VV devices with constant voltage level??

[Demon]

THE PROBLEM:

When I started vaping I was using unregulated 3.7V devices. Most of them were terrible, some of them were better, but I always hated that, when I put the freshly charged battery into my device the first couple of puffs were awesome, but after a couple of hours the vapor production became weaker and weaker as the battery started to drain.
When I'm vaping, I'm expecting the same vapor production, the same flavor and same throat hit of every drag, so nowadays I'm not using many unregulated (mechanical) devices anymore.

You can also test this thing if you want. If you put a voltage indicator (MadVapes sells them here) on your VV device and if you also put an atty/carto on it, you can measure the loaded voltage of your device when you press the fire button.
Check the loaded voltage when the battery is freshly charged, and check again if you feel the vapor production becomes weaker or check again 10-20 minutes before your battery usually drains completely. You'll see a big surprise!
Many devices are not able to keep the voltage on constant level. (Even if they are advertised as they are able to, they're not!)

DIFFERENCES:

1 - Some devices keep the voltage on the level you set it to, not JUST in the first hour of usage! They keep the voltage until the very last puff, before the battery drains completely.

2 - And some of them doesn't keep the voltage at all. They keep the voltage you set the device to, for an hour or for a couple of hours, but after that the voltage starts to drop by 0.1V and then another 0.1V etc... This thing really disturbs me because as I said I expect the same vapor production from every drag.

EXAMPLES:

I had a lot of VV devices and they are very different. I tested them all with voltage indicator.
Here are some examples for what I'm talking about:

Devices that are REALLY able to keep the voltage setting on constant level:

- ProVari
It keeps the set voltage until the very last puff. Then the fire button starts flashing. No voltage dropping, no weaker vapor production at all!
- Darwin
It keeps the same Wattage all the time. No weaker vapor production during the day.
- Evolv Kick module
Keeps the same Wattage.
- eGo Twist battery
It keeps constant voltage if you set it to your desired level. MAYBE the last 2 puffs are a bit weaker, but that really isn't a problem. That's still very nice.

Devices that are NOT ABLE to keep the voltage setting on constant level:

- Joker AV from Vaprlife
It doesn't keep the voltage until the last drag. (well for me it didn't) In the last 1-2 hours of using the same battery, the vapor production became weaker and weaker.
- VP Turbo AV from Vaprlife
Same problem.
- SaberTouch VV from Vapormoon
Same problem. The problem was actually even worse with this one. The vapor production started to drop down very quickly. Then it became even weaker with each hour of vaping.
- LavaTube (I'm talking about the V1.0, the black one. I haven't tried the V2 yet)
This is maybe the worst one. If I set the voltage to 5.0V and I put a voltage indicator with a 510 atty on the LavaTube, the loaded voltage was about 4.8V with my atty on it. That lasted ONLY for 2 hours. Then the voltage dropped to 4.7V, 4.6V etc..
So ONLY the first two hours was enjoyable with a 18650 battery for me. Everything after that was just a big disappointment.

THE QUESTION:

I'm looking for cheaper VV devices with TRUE constant voltage. (until the very last drag)
I already mentioned 4 devices which are very good. They keep the voltage/wattage until the very last drag, but some of them are too expensive to carry around with me (ProVari and Darwin), or they're not powerful enough (Evolv Kick) or they look silly with my carto tanks (eGo twist battery).

I'm interested in these two devices:
Smoktech VV 18650 Gripper
and
Smoktech Vmax

They are quite cheap and would be better for me to go out with. I won't be afraid to drop them accidentally because they aren't as expensive as the Darwin.

But DO THEY keep the voltage?
Has anyone ever tried that with them?
I mean: to check the loaded voltage with a freshly charged battery and then to check it again many hours later?



p.s.: Sorry, my English is not perfect, but I guess you understand what I was talking about here.

 

[Hippopotamuz]

I am new in this business so i cannot give you any advice.

However, i really like your post. It's very clear, and contains a lot of information that very useful to me.

Thanks!

P.s.

 

[SnowDragon]

Rather than sporting my personal opinion on the performance numbers of the Vmax or the Gripper, here are Phil's numbers on the Gripper.

A PBusardo Review - Smoktech 18650 VV Gripper - YouTube

As for the Vmax, Phil is the only one I know of to review it with numbers....however it was Version 1 so I don't believe it accurately depicts the Vmax given the release of the newer version and revisions.

