What’s up vapefam!
SirRisc here with another gear review!
I’ll be looking into a mod I’ve aptly been calling “rubber clad Megathron”, a ruggedized tube mod with temp control, the Heatvape Invader Mini.
This mod was sent to me for review courtesy of Gearbest.com.
Premise.
Considering the look and feel of this mod and the fact that this would be my first foray into the wonderful world of temperature control, I was rather sceptic before this review.
The ruggedized rubber look of this tube mod is something you’ll either love or hate but judging by several Youtube videos where they abuse the mod by running it over with a car, shooting a pellet gun at close range, or dunking it in a bowl of water, it does seem to have its merit.
For me a large part of the appeal was the fact that summer is approaching fast and that means musicfestivals! Dried up fields covered in a cloud of dust, beer being thrown around, the wall of death… I’ve seen them all and I love them all.
But it isn’t a good environment for mods to be in, they’re a little sensitive to dust and moisture, and generally speaking they’d break easily in these circumstances.
But that’s where a mod like the Invader Mini will set itself apart from the rest. If it can be run over by a car and still vape, it’ll survive a wall of death. (No, I’m not going to film myself running in a wall of death, you’re shit out of luck there.)
Anyway, as I said this is my first temperature control mod and I was rather sceptical about the whole temperature control thing.
I wasn’t too sure it was something I’d enjoy seeing as I like my vapes hot and cloudy.
The thing with temperature control is though, it works. It’s annoying to get right at first because Ni200 is a bitch to work with, but it works.
And let’s face facts here… at the pricepoint this mod is sitting at it’s a damn good way to take your first steps into temperature control functionality.
Specifications.
- Temperature control
- Zinc alloy & brass
- Waterproof level: IPX4 (Splashing of water, submerging pressure: 80–100 kPa)
- Innovative 510 topcap for gapless fit
- Shockproof & ruggedised design
- 1W to 50W output power
- 1V to 9.9V output voltage
- Powered by 1*18650 high drain battery (20A or more)
- Resistance limit 0.16ohm to 2.0ohm in normal mode
- Resistance limit 0.1ohm to 1.0ohm in temperature control mode
- DC-DC converter
Packaging.
I’m not going into too much detail about the packaging on this one, because the packaging is the same as you’d get with any decent product.
The mod comes in a clear plastic case that is wrapped with a cardboard cover that sports the Heatvape logo in shiny red letters.
On the bottom is the sticker with a scratch and check code so you know the mod you’re getting is an authentic.
I got a grey Invader Mini but on the packaging the other colors are also displayed.
Inside of the clear case is a plastic insert that feels rather cheap, but holds the mod fairly tight.
The user manual is hiding under the insert, I would advise reading it if you’re new to temperature control so you know how to set everything up.
Performance.
Where do I even start with this mod?
Between the rather odd looking exterior and the weight of this mod, there’s so much to cover.
The chip reminds of the Evolve DNA40 at first sight, but is in fact developed in-house by Heatvape.
Rumor has it that the chip is the same as Kangxin is using in the VF50 but with a different ROM flashed to it, but I can’t confirm this as I don’t have VF50 to open up.
The chip does temperature control and it does it well though.
This is my very first experience with temperature control and despite being a bit sceptic, I have to admit that this chip does the job its supposed to do.
When you set the temperature control and start vaping until your tank or dipper runs dry, it will lower the wattage down to 1W to keep your wick from burning.
I’ve been using it almost exclusively with the Subtank Plus I recently reviewed, built with soft Ni200 (Nickel) to 0.22ohm and it vapes great.
It provides a cooler vape than what I am used to, but that’s apparently one of the things with temperature control I’ll have to learn to live with.
However well the chip works with temperature control, it does have a few quirks that should be addressed.
For one, when you use the mod with a regular kanthal build the mod will fire with a slight delay of about half a second.
It’s not a long delay and it’s not really a dealbreaker but it does annoy me just a tad.
Another problem I’ve come across is that it tends to reset itself to 10W sometimes, I still haven’t found out why it does this.
It seems to be only when I lock the power by pressing and holding the up and down button that it resets after about half an hour.
Setting the wattage again after it happened works flawlessly, there’s no need to reset the mod.
The settings are fairly straightforward to use with the 3 buttons.
Clicking the firebutton 5 times within 3 seconds locks the mod, and to set the temperature limit you need to hold the up and down button for 2 seconds while it’s locked.
