Asvape Gabriel 80W TC Stab-Wood Mod Preview

Of all the mods I’ve reviewed, Asvape’s Michael (reviewed here) is the one that still stands out as the one I show off the most. Though the company’s latest – the Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod – might just assume that title. Because this device is nothing short of stunning, through and through.

At an estimated retail value of $179 (only upon release, check for current pricing), this stabilized wood mod isn’t for everyone. But for vapers who see their mods as extensions of their personal style, or simply love collecting high-end devices, the Gabriel is a worthy addition.

We only just received the Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod today, but our initial impressions of this collectors’ item are largely positive, both for appearance and performance. Let’s take a quick look and see why.

Asvape certainly doesn’t skimp on presentation. My Gabriel mod arrived in a leather-wrapped presentation box, which was packaged in a velvet drawstring pouch. A little over-the-top? Maybe for some, but since this is a bit of a luxury device, I enjoyed the pomp and circumstance.

Opening the hinged box revealed a striking, almost Gothic-looking black, blue and salmon blend of hues throughout the pattern. Imagine Salvador Dali had a street fight with Vincent Van Gogh, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what I’m describing.

Of course, each single-18650 Asvape Gabriel stabilized wood box mod is unique and one-of-a-kind, so your experience will DEFINITELY differ from mine. I only hope yours is as nice as mine, because I’m not letting it go.

Beyond the colors and patterns lies an ergonomically designed box, with a soft, velvety coating on the wood portions, and slender curves that form effortlessly to the palm. Though the Gabriel is a hair taller than most single-battery mods, it never feels unbalanced, even with larger tanks on its offset 510 connection.

Though the fire button sits on a 45-degree angle – something I’ve never much enjoyed on box mods – the Gabriel feels good when firing, with no slips or misfires during our short time with the device.

I only have a few concerns at this early juncture. First is the display, which isn’t nearly as attractive as the rest of the device, and presents in a sideways fashion, when the screen could have easily accommodated a vertical display. Personal preference, to be sure, but I’m sure I won’t be the only one with this concern.

The other is the “open” design of the screw-in battery cap. The screw-cap format has never worked for me, but this particularly awkward cap has rough threading, and is near impossible to loosen without tweezers, or some other form of grip. Using my fingers alone proved to be very uncomfortable.

Plus, with the wide venting holes in the battery door, the mod feels a little “exposed” to things like water or dust. On a device that was so lovingly built and crafted, the battery cap seems shockingly poor. Let’s hope I’m missing something here, and have a changed opinion in the full review.

We’ve only had a day to play with the Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod, but we’re getting a pretty good look at how it works. In my initial run, the Gabriel performed well, though the operating system was a little foreign to me. The well-written instructions helped me along, but this system isn’t quite as intuitive as it was on the Michael. Let’s see how familiar it becomes by the time we complete testing.

The onboard chipset offers up to 80 watts of power on a single 18650 cell, and also has a full temperature control suite for all standard wire types, TCR settings, bypass mode, and a variable power control mode to adjust heating curves. Pretty complete setup, even if there’s nothing inherently “new” to see here.

However, what IS interesting is that Asvape claims the proprietary chipset is smart, and will learn user vaping habits and identify different atomizers. Whether this is clever marketing or real talk remains to be seem, but the claims have definitely caught our attention, and we will certainly address this during our testing throughout the next few weeks.

With a showpiece like the  Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod, it almost seems silly to nitpick about performance, since many customers will want it for looks alone. However, if you’re like us, and want a mod that performs in accordance with its price tag, then you’re going to want to keep an eye out for our full review soon.

We love the looks of the Gabriel. We love the way it operates. And our limited time with the mod was nearly a home run. However, we do have some lingering questions and potential concerns to address over the course of the next week. Stay tuned for what should be a VERY interesting breakdown, of a very expensive vape device.

Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod specs:

• Size: 91x53x28mm
• Handmade stabilized wood construction
• 0.91 inch colored display screen
• Wattage range: 5-80W
• Temperature range: 212-572°F
• Support resistance range: 0.08-3ohm
• TC mode: Ni/Ti/SS316
• 7 Protective Modes: Low Voltage Protection, Overheat Protection Short Circuit Protection, Low Resistance Protection Dry Protection, Battery Protection, Atomizer Check
• 510 threading connection
• Powered by single 18650 battery (battery sold separately)
• Micro-USB charging port
• Random color wood finish
• Stainless steel or gold trim finish

Asvape Gabriel 80W stabilized wood box mod contents:

• 1x Asvape Gabriel mod
• 1x USB cable
• 1x User manual