Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the GeekVape Aegis that was sent directly from www.heavengifts.com for the purpose of this review and can be found here:
https://www.heavengifts.com/product/GeekVape-Aegis-TC-Box-MOD-with-26650-Battery.html
If you want to find out really quick my overall conclusion you can scroll down to the Pros and Cons section and Conclusion to save you some time.
Specs
- Size: 37.8 x 46.8 x 88mm
- MAX power output: 100W
- Instantaneous firing: 0.015s
- MAX firing duration: 10s
- MAX voltage duration: 9V±0.1V
- Output mode: VW/ VPC/TC/TCR/BYPASS
- Resistance range: 0.05-3.0ohm
- Material: Aluminum + Zinc alloy + silicone
- Battery: 1x 26650/18650 cell (includes a 26650 cell)
- Temperature Range: 100-315â/200-600â
- Operating temperature: -40â - 80â
- Level: IP67 waterproof and dustproof; MIL STD 810G-516.6 military grade shockproof
Whatâs in the box
I got the Aegis mod and inside was a Golisi 26650 with plastic over the positive end which needed to be removed prior to use. I also got a 18650 adapter which worked well when I tried it. There is also a package with a spare gasket and screws for the USB which helps keep it sealed tight but will allow venting in case of a venting battery. Really you would only need the spares in case you went to do a firmware update and then lost the original gasket or screws, nice they include it.
The owners manual is thorough and has a LOT of languages supported, it is a thick little book!
I do know some vendors are selling the Aegis WITHOUT the battery included so keep that in mind when placing an order to see if you will or wonât get a battery. The Golisi 26650 included has already been tested by Mooch and here is what he had to say:
For the Geekvape Aegis mods that ship with a battery, this is it. This a great performing cell, easily one of the top three 26650âs. It is equal to the Aspire 4300mAh (test results soon) and almost equal to the iJoy 4200mAh. The Golisi is identical in appearance to the Aspire and only the surface finish of the top contact metal differentiates it from the iJoy.
I will be retesting the iJoy again soon to see if these three might all be the same cell.
This cell runs a couple of degrees cooler than the iJoy so it earns a 31A continuous rating versus the 30A rating of the iJoy. You will not notice a difference this small in use though. The iJoys I tested in September, 2016 hit a little bit harder though.
I am rating this Golisi cell at 31A and 4300mAh. Its maximum vaping amps (MVA) rating is 40A, limited by voltage sag. Iâm not bothered by Golisiâs 35A rating because itâs so close to mine and is still lower than my MVA rating.
The two cells that were tested were donated for testing by Geekvape (www.geekvape.com). Thank you!
Fit and Finish
It is marketed as a tough mod that can withstand punishment and it feels as such, solidly built, the only week point for me would be the front faceplate, it is all plastic and picks up hairline scratches easily.
The screen does have a tint to it so even though you can adjust the brightness it can be hard to see in direct sunlight. It is not the worst I have see in that regard but sometimes in the sun I have to cup my hands over the screen to see the smaller symbols.
Here is a pic with the brightness level turned up to 100%:
The battery door is excellent with course threads so it is easy to back out first, grab the thread then close. The fold out handle makes it a breeze to open and close as well, really well designed.
The leather is sort of pretty plain looking but feels really nice, I was expecting the normal cheap pleather most mods come with but this one feels good in the hand and the stitching is a nice touch too.
The overall feel in the hand is comfortable with the leather and rubber and I find myself using either my thumb or index finger to fire it up just depending on how I pick it up, it is comfortable to fire both ways. I wish around the screen was more rounded around the edges, that would be my only complaint about the comfort of holding the mod. It is not a deal breaker by any means but it affects the comfort level enough to warrant a mention.
The 510 looks real nice and since this is waterproof that mean a sealed 510 as well which is always a good thing. It is mounted with 3 screws and appears to be stainless steel with a gold plated pic. The 510 doesnât have a lot of travel and the spring feels stiff but all my tanks sat flush with no problems.
I love that 30m tanks fit with room to spare, a 34mm would fit no problem, maybe a little larger but then we get close to the bevel on the rubber top which it might overhang:
The buttons are nice and clicky with no rattles at all when trying to use the mod as a maraca!
Menu System
Pretty straightforward and easy to use once you get the basics down, 5 clicks on, 5 clicks off. 3 clicks of the fire button once on take you into the settings mode. the first thing highlighted with be the mode your in. First mode is Power, click the + button to cycle between various TC modes including TCR, VPC and Bypass, you can also click the - button to go back. Once you select a mode then either wait 5 seconds or press and hold the fire button until the mode is no longer highlighted. Once you are in your mode you can then change parameters, click the fire button 3 times and once the mode is highlighted click the fire button again to switch between settings in that mode. For example when in TCR mode you can click the fire button 3 times, then click it once and you will have the coil highlighted, click the - button to lock resistance and the + to clear the resistance if you so choose. You can then click the fire button 1 time to highlight WAT and adjust your watts in TCR mode and you can do the same for the TCR and Puff Counter.
To adjust the screen brightness press and hold the Power and + button to increase and Power and - to decrease the brightness.
Pressing and holding the + and - buttons will lock the adjustment buttons but not the fire button, you will still be able to fire the mod. When putting the mod in your pocket you will want to turn it off.
I have to say that it is really an easy menu to navigate once you get the hang of it. I like it a lot better than some other menu systems for sure.
VPC Mode
I tried looking around the interwebz but didnât find what VPC stands for so I am just going to assume Variable Power Curve. This is like what a lot of other mods have in which you can set your watts in 5 different values which I am assuming it 1 second each. It is done all on the VPC mode screen and is very easy to set up and shows the watt curve on the screen itself. Of all the watt curve modes I have tried this is one of the easiest ones to adjust. As far as how it worked, seemed to work fine in giving me a quick ramp up to start then tailing off near the end of my draw to avoid burning my cotton.
I am not that much into power curves though, either I am in straight power mode or TC. The Aegis definitely makes it easy to use though so I would use it more often with it then some of my other mods that have the same feature.
Bypass Mode
Sort of like a Mech mode per say but with protections still in place. I did test this and once my battery read 3.5 V on the screen the mod would turn off if I continued trying to vape it.
Not much more to add to that but if your a beginner just stick with Power or TC mode and brush up on your ohms law and read Moochâs battery recommendations.
SS316 TC and TCR mode
I got lucky when I first got the Aegis and the first tanks I threw on it was my Aromamizer Plus with SS316L Aliens at 0.10 ohms. The Aegis read it at .09 ohms but hey close enough right? I was actually impressed with the SS TC preset using the AP, it was giving me a smooth consistent vape that was a little on the cool side. Such a low resistance isnât really the best for a single 26650 mod so I switched up to another build that was 0.22ohms but the Aegis read it at 0.20, ok, not nailing it like my DNA250 or SxMini mod but close. This is were I found the SS TC preset to be lacking, pulsey TC vape so I had to turn up the temp but it was good, not great. I then switched to TCR mode and adjusted the TCR to 105 to finally get the vape I was expecting at the given temp, please note that the SS TC preset has itâs TCR locked at 91 and is not adjustable. 105 on the TCR was working fine except when it didnât, if I had the mod sitting for awhile or was out in the sun I had to adjust my TCR to bring it back in line. At one time I was all the way up to 120 on the TCR to keep the same vape. I tried it both with the ohms locked and unlocked but still had the same experience. Sometimes when I changed batteries with the same tank on it I had to adjust my TCR back down again as now it was firing too hot.
I then thought to check how far off the ohms were and compared various room temp tanks on the Aegis, Coilmaster 521 tab, Finder DNA167 and SxMini G Class. I was noticing that at lower ohms the Aegis was consistently off about .01 at the lowest and .02 at around 0.25 ohms or less. The higher I went the further off the ohms were but they were always lower on the Aegis. The worst was a 0.51 ohm coils that read 0.46 on the Aegis. Seems to be about a 10% lower difference in the ohms read on the Aegis than the other 3 but it was consistently off by usually the same amount. There is always a chance that this is just affecting my sample version but I can only report on what I have in front of me.
That would explain why the SS TC preset worked well with my low 0.10 build on the Aromamizer Plus but struggled with every other SS build I tried, the AP was the only tank I used with that low of a build. I was able to get a satisfying TC vape in TCR mode but then again I did have to make some adjustments to the TCR along the way.
If you want to try SS316L TC with the Aegis I would suggest trying the TCR mode and starting at 105 and working your way around there. It can be a little frustrating though and if you are buying this mod to use strictly for SS316L TC then I would look elsewhere. When you get it setup right it is actually a very good TC vape but it drifts for me so consistently finding myself making adjustments to the TCR. It is easy to make those TCR adjustments though, at least there is that.
I am a stubborn bastard so while writing this review I tried again with a tank that performs well with TC on my other mods. Tested the tank on my 521 tab and it read 0.30 ohms. I then put it on my Aegis and it read 0.25âŠshit. I then decided to clear the ohms by clicking the fire button 3 times then highlighting the ohms, - button to unlock it and them + button to clear the ohms. Then I exited out of the setup and hit the fire button and it read 0.29 ohms, much better. Went to vape and just so so, put it on my DNA and much better TC vape.
You can get a good TC vape but you have to fiddle with it and no way would I recommend this to a beginner to TC vaping. There are much better choices out there for TC.
Power Mode
Not much to complain about here unless your only tank is a TFV12 or 8 even. Not the fault of the Aegis at all but a single 26650 is not going to provide the power you need for high wattage vaping. I did try vaping full blast at 100 watts with a TFV8 and FreeMax FireLuke and with a high quality battery like the Golisi or Ijoy 26650 it is going do fine for a little while until the battery starts to run down then the Aegis will begin to limit the power. It is not the Aegis fault but just a battery limitation, you can do it but not for very long.
