Thankfully my friends over at FastTech got this delivered RIGHT before Christmas, and considering the backlog at the ports, a little over a month, not too bad, considering. Nothing sponsored, nothing gifted, no discounts here, so NO mod/tank smashing will be happening during the following review !!!
For the Holidays this year, we’ll be looking at the SteamCrave Hadron Lite Advanced Kit, which included the 25mm Supreme v.3. In the essence of time, I chose to test the single coil deck, and the postless deck in this review.
Hadron Lite Specs:
- Size: 88* 52.5* 28mm
- Material: Zinc Alloy
- Battery: single 18650/ 20700/ 21700 battery(not included)
- Output: 5-100W
- Output voltage: 1.0-8.0V
- Screen: 0.69 inch OLED display
- Resistance range: 0.1-3.0 ohm
- Drip Tip: 810 Drip Tip
- Temperature range: 200-600℉ / 100-315℃
- Modes: Modes: VW, VV, TC (Ni, Ti SS), Bypass
- Diameters: 25mm
- Capacity: 5.0ml / 7.0ml(bubble glass)
- Thread: 510
- Variable Wattage (VW): Yes
- Charge Style: USB-C
What’s Included:
1 * Steam Crave Hadron Lite Mod
1 * 18650 adapter sleeve
2 * 21700 battery wrap
2 * 510 protection-disc
1 * Aromamizer Supreme V3 Advanced RDTA
1 * 7ml bubble glass
1 * 7mm replacement chimney
1 * 510 drip-tip adapter
1 * Mesh deck kit(including 0.15ohm SS mesh and 0.15ohm KA1 mesh)
1 * Postless deck
1 * Tools
1 * Bag with spare parts
1 * Charging cable
2 * User Manuals
2 * Steam crave stickers
Supreme v.3 Specs:
- 25mm Diameter
- 7mL Bubble Glass Capacity
- Optional 6mL Straight Glass Capacity
- Pyrex Glass Reinforcement
- Superior 304 Stainless Steel Tank Construction
- Quarter Turn Top Fill System - Dual Fill Port
- Dual Post Build Deck - Two Terminals
- Top Secured via Flathead Screws
- Single Coil Configuration
- Convertible RDA Operation
- Juice Flow Control
- Dual Airflow Control Ring - Reversible
- Bottom and Side Airflow Coil Ventilation
- 810 Drip Tip
- 510 Drip Tip Adapter
- Threaded 510 Connection
- Available in Black, Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, and Blue
What’s Included:
1 * Aromamizer Supreme V3
1 * 7mL Bubble Glass
1 * 7mL Chimney
1 * 510 Drip Tip Adapter
1 * Mesh Build Deck
1 * Postless Build Deck
1 * Spare Part Bag
1 * Allen Key
1 * User Manual
1 * Steam Crave Sticker
Now onto the BIG BOX.
SteamCrave did a great job packaging all of the extras in here…
About everything you could think of, was included, EXCEPT COILS …
As far as side by sides go, the Hadron Lite was a very unique looking piece…
We’ll start off at the bottom, AND, a warning label …
Probably the only controversial features were the screw in battery cap, and down facing adjustment buttons …
The GREAT news is both worked flawlessly, and with the included battery sleeve, you could roll with: 18650, 20700, or 21700’s …
Go big, or go home, it’s only a single battery for all things holy …
It’s never a bad thing when you see USB-C …
The 0.69" OLED screen was easy to read, and was reversible …
Adding the Supreme v.3 into the mix …
With the included straight glass, bubble glass, narrow, and wide bore chimneys, you could really mix and match …
All of the parts were well machined, and fit nicely, with only minor take-offs for a very snug fitting deck o-ring…
The top cap looked great, and even better with the included 810 drip tip …
With the quarter turn release, full size gasket, and dual fill ports, nothing could be simpler …
As a word of caution, as I was testing/swapping tanks, one o-ring LEFT the tank, and deposited onto the glass …
The documentation was rather confusing as to exactly what was what, but needless to say, BOTH chimneys could be used with EITHER tank, and the only difference was the bore (wide or narrow), and a 1ml capacity reduction using the larger bore …
When referencing my SteamCrave hoard, this one marked a somewhat different approach to the smooth domed top I’d grown accustomed to, with more of a stepped/angled approach …
As on other SC’s the honeycomb airflow, reversible airflow ring, advanced juiceflow control, and 1, 2, 3 slot controls didn’t disappoint …
The internals of the advanced juiceflow system …
It was easy to miss subtle details like the bottom cap, which was more of a cap IN a cap, with an o-ring …
Having three decks included (single coil, dual coil postless, and mesh), I decided to start with the single coil deck, and the narrow chimney …
While the post holes weren’t huge, I was still able to get some claptons in there with no issues, or twisting. Steam Crave claimed 20% bottom airflow, and 80% side airflow with the single coil deck …
Loaded up a dual core clapton for the ride …
I could have thrown in a bigger coil, but the dual core clapton snugged right in …
Pulse, pulse, pulse …
Wicking wasn’t overly tricky ONCE you learned how much to put in the deck wells, and remember to NOT block the bottom airflow …
Just a little bit of sauce. MadCatSauce that is !!!
Presto, now we’re getting close !!!
As mentioned above, the dual kidney ports had no issues showing some love for my cosmo bottles …
Topped off, and ready to RUMBLE with some CRUMBLE !!!
As is typically the case with side by sides, overall it had a very small footprint, felt good in the hand, and once you got used to the thumb trigger (my preferred method), it was a walk in the park …
For size comparison, it was actually smaller than my Iguana …
Single Coil, Dual Coil Testing:
For this review, I tested both the Single Coil deck, and the Dual Coil Postless deck. Starting out with the single coil deck, and the reduced chimney, flavor reproduction was very accurate, but not as saturated as I’d grown used to with my other SteamCraves. Reducing the airflow helped saturate it somewhat, but it still felt a little bit thin. Switched over to the dual coil postless deck, and wide bore chimney, and BAMM, everything just clicked. Super flavor JUST like I’d grown accustomed to. Having gone completely mental on account of my “The Crumble Rumble” I knew EXACTLY what subtle nuances were in that recipe, and the postless deck delivered all of them, and a plush, rich experience, that SteamCrave just seemed to get right. I think I used 4.5mm legs on the coils and they fit perfectly. While SteamCrave billed this one as both MTL and DTL, and I did NOT directly test MTL coils/juice, my experience with DTL, the postless deck and dual coil WAS the way to go.
Hadron Lite Testing:
Wow, what an interestingly unique mod. Sure, sure we’ve all probably got at least ONE side by side in our stashes, but this one just looked, and felt different. As is always the case with SBS (side by sides), they can make SOME things inconvenient, like coiling and wicking ON the mod. If you have a gurgling leak it can be harder to clean up, but that’s just SBS’s. The mod was very solid, no rattles, and despite the warning sticker on the battery cap, I had no issues and after the entire review process, and 225 puffs, still have 1/2 power remaining on the 21700, so it appeared to be miserly on the battery, which is never bad on a single batt-er. I GUESS you could rotate the whole mod around, but for myself, thumb firing seemed to be the natural way, and that didn’t take long to get used to. I’m not a fiddler, so once I set a wattage (my preferred mode), I leave it alone, so bottom adjustment buttons didn’t phase me. No round robin-ing on the adjustments, but it did ramp up when scrolling for a quick experience. Using all Kanthal coils, I didn’t get a change to TC out. All in, an impressive, different, very functional mod.
Pros:
- Mod and Tank both very well made/machined
- Plush, saturated flavor with the postless deck
- Plentiful extras for mod and tank both
- DTL and MTL with a strong nudge towards DTL
- Appears very efficient
- Tactile clicky fire, and adj. buttons
- Very unique mod design
- Feels good in the hand
- 18650, 20700, 21700 compatible
- USB-C charging
- Wide range of airflow from fairly restricted to relatively open
Cons (relative):
- Juiceflow ring hard to adust until o-rings fully lubricated
- No round robin on display adjustments
- Screw in battery cap
- Learning curve on fire and adjustment buttons
- With rear facing firing button, sometimes fingers wrap around airflow slots
- Can be harder to coil/wick on the mod (typical side by side issue)
- About everything you could ever think to include, was in the package, EXCEPT coils !!
- Deck can sometimes be hard to install, BUT, that was due to tightly sealing o-ring
Conclusion:
Wow, THAT was a lot of work, and I’m sure a LOT to read through hehe. All in, I was impressed by this, the Hadron LITE Advanced Kit with the included Supreme v.3 tank. When first upacking the box, the layers just kept going on, and on. I was surprised how much SteamCrave packed in there, BUT, no coils !!! That seemes like an odd omission, considering everything else they included, including mesh strips LOL. Having just received this before Christmas, I didn’t have time to REALLY dive into the possible MTL capabilities or the mesh, but even with that said, it did NOT disappoint. I was more than a little shocked how much better the flavor was when switching from the single coil, to the postless deck, but, more is better right ?? I think it may have had something to do with the offset airflow when using the single coil deck. The two glass tanks and chimneys really opened up a lot of choices, beyond the deck choices.
Is this kit the best of both MTL and DTL worlds ?? Ehhh, maybe. Is it worth the price ?? Yes. The postless and (assuming) mesh decks would probably work out best for most people, and even with my list of cons above, NONE were deal breakers. Even IF you fancy yourself a single batt, screw in batt cap person, you MIGHT just be impressed by this one. I know I was. Recommended.
Colors:
Extras:
If you made is THIS far:
Then I salute you. Thanks for taking the time to stick with it, all the way to the end. If you’ve had a great year (COVID not withstanding), and would like to help some of those in need, take a look at the Semper Fi and America’s Fund, which is rated at 97/100 by Charity Navigator, and is doing outstanding work, and could use your support.
Thank you.
S.D.
Test Sauce:
