Steve K's Vaping World

My recent review of the eGo Mini reminded me of another diminutive electronic cigarette, the SD Keyring. Both offer performance beyond their miniature sizes and are quite handy for a compact and pocketable vaping solution. Sometimes,  you just want something tiny, and simple rather than lugging around an oversized device while out and about.  Both of these devices are good travel companions. The next logical step, of course is to write a comparison of the eGo Mini and the SD Keyring.

Size

Both devices are amazingly tiny, especially when compared to full-size devices.  Both the SD and eGo models are very close to each other in size as well.  The eGo is a little taller thanks to the eGo connector.  The Keyring has a flush 510 connector, which gives it the edge when looking at the base device.

Whether or not the eGo is actually taller will depend on the hardware attached to each.  eGo style cartomizers will cover the bottom threads of the eGo, potentially negating the SD Keyring’s advantage.

Despite the cartomizer factor, the advantage goes to the Keyring, based entirely on the size of the two batteries.

Capacity

The two devices’ nearly identical size also translates into very similar battery capacity.  Barring any sort of weird fire magic, battery capacity is going to relate to the physical size of the battery.  Therefore, both of these units aren’t exactly all day batteries.  They both have a fairly respectable capacity for their size however. The SD Keyring comes in at 300mAh of capacity, while the tiny eGo over tops it with 350mAh of storage.

The eGo Mini has a slight advantage in this category.

Features

This category is a little more tricky to arrive at a definitive winner. Different features may appeal to different people.  Anyway, here we go.  The first is activation, the SD device is an automatic battery, while the eGo is a manual device with a backlit fire button. Personally, I prefer manual batteries, though the Keyring is a pretty manageable auto battery. One thing to note, however, the lack of a light on the Keyring does make it better suited to vaping on the sly in dark environments.

The second feature is the cartomizer connections.  The eGo offers, well, an eGo connection.  That means all the cartomizers designed specifically for that type of device will work right out of the box.  The SD Keyring could also support the eGo threaded gear with the addition of an adapter.

Adding an adapter does increase the complexity of the device somewhat.  That, combined from my admitted personal bias toward manual batteries, I’m just going to give this one to the little eGo as well.

Performance

This is perhaps the most important category on the list.  After all, a device that is tiny and doesn’t really perform all that great is likely a device you won’t be taking along with you.

Both devices are also very equally matched.  I was able to confirm the Smoktech eGo mini is more like an unregulated 3.7v device, outputting over 4v fresh off the charger, and gradually dwindling as the battery drains.  The Keyring, being automatic, I couldn’t verify the output voltage.  I think it’s the same story there, based on the way the device actually performs.

While it takes a little bit of technique to get the performance out of the Keyring (you have to take a short primer puff or two to get the coil warmed up), I’m going to go ahead and call this one a tie.

Reliability

Each of these compact e-cigarettes are pretty well built.  I don’t expect reliability to be any better or worse than similar full-sized devices on the market.  However, there is one notable flaw in the SD Keyring.

It’s not so much a flaw, as it is a common thing with automatic batteries.  If you direct drip into an atomizer (or just have a leaky cartomizer), e-liquid can get through the air holes in the connector and leak into the electronics of the battery.

I had this happen when I was originally reviewing the keychain, and it caused some issues.  The issues eventually cleared up on their own, but liquid is something to consider.

The eGo has a sealed connection because of the manual switch, so the advantage goes there.

Summary

The mini eGo and the SD battery are both pretty competent little devices.  They each offer a very compact frame making them ideal for situations where you don’t want to bring out the big e-cigarette.  Both offer very similar, and very good performance.  While the eGo takes most of the categories in my little comparison here, the decision is really going to be down to personal preference.

If you are a fan of automatic batteries, or don’t want a bright white light to go off each time you take a puff, then the decision is a no-brainer.  However, if you are used to the push button, and like the flexibility of the eGo connector, then that becomes the best choice.  What I’m trying to say here is either way you probably won’t go wrong.

If you missed the original reviews, you can find the Keyring here and the eGo here.

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