Tom McBride And The Sigelei 30W

Foreword

myvaporstoreThe Review of the Sigelei 30W Mod

I’ve been using the Sigelei 30W for more than a month now, along with my Joyetech eVic Supreme. I’ve taken my time with writing my review because unlike other advanced vaporizers, the Sigelei 30W isn’t easy getting used to. It offers a lot of the best features in today’s modern APV’s, but the one feature that causes the most annoyance is the gravity sensor system.

Muscle Memory

Sigelei 30W DisplayMaking adjustments, or even getting to the menu after the quick 5-click button action, requires tilting the device to the left or right. If you use more than one device and the Sigelei is the only one using a built-in accelerometer it can be a constant source of confusion. I believed that before I could write a responsible review using the gravity sensor would have to become second nature to me. It took a month to retrain my muscle memory and to call on it easily. However, there are some ‘abilities’ of the Sigelei 30W that make using the gravity sensor worth the trouble.

What It Is

The Sigelei 30W is a variable power (wattage) device based on the SX300 chip. It can be set from 7 to 30 watts in small, 0.1-watt increments. The Sigelei 30W can handle an atomizer resistance range of between 0.5 and 5.0 ohms. The device has a beautiful stainless steel design with a matte-like finish, a very easy to read display, and a removable drip well for compatibility with just about any type of atomizer you want to use, plus it makes it easy to clean.

The Sigelei 30W is for intermediate and advanced users who are familiar with working with wattage settings. All the usual safety features are built in, which I’ve listed below.

Features & Specs

  • Variable Wattage – 7W to 30W
  • Output Voltage – 3.0V – 8.5V
  • Atomizer Resistance – 0.5ohm – 3.0ohm
  • Adjustable Center Pin
  • 510 and Ego threaded
  • OLED Screen
  • Battery Charge Indicator
  • Ohm Meter
  • Gravity Sensor System – Adjust settings by tilting the device
  • Short Circuit Protection
  • Reverse Polarity Protection
  • Only use a single IMR 18650 battery. This device is not compatible with protected batteries.
  • Low Voltage Warning
  • 8-10 Second Cutoff Timer
  • Removable Beauty Ring
  • 5 Click On/off
  • Dimensions: 5-1/2″L x 15/16″D

Performance – Real World

Over the course of a month I’ve used several tanks and glassomizers to test out the versatility of the device, and I’ve used the Sigelei 30W during my reviews of those same glassomizers and tanks.

My first glassomizer was an Aspire Nautilus with a 1.8ohm coil. I set the Sigelei 30w to a nice comfortable 11W, and the vape was truly a solid experience. No burnt taste, no dry hits, just lots and lots of flavor and billowing clouds of vapor. I even tried the straight vape method of inhaling directly into my lungs to see what kind of cloud chasing I could do with this setup and it was a lot better than I expected. My usual style of vaping is device to mouth to lungs, and in this fashion both the Sigelei 30w and Nautilus performed extremely well.

I also got excellent results with the Nautilus Mini (1.6ohm), Aerotank Mega, Giant, and the V2, all with 1.8ohm coils. While I’m usually the first person say that it’s the actual glassomizer or tank and the coil setup (your own or prebuilt) that makes the biggest difference in your vape, I have to admit that Sigelei’s decision to use the SX300 chip to deliver accurate and steady power to the atomizers made a substantial difference. I saw performance from the above-mentioned glassomizers that I hadn’t seen is other devices.SIG-30W-TALL

The SX300 Chip

The low-end limit of the SX300 chip is 3V, or it’s supposed to be. Many owners of the Sigelei 30W have metered the device and discovered the lower end is actually closer to 3.1v. For sub-ohm users the Sigelei is capable of putting 30w to a .5ohm coil. Unlike a mechanical mod, the device is regulated and fires a consistent output, making sub-ohm vaping safer.

The SX300 chip uses regulated power instead of ‘pulse width modulation’ (PWM) to power the device, so instead of a pulsing power you get a nice steady level of power for whatever wattage you’ve set the device to.

Sub-Ohm Vaping

30W is enough power for vapers wanting to do some serious sub-ohm vaping, so I did my share of it for this review. Wanting to push right up against the limits of the Sigelei 30w I built a dual-coil, 0.5Ω, using 24g kanthal with 11 wraps, in a fairly easy to use AGA-TD RBA. After testing the ohms to make sure it was .5, and saturating the coils with the brand new Mythos High Performance Athena eliquid, I was ready to try sub-ohm vaping with a VW device.

I cranked the wattage up to 30w, gave it a half-second pre-burn, and then started vaping. The result? 0.5Ω, dual-coil, 24g kanthal hitting 30W of regulated power…the vape was freaking incredible. Talk about cloud chasing! I was getting performance as good as any mech mod I own with the added benefits of the safety of using a regulated power source, short-circuit protection, and more. After about 5 minutes or so I began to wonder why I had invested so much money into high-end mechanicals. (Not that I’ve given up my mechs)

The Menu and Display

The OLED display is bright, easy to read. I love the dark-tinted glass (!) that wraps around the screen. It has a rich, high quality look and feel. I took the Sigelei 30W outside once, in the bright sun and it was somewhat more difficult to read but not that bad. We can thank the OLED’s for that.

SIGELEI30-BOXGetting to the menu screen takes 5 clicks of the main button, and single clicks afterwards bring you through the options. The optional screens are System: ON/OFF, Wattage setting, and Exit, which will take you back to the main screen. Using the gravity sensor to tilt left or right lets you raise or lower the wattage, exit out of the menu, and so on. Like I said above, it’s the one thing that you’ll need to get used to. I suppose Sigelei is using the gravity sensor  to set itself apart from the competition, but it would be nice to have another way to do it, like using the on/off button for instance.

Battery

The Sigelei takes a single 18650 battery. Stacking any other sizes is not an option. I use flat head Efest 2000mAh’s in just about every device I own, and did so with this device as well. But, MyVaporStore always lists the proper batteries you can use on the product page so I decided to pick up a Sony VT5 2600mAh 30Amp battery and the difference amounted to almost 90 extra minutes of life, based on the glassomizers I used and always staying between 1.6 and 1.8 ohms, except for the few sub-ohm vapes I set up. The more power you send to the coils the faster the battery life is going to be used up.

Conclusion and Buying Advice

The Sigelei 30W is a very well made, gorgeous VW APV. The XS300 chip is a well-tested and stable chip that provides plenty of power, even for sub-ohm vaping. The stainless steel body, with its matte-like finish looks great and feels great, and the Sigelei logo is a nice touch.

If you are looking for a safe, regulated device capable of powering sub-ohm coils this is definitely worth your time and money. The performance is excellent using any tank or glassomizer you want, though most of the time the extra wattage available to you may never get used.

Even for more mainstream vapers looking for a great looking and great performing VW device the Sigelei 30w is something to consider. It is a great choice for any serious vaper, if you don’t mind using gravity to make your power adjustments. With the lowered price of $99.42 at MyVaporStore there hasn’t been a better time to pick one up.

Tom McBride