I have a Vmax V2 SS, I like it, I also have ProVari which I like, I like my Twist, I like my Keychain, hehehehe...I like all my stuff, which is a good thing since I traded money for them. The Vmax V2 or V2r4s are good units, half the weight of ProVari and most have a 1 year warranty...hard to beat that. Before the villagers from the land of ProVaria go to grab their torches and pitchforks, I only mentioned the weight for reference they are both good units in their own right.

Battery drain on a unregulated mechanical is a given, hence "unregulated" so any drop should be expected. Mechanicals serve a purpose, they are not my preferred PVs, but certainly fit the bill for some folks. I was talking to a good friend the other day and he made mention that some of these in-line voltmeters may not be entirely accurate since they steal a small amount of power in order to operate.

This maybe a translation thing however "less expensive" or "more affordable" might be better suited as opposed to "cheaper". The price of an item doesn't necessarily indicate that it has a better build quality or that it provides better performance, it only reflects how much the item is being sold for. Cheaper has a way of implying something is sub-standard....at least that's how it comes across to me.

 

[thatguyjeff]

According to a Busardo video - the Chrome Lavatube V2 from Young June (not the L Rider model) does this. The battery shuts down when it doesn't have enough juice to deliver the right voltage.

Kits (the tube with 2 batts, charger, and a couple little goodies) can be had for around $75.

 

[Rader2146]

Lots of numbers for the VV Gripper...

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../321386-gripper-discussion-5.html#post6949766

Voltage is consistent until the higher numbers where the regulator is having a hard time with the low input voltage. If you don't vape high volts/watts then there shouldn't be any problem all the way to cutoff. Be sure to look at the adjusted watts chart a couple posts below the linked post. That will give you a ballpark of what voltage you might prefer with the Gripper.

 

[Demon]

I am new in this business so i cannot give you any advice.

However, i really like your post. It's very clear, and contains a lot of information that very useful to me.

Thanks!

P.s.

Thanks for your post! I'm really glad I was able to help!

 

[Demon]

Thanks for the info! This was very helpful! I haven't heard of the Young June version yet, but I think this might be the one I'm looking for. However I'm a bit worried about that chrome finish.
If it wears off... then the device will look awful.

According to a Busardo video - the Chrome Lavatube V2 from Young June (not the L Rider model) does this. The battery shuts down when it doesn't have enough juice to deliver the right voltage.

Kits (the tube with 2 batts, charger, and a couple little goodies) can be had for around $75.

 

[Demon]

Thanks, I haven't found this thread. Lot's of useful info.
To me it seems like the Gripper isn't able to hold the set voltage (or to shut down before any voltage drop).
Check out the differences between the full charge battery and the half charge battery graphs in that post.

If you vape a 3 Ohm Boge carto on 5.6V (this is my sweet spot for them) then with a fully charged battery it's gonna be cool.
But with a half charge battery, the 5.6V set voltage will give only 5.3V true voltage.
With the ProVari you get the same voltage even with an almost dead battery. If the loaded voltage would drop down by 0.1V the ProVari shuts down immediately.
So to me it seems like the Gripper isn't able to hold the set voltage (I mean the loaded voltage) with a carto/atty on it.

Lots of numbers for the VV Gripper...

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../321386-gripper-discussion-5.html#post6949766

Voltage is consistent until the higher numbers where the regulator is having a hard time with the low input voltage. If you don't vape high volts/watts then there shouldn't be any problem all the way to cutoff. Be sure to look at the adjusted watts chart a couple posts below the linked post. That will give you a ballpark of what voltage you might prefer with the Gripper.

 

[tinstar15]

I've got the Young June V2 and the Provari V2 myself. They both work quite well. The YJ V2 is still looking good, but the chrome is wearing off of the button. Not particularly hideous. I suppose with some rough use it might start looking pretty bad. You could always 'skin' it. Electronicstix.com used to carry precut skins that fit well. I make my own out of automotive vinyl (i've got a thread on it in the cosmetic mods subforum). You can also mask off the screen, rough up the shiny areas with some sandpaper and give it a coat of spray paint. I use a dead carto and masking tape to keep the paint off the connector.

 

[Rader2146]

That's an easy fix. If your sweet spot is ~10 watts, then move to a 2 ohm Boge at around 3.6v where it will hold the voltage.

 

[DaveP]

The key to getting the best regulation available from whatever device you use is to limit the current load on the regulator. You can do that by using higher ohm coils. 3 ohm is good because you are in the middle of spec for regulation.

My Provari does a good job in keeping the vape the same. I have to go into diagnostic mode to see battery voltage because the quality of the vape will be the same at 3.3v as it is at 4.2v battery voltage. I try to catch it at 3.5v and pop it on the charger to keep battery life optimal.

