UD Goblin Mini RTA Atomiser

Youde Goblin Mini RTA 

Manufacturer: UD (unification of design) or Youde
Model: Goblin Mini rebuildable tank atomiser
Price: £7.50 + £3.90 postage for 4x goblin tanks!
Configuration: tri-post for single or dual coil builds
Type: Rebuildable tank atomiser
Construction: Stainless Steel + Pyrex glass
Capacity: 3ml
Cloud Chucker?: Yes
TPD Compliant?: No
Status: discontinued
Vendor: private eBay seller

First Impressions
Looking for bargains on eBay I happened to stumble upon an auction lot of 4 Goblin mini rebuildable atomisers. To b honest I hadn't heard of the goblin so it was a bit of a stab in the dark on my part.
The auction time past and I ended up getting this four pack of tanks for £7.50 + shipping! These goblins originally sold for anywhere up to £24.99 each so this lot did seem a bit of a bargain.
They all duely arrived well packaged and in pristine condition.
The first thing I noticed was the quality of the tanks. Essentially a Pyrex glass tank, stainless steel inner deck and chimney and a glass drip tip. All the parts fitted together buttery smooth.
The capacity of the tank is 3ml although it is possible to get 3.5ml of ejuice in there. I was half expecting this tank to hold 2ml in line with the new TPD laws so this was welcome news. One aspect of the tank wasn't so welcome, the filling of. Unfortunately the only way of filling this tank with ejuice is via a small screw hole on the underside. This basically means you have a carry around a small slotted screwdriver wherever you go which I can see could be a pain on the rear end for some people who chain vape.
The air flow adjustment on the tank is also found on the underside. It basically consists of a simple slide lever which opens two holes allowing air to be drawn from the bottom onto each coil. Despite its crudity it works well and doesn't pose a problem.


What's in the box?:

• Stainless steel deck, chimney and top piece
• Pyrex glass tank/vessel
• Glass drip tip/mouth piece
• Stainless steel 510 drip tip adapter
• Various spare rubber O-Rings
• Spare acres
• Spare glass tank and drip tip
• Blocker for single coil use

I was quite surprised by the amount of spare bits and pieces that were included. spare glass, rubber rings, screws and a drip tip. Everything you might need for maintenance.

The coil deck on this tank is absolutely tiny! I don't think I have seen one this small before. Putting coils on this thing could be a problem for people with crap eyesight. I wasn't really looking forward to coiling it up because of its size (and I have good eyesight!)
The little goblin features a triple post deck configuration allowing for both single and dual coil set ups. The extra fixing holes means you don't have to share holes when dual coiling, something that tends to be annoying and fiddly.

The Goblin mini RTA is the smaller brother to the UD Goblin, much celebrated by reviewers for it flavour and performance. The mini is every bit as good offering dripper quality flavour and bags of clouds.

Variable air flow adjustment - lever operated

Building your own Coils
Oh gosh, here we go...coiling on what looks like the world's smallest coil deck!
I can set this being a pain in the arse from start to finish.

Single Coil build

Single coil method with blocker

The first thing I had to do on this single coil build was to select a suitable coil.
Only a narrow micro coil will work on this deck due to the lack of space between the + and - posts and the outer cylindrical sleeve. I chose a prewound 0.5 ohm micro coil and set about feeding both leads through the respective holes. The photo above shows the - lead attached on the left and the + on the right (the center post)
I must admit it was a little tricky to get the coil exactly where I wanted it before I could tighten down both of the screws.
Once I was happy with it I snipped off the excess wire and nudged the coil into shape. At this point I thought it was a good idea to check it out on the ohm meter. It seemed ok .

After glowing the coil a few times it was ready to be wicked!
A small 2-3cm strip of Muji cotton was cut and carefully threaded through the center of the coil.
Next I trimmed the cotton back to the edge of the juice hole and tried screwing down the outer sleeve - it didn't go down properly! I had to trim a fraction more off and then it could all be fixed down comfortably.


Dual Coil build

Dual coil method

Repeat on the opposite side for dual coil!


