Steve K's Vaping World

Among the “big box” e-cigarette vendors, Vapor4Life has taken steps to set itself apart from the pack. The company made its name with its selection of traditional e-cigarettes, but it has started carrying a line of advanced devices. This line is called OMG and features a number of advanced devices. V4L sent me an example of one device, the OMG Handle Mod. I’ll take a look at this personal vaporizer and try to get a handle on a review.

Details

What’s in the Box

There are several different versions of the kit. The base kit includes batteries and a charger. Upgrade kits include e-liquid and cartomizer tanks.

• 1 V4l Handle Mod
• 1 18650 battery
• 1 single-slot battery charger
• Printed manual
• 6ml dual coil cartomizer tank (upgrade kit)
• 30ml e-liquid (upgrade kit)

V4l Handle’s Design

I have no delicate way to put this, so I’ll just lay it out. This is V4L’s version of the VV Gripper. The included instruction manual even refers to the device as the V4L OMG VV Gripper.

There have been a few changes to the design according to the company. The obvious change is the move to a KR808 connector in place of the 510 threading. This allows complete compatibility with all V4L’s accessories.  The person I talked to over at Vapor4Life also informs me some additional engineering went into this product including more accurate voltage output. The site also lists the device as able to handle 4 amp loads.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing my rudimentary test equipment is suffering some… technical difficulties. I have no positive way to confirm or deny these changes. However, I do have a general indication on how it works based on using it. More on that in the performance section.

The other change is color choice. V4L’s take on the device can be hand not only in black, but also green, red and blue.

For readers who may not be familiar with the Gripper, I’ll go over the basics of the design. The Handle is essentially a highly stylized box mod type device. Fortunately, it’s not completely boxy, but rather features a gentle taper along the sides and rounded edges along the top and bottom.

As the name implies, there are finger grips along one edge providing a comfortable hand hold on the device. The finish is a rubberized coating making this a very pleasant device to hang on to.

The Handle features a top-mounted fire button. The button is large and easy to hit with the thumb. It provides a nice tactile click when pressed.

Also on the top of the device is the atomizer connector which is offset to the same side as the grip handle. There is plenty of room between the button and connector for even large tanks.

Turn the device over and there is an attached battery door to accommodate the large 18650 battery. There is a very large battery vent on the back of the device which makes it look like it has a loudspeaker or something.

The controls are mounted on the front of the device. There is are three buttons, two for adjusting the voltage, and a master on/off button. Hold the power button to display the atomizer’s resistance, or click it 5 times to shut off the device. 5 more clicks turns it back on.

Constructed from two pieces of plastic, the device has a seam running around the edges. This makes the V4L Handle very lightweight. Despite the plastic construction, the device is still fairly durable.

Using the V4L Handle

This model is very easy to operate. The screen is well illuminated and the adjustment buttons aren’t quite as small as some other e-cigarettes running around out there.

If I had one complaint about the general design, it’s that my hands don’t quite fit the finger grooves. I still found the design ergonomic enough and my thumb comfortable reached the fire button.

Performance is the real question when it comes to variable voltage vaporizers. As I mentioned, this is going to be a little unscientific as I don’t have reliable test equipment at the moment.

The original Gripper fell well short of the 4 amp claims it made and it dialed in around 2.5 amps like most devices on the market.  It seems that the V4L version is doing a little better in that department.  I can notice a difference in vapor production and temperature in a dual coil cartomizer set at 4 volts and at 5 volts. At least on a superficial level this device seems to get fairly close to a high voltage experience with dual coils.

I still doubt it can get to 4 amps however. I tried the same experiment going from 5 to 6 volts with the same cartomizer. Things didn’t seem to get that much hotter. Normally 6v would pretty much toast a 1.5 ohm dual coil, so I’m guessing this device is probably closer to the 3 ~ 3.5 amp range with practical use.

That’s a little shy of expectations, but not bad for a single battery device. Dual battery advanced personal vaporizers like the ZMAX seem to be about the only ones that can really deliver that kind of performance reliably.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Of all the big brand electronic cigarette companies, Vapor4Life has done a great job introducing its customer base to the world of advanced personal vaporizers through its OMG line. The Handle is basically a VV Gripper with a few tweaks under the hood. It appears that the tweaks do make a difference to some degree, and the Handle is certainly not a bad choice, especially if you are already a fan of V4L. You can grab a Handle (get it?) at V4L.

Pros

• Ergonomic design
• Easy to adjust
• Good performance

Cons

• More expensive than the original gripper
• Plastic construction
• May not be comfortable for all users’ hands

Disclosure: V4L sent me this product for review. I feature affiliate links for V4L