Prof's Review of the eGo Booster

[prof beard]

Inspired by things I'd read and igetcha's video review, I decided to order one of these from happyvaper.com...

What is it?

It's a device made by artisanvaping.com, and is probably best described by their own blurb:

Artisan Vaping proudly presents the world’s first buck/boost PV accessory.

Turn any eGo or eGo-T into a variable voltage device. Also works with any big battery mod powered by an IMR battery.

Made in Canada

Features:

• Easy to use voltage adjustment dial.
• Seamlessly integrates into any eGo or eGo-T battery setup.
• Matches the eGo or eGo-T so well, you’ll think it was made by the same manufacturer.
• Output voltage range of 3.3v – 4.7v and everything in between.
• Compatible with any atomizer or cartomizer with a 510 connector, or 801/901 with the appropriate adapter.
• Multiple safety features, including short circuit protection, input voltage dropout protection, current limiting, and over temperature shutdown.
• Has both buck and boost capability, accepting input voltages from 2.5v – 6.0v.

I ordered from the Happy Vaper site, the device came in very good time (and reasonable shipping) from Canada. I also didn't get any delays or charges from UK Customs...

Very Nice Boxes

So, what arrived? I got a Jiffy bag containing a very simple instruction leaflet and a nice box:



On removing the lid, I discovered it contained another nice box:



I took this box out of the other box, and discovered it was a "jewellery" type box which contained the eGo Booster:



The eGo Booster

The eGo Booster looks like part of an eGo! Same materials and finish:

This end screws onto the battery:



And this is the atomiser end:



The "switch" is actually a rotary knob:



This know is the main thing I would criticise. The symbol on it is is an "A" with a "V" underneath ("Artisan Vaping" of course) and the "central" position - with the point of the "A" pointing towards the atomiser - is the "4V" position. The problem is that the symbol (because of the neat small knob) is very small, and it is difficult (for me anyway) to tell the difference between the "A" and the "V"...

This means it is difficult to see which way up the symbol is. When pointing in the "4 o'clock" position (fully to the right) the Booster is set to 3.3v, and when in the "8 o'clock" position (fully to the left) to 4.7v. However, the instruction leaflet states: At each end of the arc are potentiometer stops. ...these are a tactile indicator.... Fair enough and you can feel the stop being reached. But the instructions also say: IMPORTANT: The pot stops exist for your convenience, and are not essential to the function of the eGo Booster. Unreasonable torque will break the stops.

But, because it is difficult to see which way up the symbol on the knob is, I can see it being all too easy to try (and succeed in) winding the knob past the pot stops. A more "one way up" symbol would have been better.

The Booster in Action

The FAQs on the ECF Happy Vaper forum give lots of details on what can and can't be used with the Booster. I'm sufficiently knowledgeable about electronics to know that anything I say about batteries and battery innards would open a large and discursive can of worms...

So I decided to work on two basic premises: Firstly, I would only use genuine TorneGo batteries ( this is recommend) and regular single battery "mods" - the FAQ specified IMR batteries for these but I ignored that... - and secondly I would judge things by how they vaped and not on technical detail.

The Test Beds

For trying the Booster out, I chose three atomisers:

LR 510 (1.5ohm) from TW
Standard 510 mega atomiser from TW
Bulli A2-T in standard (as supplied) wiring

And two devices:

TW Tornado 1000mah battery
Super T Super Six fitted with an AW black 14500 protected battery rated at 750mah.

Test 1



Ok - TorneGo 1000mah plus Booster plus TW LR510 and cone plus Super T whistle drip dip - all 7 inches of it.

3.3v setting - a bit like a regular 510 on a single battery mod

4v setting - like the same atomiser on a single battery mod

4.7v setting - too hot, too harsh - as expected

Test 2



TorneGo 1000mah plus Booster plus TW 510 mega and cone plus Super T whistle drip dip - all 7.5 inches of it.

3.3v setting - wimpish

4v setting - like the same atomiser on a single battery mod

4.7v setting - like a LR510 on a single battery mod

Test 3



Super T Super 6 with Avid Vaper 510-eG0 adapter plus Booster plus TW LR510 and cone plus Super T whistle drip dip - even longer!

Exactly the same as Test 1

Test 4



Super T Super 6 with Avid Vaper 510-eG0 adapter plus Booster plus Bulli eGo sleeve and Bulli A2-T with AW 14500 protected 750mah battery

Ridiculously long...

3.3v setting - wimpish

4v setting - as usual

4.7v setting - really good - like the A2-T should be with an LR winding but no wicking problems - juice vanished at an alarming rate...

(I tried this last configuration out with an AW IMR 1500 - couldn't tell any difference...)

Conclusion

A neat gadget that does what it says - provides variable voltage between 3.3 and 4.7 volts. (Even if you threw 6v at it, it would still max at 4.7v) What I liked about it personally was that it means I can use my stock of standard atties at a slightly increased voltage (probably 4.4ish) to "supe them up at bit"... In all honesty, I think I will use it mainly with 650mah eGo batteries to keep the length of the overall e-cig down a bit