When it’s unlocked you can set the wattage in 0.1W increments with the up and down buttons, and if you hold them both down for two seconds you lock the wattage.
Locking the wattage has a tedious fault though, if you set the mod to 40W and you lock the wattage you’ll find that it’s locked at 40.1W.
To stop this from happening, just set the wattage to 39.9W before locking it and it’ll be locked at 40W. Tedious indeed.
One of the biggest concerns I had when using the mod, both with temperature control or normal mode, is that the battery runs hot.
I’ve tried both a Samsung 25R (22A limit) and a Sony VTC4 (30A limit) and both yielded the same results.
Now this could be because of the waterproofed body containing no venting holes, so the battery can’t expel the generated heat through those, but it is something you’ll have to take into account.
In the event of venting, the silicone will rip at the buttons to expel pressure and effectively ruin your mod. (Not that most mods survive venting batteries but still…)
That brings me to the next point of attention on this mod. It’s freaking waterproof. No, seriously. It is!
You can safely drop it in a puddle, or even a small pond up to 1m in depth and if you fish it out quick enough, the mod will have survived!
Now I know some of you have asked me to do some crazy shit with this thing like running it over with my car or dunking it in water but honestly it’s all been done before.
I think we can safely assume it will stand up to a lot of punishment and abuse without me having to jump through hoops.
If you really want to see it get abused and you really want to test it limits, buy one and do it yourself. 
Aesthetics.
As you can tell, it’s a bit of a specialty item. The ruggedised look won’t be something everyone likes but it feels excellent to the touch.
Mine is covered in grey silicone, but it’s also available in black, blue and green. Personally, I rather like the grey because it’s fairly neutral.
The topcap looks great in its chrome finish and doesn’t seem prone to scratching, and neither does the batterycap on the bottom for that matter.
Both have an o-ring on them to make the entire thing waterproof, and the batterycap is springloaded to fit both flat top and button top 18650 batteries.
The batterycap has a laser etching on it stating that Heatvape designed this mod, but if you’re anything like me and browse the web a bit you’ll find that the mod shares its look with the Dovpo E-LVT Mini.
I’m not sure which one was first on the market and frankly it doesn’t matter. There are many mods, but this one is mine! (That was totally not a Full Metal Jacket reference…)
On a sidenote, the Dovpo also doesn’t do temperature control and only delivers up to 35W.
Pros and Cons.
Pro.
- Cheap!
- Temperature control works great
- Shockproof and waterproof
- Top cap makes anything sit flush
- Excellent threading
- Easy to use settings
- Display is very clear, even in direct sunlight
- Very easy to hold, very grippy because of the silicone
- Can double as a personal defense (I’m kidding! But not really, you could seriously hurt someone with this mod.)
Con.
- Batterylife is too short in temperature control mode
- Heat builds up quick
- Temperature is only displayed in Farenheit
- The mod is heavy, very heavy actually
- Firing delay in normal mode
- Shuts down after 30 minutes to 45 minutes
- Resets wattage to 10W sometimes
- Fire button placement is a bit awkward at times
In conclusion.
The Invader Mini is definitely a contender in terms of sturdyness, it can take a severe beating and still keep on working without as much as a glitch. (See that Evolve? That’s how it’s done!)
The chip is quick to respond to new Ni200 coils, and fires down to 0.1ohm in temperature control mode.
The screen is clear, even in direct sunlight and the settings are easy to navigate.
Sure the mod looks weird and it feels a bit too heavy for my liking but it sits at a very comfortable pricepoint, making it a very good first temperature control experience.
If you’re looking for a lighter weight mod, the Kangxin VF50 might be worth looking into though, seeing as it houses the same chip with different software.
All in all, it’s a great mod and definitely worth checking out!
In closing I would like to thank Gearbest again for sending me this mod for review, temperature control is definitely fun to play around with.
And of course without all of you readers, I wouldn’t be writing these reviews so thank you for sticking with me!
After all the drama llamas of last week on ecr_eu, it’s great to know that a lot of you support what I do!
I’m always looking for more opportunities to review, so get in touch if you want me to review something from you! Juice, RTA, RDA, mods… It’s all welcome and I’m sure we can work something out!
#staycloudy !
SirRisc disappears in a cloud of strawberry custard scented vapor
