Comparison Eleaf iJust S Kit vs KangerTech Topbox Mini Starter Kit

Additional functions of the board provided in the electronic battery mod (see "Battery mod").

— Varivolt. Battery mods that allow you to adjust the voltage supplied to the atomizer. Due to this, the power supply changes and, accordingly, the heating power and the general vaping mode are regulated. At the same time, unlike the varivolt (see below), the voltage change in the varivolt is carried out only manually, regardless of the resistance of the atomizer. In fact, this means that if the user wants to get the same power on an atomizer with a different resistance, he will have to reconfigure the varivolt.

— Variwatt. Battery mods with the ability to automatically maintain the specified power supplied to the atomizer. An automated version of varivolts, which is able to automatically adjust to changes in the resistance of the atomizer. The voltage in the variatt is set for a specific resistance of the atomizer; if the resistance changes, then the electronics automatically sets the voltage at the output of the battery mod so that the power remains unchanged. Thanks to this, you can put heaters with different resistances on the battery pack without worrying about reconfiguring the power parameters — the variatt will independently select the desired voltage, keeping the intensity of soaring at the usual level. The main disadvantage of this option compared to...the varivolt is the relatively high cost, and compared to thermal control(see below), the need to choose the power experimentally, by trial and error.

— Variwatt + Varivolt. Battery mods capable of operating in two different modes — varivolt or variwatt, at the request of the user. These modes are described in more detail separately, and their combination in one battery pack can be useful for those who appreciate the advantages of vari-watt, but are not averse to experimenting with vari-volt as well.

— Thermal control + variatt. Battery mods that combine the variatt capabilities described above with the thermal control function. Thermal control allows you to monitor the temperature of the spiral, maintain it at an optimal level and turn off the power when approaching critical heating. The combination of these two adjustments is the most advanced option for today, in fact, eliminating the need for the vaper to manually select the optimal power settings. At the same time, the steam turns out to be pleasant to the taste (both due to its own temperature, and due to the fact that the probability of burning the wick is reduced to almost zero), and the battery charge is consumed in an optimal way. A serious drawback of thermal control, in addition to a rather high cost, is limited compatibility with atomizers: for this function to work correctly, a “head” with a coil made of nickel or titanium is required, and such models are relatively rare, and they are not cheap in themselves.

— Thermal control. Battery mods, the settings of which are limited only by thermal control. This function is described in more detail above; here we note that thermal control itself does not allow controlling the intensity of soaring, therefore this option has not received much distribution.

The ability to update the firmware of an electronic cigarette — more precisely, a battery mod (this is where all the control electronics are usually located).

This feature is most often found in models with advanced adjustments such as wattage or thermal control (see "Battery mod") — simpler devices do not require complex firmware (although there are exceptions). Major manufacturers of electronic cigarettes periodically release software updates for their equipment that improve the quality of work and eliminate errors noticed by consumers. So this feature is highly desirable for a device with extensive functionality and complex electronics.

The smallest resistance of the heating coil of an electronic cigarette.

The meaning of this parameter will be different, depending on which part of the device is in question (see "Type"). So, for atomizers, this parameter is given if spare heaters are supplied in the kit — accordingly, it is indicated for the “head” with the lowest resistance. For a battery mod, this is the smallest resistance that can be connected to it. And in starter kits, the minimum resistance is also usually indicated by the battery mod; low-resistance "heads" in such cases may or may not be included in the delivery.

Anyway, data on the minimum resistance is important in the mutual selection of an atomizer and a battery mod (including when creating custom windings) — connecting an atomizer with too low resistance is fraught with overloads and various unpleasant consequences, up to fire. However, this parameter is of particular importance for lovers of the so-called subohm — soaring at a low heater resistance (up to 1 ohm), which allows you to achieve high steam saturation (when the resistance decreases, the power increases). Not all batteries are capable of working with sub-ohm heaters, so the suitability of a battery mod for such vaping needs to be clarified.

The type of battery that the battery mod is equipped with or designed for (if the battery is not included).

Modern vapes can use both removable and non- removable batteries. The former are convenient in that a dead battery can be quickly replaced with a fresh one, and while one battery is in use, the second can be charged. However, for many vapes with such a power supply, you have to separately purchase both the batteries themselves and “chargers” for them (for more information about this type of batteries, see the “Removable” section). Non-removable elements, in turn, cannot be quickly changed, but they are more compact, immediately included in the delivery package and extremely easy to use: when the charge is exhausted, you do not need to mess with external chargers, just connect the supplied charger (or even just a USB cable). ).

As removable elements in vapes, 3.7-volt cylindrical lithium-ion batteries are mainly used, here are their main sizes:

— 18650. The most popular size of 3.7 V replacement batteries nowadays. Such cells have a diameter of 18 mm and a length of 65 mm, and their prevalence is due to a combination of good performance with relatively compact dimensions. The number of batteries of this type can be different: for models of relatively low power (up to 100 W), one 18650 battery is enough, in more powerful mods there are 2,...and in some models even 3 or more 18650 batteries.

— 20700. The format of replaceable batteries, used much less frequently than 18650 — due to its larger size (diameter 20 mm, length 70 mm). The number of such elements can also be different — from one in relatively low-power models to two or even three.

— 21700. Another relatively rare size of replaceable batteries; has the same length as 20700 (70mm) but larger diameter (21mm). Such elements are used mainly one at a time, vapes for two 21700 batteries are almost never produced.

