Ikenvape IKV 306 LR Atomizer: Impressions

I like to say that I’m a cartomizer guy. Lately I’ve been test driving some atomizers for my trusty electronic cigarettes. I want to cover all aspects of e-cigarettes so that means using some gear I may not have ordinarily bought on my own. Some of my recent acquisitions include a pair of atties from IkenVape.

IkenVape has an amazingly devout following of customers who claim Ike’s products are a cut above. Ike works directly with engineers and manufacturers to custom design his products. After spending time with the IKV LR 306 atomizer, I can certainly see where Ike fans are coming from.

Physical Design

LR 306 next to a standard 510

The most obvious trait of the 306 atomizer its minuscule size. 306 Electronic cigarettes are small, cigarette sized micro devices that use the same threading as 510 batteries. The other physical difference from a 510 atomizer is the exposed bridge. Because of this size and design, other 510 accessories like drip tips are not compatible with the 306.

Despite their origins with small cigarette replacement e-cigarattes that use cartridges, the most popular application of 306 atomizers is direct dripping. The IKV 306 comes with a blank cartridge, which in theory could be used in place of a drip tip. In practice, you’ll want to pick up a 306 drip tip, it’s pretty much a must.

The drip tips slide on rather than fit into the atomizer with a 306. I found occasionally when over dripping, juice would leak out the bottom of the unit between the drip tip and the side wall. I did not experience leaking through the battery connector nor much gurgling in overfilled conditions.

The Experience
After removing the blank cartridge by attaching it my Innokin Lea and pulling firmly, I popped on the drip tip. I dripped the recommended 6 drops to prime the atomizer, fired it up a couple more times. After it was ready to go, I put in two more drops and took a nice puff.

In Bizarro World, drip tip is bigger
than atty!

The puff was very rewarding. As you might imagine with the 306 being so short, the vapor is very warm. Once the 306 is warmed up, the vapor is probably the closest thing I’ve gotten to analog cigarette smoke since I started vaping. The vapor is plentiful from this little guy, it’s hard to believe such a small device could produce such a healthy amount of vapor!

During use, I found it fairly easy to maintain the proper amount of drops on the atomizer. The 306 likes 2-3 drops between vaping sessions. The little atty will let you know when its ready for some more juice, but it won’t beat you up over it. The flavor change is noticeable, but it does not produce that horrible, burning dry hit sensation.

I did briefly use the 306 on a 5 volt device, which made dry hits much more aggressive than on an eGo style pv. Most other traits were similarly amplified at high voltage, but the jump wasn’t as radical as it is on something like a dual coil cartomizer. In general, I think these atomizers are more at home on a 3.7v device. Since these are lower resistance atomizers, expect a drop in the battery charge department.

Performance
As usual, I vaped on a few different devices using my go-to testing juice (Cherry Tobacco from Blue Mist). I found the experience fairly consistant between devices, so I won’t go through lengths to break it down by device.

Flavor: Good
Throat Hit: Excellent, with slightly harsh but not unpleasant undertones, again adding to the analog experience.
Vapor Production: Outstanding

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Not too long: did I mention it was small?

IkenVape is known for well-engineered products that boast exceptional performance. The 306 has its share of fans for good reason. Performance from this tiny fireball is downright fantastic. If you are a fan of dripping, the 306 belongs in your vape kit. I still feel like I lack the patience (and sometimes coordination) to drip on a regular basis, but I can guarantee you I’ll be referring back to the 306 frequently.

Pros: