“Never begin a review period when you’re pissed off. Sure, make a note of why you’re pissed off, integrate it into the written review afterwards, but never let it affect your review.” Wise words, and I’m going to try. Just so you know, this review for the iJoy SABER 100W Vape Pen with the full-size Diamond Sub-Ohm Tank is being written 4 days after the first time I filled the Diamond tank, and the tips of my fingers have finally stopped tingling. Ugh!

So, what pissed me off? Overtightening…  While writing my last review of the iJoy Diamond Mini Kit, (reviewed here) an excellent box mod that comes with the same sub-ohm tank as this SABER Kit, it was easy… no, it was ‘surprisingly easy’, to remove the top cap of the Diamond Sub-Ohm included with the Diamond Mini. But this time, with the SABER, it took a pair of pliers, and all the strength I could muster, to budge the top cap enough so that it could be removed.

If you’ve purchased enough vape products no doubt you’ve run into the same problem. Don’t feel alone in this, it happens to all of us, yet so few reviewers talk about it. Maybe if they did the manufacturers would make sure to calibrate their damn assembly line equipment to make sure it doesn’t happen. If it takes pliers to loosen a top cap or a stubborn coil head, you do what you must, just try not to damage it, or you’ll never get a good seal again.

Overtightened top cap on the tank aside, this 100W, 20700-cell powered, variable wattage vape pen is almost everything I would want in a vape pen. Good design, proper aesthetics, a good feel in the hand, and an excellent vape experience. The SABER vape pen is for Vapers that want to use a vape pen, but at the same time, want more than a straight up Direct Voltage device that requires special coils (I’m talking to you SMOK Resa Stick  [reviewed here]and your “M” series coils). Anyone looking for a mid-wattage full featured mod in the shape of a vape pen, the SABER is it. Well, fully featured save for temperature control capabilities, which is missing from the SABER but won’t be missed by the vast majority of users.

The iJoy SABER 100W Starter Kit may use a single 20700 cell to power that 100 watts, but it includes a full silicon sleeve so that users can slip a trusty old 18650 cell into it to power the SABER to 80 watts. Equipped with variable wattage by way of iJoy’s IWEPAL chipset, the user of the SABER isn’t even restricted to using the Diamond Sub-Ohm Tank. As long as the tank is 25mm or so in width and has a coil resistance of 0.05-ohm (but doesn’t require more than 100W for an optimal vape), it can be used by the SABER.

The iJoy SABER’s variable wattage has a range of 5W to 100W (80W with an 18650 cell), features a slew of safety protections built into the IWEPAL chipset, plus a small OLED display with a surprisingly clear and adequate display of information, and two adjustment buttons near the bottom of the stick mod. The bottom, black battery cap twists off to reveal an off-center battery chamber for the 20700 or 18650-with-sleeve battery.

The firing mechanism, aka the Fire Button, is roughly half an inch below the top of the vape pen and is nicely sized with a firm response. The iJoy SABER vape pen itself measures 29mm diameter at the base then narrows a bit to accommodate the 25mm of the Diamond Sub Ohm with a spring-loaded stainless-steel connector.

The pairing of the Diamond Sub-Ohm Tank is a good choice by iJoy. I spent a decent amount of time writing about the Diamond Sub-Ohm in my last review (the Diamond Mini review), but just in case you haven’t read it yet, I’ll clue you in below as to why the Diamond Sub-Ohm has become one of my favorite tanks of late.

Since its release I’ve heard some people claim that when purchasing the Diamond Sub Ohm as a standalone tank that it includes two bubble glass tubes; one clear and one frosted-color bubble. If this was true it is not true anymore. According to iJoy’s website, even when buying the Diamond Sub Ohm separately, there is one bubble tank, it’s default tank, and one colored straight glass tube. It’s default bubble glass holds 5.5mL of e-liquid, while the frosted color straight glass holds 4mL. Both are decently durable, but they can shatter and if the user breaks the bubble glass the only option is to use the straight 4mL glass tube.

The iJoy Diamond Sub Ohm Tank features a great deal of airflow producing excellent volumes of vapor and authentic flavor. It has an 810 Wide Bore Resin Drip Tip but includes an adapter for those users wanting to use a 510 Drip Tip. Overall, the Diamond Sub Ohm Tank is nothing fancy, relying more on a Best Practices design. The excellent vapor and flavor relies more on iJoy’s DM Coil System. The SABER Kit includes two Coils, a 0.15-ohm DM-Mesh coil with a 40W-90W range (my optimal wattage seems to be right around 61W) as it preinstalled coil, and a DM-DM coil, with a resistance of 0.15-ohm and the same 40W-90W wattage range.

The DM-MESH coil provides a uniform heating characteristic made up with a wick of 70% Flax fiber and 30% wood pulp. The DM-DM diamond-like coil also provides uniform heating but using a wick of pure Organic Fiber Cotton. In all honesty, I can’t tell the difference between the coils while vaping with them, both are pretty damn nice. I’m sure there are some folks with more sensitive tastebuds that would lean toward one coil or the other for flavor, but vapor production is, well, identical to this Vaper.

Here’s the thing; I like the idea of using a vape pen style device but whether the vape pen holds 2000 or 3000mAh, the internal battery found in 99% of all vape pens just don’t cut it for me. That’s why the SABER is such a standout. It’s so much easier to replace the power cell than it is to attach the USB cable to recharge an internal battery. The SABER vape pen provides a continuous all day vape because when the battery drains you just need to swap it out.

I get why iJoy made the SABER vape pen as a 20700 device; to achieve that 100W maximum output, and because iJoy is heavily invested in the 2X700 battery market. Of all the manufacturers iJoy produces more 2X700 devices than any other.

While Direct Voltage is okay, as long as you use the right coil, the variable wattage feature, which will include the necessity of some type of display and adjustment buttons, provides a much better vape experience. You can’t tweak a Direct Voltage vape pen, the battery is either fully charged or its not, while adjusting the wattage in a device like the SABER, to match your personal preferences, is so much better.

Now, having said all that, a vape pen with box mod features like the iJoy SABER Kit, the cost to the user is going to be higher than the ‘usual’ vape pen. The ultra-attractive SMOK Resa Stick, a Direct Voltage, internal battery vape pen is about $45, the SMOK Stick Prince is now just $33.55, and the SMOK Stick Prince Baby, the newest of the SMOK Stick series is $42.95. The iJoy SABER Kit is the same price as the iJoy Diamond Mini Kit, $54.95. Is it worth the extra cost? For myself the answer is, yes definitely.

In order to decide if the iJoy SABER Kit is for you, it’s a matter of how much control you want in vape pen, and of course if you want a vape pen at all. I have a lot of vape gear, including a few vape pens, so maybe I’m not the one to recommend the SABER. What I can say is that despite the iJoy Diamond Mini’s ability to max out at 225W, using the Diamond Sub Ohm Tank on both the Diamond Mini box mod and the SABER vape pen, the performance is virtually the same. I’ll admit that if I didn’t already own a bunch of vape gear and someone presented me with both the Diamond Mini and the SABER and told me I could have one or the other, I’d choose the Diamond Mini box mod. My roommate on the other hand, would choose the SABER. No matter which one if up for grabs, both offer a good value, a good vape, and the prices are affordable.

If you like or prefer the vape pen style, you’ll be very happy with the iJoy SABER Kit. Available in Silver, Black, White, Gold, Blue, and Red, and in stock at Element Vape.

Score: A