It doesn't matter if it's one or two coils you opt for, it's going to be an eye squinting fiddly job which can be a bit of a learning curve for beginners. It's quite easy to short of the coils against the outer metal sleeve if they stick out too far when it's all screwed down in place. A bit of care is definitely needed here. Nothing a bit of practice won't sort out.
As mentioned before the wicking is a bitch of you don't get it right. Expect the tank to piss out ejuice through the bottom air holes if you don't get it spot on!  Again, practice makes perfect.

Overall I'm really happy with the little Goblins. Despite a few misgivings here and there they are really good.

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍
The tortuous coiling might seem a little off putting but for those with patience and a good eye then the Goblin mini will repay the discomfort with top end dripper style flavour and billowing cloudage. See one cheap on eBay then it's a no brainer!

Velocity Mini (clone) RDA Atomiser

Bargain Basement Vaping



Velocity Mini RDA Clone

Manufacturer: Tobeco
Model: Velocity Mini (1:1 clone)
Country of origin: China
Price: £9.99 + £1.80 postage
Vendor: private eBay seller
Construction: Stainless Steel + Black anodised coating?
Configuration: Twin post deck - single or dual coil
Type: low profile dripper
Status: currently on sale
Cloud Chucker?: Yes
TPD Compliant?: Yes

What's in the box?:

• Build deck with 510 pin connection
• Outer top cap with airflow holes
• Wide bore Chuff drip tip
• Universal 510 drip tip adapter
• Spare O-Rings, grub screws and Allen key

Top cap with fully adjustable multi airflow

First Impressions
It didn't take long after I get into vaping to want a dripper head for my mod device. I had seen all the serious guys in the vape shops dripping their drips and blowing huge clouds and thought I wanted some of that.
Not only did a dripper offer more flavour but it meant it was much easier to replace the coils with my own this saving money.
Not really knowing what I was looking for I took a stab at the Velocity mini doing the rounds on eBay. Compared to the other drippers I had seen the Velocity was much cheaper and seemed basic and simple to use. Flicking around YouTube it seems that the Velocity mini has been getting some good reviews so I felt I had to get one.

The build quality of the Velocity mini is very good. It's a solid little piece of steel with a tough black coating. The actual coil deck is robust, the screw fixings smooth and the airflow adjustment generous.
At £9.99 I would say it was good value for money.


Testing
Flavour, flavour, flavour and more flavour! and I'm not joking.
I was overwhelmed by the taste that this dripper gives off. Driven at a modest 45W I was able to pick out extra flavours in my gourmet e juice collection, flavours I thought never existed.
Wether all this is down to the shorter distance between the coils and your mouth or the pretty decent adjustable air flow is anyone's guess.
Dripping your coils (filling the tank) is an easy straightforward process. You can either remove the top cap fully to expose the coils and drop your drips or you can leave the top cap on full time and just drop your drips through the center of the mouth piece. (The wide bore Chuff mouth piece!) I'm a lazy beggar so the 'drop it through the hole' technique works best for me. 👍

 Without the Chuff drip tip....

And here is the Chuff... bit of a wide bugger!

DIY coiling on the Velocity mini
Although the deck is a little small it is quite easy to coil it up.


Putting the coils in

Dual coil 0.4 ohm build

The Velocity mini is exactly the same as the original full size Velocity. It's a twin post, four ported system which allows for a dual coil set up without the need for any holes.
Each side of the deck is coiled by mounting on the diagonal. One leg of the wire is fitted to the lower hole of one side while the right leg is fitted to the upper hole of the other and vise versa on the opposite side. It's really easy and simple to do.


Wicking

Two white bow ties is the way 

Wicking on the Velocity is also a simple operation. You don't have to be too fussy here as long as you don't ram too much down the juice well.
A 2" piece cut for each side should be enough.
Feed through and trim down a little to make two bow tie shaped pieces.
Then it's just a case of carefully poking the ends down into the juice well.

The end product

Nice and neat and ready for action!

There is plenty of room under the cap to get some pretty large coils in without them touching the cap and shorting out.
Anytime new to coil building will find this deck ideal for practicing on.


