The Vapor King Ultimate Kit Review

Review: Vapor King Ultimate Kit

By Jason Little with Lisa Johnston

The “thing” (not that there is only one thing) I like about Vapor King products is that they never lock you into using just their products. Vapor King comes out with what I refer to as “platforms”. ‘Platforms’ that you can base your vaping pleasures on. As usual, Vapor King does not lock you into a proprietary vaping system.

The Ultimate Kit consists of just about every product Vapor King makes for their mini-eCig device. The Ultimate Kit is based on the 3-piece design of atomizer, cartridge and battery.  The battery is a 510-compatible, meaning that if for any reason you want to switch to using a cartomizer (built in cartridge and atomizer) you can. Having said that, after using their new atomizer and the new eTank cartridges, I’ve been enjoying the ability to vape a mini-eCig as though it were a VK Storm 2. Kinda cool if you ask me. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

I certainly understand the move to the 2-piece mini-eCigarette, but as a personal preference I’ve always had a thing for the 3-piece design because I have more control over the vapor and flavor. I also think that the Vapers who enjoy using larger devices in private would feel at home with a 3-piece mini-eCig in public.

In this review I’m going to go over each component and let you know how it functioned for me during the 3.5 weeks that I’ve been using it, and point out certain specifics that make this kit a decent buy at $145.00 (USD)

Here’s what you get when you order the Vapor King Ultimate Kit:

•               2x Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
•               2x High Intensity Atomizers
•               25x Cartridges – (Your choice of strength, flavor, prefilled or empty)
•               3x Bottles (10ML) of eLiquid (Your choice of strength, flavor)
•               1x Charger Pack (Black)
•               1x Luxury Carrying Case
•               1x Complete Car Charger
•               1x Pocket Pouch
•               1x Home Outlet Charger

              1x USB Charger

The Lithium Batteries

Vapor King ‘510-threaded’ mini batteries run at a decent 220mAh, with an output of 3.7v. As the power runs down the voltage does as well, to about 32.v, but until a regulated mini-battery for the eCig industry is invented, all mini-eCig batteries are unregulated. The Vapor King batteries will signal it’s time to recharge when it hits the 3.2v level.

Batteries are offered in automatic and manual, and in 6 different colors with purple, blue, or orange LED tips. (In an effort to make vaping ‘look’ different than smoking I advise any LED color that is not orange.) The battery sells for $19.95, any color and in both auto and manual. Vapor King also offers a “mega” mini-battery that’s rated at 280mAh and will output at 4.2v. This battery sells for $24.95 (the same price as their Storm 2.0 eGo battery).

Usage

Since I like Vapor King because of their willingness to accept that their customers are going to use other vaping products with their own, I’d love to tell you that the batteries last forever, the voltage is great, and so forth. The truth is the Vapor King batteries are average for the market, which is to be expected since all the batteries for the vaping industry come from China. I’m neither impressed nor disappointed in Vapor King batteries; they are “on par for the course”. (Except for the cost of the mega-batteries that I think is a bit high)

The eTank

While the Vapor King battery is an average mini-eCig battery, my real draw to this kit is the new(er) eTank technology.

Vapor King has opted to go for the new eTank technology in their mini-eCig as well as their larger Storm 2, an eGo C battery system. The eTank has a larger capacity than a normal polyfill tanks and more than an average cartomizer (1ML). It can hold about 1.1ML. By not using any type of filler material in the tank you get a cleaner, truer taste no matter which eJuice you choose to use, and that to me is a major plus.

I’ve been sold on this type of cartridge for some time now, especially since I began reviewing several different brands of eJuice with the Spinfuel Team. When you really want to discover how much flavor there is in an eJuice, or how much vapor production its capable of, a cartridge without filler material is the best way to go.

The Atomizer

Unfortunately I don’t have the actual specs of this atomizer, such as where it’s made, who makes it, or even what it’s rated. I’ve made a couple of inquiries to the people at Vapor King and never received a response. I get the feeling that the owners behind Vapor King do not spec out the products they choose to offer. The battery ratings were discovered only through a two-hour hunt with Google.

