My previous voltage measurements on the Vmax were with almost exhausted batteries. With fresh batteries the open circuit voltage measurement is much higher. 3.8v on the Vmax measured 4.5v on my Fluke meter.
Now, I realize that open circuit measurements on a pwm device like the Vmax is meaningless.
Edit: Correction #2, first measurements were on AC, which is correct for this device.
Vmax set to 3.1v with open circuit voltage measured at 3.8v .
Resulting voltage measured under load: 2.5v 37% duty cycle.
Bottom line: It's a powerful unit. The voltage adjustments should have been replaced with a 1-10 scale since it doesnt correlate with any measurement setup I can think of. They should just change the software to go down to 2 volts on the next revision.
Update: Had to set the meter to AC measurement, duh. 3.1v on the Vmax equals 3.2v measured.
But,
its 3.2 open circuit AND with a 2 ohm load across it, Sweet! Now to retest the inferior units.
Code:
510 battery 0.7v with 2 ohm load!
Other units: No significant AC component
Conclusion:
Only the Vmax can deliver its stated voltage EVEN UNDER LOAD! This actually proves my original hunch. Hence, even at low voltage settings, you're really getting the stated voltage to the coil, unlike the other units that drop by .5 volts or more depending on how you measure.
View of Vmax under load, AC RMS measurement:

Can you say "Kicks ...!"
I just ordered a second Vmax just in case they become a rare commodity.
My suggestion:
