{"id":3045,"date":"2011-11-11T23:17:14","date_gmt":"2011-11-12T03:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/?page_id=3045"},"modified":"2012-05-12T23:47:41","modified_gmt":"2012-05-13T03:47:41","slug":"the-lavatube-variable-voltage-electronic-cigarette","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/breaking-news\/the-lavatube-variable-voltage-electronic-cigarette\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lavatube Variable Voltage Electronic Cigarette"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lavatube<\/a>
\nVolcano<\/a>\u00a0has recently begun selectively announcing the coming addition of the Lavatube<\/a> to its line of electronic cigarettes. The device is already in production in China, but with a name like Lavatube, it would seem like a no-brainer for Volcano<\/a> to carry it. The variable voltage device will make a nice addition to their Volcano, Magma and Inferno electronic cigarette lines. \u00a0 The Lavatube is not listed on the Volcano site yet, but indications are that the Lavatube will be aggressively priced at the low end of the variable voltage spectrum, likely under $100 for a complete kit. \u00a0Edit: Mark at Volcanoecigs has let us know that the Volcanoecig company did actually work with the manufacturer in the development of this device.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Lavatube is of a relatively utilitarian design, although it has already drawn some attention from bystanders during only one day of use. \u00a0 At 125mm long and about 21mm wide, it is very comfortable to hold and use and can be held like a cigar, albeit a fat one. \u00a0The body appears to be powder coated in a matte black finish which should prove durable, however there are small pin pricks of bare aluminum that show through on the test unit. The end caps are hard plastic, with the bottom one having slight protrusions which prevent the unit from rolling and add a better base when the unit is standing up. A Lavatube logo is silk screened near the base and Volcanoecigs is printed on a small panel underneath the LCD display.<\/p>\n

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The Lavatube is quite simple, but it incorporates the necessary functions. No manual was provided with the test unit, but usage was simple to figure out. A small red button underneath the LCD turns the unit on and off when depressed for about 3 seconds. Pressing the power button five times in rapid succession displays the battery voltage so that an indication of how much charge is left is easily available. Two silver buttons just above the power button are labeled “-” and “+”, and are used to adjust the output voltage up or down .1v at a time. Voltage adjusts from 3 to 6 volts. A larger black button located a quarter turn away from the power button and display fires the electronic cigarette atomizer. This button is nicely set into the body and has just the right amount of resistance and provides a nice click feedback when depressed.<\/p>\n

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As expected with a variable voltage electronic cigarette, the vape is great no matter what atomizer or cartomizer is being used. The Lavatube incorporates the 510 fitting, meaning that a wide range of options are available. The device has performed flawlessly with both 1.5ohm dual coil and 3.0ohm standard cartomizers as well as 1.7ohm atomizers. \u00a0Measured voltage is equal to what is displayed on the LCD both unloaded and under load. \u00a0Atomizers and cartomizers connect easily and there is no apparent movement in the connector. The 18650 battery has easily lasted through a days worth of moderate vaping. Removing and replacing the battery is easy and the threads on the cap feel very secure, if just a little rough. The included Trustfire charger recharges the battery in around four hours.<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lavatube is a good solid variable voltage electronic cigarette tube mod. \u00a0Fit and finish are average, but performance and design are quite good. \u00a0The field of electronic cigarettes with variable voltage and displays is a small one, and the Lavatube should be competitive in it. \u00a0Comparisons to the Provari are unavoidable, and the short answer is that both units will provide nearly identical performance, with the Provari having an advantage on informational capabilities and perhaps fit and finish, while the Lavatube will likely have the advantage on price. \u00a0Only time will tell if the Lavatube is reliable, but the first look is a positive one. \u00a0As the next step up from a big battery electronic cigarette, the Lavatube will likely be an excellent choice backed by a company with great record of customer service.<\/p>\n

Long term use update<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a couple of weeks of use, the Lavatube has become my daily vape. \u00a0The device is solid and quite a good performer. \u00a0Battery life is excellent and I am getting two to three days of moderate use out of a fully charged battery. \u00a0So far the device has held up very well to being carried in my pocket all day, but it has shown \u00a0some slight wear of the red paint on the on\/off button.<\/p>\n

There is one note on the voltage that needs to be mentioned. \u00a0In my initial tests, I used a 3 ohm cartomizer and the device stayed true to voltage at a number of settings. \u00a0Based on some other reviews, including this video review by Scott Bonner<\/a>, I became curious about how the device performed with electronic cigarette cartomizers of various resistances. \u00a0It turns out that the Lavatube incorporates a limiter that apparently cuts out at about 10 watts (if my calculations are correct) to protect the circuitry. \u00a0 Similar devices like the Infinity and Provari will cut off when the wattage is too high while the Lavatube simply limits the voltage. \u00a0 In practice this is perfectly sufficient for me, but if you have your heart set on vaping low resistance at high voltage, the Lavatube is not the answer.<\/p>\n

All in all, the Lavatube<\/a> is a very capable and good looking device with a lot going for it. \u00a0It has definitely earned a spot on my recommendations list.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: this early version of the Lavatube was received for the purposes of review from Volcano at no cost. \u00a0Free demos are greatly appreciated, but we still do all we can to present a fair and balanced review.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volcano\u00a0has recently begun selectively announcing the coming addition of the Lavatube to its line of electronic cigarettes. The device is already in production in China, but with a name like Lavatube, it would seem like a no-brainer for Volcano to carry it. The variable voltage device will make a nice addition to their Volcano, Magma […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":1174,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3045"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3045"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3073,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3045\/revisions\/3073"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}