Steve K's Vaping World

The following review of the Smoker’s Halo USB multi adapter from e-Cigarette Direct is a little different from my normal reviews.  For starters, if you’ve read my review of the Smoker’s Angel starter kit, you know they are based in the UK.  This means this review is more for my international friends (though the company will ship to the US).  The second weird part is that despite the way it’s sold, the USB multi adapter isn’t purely an e-cigarette accessory.  Read the rest of the review to find out why.

Who’s it For?

• Multi-taskers
• People with limited USB ports for e-cigarette charging
• Me

Click here to see the adapter on ECigarette Direct’s site.

So.. What is it?

The Smoker’s Halo USB multi adapter is billed as an adapter that will let you plug in up to four e-cigarette chargers to charge up four ecigs at once.  The reality is that this device isn’t specific to e-cigarette markets.  It is a regular USB hub.

The fact this is a standard USB hub works out in its favor.  Primarily, because that means the multi adapter can no only be used for e-cigarette chargers, but it can also work for data devices like USB thumb drives and iPhones.

It also means that unlike some of the multi-chargers out there that used to be popular for a specific style of e-cigarettes, you can mix and match the types of ecigs you charge just by plugging in the proper adapter.  Mix and match 510, KR808 and eGo devices if you want, just don’t mix up the chargers!

Design

The ECigarette Direct adapter is set up sort of like an electrical power strip.  The device is sort of a long rectangle with the four USB slots arranged in a row.  The USB cable to connect to your computer is attached to the cord similar to a power cord on a surge protector.

The most unusual feature of this adapter also carries on the surge protector motif.  At the top of the device there’s a red on/off rocker switch.  This is unusual for a USB hub, but a great feature for e-cigarette chargers.  The switch will allow you to kill power to the USB chargers if you don’t want them running when you can’t keep an eye on them.

The adapter also has a small port on the side to attach an AC power adapter (not included) if you need to give the multi-adapter a power boost.

More Power!

For optimal results, if you’re going to charge more than one thing at once, you will want a USB output that can provide sufficient power to the attached devices.

Ideally, you’ll want a USB port that outputs at least 2 amps of current.  Not all PCs are created equally.  Some have no ports that provide this much power, while others only have one “high power port.  For example on a Macbook, the high power port is the one closest to the laptop’s power connection.

You might have to break out the old manual or ask your weird cousin who works in an IT department somewhere to figure out which port you should use the adapter on.  Otherwise, you’ll have to find an outboard AC adapter.  One small problem there: there are no markings on the multi adapter indicating what type of AC adapter you will need.

Another option is you can use an AC to USB adapter if one came with your e-cigarette kit. You’ll just want to make sure it can supply enough power.  Naturally, that solution would only give power and no connectivity to your computer.

Performance

As I hinted at during the who’s it for section, I found this adapter to be incredibly useful.  My normal ride when working on this site and doing most of my e-cigarette “stuff” is an iMac.  iMacs are notorious for having only 3 USB ports.  I’m constantly swapping out between ecig chargers, USB sticks, my iPhone and so on.

As soon as I got this adapter, I pretty much plugged everything into it I could.  I also expected it not to work due to lack of power.

I plugged in a standard e-cigarette charger (one of the company’s, it only seemed fair), another charger for an eGo model, my SD USB card reader and my iPhone.  The iPhone was the last device since I was convinced that would be the one that broke everything.

To my great surprise, everything worked fine. The phone synced, data transferred from the memory card and the electronic cigarettes charged.  Not only that, but I didn’t have any unplugged USB devices lying around any more.

I suppose I can’t really say much else about performance.  This is one of these things that either works or doesn’t work.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

The Smoker’s Halo USB Multi Adapter from Ecigarette Direct works.  It lets you hook up four electronic cigarette chargers (or any other USB device) at the same time and provides power, assuming your computer’s USB port can support it. The added on/off switch is a nice feature that allows you to cut the power to your chargers once they’ve done the job.  You can buy one at ECigarette Direct.

Details:

Product Name: Smoker’s Halo USB Multi-adapter
Available From: ECigarette Direct (UK)
Price: £6.95 (£12.95 with two e-cigarette chargers included)
Standard: USB 2.0
Power 5v, 2A

Disclosure: ECigarette Direct is a sponsor of this site and sent me this device at no cost for this review (or maybe just because they’re cool like that and I reviewed it anyway).