drag for 2 seconds, pause, drag again for 2 seconds, pause, drag again...Ok then I will get a decent throat hit which I enjoy. Now with my KR I just take one long smooth 5 or 6 second hit and I get the throat hit I like, plus enough vapor. It's just a whole lot easier to vape on the thing and get what I want out of it!

As to your thought about not understanding what all the excitement is over the Vapor King, well, I agree with you there. It IS over hyped, but you can thank Steve over at Vapor4Life for that. Don't get me wrong, I like the service Steve provides and the guy is certainly passionate about e-cigs. But he is at heart a true salesman and he does go way over the top when he talks about the VK. I was also disapointed with Steve when he responded to my comparision of my version of a VK to the RD and GS. He said my KR was NOT the same as the Vapor King! Well, I won't believe him until I receive my VK from him and make a comparision. If the VK is superior to the kr-808d-1 I'll be the first to say so! But my educated quess is that the VK is just another kr-808d-1.

There is however, a reason to hype the KR-808d-1. The carts DO last a long time and they are the perfect e-cig for when you are out and about. Take an extra battery and maybe an extra cart, and you are good for the day.

Meanwhile, when I'm at home I find myself vaping on my 501 with a manual battery. The 501 is awesome and hits my throat even better than the KR. But the battery doesn't last as long and neither do the carts, so the KR is a better option when I'm away from home.

So that's the way I look at the KR as well as my 501. I like them both and they both serve their purpose for me!

 

[RsL]

The reason why those carts last so long is it seems they're using the liquid at a VERY slow rate. However, to me the KR808D-1 wouldn't simulate enough of the smoking experience to keep me off the analogs. Perhaps it is wrong to pit that model to the joye306a because it'd be like comparing a compact Toyota hybrid to Corvette. A reasonable comparison can be made for the battery life, and I'm pretty sure it's just not powering the atomizer to make a lot of vapor-- and in that case I'd think it a quite gimmicky way to stretch battery life or a poor and inefficient design.

As for the price of atomizers, they're pretty cheap and I've got a 306 atomizer that I used and abuse HEAVILY for 4 weeks straight and it still performs like a champ, it cost me $10 + shipping for each one of those and it's cheaper if I order more. As for calculating the cost of e-liquid, well, you can't even compare, I can fill a hundred carts for $15 of e-liquid and I can easily drip with the 306. The only way for the KR808D to even start to close the gap as far as economics goes is being able to refill the cartridges, you'd have to take the time to surgically take apart the carts but then that takes extra time and is harder to use. Not to mention, a 2-part design is not very flexible.

I'm not here to school anyone on economics but the KR808D-1 doesn't even begin to compare to the joy306a (or any other similarly priced 3-part e-cig) when it comes to price and the cost of upkeep. The 3 part system is actually more economical.

I'd say if you were not as concerned about the money aspect and wanted more convenience, than the 808D is a winner but more costly and the 306 could be considered visa versa concerning ease of use and cost.

But for me, the fact that it performs so poorly would negate any benefit gained from ease of use and economics aside. I want something that will simulate analog smoking as much as possible with look and feel and from what you demonstrated the KR808D-1 falls a mile short on that measure.

BizzybOt, have you actually tried the KR808D-1? First of all, I suspect the person doing the video review of it was using a bad cartridge. I can tell you from experience that most of them kick out a LOT of vapor and a few, every once in a while, are pretty lacking and look like what I saw on the video.

You speak of an e-cig recreating the actual analog smoking experience and as a smoker of 30 years I've found that the e-cigs I like the most are the ones that give me a great throat hit. The 901 does that...for a few hits and then you are back to dripping or topping the cart off. The 501 with a manual battery does it even better, for a longer period of time. Meanwhile I find the 808D-1 to provide almost as good of a throat hit as the 501 for a much longer amount of time.

So for me, I use my 501 when at home when I can easily switch batteries and reload juice. But when I'm out and about for a day, the 808D-1 is the way to go. Long battery life and even longer cartridge life. It DOES recreate the analog experience to an extent where it satisfies me. There is also something to be said for any e-cig that satisfies the throat hit, but doesn't create massive amounts of vapor. Hey, it's a lot easier to vape on an e-cig like that in an airplane or a resturant because you don't attract so much attention!

