What’s up vapefam!
SirRisc here with another gear review!
I was supposed to review the RX200 today, but Youde insisted that this review appeared before the Chinese Spring Festival.
So I changed my schedule a bit to fit it in, because I’m just that nice… so it’s time for something new from UD, and this time it’s not a tank.
UD has released a small device called the Balrog, and they sent me a sample!
This UD Balrog kit was sent to me for the purpose of this review by Youde Technologies!
Premise.
Youde, or UD, has been doing well lately with their tanks, but what’s a tank without something to put it on?
The Balrog kit is their answer to the myriad of small TC mods on the market.
Sporting 70W in powermode and TC for Ni200 and Ti01, and powered by a single 18650 battery.
The kit comes with its own tank, but the other UD tanks fit the mod pretty well too. 
So is the Balrog worth it over let’s say the IPV D3?
Let’s have a look, shall we?
Specifications.
- Stainless steel, zinc alloy and brass body
- Single 18650 battery
- Power output 5W to 70W
- Temperature control for Ni200 and Ti01
- Temperature range: 200°F to 600°F or 95°C to 315°C
- Resistance range in powermode: 0.2ohm to 3ohm
- Resistance range in TC mode: unlisted (0.1ohm confirmed to work)
- Balrog Tank included with spare glass, spare o-rings, 510 heatsink, 1.8ohm coilhead, 0.5ohm coilhead and 0.15ohm Ni200 coilhead
Packaging.
The packaging of the Balrog is quite pretty, the black and red combination really pops out and looks quite tough.
Upon opening the box you’re greeted with the usermanual first. A grey booklet with the Balrog logo, written in 5 languages.
Underneath the manual you’ll find a foam insert covered in red where the mod and tank reside.
Just above the tank is a spare glass with a little plastic bag that holds to spare o-rings and the 510 heatsink and driptip.
Under the tank are two coilheads and next to those are the USB charging cable (which coïncidently is a bit of a strange one) and a UD lanyard.
Performance.
With the myriad of small mods lately it’s getting hard to do anything original, but UD has done a few things that I’ve not seen before.
Starting with the top of the mod that has two rather new details.
The 510 is surrounded by a ring that is meant to keep juice out of your 510.
It’s removable with reverse threading and holds a ring of cotton that will wick any juice that leaks from the atomizer.
UD does include a spare cotton ring, but I reckon you could fashion one yourself quite easily.
The 510 itself is springloaded and has a brass center pin.
It’ll fit fairly long 510 pins, it had no issue with my old Plume Veil that used to sit on a hybrid mech mod.
On the back of the mod is the batterydoor, which is held in place by 4 small but very strong magnets.
The door is rounded to fit the hand comfortably, and hides the single 18650 sled.
The contacts are smooth, the positive contact sits at the bottom and is springloaded.
On the bottom of the mod are ventholes and a white print with the UD logo.
Just next to the 510 is a small hole meant to fit the lanyard.
The lanyard is relatively thin but very strong, and it says “UD KEEP VAPING”.
A cool detail for those of us that carry a mod around their necks.
I can definitely see the use for it when I’m going climbing or hiking, not that I tend to vape when dangling from a rock but the possibility is there…
The firebutton is another feature that has a bit of a different way of working.
Instead of being a small button that sits on the front, the button has been enlarged to go around the sides a bit.
This is done so you can use the mod by holding it in your palm and pushing it with your palm instead of your index finger.
Whether or not this is unique is a different discussion all together, I haven’t had any trouble using the mod like any other by pushing the button with my index finger.
There’s also near to no tactile feedback on the firebutton, which can be a bit odd at first.
Under the button is the display, which is small but very bright.
It’ll show you the batterystatus, the temperature in TC mode, the alloy in TC mode, the resistance of your atomizer, the voltage and the wattage in bigger letters.
When the box starts up it shows you “UD Box”, when it shuts down it says “KEEP VAPING”.
So UD encourages you not to shut down the mod and keep using their product…
The menu system is quite simple, and is mostly navigated with the firebutton.
Three clicks will show the menu where you can select the power or TC modes, the alloy you’re using, °C or °F, and the temperature.
Adjusting the settings is done with the plus and minus buttons which have a fair bit more tactile feedback than the firebutton.
The firebutton has very little in terms of feedback actually.
Another option in the menusystem is “system” where you can adjust the displays orientation or activate stealthmode, have a look at the puffcounter or reset it, and the last option “Sensitivity”.
Sensitivity is an option that is made for the TC mode, it adjusts the range of sensitivity of the mod.
1 being the most sensitive and 20 being the least sensitive.
This means that the mod will respond quicker to the temperature going above what it’s set at when sensitivity is set to 1, and allow a bit more when it’s set to 20.
That brings us to the Balrog tank, a small tank that isn’t meant to be rebuilt.
Which doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it does mean you’ll have to buy coilheads for it (or risk rebuilding the coilheads).
The tank has a capacity of 3ml and comes with a few options for coilheads.
In the box is a 1.8ohm coilhead meant for mouth-to-lung vaping, a 0.5ohm coilhead meant for direct lung inhales and a 0.15ohm Ni200 coilhead for temperature control.
I’ve been using the 0.5ohm coilhead and the Ni200 coilhead and both have been performing… alright.
The coilheads have tiny wicking holes which makes the tank less suitable for higher VG liquids.
Anything above 70VG gave me nasty dryhits, but with 60VG liquids it performed quite well.
What the tank does do very well is flavor. Due to the short chimney, the flavor is very pronounced.
The topfill is a bit odd too, as the holes for filling sit to the side of the barrel and are hard to reach.
The airflow is almost invisible but can be configured to your liking with the airflow ring.
The tiny holes are a bit hard to see and it does get a bit tedious having to hold the mod up to the light to see the airflow setting.
Aesthetics.
The Balrog is about the same size as the IPV D2 and D3, and slightly smaller than the Evic VTC Mini.
Due to the rounded form it’s easy to pocket and feels very comfortable in the hand.
On the firebutton, which is a fair bit bigger than most, is an embossed flame logo.
Just above the button UD has painted the red lettering “Balrog”.
The Balrog is simple, but very ergonomic and it looks quite nice.
Pros and Cons.
Pro.
- 70W
- TC for Ni200 and Ti01
- Lightweight
- Bright display
- Comes with a Balrog tank
- Comfortable ergonomic design
- Batterylife is alright for a single 18650
- A few unique features
Con.
- No TC for stainless steel wire
- No customisable TCoR
- Tank doesn’t wick above 70VG
- Airflow holes are hard to see
In conclusion.
The Balrog is definitely a contender in the market of small mods. The design features a few new innovations and feels very high quality.
The tank is pretty but doesn’t seem to handle high VG juices well, I would combine the mod with a Goblin Mini instead to keep the low profile with better performance.
The firebutton has next to no tactile feedback and takes some getting used to, but it also feels comfortable.
Overall the Balrog is a mod that could do very well in the midrange segment.
In closing I would like to thank Youde Technologies for sending me the Balrog kit for review!
And of course all of you who read my reviews, thank you very much!
Join me next time for the Wismec Realeaux RX200 review!
I promise I will stick to my schedule this time, my apologies if you were waiting for it.
Need to reach me? Head over to my website.
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Want to know more about DIY? Head over to ELR
#staycloudy !
SirRisc disappears in a cloud of lemon and cream scented vapor