When is a clone not a clone?
When the original thing being cloned or copied never existed!
Yes, apparently there never was a Velocity mini., it never was a thing,  No vaper has ever clapped eyes on one? I'm not altogether sure what's going on here.
How can they make a 1:1 clone of nothing?
It's all a little strange but rest assured I will eat my words if an 'original' mini shows up somewhere! 😉



Rating:👍👍👍👍👍 5 out of 5
Despite its low price point the Velocity mini punches way above its weight in terms of flavour and cloud chucking. It easily out performs other drippers at twice the price.
In much the same way as it's bigger brother the original Velocity, this mini manages to satisfy each and every time you hit the fire button and for something so small I'm quite surprised. This has to be the little dripper deck that every vaper should own, I have no hesitation in recommending it!

Aspire CF Mod

Bargain Basement Vaping

Aspire CF Mod 

Manufacturer: Aspire
Model: CF Mod (Carbon fiber)
Country of origin: China (USA design)
Price: £9.99
Condition: New
Power: 1x 18650 battery (not included)
Operating resistance: 0.1 - 1.0 Ohm
Voltage: 3.7V - 4.2V
Construction: Stainless Steel and Carbon fiber
Regulated?: Yes

The Carbon fiber wrap looks gorgeous!

First impressions
It was only a matter of time before I felt compelled to get a 'Mech Mod' or whatever they are called. You know, the original vaping tubes often seen being used by the serious bearded and tattooed vapers who hang around the local vape stores.
These 'Mods' were originally made from modified flashlight bodies hence the name but the new commercially made tubes have since been made from Brass, stainless steel and other metals and sold at a premium price - In most cases very expensive for what is effectively a metal tube and a metal battery contact pin.

Apart from the price it was the lack of safety features which stopped me buying one. The percieved risk of shorting an 18650 battery out in there by miscalculating a coil build was too much for me and I shyed away.

Fits all 510 style tanks and drippers - the old E-gos too!

All that off-putting worry was lifted however when I happened across this rather stunning regulated tube mod from Aspire.
The CF or Carbon fiber line promised all the flexibility of a mechanical mod but with battery protection built in.
Needless to say that when I saw this little beauty for a tenner I felt it was rude not to buy it!
Maybe now there was a device on the market that a complete novice could cobble a DIY coil on without the fear of a battery explosion!

Nicely made

Good Points

• Great build quality
• Short circuit protection
• Over-discharge protection
• Protective switch
• Reliable operation
• Stable and consistent
• Decent spring loaded 510 connection
• Fricking georgeous Carbon fiber!

Plenty of battery vent holes on the tail cap

,Bad Points

• I have yet to find a single bad point

I must admit there aren't many reviews where I can't find a single fault with something however minor that may be but in the case of the CF Mod so far this is indeed one of those reviews. I have been using this device for about three weeks now almost on a daily basis and it hasn't let me down once.
It seems to cope with every different type of coil I throw at it. Drippers and tanks of all brands and types seem to fit well and perform brilliantly on the CF Mod as you would expect.
All the flexibility of a mechanical mod but with a tank full of safety thrown in.  It's certainly better value for money than some of those homemade looking brass things you see about.

Looks like a serious bit of kit with the Luggy tank on the top

Overall then it's a reliable and safe vaping device which isn't too big to fit on your pocket or too heavy to cart about all day long.
As for the question of how low can you build, I myself have used a coil build as low as 0.19 ohm without drama or concern and I don't suppose I would ever go lower than that anyway.
In terms of appearance, where can you get something this good looking wrapped in Carbon fiber for a tenner?


Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍  5 out of 5
For anyone looking for a cheap tube mod the Aspire CF range of devices could be right up your street. The quality of build is great. The Carbon fiber touches are fancy and above all else its safe, regulated operation should be appealing to both the sub ohm beginners and veterans alike. I really like it! Great value for money..

