The Squeezable Presa TC-40W [Review]

I recently received a Presa TC-4oW via the good people at Direct Vapor. As the name suggests, it’s a 4o watt temperature control device. If you’re imaginative, the name also denotes sort of reveals the special feature. Maybe they should have named it the Squeeza.

Disclosure: I received this from Direct Vapor for review. This review contains affiliate links

Check options and pricing at Direct Vapor.

The Specs

40 Watt power output
2300 mAh battery
Temperature control for Nickel and Titanium coils
OLED display
Compact size
Physical lock button
Micro USB charging
Included eGo adapter

Review

Out of the box, the specs don’t look that impressive. After all, I’m sure it’s just a matter of days before someone releases a box capable of handling 1.21 gigawatts of power. But, for most applications 40 watts is a pretty capable number.

The real standout features don’t have much to do with a spec sheet, but rather how the device is designed.

Basically, the shape of the box is a familiar rounded box, but the left half of the side has a sweeping curve that tapers from the bottom to the top. The small size of the Presa makes it easy to grip in the hand.

Why that’s a big deal makes sense when I point out that entire curved side is the fire button. It’s a spring-loaded mechanical panel that lets you fire the device simply by squeezing it while you’re gripping the TC40w.

One of the things I’ve always been picky about in my past reviews is button placement. Even a good APV can be ruined if it’s hard to reliably press the little button that makes the magic vapor come out.

Of course I can only talk about how it feels to me. The Presa eliminates that problem altogether because anywhere you press on that side panel, you’re pressing the button.

Of course, a design like that does come with some drawbacks. Putting the thing in your pocket, for example, can be disasterous with that kind of button. There is a very small mechanical slider button at the top of the panel which will lock the button to prevent that.

During practical use, I found the switch wasn’t 100% reliable. Instead I’d go with using the built-in 5-click on/off feature to disable the device via software.

Speaking of button complaints, I’m also not a huge fan of the adjustment buttons. Rather than having the buttons above or below the display where you could accidentally hit them when mashing the panel down for some vaping time, the buttons are located on the side of the panel instead of the face of it.

This is a great idea to prevent accidental presses, but the buttons are small and kind of recessed which doesn’t make them the easiest thing to control. On top of that, it has all the fussiness of a typical two-button setup where you have to do a combination of presses and holds to change settings.

It probably is the best system they could have put in place, but it is a minor annoyance. That’s probably made up by not having to worry about accidental settings changes. My M80 ends up getting put on the wrong settings all the time which has caused more than one incredibly burnt hit in my experience.

Fortunately, I’ve been using the same tank on the Presa for weeks now, so I haven’t had to mess with the buttons much. I really love the squeeze to vape system.

The biggest drawback from my usage is battery life. Because this is a smaller device, it can’t pack the huge capacity that full-size boxes offer. As a result, unlike my other boxes, I generally can’t get through a full vaping day without having to go in for a recharge.

There’s not much that can really be done about the situation. Getting more mAh capacity would require a bigger box. If it gets much bigger, it wouldn’t be easy to hold in your hand and squeeze. That would totally take away the magic of this little box.

While it’s not as awesome on paper as many higher wattage APVs, it provides enough power and fuctionality for the majority of the people. The squeeze control makes this box special, it just feels good to use.

Check out Direct Vapor to see options and prices.