A mod for the room. ...

I'm not trying to contradict you, but I don't think a lot of people understand what the big differences are with the DNA vs. other cheap VV/VW mods.

First off, it is a little disingenuous to say it is just about 7x the price and 7x the pleasure. I can get a eGo battery for $5, is the iTaste VV 500% more pleasurable than that?

$5.18 Replacement eGo 650mAh Rechargeable Battery at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

The e-liquid you use is really the only thing of importance when you're vaping. You don't taste the battery, you don't taste the atty (presuming its clean), you taste the juice. That being said, all those other things affect what you're tasting. The best juice in the world is going to taste like crap in a bad setup. Its because of that the equipment is so important to so many people, especially if they're paying premium prices for premium juices. They want to get every bit of enjoyment out of what they have.

So what makes a DNA so special? Its the same thing that makes a mech mod or a ProVari so special, mainly that lack of 33hz Pulse Width Modulation. For those that don't know what that is, that is how the cheaper variable mods adjust the voltage/wattage. It is effectively turning on and turning off the battery 33 times per second, which is why you hear the "rattlesnake" when you listen to your atty on one of those mods. The duration of the on cycle vs. the off cycle is how you control the effective power. Why 33hz? It's cheaper, the chipset is readily available, and by sales numbers, most people don't care. In practice, especially on the smaller diameter wire on many of the dual-coil clearomizers, those pulses burn the juice and give it a slightly foul taste (at least in my opinion). On a larger diameter wire like 28AWG, the wire tends to hold the heat longer dulling that effect. Unfortunately, thicker wire means less resistance, and those same 33hz chipsets all have resistance cutoffs of around 1.2 Ohms. A ProVari or DNA-30 uses an 800hz PWM signal, which means you don't get that same burnt tone in your juices. The DNA-30 also lets you go down to .5 ohms, which means you can use thicker wire and multiple coils even easier. The DNA also polls the resistance "up to 10,000 times per second" and adjusts to the resistance drop that occurs when the wire heats up, ensuring even heating throughout the draw.

Ultimately, the Chinese will copy the DNA and these features will be found in the iTaste VV v.5 and all others, but for now the DNA is standing pretty tall. By that time, how much will you have spent on juice, how many ml will you have vaped?

To me, its like having a BBQ over a dumpster fire versus some nice charcoal briquettes. The meat will get cooked either way, you'll get you're protein into your system, but wouldn't you rather have it give the best flavor in the process?



Back to the real world, the VTR is a great device, very durable with lots of features. Good choice and I know you'll enjoy it.

 

Some people swear they can't taste the difference, some people rave on about it. For me, the cheap coil heads are where I taste the most difference, but I really don't use those anymore anyway. The tiny wires they use, especially in the dual coil ones, don't hold the heat as well as the larger wires of the RBAs.

I would say come to the next vape meet (whenever that is) and try one before you buy one. I should have my Vapor Shark by then, you're more than welcome to stick your atty on it and try it out. I've had the pleasure of trying a few DNA-20s out, and the mod I have now doesn't use PWM at all, it puts out a flat voltage.

In the past month I've sold an eGo-V, my SVD, and my MVP. I had always anticipated keeping my SVD as my backup, but the taste difference kept me from wanting to use it. It may be minute, I may just be picky, but its there for me. I also don't use silica wicks for the same reason, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

Thanks for the description, I wasn't aware you could safely sub-ohm with the DNA.

Exaggerated but not disingenuous. My point is to a new person getting involved in vaping listening to hobbyist and youtube reviewers raving about a device gives them (or I should say gave me) the impression that the differences would be great. It's not. Better/more expensive devices give a better experience, but not a tremendous leap as you suggest in your comparison of cooking over charcoal vs a dumpster

I have used a Provari and I agree it delivers power better than a vv v3. IMO I'd say it's maybe a 10-20% better experience. Is that 20% worth $160.00? Not if $160.00 is a lot of money to you.

All I'm saying (to new vapers) is to be aware that spending more dosh will not make vaping suddenly seem like the same experience as smoking. You pay a lot for a small difference.

As you said about the taste difference form your non-PWM device to your SVD:

 

You're absolutely right, which is why I wanted to emphasize that the post was more to clarify the differences, since most people seem to think its just the wattage. I would never try to push one on someone just getting into vaping. When I sold cars many many years ago, I wouldn't try to put the 17 year old who just got his license into a Cadillac either, you start out small until you get the feel and move your way up.

You're also right about diminishing returns, in fact I'm surprised you went so high as to say a ProVari was 10-20% better. Of course its all subjective, but every drop of your juice is going through that device. I always try to get people to get something like an iTaste VV when they're starting, but once they're already into that then $160 isn't all that big of a leap for something you use all day every day. Shit, my wife made me buy this damn car for a million baht, we use it like 3 times a week. Plus, if you already have a 33hz device, why not start looking at something different instead of more of the same.

And yes, it may be minute, but it is noticeable by almost everybody, and its always there.

 

It will be interesting to get your views on the Shark Vapor DNA. I watched the youtube reviews and they seemed pretty good. I rather like Robert Ellis ( I think he's "armed vapor")on vaping...he seems to talk my language. He certainly likes it

 

I've tried the DNA-20 version, I sold 2 of them to members of this forum. One of them brought it to the last vape meet so everyone there got their hands on it. It vaped great, but still had some issues. I don't like micro-USB, they are too fragile for me. The plastic firing switch felt cheap. The 510 connector was strange, sometimes it wouldn't fire if you had your atty screwed all the way down, you had to back it out a little. It was too easy to change the wattage, and there was no easy way to lock it. 1200mAh battery may not last you the whole day. The finish on the first run was very poor, the ones they guys were using at the Vapor Shark retail stores had paint chipped off all over, although the newer ones had improved paint.

The new version gives it a metal switch, magnetic charging cable, spring-loaded center pin, DNA-30 wattage lock, laser engraved logo instead of paint, a new color (Gun metal, hopefully anodized and not painted), and a stronger internal structure. Still the 1200mAh battery, but when it dies you can replace it yourself for around $3 if you can solder, or they will do it for you for $25. It is deceptively small, about the size of my pager from 20 years ago. The price is right too, one of the cheapest DNA-30 mods out there with a real case, not a generic project box.

It was an easy choice for me once I saw the improvements. I didn't hesitate to get in on the pre-order. No doubts in my mind I'm going to love it.