KVP Smod 200W box mod

Bargain Basement Vaping 

KVP Smod 200W E-Cigarette Box Mod

Manufacturer: Kang Vape
Model: Smod 200W
Country of origin: China
Price: £10.50 + £3.90 shipping
Condition: New
Power: up to 200W
Max Output: 8V
Batteries: 2x 18650 li-ion
Regulated: Yes
Operating resistance: 0.06 - 3.00 Ohm
Tank capacity: N/A
Construction: Stainless steel
Vendor: private eBay seller
Temperature control?: Yes
TPD Compliant: Yes
Compatible Coil Wire: Kanthal, Ni-200, Titanium

Looks great with the Goblin mini up top

First impressions 
I had shyed away from the larger box type mods during my vaping journey due mainly to a lack of understanding I had of them and the cost.
Many of the known box mods are quite expensive compared to the mainstream vaping pens and require an extra skill set to operate them safety. It was easy to get put off.

Bright and clear OLED display screen

Trawling around the eBay auctions on a regular basis you get to see some weird and wonderful box mods come up and all of them sporting a tasty price tag - except for this Smod....
I hadn't seen one before and they don't come up for auction very often.
With a ridiculously low starting bid I thought I might take a chance and see if I could snag this KVP thing?
Thankfully for me I get this brand new Smod 200W for a little of £10 GBP which I thought was staggering.
The Smod arrived brand new and sealed after only a couple of days. The outer box packaging was a little shitty, not really on par with the likes of Kanger products. No fancy plastic sleeve, posh inserts but a box none-the-less.
Inside was the Smod 200 and nothing else except for a poorly translated set of instructions and a QC tag.

Partially covered vent holes (turquoise sticker)

The box itself is made from thin stainless steel and does feel a little cheap. Inside the mod we find all the electronic stuff hidden behind some pretty basic plastic covers. Not top quality but should do the job.
The batteries were easy to fit and the polarity symbols clear - it does have reverse polarity protection so it shouldn't be an issue if the batteries get put in the wrong way round.

Easy in - Easy out battery swapping

Testing
This box mod works really well on the whole.
Smooth and consistent power bursts ensure a great vape whichever tank you stick on it.
The screen is clear, bright and fast responding. The buttons are metallic, solid and don't rattle about.
Everything works as it should considering the price.


What hides behind stickers....
The Smod 200W comes in a few different designs. paintings of American flag with sexy lady, a set of cogs, a turquoise splatter pattern and this one which features a girl, the 'top doll's as it were.
Well, I know now that these pretty graphics are hiding a cost cutting endeavour by our friends at KVP. You see, underneath the pretty girl sticker was the KVP logo and a 150W etched into the stainless steel casings. Odd?
Also the sky blue banding that runs around the edge of the box is also a sticker. I think it's pretty obvious what KVP have done here and I'm not sure if I should be a little mad about it?
I suppose it's cheaper to put the newer upgraded chips in the exiting cases rather than have a load more new ones knocked up.
I guess it keeps the cost down.

Peeling a sticker from a side panel reveals a KVP 150W?

Good Points

• Full 200W of power
• Nice and clear OLED display
• Good 510 connection
• Easy to swap out the batteries
• Good level of safety/protection
• Plenty of battery vent holes
• Quite exclusive - not seen in the usual stores
• Dirt CHEAP!!

Bad Points

• Occasional screen glitches
• Feels at bit flimsy on the inside of the device
• Uninspiring design
• External metalwork could be better
• Cheap skates used a standard Smod 150W case and put a sticker over it

Brand new and sealed for a tenner!

Rating: 👍👍👍👍
Leaving aside the slightly crap build quality, this powerful box mod does everything you might want for a fraction of the cost of a top branded model.
In my case £10.50 + £3.90 shipping...... outrageous!
I love it!

Kangertech Nebox 60W Starter Kit

Kangertech Nebox 60W AIO Starter Kit

Manufacturer: Kanger
Model: Nebox
Status: discontinued
Price: £14 +free shipping       normally £25-£55
Condition: Second hand
Vendor: some dude off ebay
Power: up to 60W
Battery: 1x 18650 lithium cell (high drain) - not included
Regulated?: Yes
Tank: 10ml
Temperature control?: Yes
Construction: Aluminium/Zinc case / Delrin plastic
TPD Compliant?: No
Compatible Coil Wire: Kanthal, Ni-200, Titanium

What's in the Box?
Quite a lot as it happens.....

