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The Kanger EMUS – There is a subset of vapers in the vape community who don’t care about muscle. They aren’t cloud chasers and they don’t really know the difference between a glassomizer and a rebuildable. This subset of vapers do care about the quality of their ‘vape’, and they also care about how the eCigarette looks, how much room it takes up in a pocket or purse, how easy it is to use, and how easy it is to maintain.
I would venture to say that this subset really isn’t a subset, but rather the majority of vapers today. Most of my friends that vape fit into this category. If I didn’t write for Spinfuel I would be this type of vaper. And it is this type of vaper that the Kanger EMUS was designed to appeal to.
The following review is actually a conversation between Keira and myself. Some of it was in the form of text messages, some of it was email, and some of it was face-to-face conversation. As much of it as possible is verbatim, unfortunately there are a few instances where one or both of us are paraphrasing what we said earlier. It took quite a bit of time to collect all these bits of conversation, in its many forms, and build the narrative you see below.
We decided to conduct this review this manner because, well, because it’s different than the type of review we usually do. The Kanger EMUS is a different type of electronic cigarette too, so it made sense to try something a little different. Well, it made sense to me…
I received my EMUS from MyVaporStore and Keira received hers from VaporAuthority. My EMUS is red, Keira’s is black. Dave (Foster) somehow worked all this out and presented the both of us with our very own EMUS Starter Kit and asked us for a two-person review. I like those kinds of reviews because you get a better chance to recognize both the good and the bad about products we review. I might overlook something that Keira would catch, or vice versa, and that makes an overall better experience for you. Most of the time however, you won’t notice that both of us are writing the review, our input in melded together to form one narrative.
Getting back to the EMUS by Kanger, let me see if I can save you a little time. If you’re a cloud chaser, if you consider an eGo battery a small battery, or something you would only use in an emergency situation, then the EMUS isnot something that is going to appeal to you.
If you’re hoping to read a review of a product that is the equivalent of a muscle car in the auto world you’ll have to wait for my review of the new Dragon Provari, the Sigelei 30W, and a couple of surprise products that are in the works now. (July is going to be a big month for reviews!) Having said that, if you’re looking for an inexpensive, yet beautifully made eCigarette that performs much like a larger battery and clearomizer, then maybe you should stick around.
The Kanger EMUS is a very nice electronic cigarette, and the price makes it even more attractive than its performance.
The Kanger EMUS Review
Julia: Finally, after all this time, the power of an eGo (almost) in a gorgeous battery just a bit bigger than a normal cig-a-like has arrived on the vape scene. It’s the Kanger EMUS and I have to tell you Keira, this is something I plan on keeping in my purse permanently. All I need now is a nice leather case for it and I’ll be all set. What did you think?
Keira: It is a beautiful eCigarette, you got that right? And I love the idea of a leather pouch for it (we need to have some crafted by Jimmy) Small but pretty powerful, with a ultra-premium finish, deep luscious colors, and faithful flavor reproduction and vapor production close to a Spinner 2 with an X.Jet Spider.
I was pleasantly surprised when I started using it. What a great idea, and a great execution from Kanger. Though, I don’t want to oversell it. I don’t want anyone to think that they are going to get the performance of a ZMAX or eVic Supreme. It’s not in the same fighting class. This is something that sits all by itself, or maybe in the same vicinity as the Joyetech eCom-C.
Julia: I think that’s right, a great idea and a great execution, within certain parameters. I agree that it might also be in good company with the eCom-C, but the eCom’s are all about wattage, not voltage, but other than that I can see the same “class”.
I agree that the battery has a rich finish and the colors are deep and, well, like you said…luscious. And a complete starter kit for under $50, how do you beat that for what you get?
Keira: I don’t know if you can, not right now. The Kanger EMUS has staying power too; 550mAh, and the clearomizer can handle a range of ohms between 1.5-3.3ohms.
Julia: True, but keep in the mind the clearomizer doesn’t hold a lot of juice. (1.2ML -ed) That reminds me, did you have any trouble finding out what the coil heads were rated, ohms-wise? I mean, its not mentioned anywhere. Not on the vendor sites, the packaging, the manual, and not even etched on the side of the coil heads. It drove me crazy looking for it!
