Note* There is a very generous “Spinfuel” only deal at the end of the review. Please don’t miss it.
There are many reasons why the last 3 months of the year are always the favorite time of year for millions of people, myself included. For me though, it’s not only about the cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s also a time of the year when the new product releases are at their heaviest.
Even in the eCigarette industry we see a jump in product announcements and releases, as well as some new technologies hitting the consumer market. “We live in exciting times”. Indeed. (And not only because the iPhone 5 is selling by the millions)
At Spinfuel HQ
Over the past couple of weeks we have been living with several new products that have either just come out or are coming out soon and we’ll be publishing our reviews at a faster clip starting this week. One of the products is being reviewed and released today, and according to the entire staff of Spinfuel this product is destined to become a very hot commodity right out of the gate.
A New eGo has come to Town and We Call it Alter eGo™
Premium Electronic Cigarettes ™, (Premium Ecigs™), is releasing a new product today, and they call it the “Alter eGo™”. This nifty new vaping device uses the newest eGo battery technology topped off with the always-terrific Clearomizer CE4+ (replaceable atomizers). This is the biggest product announcement under the Premium Ecigs™ brand.
You might have heard about it by now, but perhaps not. For those of you who haven’t heard hang on while I explain to you why this new product just might be one of the hottest gifts this season. Once you read this review try to imagine finding one in your stocking on Christmas morning, or handing them out as gifts to friends and family, or perhaps co-workers who vape, or who have expressed an interest in vaping. You get the idea…
The Details
The Alter eGo™, like I said above, uses the newest eGo battery technology to hit the market. The battery is a 650mAH battery with a 5-click on/off switch. The outer shell has deeply etched designs on a stainless steel exterior, and sports a 510-compatible threading. When combined with a Clearomizer CE4+, it becomes the “Alter eGo™” and the vapor, throat hit, and eJuice flavors are absolutely wonderful.
The Alter Ego™ is also the shortest 650mAh I’ve ever seen, measuring no more than 3 inches high, and is a longer-lasting 650mAh battery (up to 4x the vaping time of normal 510 battery). And they are also gorgeous to look it.
The battery outputs at 3.6-3.7v while the older eGo’s put out 3.3-3.4v. That may not sound like much, but in terms of vapor production and throat hit, and more importantly “flavor” from the eJuice, that bump in voltage is vitally important to the Alter eGo™ experience, and is instantly noticeable.
The Clearomizer
I’ve mentioned just this past week that although I still use various tank systems, and even standard 510 and 808 cartomizers, I’ve taken to using Clearomizers more and more. Clearomizers are just a great invention, soaking a long ‘wick’ in eJuice gives a cleaner and truer vape than soaking a tube filled with polyfill material. It’s been one of the most effective new products to come along in a while. As each iteration of the Clearomizer comes along they will continue to get better and better as well.
The CE4+ Clearomizer
The Clearomizer CE4+ was paired up with the Alter eGo™ battery for a variety of reasons. The capacity of the CE4+ is a full 1.6ML, has a resistance of 2.1-2.4/2.5-2.9 ohms, an outer dimension of 14mm, inside dimension of 6mm and a total length of 70mm, and of course comes in a variety of colors, all lacking just enough opacity so you can see the level of ejuice that is left by peering through any of the colored Clearomizer chambers. But the biggest reason, I think, that Premium Ecigs paired the their eGo battery with the CE4+ is because of the replaceable atomizer feature. (More on that below)
The CE4+ is virtually leak proof. Everything screws down nice and tight. Even the drip-tip screws in. Plus, instead throwing away a sealed Clearomizer once the atomizer burns out, the CE4+ allows you to replace the atomizer head with a brand new one. This makes the CE4+ a permanent piece of hardware instead of a “disposable” product.
Replacement Atty heads come in 1.8 and 2.8 ohms are available at Premium eCigs for just $3.99 each. The CE4+ included in the Alter eGo is a 2.4-ohm atomizer head. If you want more or less ohms you can easily replace the atty.
The manufacturer of the CE4+ tells Spinfuel that the ‘burnt taste’ found in other eJuice delivery products (cartomizers, etc.), has been virtually eliminated with the use of a Clearomizer, and that’s certainly true, with one caveat; as long as you don’t allow the ejuice level to drop past zero. Although you can still vape for quite a while with an empty chamber and a still-soaked wick, you do run the risk of burning the wick and shortening the life of the atomizer head if you run it that way too long. It’s always a good rule of thumb to refill your CE4+ when you no longer see ejuice in the reservoir of the 1.6ML chamber, or before. (I refill mine when I get about 3/4’s through the 1.6ML) In addition to all the great features of the CE4+, the plastic tanks in use now are resistant to eJuice flavor absorption, particularly with citrus and cinnamon flavors.
The CE4+ is incredibly easy to fill and refill. No more pushing cartomizers to the side and slipping in a long needle as you do when filling a tank with a cartomizer, all the while praying you don’t slip and get eJuice into the opening in the cartomizer. With the CE4+ all you do is unscrew the “drip tip” and either drip in the juice (slow), or use a small plastic needle (highly recommended method) and squeeze the juice past the atomizer head and into the tank. I’ve yet to waste a single drop of juice filling a CE4+ using a small 1ML syringe with a .75” plastic needle. I also never fill past the 1.6ML line printed on the chamber.
Premium Ecigs ™ offers 6 beautifully designed ‘etched’ stainless steel batteries. Each one is uniquely different but all of them look fantastic. With a CE4+ attached it looks to be about ‘half battery and half Clearomizer’, resulting in a very balanced feel in your hands. The 510 thread gives you access to other 510 Clearomizers and tanks, even prefilled cartomizers, but I’ve seen no reason so far to use anything but the CE4+. (but you can if you want.)
My Impression of the Alter eGo™ after vaping for a couple of days
The first thing that struck me about the Alter eGo™ was both the size and the etched design. I’ve seen plenty of eGo batteries in my time but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one this short, save for the 350mAh mini-egos. This thing is sized just right for a comfortable and discreet vape with a ‘larger battery device’, and like I said above, with the CE4+ attached it just feels great.
The etched designs in the stainless steel are gorgeous. The Alter eGo™ doesn’t look cheap, and certainly doesn’t feel cheap. It has a nice, solid and substantial feel to it. There are no strange little lights coming off the casing, the only thing that lights up is the on/off 5-click push button.
The Spinfuel Rating – 5 Stars!
Well, certainly, the Alter eGo™ by Premium Ecigs is a 5 out of 5 for value and quality. It is a superb vaping device with killer looks. The Alter eGo™ 650mAh battery is one of the best non-variable voltage batteries to come along in a while, the CE4+ is a great Clearomizer, and together they make a terrific kit. And at $49.99 it is a break-through price for this type of high quality eGo-style device. It’s one of the best products to come out in 2012. I have a feeling that people are going to be talking about the Alter eGo for quite some time.
John Manzione
Remember, the first 50 Alter eGo’s will sell out quickly at $39.99, and after that it goes to $49.99. Get yours today and save big!