1x Nebox mod
1x charging cable
1x Ni-200 nickel coil (temperature control)
1x Kanthal coil (wattage control)
1x RBA mini rebuildable coil deck
1x pack of Muji cotton pads
1x RBA pack - screwdriver + 2x Kanthal coils
Various instructions, authentication cards etc

Nice little OLED screen

First Impressions
Very early on in my mission to stop smoking I realised that the pen style ecigarettes often seen in high street stores were not going to be good enough for me to kick it.
It was obvious that I would need something with a little more power and a greater capacity.

I stumbled across this gorgeous looking Kanger Nebox and fell in love with it straight away.
It promised more power, more vapour, higher battery capacity and more coil options to Taylor my experience.

Shitty paint​ job on the bottom

This red Nebox starter kit was second hand and almost new which explains why I got it for a fraction of the retail price (£14 as opposed to £30+)
The seller explained that he had a problem with the tank leaking ejuice all over the place and decided to sell after a few tries.
I decided to take a chance and buy the kit with the idea that I would fix the leak if it happened to me.

The kit arrived after a couple of days and the first thing I noticed was that the kit had hardly seen the light of day.
Indeed the seller appeared to have tired the device with one of the coils and then put it all away again, presumably after a juice flood.
The complete kit was in excellent condition - the photo above showing the chipped paint along the bottom is all down to me. The bottom of the device was perfect when it arrived but it didn't take long for the paint to start coming off. - and I wasn't being rough with it!

Ni-200, Kanthal and RBA deck. - also takes the square coils

Inside the box was a fair amount of coils and accessories. Everything you might need to get you started except for the juice.  

The Mod itself is made from a tough Aluminium/Zinc outer casing topped with a plastic piano black plate. The juice tank is massive! A full 10ml bottle can be emptied into it with ease meaning I won't have to carry a bottle around with me during the day. The tank is made from Acrylic by the looks of things and seems to be about 2mm thick. Not much chance of breaking it I wouldn't have thought.

The drip tip which attaches to the top is made from delrin plastic and doesn't get hot when vaping. It has a good bore diameter. Not to wide and not too small.
Overall it does feel quite solid and well made. It's not likely to break if it's dropped on the floor.

Changing coils or adding juice is simple and quick and doesn't require a great deal of effort.  

A full 10ml bottles worth in the tank! Woo!

Vaping on this thing is great! Plenty of vapour and more importantly plenty of flavour. 

Using the Ni-200 coils on temperature control adds even more flavour over the standard Kanthal wire.

The vapour never really gets too hot thanks to the coil being at the bottom of the unit and the long chimney allowing the vapour to cool on its way up. 

The LCD menu screen along the side is bright and easy to navigate. There is the option to preprogram your favourite settings in memory and recall them at will. 

The Good Points

• Small and discreet
• Temperature control
• Up to 60w power
• DIY rebuildable coil head included
• Huge 10ml capacity juice tank
• Preset function
• Good value for money

Handsome ain't she?

The Bad Points

• New vertical coils are crap
• Tends to leak depending on coil used
• Air flow not adjustable
• Hard to clean the tank out
• Poor paint job on the base

Leaking

Many people have reported the Nebox leaking from the bottom of the device and I must admit I did happen to me a few times. It was a bit of a mystery at first until I realised the leaking only happened when I fitted the new style coils which come in the box. Trying an older square shaped coil stopped the problem straight away as was using the rebuildable RBA deck. It seems that the new coils may be slightly shorter than the older ones causing a gap between the coil top and the chimmey and letting the juice through.

I never bothered with the cylinder shaped coils again and never had a leak since. 

All in all (and to keep this review as short as possible) this device is a good all day vape device. It's easy to slip in your pocket and there isn't the bulky liquid tank on top as is so often seen on the more powerful ecig devices. 

Rating: 👍👍👍👍 4 out of 5

I owe a lot to this little device - after all this is the thing that got me off the fags permanently. It's a fantastic compact little unit which packs a punch. It's easy to use and the learning curve isnt so great. It has a few flaws and it isn't perfect. Choosing the right coil will stop any unnecessary liquid leakage which tends to be everyone's major gripe with this vape. The 10ml tank and RBA option make this a standout device.

My favourite all day vaping unit!