Keira: I know, right? I finally had to take the clearomizer off the battery and attach it to Tom’s eVic Supreme to see what the ohms were. They are 2.5ohms by the way, the two in the clearomizers and the 5-pack of coil replacements inside the starter kit box are, I think, I didn’t test all 5. They worked fine, but I would like to go lower next time, 1.5ohms would be just about perfect for a battery like this.
Julia: I agree, to a point. I’m not sure why they felt they needed to go with a 2.5ohm coil when a 1.5ohms would give you more vapor and a warmer vapor with the 3.7v output from the battery. Oh, by the way, that was a pretty slick solution to finding out the ohms rating kiddo. I’m expecting some sub-ohm Kanger coils today or tomorrow, maybe we can see if they work in the EMUS.
Though the battery life will be cut short with anything under the 2.5ohms. What do you think of MyVaporStore stating that the batteries are 550mAh and Vapor Authority saying they are 500mAh? Were you confused?
Keira: That was confusing, yea. But I did a Google search and found that about half the vendors that are selling them are saying they are 500mAh and the other half are saying they are 550mAh. My Kangertech manual for the EMUS starter kit says 550mAh, so I’m going with that, LOL
Julia: Mine does too, 550mAh, it’s in the book! LOL! It has to be right!
Keira: There are some vendor sites out there stating that the coils are 1.8ohm. What about that?
Julia: I haven’t checked that since you were right there testing it. I don’t know, I would have guessed they would be 1.8ohm coils, so maybe the other vendors are guessing too. There are NO marking on the coils and they are not listed in the manual, box, or on MyVaporStore or Vapor Authority. I’ll take your word for it, I watched you do it.
But, let’s not forget that this could be a case of “some are 2.5ohm and some are 1.8ohm” that has happened before. I can’t remember which product it was, but I remember the specs being all confused and some people received one thing and others received something else..
Keira: The coil heads are bottom coils too, but they are not dual coils, something we’ve both become accustomed to lately. Everything has been dual coils coming through here. I wonder why EMUS is bucking the trend with single coils?
Julia: It has to be the battery life, or the small capacity of the clearomizers. I mean, 1.2ML is pretty small, so maybe if they were Dual Coils they would burn through both the eJuice and the battery life too fast. That could be the reason.
And who knows, maybe they built an eCigarette around a coil they had millions of, so they built it to go with their remaining stock of single coil, standard resistance coil heads. Could be, maybe?
Keira: That never crossed my mind darling, but it sounds possible. 1.2ML is really light; I was refilling my clearomizers every 2.5-3 hours.
Julia: Me too, right around 2.5 hours.
Keira: Did you try other drip tips? The EMUS clearomizers have replaceable drip tips, and while I did switch them with others we have scattered around the house just to see if they would fit, I wound up staying with the ones that came with it. I like the complete look of clearomizers with the original drip tips, even though they are metal ones.
Julia: I did try some others, and I wound up using a small plastic one for a while, I didn’t like the metal ones that came with it. I don’t like glossy finishes on metal. Unlike the more expensive Aerotanks that I love so much, the EMUS drip tips seem to be a glossy base-metal drip tip, and those feel awful in my mouth.
Keira: Oh, you mean that cheap, cheap metal that no one really knows what its composition is? A little lead, a little steel, a little of this, and a little of that. Yea, I hate that, they do leave a metal taste in your mouth. yuck! Well, the option is there so why not? I think a nice transparent plastic drip tip on top of the clearomizers would have looked better and felt better, so I agree with you there.
Julia: Okay, let’s do a little of the ‘Real World’ experience thing. How did you wind up using it, how long, and did you ever get the urge to grab a bigger battery and maybe a different clearomizer? Or were you fine using the EMUS 24/7?
Keira: That’s not as easy to answer as you think. For me, using a Kanger EMUS 24/7 is impossible. I’ve grown way past that with all my other hardware. So, using the EMUS at night when we go out is fine, I love it. I can take it into a club, a movie, a restaurant, or a walk on the beach, but only for a few hours at a time. It holds me off, but when I get home I grab something bigger, with a bigger vape, and sit back and relax.
