Variable Voltage

Electronic cigarettes are a marvel of engineering; a long over-due solution to cigarettes. The smallest and simplest are truly affordable, even for smokers on a budget. They provide decent taste and vapor, if short battery and cartridge life.

Although they are fine for their power and size, e cigs do not always please in the same way cigarettes do. The solution to that problem for many is not to return to smoking but to explore other electronic possibilities, including variable voltage vaping pens.

More Power

The first step from mini cigs will take you to eGo pens. These are larger, manual renditions of cigalikes which you turn on with a lighted button on the top-side.

The tank holds anything from 1.2ml to 6ml of juice and batteries offer at least twice as much power as a standard e-cig battery, up to more than 2000mAh (the regular strength for a cigalike is about 180mAh). Thanks to their bigger batteries, eGo cigs produce bigger clouds and often hotter vapor depending on atomizer resistance and the voltage of a battery (typically 3.7volts or 4.2volts.)

Is this is the end of the line? Are there any methods of vaping that put even more control into the consumer’s hands? This quest should lead you to variable voltage e cigs.

What is a Variable Voltage E Cig?

First of all, you might see a variable voltage e cig described as a PV (Personal Vaporizer) or APV (Advanced Personal Vaporizer). They mean the same thing: that you can now control voltage, possibly wattage.

How is this done?

Your battery either features a button or a dial for the purpose of setting voltage. It might have an LED screen or not. The tank has little to do with selecting variable voltage unless this is a rebuildable atomizer tank, in which case it has everything to do with your experience.

Spinner batteries are frequently sold as alternatives to regular eGo batteries on an accessories list. Halo Cigs, for instance, sells a Triton Spinner replacement battery for more than the cost of a regular Triton battery.

The 900mAh Spinner allows the user to set voltage using the bottom-mounted dial where lines indicate voltage settings, but there is no screen to show that your choice and the real voltage are one and the same. Nor is there automatic calibration to ensure accurate output. A Spinner would be an introductory variable voltage device so you can get used to the difference a slight change will make.

A more complex device features a lot of protective elements courtesy of a fancy microprocessor, which also makes the unit more expensive. The battery is protected against short-circuiting (which can happen if an atomizer is rebuilt incorrectly or is faulty), over-charge, over-heating, or reversal.

An LED screen shows the battery’s level, how many puffs you have taken, and possibly battery temperature. Experts say it is rare, but possible that your battery could overheat and even catch on fire. At the very least you might get a nasty burn.

Noteworthy Models

A variable voltage e cig used by a lot of professional reviewers is the Provari, which looks like a steel bolt. For about $160 or more depending on the finish you choose (and without batteries or a tank) you get a range of 2.9 to 6 volts, set 0.1volt at a time.

The Provari self-calibrates so it is always accurate. 18490/18500 batteries are standard but you can try an 18650 battery instead (always rechargeable and one at a time). The Provari monitors its temperature and limits amperage.

A Lambo 4.0 appears on the occasional retail website. This APV checks resistance, offers 3-6volts, and has a built-in voltage meter. Pay about $75 for the device before buying accessories. It’s another heavy-looking, sturdy e cig.

An Innokin iTaste V3.0 VV/VW for roughly $50 provides 3.3 to 5 volts set at 0.1-volt increments, and 6 to 11watts set at 0.5-watt increments. The battery takes on an unusual square shape to form a pillar. The LED screen shows how many puffs you have taken and battery power.

It has a built-in memory function to remember your last setting and will cut-off after 10 seconds. The iTaste also offers pass-through functionality and 510 threading for widespread atomizer compatibility.

As you can see, the spread of prices and variety of models is wide.