Steve K's Vaping World

Lately, after doing a number of atomizer reviews it seems I’ve been warming up to atomizers lately.  My electronic cigarette can be seen sporting the devices a little more frequently than before.  The latest atomizer I have been toting around is the 510 LR Canon Stealth from Ikenvape.

Design

Canon compared to standard 510

The Canon is part of a new atomizer trend – hybrids.  Hybrids basically take the good parts of two different atomizers and do a mashup to in theory provide one good atomizer.  IkenVape’s take on that is to combine 510 threading and an 801 atomizer and add a little bit of a twist.

Ike’s Stealth is actually fatter than a standard 801 on the bottom and tapers up to the normal size.  This allows for more room inside for the components.  The extra real estate was put to good use.  The bridge in this thing is enormous and features plenty of extra steel wool.  The end result is a dripping atomizer that can handle a lot of juice at the same time (about 12 drops to prime and 4-6 drops to top off in between).

The general design of the casing is top notch.  Unlike many other black e-cigarette atomizers, the finish on the IkenVape model is not a black sticker.  These atomizers are powder coated with a nice glossy black finish. While more durable than a sticker, the paint will chip and flake off in small spots if you are rough with it. IkenVape and the resistance rating (2.5 in my case) are etched into the coating.  No mistaking what atomizer you have adorning your e-cig in this case.

Atop the atomizer itself is a rubber tip.  The tip tapers down to a very thin mouthpiece.  I actually enjoyed using that mouthpiece, but removing it every time I needed to re-up my drops got old really fast.  Unfortunately, when I ordered my atomizer, I didn’t realize it required 801 drip tips because I apparently don’t pay attention as it is clearly mentioned on the product page.

I spent several days using the factory tip while I was waiting for a suitable drip tip to make its way to me.  I found that after a while, the constant removing and reinsertion of the tip did a pretty good job of chewing up the rubber where it connects to the atomizer.  The tip still functioned perfectly, but it looked like my dog got ahold of it.

Performance
Good looks are nice, but the real question is how does it vape?  I loaded up with my cherry tobacco juice and put it through its paces on a few different electronic cigarettes.  I used a few different electronic cigarettes to see how the performance would vary.  One thing I noticed right off the bat was that the draw would change depending on what e-cig was in use.

Huge wick and extra steel wool

The draw on the Canon is quite airy to begin with, however, on a standard eGo battery, the draw was entirely too airy.  On the Lea and the box mod, the draw tightened up because the bottom of the atomizer sat flush with the connector and there were no air gaps on those models.

I sort of ruled out the eGo as a valid test platform (and the Revolution where the Canon just wouldn’t work at all) and focused on the Lea and the generic variable volt box.  The 2.5 ohm atomizer is recommended for 3.7-5v so the Lea is probably a little bit under powered for the job.  Still, performance was not bad with decent production and flavor.

Performance really shined around 4.5v to 5v.  Decent performance all around, and even at higher voltages running a little dry wasn’t a major catastrophe.  At higher voltages I’ve found many atomizers make your life miserable if you let them get dry.  You’re treated to a nice, dry hit that will have you hacking up your gall bladder.  The Canon more or less gently reminds you its time to add a little more goodness.

The opposite end of the dripping spectrum is where things start to break down on the shiny, black wonder.  At higher voltages, certain models of the Canon have a tendency to leak from the battery connector.  My 2.5 ohm Canon was one of those unfortunate models.  At lower voltages on the Lea, I did about 6 drops when I re-dripped.  At 4.5v and above on the box mod I would find myself with little juice slicks on the mod after the atomizer warms up.

IkenVape is aware of the issue and they have a thread on ECF about the subject.  They are looking into a fix, but in the interim if you happen to get one of these fickle atties, you’ll want to turn the heat down a notch or be a little more cautious in your dripping activities.

Too Long; Didn’t Read
The IkenVape Canon is a handsome and durable atomizer put together by combining an oversized 808 body and engine with 510 threading.  The large capacity ensures less frequent grabs at your favorite juice bottle. The 2.5 ohm like many IkenVape products performs decently at lower voltages but really gets its groove on when you turn up the heat a little.  Unfortunately, some models experience a leak issue with higher voltages, which has me looking forward to a revision of this model in the near future.

Performance:
Draw: loose to very loose
Vapor Production: Good
Throat Hit: Excellent
Warmth: Moderate to Warm (depending on voltage)

Pros:

• Very attractive
• Durable finish
• Large capacity
• Good performance