| price | $81.99 |
Mod Review: PureSmoker Icon v1.1
Ah, nostalgia. Unlike most ecig users, I didn’t start out on my vaping journey with an overpriced, slim style, cigarette looking device. Nope… My first ecig was the Icon v1.1 from PureSmoker.com. Purely by happenstance, the gentleman who introduced me to the vaping world was an Icon owner. He had gone the route of Blu, Joye 510, eGo, and finally settled on his Icon. He was biased toward it, and steered me in that direction in the interest of “saving money.” That day, I got online and ordered one.
The Icon is a stainless steel mechanical mod that takes one unprotected 14500 battery (protected batteries don’t fit), and comes in 2 configurations (adapters). 510 or 801 (pen-style). For simplicities sake, I chose the 510 adapter connection. The Icon comes in 2 finishes, satin stainless and media blasted (which is a bit duller finish). I chose the media blasted for it’s fingerprint resistance. The fire button is at the end of the device, and can be easily activated with your pinky finger. It also locks so that it won’t fire in your pocket. It’s a small device, similar in size to the eGo.
The full kit includes the tube with the adapter of your choice, 1 standard resistance atomizer or 5 cartomizers of your choice (low or standard resistance), 2 Tenergy 14500 Li-Ion (non-protected) batteries, 1 charger, PDF users manual, and a 6 month warranty. Price for the kit (drip tips not included) is $109.49. Military, police, fire, and EMS personnel can get a 10% lifetime discount if you contact PureSmoker and submit an ID, or other proof of service.
First impressions:
The device came in a padded mailer, adequately protected, but no official or fancy packaging. The workmanship of this device was outstanding, the machining precise, the finish perfect. The button operation was very smooth, and the locking feature works as advertised. Inserting the 14500 battery was easy, and after affixing my Boge LR (2 ohm) carto with eliquid (I purchased a sample pack of eliquid from them when I ordered), I was vaping on my 1st ever ecig. Ahhhh, heaven!
Ongoing impressions:
The finish on this device remains as new, save a few minor scratches from being dropped, or jingling against other things in my pocket. The threading has not stripped or worn, the switch still works like it did when it was new. Not much to say here really, it’s a simple mod, that works. As a side note, being a mechanical mod, there are no wires, solder joints, or circuit boards to break or wear out. The upside to this is durability. The downside it your vaping experience is directly dependent on your remaining battery charge. The 3.7v battery has a useful range of 4.2v (fully charged) to around 3.3v (dead), I found that I would change batteries well before they were fully discharged because of the waning vapor. One last caveat. For me, this was a great mod with cartomizers, not so much with atomizers. I found that I have a tendency to over drip, and it can get messy. The Icon leaked a lot when I used atomizers, and sometimes would end up with a mess in my pocket. I was a new vaper at the time, and didn’t know about drip shields, so disappointingly, I felt that I was limited to cartomizers when using this device. Chalk it up to being one of the things we learn as we go. If you are a dripper, and are considering this device, I highly recommend also purchasing a drip shield and 510-510 extension (required to fit the drip shield). One last item of note, I don’t see any vent holes in the battery sleeve, or end cap. I suppose the switch could have a venting fail-safe built into it, but I don’t know that for sure.
Overall Impressions:
Pros: Well machined, durable, configurable, small, locking end switch
Cons: Can be complicated for the novice vaper, messy with atomizers, cost.
Overall I give it a 4.5/5