Also, you have to realize that the only way some analog smokers are going to convert is if they have something simple and easy to use, with long cartridge life and battery life. Not everyone is going to want to mess around with buying atomizers on a regular basis, maintaining them, and carrying a juice kit or several extra carts around just to make it through the day. That's why I think the 2 piece design of battery & cart/atomizer is what the future holds for all of us...

 

[Cfidave]

RsL, nice reply. I am on the waiting list for a VK from Steve. I was afraid I had made a mistake. I am a 901 user, looking for something that requires less maintenance. The 901 is great at home, where you can top off after every 5 hits to maintain its quality, but on the road, it is just not practicle. I am hoping the KR808D-1 can come close to the throat hit & vapor of the 901 with longer battery, and much longer cart life.

 

[RsL]

RsL, nice reply. I am on the waiting list for a VK from Steve. I was afraid I had made a mistake. I am a 901 user, looking for something that requires less maintenance. The 901 is great at home, where you can top off after every 5 hits to maintain its quality, but on the road, it is just not practicle. I am hoping the KR808D-1 can come close to the throat hit & vapor of the 901 with longer battery, and much longer cart life.

I think you'll be happy with the VK and if you aren't you'll be able to return it to Steve. One thing I should note is that Steve has said that his 'latest' version of the VK has 2 holes in the battery as opposed to the 4 holes in the 808D-1 version I have. It is unclear whether his current VK shipment that is hung up in customs are the 2 hole version or if they are part of another shipment he has coming in. Anyway, Steve claims the 2 hole version will produce even more vapor. It will be interesting to see if that is the case and how if affects the draw...

 

[Erica]

Just wanted to say that I got my Vapor King today, and it is putting out a lot more vapor than this video shows.

I used one battery out of the box, and the vapor was good, although nothing over the top. Then I put on the battery that I had been charging and it is excellent!

And it does only have 2 holes in the battery. I never tried the 4 hole version though, so I don't know how much of a difference it makes.

 

[Nem]

Just a note. The version in the video is a two hole version but yes the cart was a bum. It happens. I,m sure you will be happy with the VK from Steve. His customer service seems outstanding although I have not personally had any dealings with him. Many great reviews of his service though. The 808D-1 battery and cart life are what set these disposables apart from the rest.

 

[RsL]

Just wanted to say that I got my Vapor King today, and it is putting out a lot more vapor than this video shows.

I used one battery out of the box, and the vapor was good, although nothing over the top. Then I put on the battery that I had been charging and it is excellent!

And it does only have 2 holes in the battery. I never tried the 4 hole version though, so I don't know how much of a difference it makes.

UPDATE on my post. I've got 2 sets of batteries for my 808D-1. One long set, and one short. The longer ones have 4 holes and the shorter ones have only 2 holes. I really don't notice any difference between the two. They both sound the same and vape the same. More battery life with the longer one of course. By the way, I just reloaded a used cart with some medium strength Camel juice from Smokeytreats. Oh my my! It's vaping even better than the standard carts....it's like I'm smoking an analog vapor/smoke wise!

 

[Sergey]

Got mine from Eastmall. Superb! Don't really have much to compare it to though...
103 + Gamucci. Loved my Gamucci for the amount of vapor produced (despite bad reviews) but had to top up/drip every few draws to get any throat hit...
Now, 808D-1... Got it yesterday. Batteries came pre-charged, so put the 2 parts together and took a long draw (got used to Gamucci thick milkshake draw). Man! I choked even before the cut off (long)! I agree with everyone - not so much vapor produced (even comparing to Gamucci), but man, throat hit is great! I just wish I did not order 3 packs of carts in Menthol flavour! (a bit tooooo mentholy for me - chilling my throat). Got 1 pack of Cigar flavor as well - very nice. Next time I will order a bit of a variety.
Now, I have a question to those who know about 808D-1 and others... What is the difference between 808D and 808A? They kind of look the same on the pictures. I wounder if anyone tried 808A? I know the battery is shorter... But the cartomizers I can get for $5.5 for a pack of 5, 2x cheaper than everyone else sells them for...
What are your thoughts?

And one last thing =)
If you are new to e-smoking and want to try different kinds of e-cigs - order in one order! Man, I must have spent over $100 in postage fees by now =( First you get 1 to try, than you read more reviews and want to try something else, then something else, then order some juice, then you realize that you've ordered 36mg one and its way too strong for you and you order another set in same flavors but 0mg to cut it down =) Just sharing =)