Julia: I understand that, yea. But we have been vaping for a long time and we’ve used some big batteries and some massive glassomizers, so of course it would hard to use 24 hours a day. But I think new vapers, either coming straight from tobacco cigarettes or straight from cig-a-likes would love something like this, and would use it 24 hours a day without a problem. Don’t you?
Keira: Oh yes, absolutely. That’s what I mean. People who have been vaping for a while would not want a EMUS as their “only” battery, but as a stealth battery its fine. For new vapers it’s a good way to get a much better vape than a cig-a-like without having to go all that much larger. I think the EMUS fills a nice sized gap in the eCigarette lineup.
Julia: Were you able to get enough flavor and vapor the other night when we were in Boston?
Keira: Of course! The EMUS works, and works well. It’s a great product for a great price…for what it is.
Julia: And what’s that?
Keira: It is a eCigarette that delivers twice the flavor and vapor of a cig-a-like, but is small enough to feel like a cig-a-like. It holds about the same amount of juice, well, a little more actually, than a cig-a-like, but it makes taking the next step up from a cig-a-like easy to take. Know what I mean?
Julia: I couldn’t agree more. That about nails it too. It’s a quality built battery and clearomizer, and its inexpensive. No, it’s the not the best thing to happen to vaping since the first Provari, but its not supposed to be. It’s that whole “next step” you’re talking about.
The next time I take a smoker away from tobacco I am going to recommend the EMUS I think, and bypass the cig-a-like experience all together.
Hell, when you look at the contents of the starter kit and compare that with the contents of any decent cig-a-like starter kit you get the same number of batteries, USB charger, and so on, for less money than a cig-a-like kit. How is that not a good thing?
Keira: Absolutely. Let me give you the lowdown on the specs.
- The Kanger EMUS is slimmer than an eGo but a bit larger than a normal cig-a-like battery.
- It’s 510 Threaded so you can use other clearomizers if you wanted to, but then if you’re going to do that why not just move up to a 650mAh or 900mAh battery instead?
- It is lockable. Press the button 5 times within 1.5 seconds to lock or unlock the battery. The battery’s LED will blink when switching modes. When the battery is in lock mode, the button is disabled and the battery won’t power up the clearomizer.
- It has a removable mouthpiece, or drip tip.
- Bottom Coil Clearomizer
- 1.2ml Tanks
- 550mAh batteries
- And the Dimensions are: 5-1/2″L x 1/2″D
MyVaporStore sells the EMUS in Red, Black, Blue, and Stainless. The starter kit is $47.96 and you can pick up extr
a batteries for $13.71 and extra clearomizers for $5.82.
Over at VaporAuthority you can pick up the Starter Kit in Black or Stainless for $39.99. I didn’t see any extra batteries or clearomizers, but they may have them.
Julia: Well then, there you go. The only thing left is to tell our readers what comes in the Starter Kit. Here you go:
Starter Kit for the EMUS by Kanger
- 2 x EMUS Rechargeable 550mAh Batteries
- 2 x EMUS Clearomizers
- 5 x EMUS Atomizer heads
- 1 x EMUS USB Charger 200mA
- 1 x Wall to USB 1000mA
Conclusion
Julia: If you’re looking for a stealthy eCigarette and you don’t want to drop a lot of money, but you still want decent performance and good looks, the EMUS by Kanger is a good deal and it has to be among the ones you’ll want to consider. There is no lack of starter kits on the market, and there are plenty of choices. Still, I recommend it, as long as you know its limitations.
Keira: Totally agree. You have to know that the EMUS is not going to be that 1600mAh Spinner 2 with the dual coil 1.8ohm X.Jet Spider or Vivi Nova Aspire. It is what it is, and what it is, is a terrific little stealth bomber that you can pick up for about $40. Definitely recommend it.
Special Note: The EMUS is not the new Kanger EMOW. That one is a bit larger and we’re working on a review of the EMOW and will have it for you soon. – JHB
More in Spinfuel:
What Exactly is Vaping Anyway? How Does it Work?
Exploring the World of Vaping in 2023: A Flavorful Journey to Quit Smoking
A Guide to Vape Coils for Vape Lovers
