Previously I wrote an electronic cigarette review that compared the standard e-cigarette kit from UK seller E Cigarette Direct against the 10 Motives disposable e-cig. I’m following up with another e-cigarette review geared more towards vapers in the UK (and Europe and Australia). This time we’re looking at the company’s newest offering, a refillable tank style e-cigarette.
This kit is a Joye 510-T style e-cigarette kit. So American readers will likely be able to find something similar at US vendors as well.
What’s in the Box
Unlike a lot of electronic cigarette starter kits I’ve received which come in black boxes with understated logo designs, the Halo Tank comes in a white box with a bold graphic design on the outside. Opening the lid of the box reveals a foam insert with cutouts for the pieces of the kit, which includes:
- 1 standard (180mAh) 510 manual battery
- 1 XL (280mAh) 510 manual battery
- 2 tank atomizers
- 5 empty tanks
- 1 USB charger
- 10ml e-liquid (not actually in the box)
- English instruction manual
e-Cigarette Design
Tank style e-cigarettes (not to be confused with cartomizer tanks) are becoming increasingly popular in standard “stick” style electronic cigarettes. The tank design allows users who may be relatively new to the e-cigarette experience enjoy the benefits of using separate e-liquid while still keeping things relatively simple.
The Smoker’s Halo is a fairly typical three-piece design found in tank systems. The e-cigarette’s three pieces are the battery, the atomizer, and the tank cartridge. Assembly is very straight forward, the atomizer screws on to the battery, the tank is filled with e-liquid and then inserted into the atomizer.
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| Battery, atomizer and cartridges |
This kit made an interesting choice in battery selection which I really like. Rather than including either two standard size or two XL size batteries, there’s one of each. This lets the user try out each style to decide which they prefer. This comes in handy when ordering more batteries down the road (and everyone eventually buys more batteries).
Another interesting battery choice that I also like is the decision to use manual batteries. Automatic batteries tend to dominate standard style e-cigarette kits. This is mostly because the experience is more cigarette like, which I am convinced is crucial to a successful transition from traditional cigarettes. However, I always recommend people try and get over that as quickly as possible because there are a number of performance benefits using a manual battery.
The batteries in this electronic cigarette starter kit do hold on to one kind of standard of entry level kits. The LEDs at the end of the batteries are orange. This is a personal quirk of mine, but I dislike orange and red LEDs in any e-cigarette. I understand some people, especially those looking for a very similar experience to smoking like the traditional look. I’d just like to see vendors offer an alternate color choice.
Moving along the battery to the atomizer, the design is fairly similar to many other tank-style e-cigarettes. The inside features a hollow spike through which a small amount of wick protrudes. The spike enters the cartridge and liquid is soaked up via the wick inside the spike.
Experience
There’s a flat metal bar under the spike, which lines up with the shape of the tank. I found that when this is lined up correctly and the atomizer fully bolted onto the battery, it places the tip of the flat “whistle tip” style cartridge a little bit out of line with the button. Loosening the atomizer slightly will line those things up, though it’s a fairly minor thing and is easy enough to get used to.
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| Tanks. You’re welcome |
Other than making sure the tank and atomizer are properly aligned, using the Smoker’s Halo Tank is a pretty dead simple affair. To fill a tank, simply remove the silicone gasket inside the tank and fill with about 1.2ml of your favorite e-liquid. Stick the gasket back on and put the tank on the atomizer.
A nice bonus is that each tank comes with a silicone cover, similar to those found on cartomizers. This allows you to store liquid in the tanks on-the-go. With five tanks included, that should cut down on refills over the course of a day.
Otherwise, there was nothing unusual about using the electronic cigarette. Since I’ve been using manual batteries for a long time, there’s no issue using that, and I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t take long to get used to the button. I also found the draw (the amount of suction it takes to puff the device) seemed to be comfortable and natural feeling.
e-Cigarette Performance
An occasional problem is leaks or dry spots with tank style e-cigarettes. I found that the Smoker’s Halo version had neither leaks nor dry burns. The cartridge did an admiral job of holding in the liquid, and was dead simple to fill. Simply pull off the silicone gasket, drip liquid directly in the tank and put the gasket back.
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| LED is still orange |
Many tanks systems also have a little bit of a reputation for muting flavors. I’ve probably used devices that produce a little bit fuller flavor, but in comparison to other tank devices I found this e-cigarette did a fairly competent job at flavor reproduction.
Which leads to vapor production. I found that the Smoker’s Halo produced a fair amount of vapor, but it was slightly less than other tank systems. This might be in part due to the fact the kit pairs a 3.0Ω atomizer with a 510 battery. This is a fairly standard combination as it improves battery life, but it does result in lower vapor production. I did find that the hotter I got the atomizer by vaping it frequently, the better the vapor production.
Battery life dials in right where you’d expect it for this type of device. I got a little bit under 2 hours on the shorty battery. The XL version got closer to the 3-3 1/2 hour mark. Keep in mind I am a very heavy vaper, especially when I’m testing a product for review, so you are likely to see better results than this.
Too Long; Didn’t Read
UK electronic cigarette company E Cigarette Direct recently launched a new 510 tank e-cigarette to its lineup of RN4081 cartomizer electronic cigarettes. The new arrival gives users the chance to easily step up to e-liquid refilling and manual switch operation with minimal fuss. Additional features like two battery sizes and portable cartridges enhances the kit’s versatility. While the device may not be the highest performance option on the market, it provides a good balance of features that should appeal to a number of consumers.
Performance
Battery life: average
Vapor production: moderate
Vapor temperature: cool
Throat hit: moderate
Flavor reproduction: good to very good
Pros
- Good build quality
- Includes XL and standard battery
- Manual battery
- Ease of use
- Good protability
Cons
- Funky alignment of button and tip
- Moderate performer
- LED only available in orange
Details
Product: The Smoker’s Halo Tank Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit
Available From: E Cigarette Direct (Europe and Australia)
Price: £34.99
Price: £34.99
Threading: Joye 510
Battery rating: 180 and 280mAh
Battery type: manual
Atomizer resistance: 3Ω
Disclosure: I feature ads for E Cigarette Direct and I wrote a supplemental user guide for this device
2 Comments
Chris
(01/06/12 - 12:42 am)Looks good!
thetruckinggeek
(01/08/12 - 2:53 pm)This would be good to give to a new vaper
Comments are closed.