— 26650. A rather specific size: such elements are the same 65 mm long as 18650, but their diameter is almost one and a half times larger — 26 mm. This provides high capacity and power, but the large size limits the use of this type of power supply, it is found only in single vape models (although there are devices even for two batteries). And in some battery mods for such elements, it is allowed to replace 26650 with 18650 due to the same length.

Built-in batteries, in turn, differ in the technology by which they are made. Nowadays, Li-Ion (lithium-ion) or Li-Pol (lithium-polymer) non-removable batteries are mainly used. They are similar in their main characteristics: they are compact, have a good capacity, lack the "memory effect", but they do not tolerate both frost and heat. The main difference is that in the first variety the electrolyte is liquid, and in the second it is a solid polymer. Thanks to this, Li-Ion cells are somewhat cheaper, and Li-Pol are less sensitive to overloads and safer in emergency conditions.

The battery capacity of an e-cigarette or separately sold battery mod. This parameter is indicated only for models with non-removable batteries (see "Battery type"): replaceable cells can be produced in different capacities.

The larger the battery, the longer you can use the device without recharging the battery. However the actual power consumption and, accordingly, the battery life of different models will be different, therefore, only devices with similar operating voltages and atomizer resistances can be compared in terms of capacity.

In general, if battery life is important to you, it is quite possible to proceed from the principle “the more capacious the battery, the better”; and to save money, you can choose a relatively weak battery. It is also worth mentioning that there are schemes for calculating the optimal battery capacity depending on the power, atomizer resistance, etc.; these schemes can be found in special sources.

The maximum power supplied by the battery.

This is one of the main parameters of the battery pack that determines its compatibility with the atomizer. Starter kits (see "Type"), by definition, include atomizers that are optimally suited to a given battery in terms of power, and this parameter is mainly of reference value. But when choosing components separately, you should pay special attention to it. Higher power allows you to achieve more saturated steam, but only up to certain limits — too much heating leads to a deterioration in taste, and even burning of the wick (which, all the more, does not contribute to improving the sensation of soaring). So the atomizer must normally transfer the power of the battery, otherwise, at best, you will have to constantly limit the power with the help of a varivolt or variwatt (see "Battery mod"), and at worst, normal use will be impossible at all.

Note that for classic evaporator tanks with one spiral, power up to 40 W is considered sufficient; more powerful batteries are designed mainly for advanced serviced models, drip atomizers and bacodrips(see "Type of atomizer") that have more than one coil and, accordingly, are more high consumption in terms of energy consumption. Also note that the actual heating power depends on the voltage, and in fact it may be lower than the claimed one, depending on the resistance of the atomizer. See “Maximum voltage".

The lowest voltage that the battery mod can supply to the atomizer.

The meaning of this parameter depends on the type of battery mod and the functions of the board (see above). So, in mechanical and simple electronic modes, the smallest value to which the battery voltage can drop before it turns off and requires charging is usually indicated here. Knowing this parameter, as well as the resistance of the atomizer, you can calculate the minimum guaranteed vaping power.

If we are talking about a mod with adjustments like varivolt or variwatt, then the minimum voltage is also the lowest voltage that can be set manually in the settings. This may be necessary to reduce the power and, accordingly, the intensity of soaring — for example, if the gas station has a very rich taste, and abundant dense steam would be overkill. In adjustable battery packs, the lower the minimum voltage (with the same maximum voltage), the wider the adjustment range, the more options the vaper has to adjust the vaping parameters. See “Maximum voltage".

The highest voltage that the battery mod can supply to the atomizer.

Knowing the minimum (see above) and maximum voltage, it is possible to estimate the heating power that the battery is able to provide at a certain resistance of the atomizer. For example, if we have a battery mod with a voltage range of 3.3 – 4.8 V and an atomizer with a 1.8 Ohm coil, then the current strength at the minimum voltage will be 3.3 / 1.8 ≈ 1.8 A, and at maximum 4.8 / 1.8 ≈ 2.7 A. Accordingly, the smallest heating power will be 3.3 * 1.8 ≈ 6 W, and the largest 4.8 * 2.7 ≈ 13 W. In this case, the nominal power of the battery can be higher, but not vice versa — the actual power cannot be more than the nominal. Let's say, theoretically, the battery from our example, combined with a 0.15 Ohm sub-ohm atomizer, even at the minimum voltage, should produce a current of 3.3 / 0.15 = 22 A and a power of 3.3 * 22 = 72.6 W. However, if a power of 50 W is claimed in the characteristics, then higher values \u200b\u200bare impossible to achieve, even if you unscrew the regulator to the maximum — at low resistances, the voltage at the battery output drops sharply.

This feature is indicated for battery mods that are designed to use removable batteries — usually 18650 or 26650 (see "Battery Type"). However, such batteries are most often not included in the delivery package, they must be purchased separately. This, on the one hand, does not allow using the device “out of the box”, on the other hand, it makes it possible to choose batteries at your discretion, depending on which atomizer is supposed to be used and what battery power is needed.

Actually, the ability to select batteries at the discretion of the user is one of the key advantages of this option over non-removable batteries (see "Battery type"). Another advantage is that you can buy several sets of batteries and quickly change dead batteries for fresh ones (and charge the removed batteries separately without taking up a battery mod for this). On the other hand, the battery mods themselves turn out to be heavier and larger than non-separable counterparts, and with comparable quality of the batteries themselves, they are often even more expensive. In addition, to charge the batteries, you will also need a separate charger — even if there is a microUSB port, it is recommended to use it only as a last resort (see below for more details), and many models do not have such a connector at all.