The Twist is probably the most economical VV device for out and about. You can buy two of those for $50 or you can buy a Lavatube type mod and carry an extra battery. If you are looking for stealth and easy pocket carry, I'd get the Twist. I wouldn't worry so much about a few tenths of a volt toward the end of battery life. If you notice it, you can crank a little to compensate or swap to the backup Twist.

I don't like to go out without an extra battery in the car. I keep an 18650 IMR in a plastic battery box just in case I get tied up and don't make it back home in time. A charger in the car as a backup to the backup isn't a bad idea. It's not much different than the way we used to keep a spare pack of cigs in the glove box.

 

[Demon]

Yeah I know the ProVari and the eGo twist. I have both of them.
I just wanted to know if there're any cheap Chinese devices on the market nowadays that are able to hold the set voltage for a full day for me as the ProVari or Darwin does.
But I think the Young June Lavatube (or Lambo or VV2TV-Chrome2-V2V2 or what the hell) will be the winner for me.
Already ordered one from Keith/Empiremods. (It's only $54.99 the barebone unit, I didn't even have to buy useless batteries and charger for it! It's a bargain!)

I don't expect it to be as good as the ProVari, but I need a cheaper (to beat up and abuse) version to carry around with me all day without worrying about dropping the ProVari or to lose the Darwin. That would make me cry like a school boy.

Thank you very much "thatguyjeff" to mention the Chrome Young June LavaTube!
I haven't even heard of it before you mentioned it! I hope it's gonna be cool.

The key to getting the best regulation available from whatever device you use is to limit the current load on the regulator. You can do that by using higher ohm coils. 3 ohm is good because you are in the middle of spec for regulation.

My Provari does a good job in keeping the vape the same. I have to go into diagnostic mode to see battery voltage because the quality of the vape will be the same at 3.3v as it is at 4.2v battery voltage. I try to catch it at 3.5v and pop it on the charger to keep battery life optimal.

The Twist is probably the most economical VV device for out and about. You can buy two of those for $50 or you can buy a Lavatube type mod and carry an extra battery. If you are looking for stealth and easy pocket carry, I'd get the Twist. I wouldn't worry so much about a few tenths of a volt toward the end of battery life. If you notice it, you can crank a little to compensate or swap to the backup Twist.

I don't like to go out without an extra battery in the car. I keep an 18650 IMR in a plastic battery box just in case I get tied up and don't make it back home in time. A charger in the car as a backup to the backup isn't a bad idea. It's not much different than the way we used to keep a spare pack of cigs in the glove box.

 

[niczgreat]

If you don't mind a very plain box.
Take a look at the Smoktek Smokbox Varicool.

I ran it through the paces.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-varicool-custom-box-mod-made-u-s-review.html

It vapes as well as a Provari, just doesn't have the bells and whistles. Also a cheap looking exterior. But the components inside are rock solid. They have a 6 Amp Version just out.

I tested it on a 1.5Ohm Dual Coil Cartomizer and it ran for 35 consecutive 1 minute sessions and never dropped voltage until it cut out at the end. No conjecture, the Smokbox Varicool is rock solid stable.

THE PROBLEM:

When I started vaping I was using unregulated 3.7V devices. Most of them were terrible, some of them were better, but I always hated that, when I put the freshly charged battery into my device the first couple of puffs were awesome, but after a couple of hours the vapor production became weaker and weaker as the battery started to drain.
When I'm vaping, I'm expecting the same vapor production, the same flavor and same throat hit of every drag, so nowadays I'm not using many unregulated (mechanical) devices anymore.

You can also test this thing if you want. If you put a voltage indicator (MadVapes sells them here) on your VV device and if you also put an atty/carto on it, you can measure the loaded voltage of your device when you press the fire button.
Check the loaded voltage when the battery is freshly charged, and check again if you feel the vapor production becomes weaker or check again 10-20 minutes before your battery usually drains completely. You'll see a big surprise!
Many devices are not able to keep the voltage on constant level. (Even if they are advertised as they are able to, they're not!)

DIFFERENCES:

1 - Some devices keep the voltage on the level you set it to, not JUST in the first hour of usage! They keep the voltage until the very last puff, before the battery drains completely.

2 - And some of them doesn't keep the voltage at all. They keep the voltage you set the device to, for an hour or for a couple of hours, but after that the voltage starts to drop by 0.1V and then another 0.1V etc... This thing really disturbs me because as I said I expect the same vapor production from every drag.