At 100 watts with the same tank on the Aegis and SxMini G Class I did get a similar vape just as long as I made sure to use one of the high quality 26650âs fresh off the charger. I will leave the technical testing to [USER=10]@Anthony_Vapes[/USER] to confirm though.
Battery Life
Since the Aegis does include a puff counter I was able to see how many puffs I could get with various tanks until I got the weak battery warning. Fair warning I take 4 to 5 second hits which is probably longer than most. With a 0.21 ohm build in TCR mode at 430f I was able to take 235 puffs. With a 0.11 ohm build I got 254 puffs at 60 watts in power mode, that build used a triple parallel clapton with 30g inner core so ramp up was quick. The best battery life I got was with a 0.43 ohm single clapton in my Merlin Mini at 35 watts, got 380 puffs before I had to switch batteries.
All in all I felt I got good battery life with most tanks giving my an average of 250 puffs with my style vaping. If you are a low wattage vaper than expect even better results.
I measured 3.35V on the battery when getting the weak battery warning.
I just saw this as well, they are coming out with a GeekVape Aegis Battery Cap for 20700/21700 Cell
https://www.heavengifts.com/product/GeekVape-Aegis-Battery-Cap.html at this point in time I am not sure why you would want to use a 20700 over the 26650 but the 20700 and 21700 cells are in there infancy so there may be better choices in the future, better to have more options than less.
Durability and Waterproof testing
I only received one of these so as far as durability I would refer you to Mooch who kicked his down the street and all kinds of other shenanigans and was finally able to kill his sample after the 3rd time he through it as hard as he can at a brick wall, it survived the first 2 throws which he thought was remarkable. The only other person to kill one that i know of was Jai Haze who finally killed his after hitting the front screen with a ball peen hammer, it survived his other torture tests though.
What I did do was submerge it in water for 10 minutes with the battery installed. I didnât want to go longer than that as I had to be there to make sure my house didnât burn down. I also figured if someone were to drop it in water 10 minutes is long enough to retrieve it.
Here it is sitting in the bathroom sink taking a bath:
Here I am after 10 minutes hitting the fire button while still under water and it works:
After that I took it out, dried it off and vaped on it, no problemo!
If I received 2 for testing then your damn right I would have ran it over, had it stay a night at a Motel 6, took it to a Beiber concert, just terrible things like that! I actually like this mod though and want to continue using itâŠsigh.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Built like a tank
- Easy to navigate menu system
- Course battery door threads making opening and closing a cinch
- Flip up latch on battery door for ease of opening and stays securely down
- Comes with a Mooch approved 26650 (is sold without so check with the vendor you are ordering from)
- Up to 34mm tanks fit with no overhang
- Comfortable to fire with either your thumb or index finger
- Looks great, I got a lot of compliments when showing it around
- Big screen with a lot of info
- Nice clicky buttons with no rattle and the fire button is just the right size and easy to find
- Power Curve is really easy to use compared to other mods with the same function
- Includes a 18650 adapter
- GeekVape Aegis Battery Cap for 20700/21700 Cell coming soon https://www.heavengifts.com/product/GeekVape-Aegis-Battery-Cap.html
Cons
- Inconsistent TC, you can get it to work well but it can be hit or miss. Recommended to use TCR
- The large flat faceplate takes away from the comfort of holding this mod
- Faceplate made of plastic and easy to scratch. I already have micro scratches from wiping off the fingerprint magnet faceplate
- Screen tinted making it difficult to see the smaller numbers in direct sunlight
- Reads ohms low by about 10%
- No USB charging but that is to be expected to stay waterproof
Conclusion
You might think I donât like this mod because of my difficulties with TC but thatâs not the case. My pros outweigh the cons and that is exactly how I feel. I just looked and I have had this mod for 27 days now and it has been used every one of those days. I have never taken so long with a mod for review but the great TC one day then choppy the next made me crazy. If I didnât like so much about the mod though I would have given up and trashed it. I know realistically though that the majority of vapers only use power and for that it is great as long as your work within the limitations of a single 26650. The Aegis will give you all the 26650 can offer but that doesnât mean you can vape a TFV12 at 100 watts for the whole day, that is asking too much from any 26650 mod.
For me I am going to continue using the Aegis with one of my lower wattage tanks for all day battery life. I am going to rebuild one of my 30mm tanks with a Parallel Fused Clapton build with a 30g core at about .35 ohms. This way with the thin core the ramp up will be quick and wonât have to run high watts, should be able to finish off 10ml no problem before having to swap batteries.
This mod gets some attention too, way more than I was expecting. I had people at vape shops asking to take pics of it and everyone wanted to hold it. I have a few friends who have already pre-ordered it after seeing and using mine.
If your a fan of 26650 mods like I am then this one should definitely be on your shopping list.
I want to thank Heaven Gifts for sending me this mod to review, you can find it here: https://www.heavengifts.com/product/GeekVape-Aegis-TC-Box-MOD-with-26650-Battery.html
Pics with different tanks
Modfather 30mm RTA
Aromamizer Supreme V2
Merlin Mini
Smoant Battlestar RTA
Reload RTA