EXAMPLES:

I had a lot of VV devices and they are very different. I tested them all with voltage indicator.
Here are some examples for what I'm talking about:

Devices that are REALLY able to keep the voltage setting on constant level:

- ProVari
It keeps the set voltage until the very last puff. Then the fire button starts flashing. No voltage dropping, no weaker vapor production at all!
- Darwin
It keeps the same Wattage all the time. No weaker vapor production during the day.
- Evolv Kick module
Keeps the same Wattage.
- eGo Twist battery
It keeps constant voltage if you set it to your desired level. MAYBE the last 2 puffs are a bit weaker, but that really isn't a problem. That's still very nice.

Devices that are NOT ABLE to keep the voltage setting on constant level:

- Joker AV from Vaprlife
It doesn't keep the voltage until the last drag. (well for me it didn't) In the last 1-2 hours of using the same battery, the vapor production became weaker and weaker.
- VP Turbo AV from Vaprlife
Same problem.
- SaberTouch VV from Vapormoon
Same problem. The problem was actually even worse with this one. The vapor production started to drop down very quickly. Then it became even weaker with each hour of vaping.
- LavaTube (I'm talking about the V1.0, the black one. I haven't tried the V2 yet)
This is maybe the worst one. If I set the voltage to 5.0V and I put a voltage indicator with a 510 atty on the LavaTube, the loaded voltage was about 4.8V with my atty on it. That lasted ONLY for 2 hours. Then the voltage dropped to 4.7V, 4.6V etc..
So ONLY the first two hours was enjoyable with a 18650 battery for me. Everything after that was just a big disappointment.

THE QUESTION:

I'm looking for cheaper VV devices with TRUE constant voltage. (until the very last drag)
I already mentioned 4 devices which are very good. They keep the voltage/wattage until the very last drag, but some of them are too expensive to carry around with me (ProVari and Darwin), or they're not powerful enough (Evolv Kick) or they look silly with my carto tanks (eGo twist battery).

I'm interested in these two devices:
Smoktech VV 18650 Gripper
and
Smoktech Vmax

They are quite cheap and would be better for me to go out with. I won't be afraid to drop them accidentally because they aren't as expensive as the Darwin.

But DO THEY keep the voltage?
Has anyone ever tried that with them?
I mean: to check the loaded voltage with a freshly charged battery and then to check it again many hours later?



p.s.: Sorry, my English is not perfect, but I guess you understand what I was talking about here.

 

[niczgreat]

Oops duplicate post

 

[AnsonJames]

Most of the new China mods with PWM will remain outputting pretty much the same voltage until the end of the battery life.
Problem is you won't know what the true voltage is, just the average - most people vape on taste and not voltage anyway.

The ProVari is the only one that I know of the outputs true constant and accurate voltage until the end of the battery.

 

[niczgreat]

Most of the new China mods with PWM will remain outputting pretty much the same voltage until the end of the battery life.
Problem is you won't know what the true voltage is, just the average - most people vape on taste and not voltage anyway.

The ProVari is the only one that I know of the outputs true constant and accurate voltage until the end of the battery.

I tested the Smokbox Varicool using a Smoktek Voltage tester at 4.3V and ran it for 35 One minute Sessions until it cut off. It is not a PWM because the digital volt tester worked with it and doesn't work on PWM units, the Voltage output didn't change even an iota until cutoff.

You'll find my complete test results at http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/apv-discussion/321528-smoktek-smokbox-varicool-custom-box-mod-made-u-s-review.html

 

[rondasherrill]

I tested the Smokbox Varicool using a Smoktek Voltage tester at 4.3V and ran it for 35 One minute Sessions until it cut off. It is not a PWM and Until it cut off the Voltage output didn't change even an iota.

The Varicool uses a switching regulator, which by definition uses PWM. Switching regulators use a series of transistors switching on and off very rapidly to control the output. Once again, people are confusing filtered and unfiltered PWM. Unfortunately, the only way to know if a mod is filtered or not is to put it on a scope.

 

[tj2301]

I was looking into getting me a varicool box... I think this post made up my mind for me... If it stays where its supposed to be thats cool with me no matter if it has PWM or not... Thanks

 

[Rader2146]

The VariCool box uses the OKR regulator. It is one of the best DC-DC regulators for our uses. A plethora of info about it in the modders section.

 

[thatguyjeff]

Thank you very much "thatguyjeff" to mention the Chrome Young June LavaTube!
I haven't even heard of it before you mentioned it! I hope it's gonna be cool.

Very welcome - though I shouldn't take full credit. I found out about it from another post here somewhere. Got one for myself a couple weeks ago - my first VV device - and it's performing great.