I think they are making a mistake by keeping the specs close to the vest. The atomizer functions extremely well and it’s matched to the battery nicely. Each time I use it I’m impressed by the clean burn it provides, and the warm vapor it produces. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

After more than two and a half weeks I I finally had to switch atomizers and it had only needed one cleaning during that time. I’m vaping with a new one as I write this and it’s producing a ton of warm vapor. It IS a quality atomizer, and one I think you’ll enjoy using. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

Accessories

Vapor King’s Ultimate Starter Kit is a good selection of quality products.  This ‘value conscious’ kit comes with everything you need for a complete vaping solution without price gouging you. If a mini-eCig is your choice for vaping, and you like the option of a very good 3-piece setup you like this kit.

I went through everything that came with the Ultimate Starter Kit. I pounded on it hard and deliberately looked to see just how much it could take before I broke it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it stood up to all the punishment I inflicted upon it, without a single moment of poor performance. This is a mini-eCig you can live with no matter if you’re just getting into vaping or if you’ve been a veteran of vaping since the beginning. (Note: naturally my ‘punishment’ was limited to extreme conditions that a mini-eCig could experience. I didn’t attempt to blow it up with dynamite.)   Vapor King Ultimate Kit

Components

Briefly, all the components that make up the starter kit are well thought out and are convenient. The ‘pouch’ however nice an idea it is, is definitely of Chinese manufacture. It’s about time for some eCig company to step up and offer a high quality pouch for the products, either for 1 or 2 eCigs or a compete Charging Case (PCC).

The Charging Case in this kit looks very modern, and the size is definitely interesting. But its construction is metal, so I would expect the case to get very cold up north in the winter is you carry it around in my pocket. The hinges, while working fine for the entire time I was reviewing it (even later) worked well, despite looking as though it could break off with a slight miscalculation on your part when shutting the lid.

The (PCC) Charging Case can hold one battery and a few cartridges, comes in silver, gold, and black, and sells for $24.95. It’s rated at charging up to 5 batteries before the case itself needs to be recharged, but I was able to get “almost 4”. On the 4^th recharge the battery indicator on the case let me know that I needed to recharge it. Honestly though, I keep my PCC plugged in at home and the office, so even if I were away from a electrical outlet for 24 hours I’d go through no more than 3 fully charged batteries anyway. I like the charger despite the small criticisms I have. The PCC is a sleek, thin, and unobtrusive case that you can carry anywhere.

The Carrying Case is on par with carrying case offered by other companies. Nothing truly original here, nor is it a bad case. I suppose there could be times when a carrying case makes more sense than carrying a PCC, but to me is “6 of one, half a dozen of the other”.

Vapor King eLiquid

There are now more than 30 flavors to choose from. Vapor King has also lowered their prices on all eLiquids. You can buy 10ML bottles for $7.99 and 30ML for $19.99. The bottles feature a thin needle tip (plastic) that fits the small hole in the eTank that makes filling easy as ever. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

They claim their eLiquid flavors are all custom blended to provide the maximum TH and flavor for their hardware and I have no reason to doubt them about the custom blending (the flavors are unique, not generic), though I’m not too sure how you would create an eLiquid to vape best on your batteries, atomizers, and cartridges (especially when you don’t know exactly what the atomizer specs are). Vapor King did tell us that they test their eJuice against FDA standards for toxins, DEG, and other hard metals or contaminants.

I wasn’t able to try every flavor, but those that I did were fine. Vapor King offers part of its line of juice based on popular analog cigarette flavors, in addition to more ‘fun’ flavors

Current eLiquid Flavors

 As you can from the list above, Vapor King offers several more flavors than the branded mini-eCigs companies like Green Smoke, South Beach, and others. The nicotine levels start at zero, then move through the line of 6MG, 12MG, 16-18MG (depending on the flavor), 24MG and a very high 36MG (too high for me).

Real World

I tried to include some real world findings above, but it’s worth noting again here. The batteries last about the same as any other mini-eCig battery of this size. As a 510-thread battery it’s compatible with many outside products such as other brands prefilled cartomizers. My experience is with the matte black batteries and they looked attractive and felt good in my hand.

The eTank technology is terrific. I like seeing this in the mini-eCig world. The eTank tech works and works well. I easily got 3 or 4 refills for each cartridge I used, making them more economical than prefilled cartomizers.

I tried both their prefilled cartridges and some blank ones with a couple of their eLiquids and received good function and plenty of vapor. The flavors were very clean tasting, with no aftertaste.

I would have liked to test some of their more inventive flavors like Cotton Candy and Pancake, but I only received their tobacco flavors. I vaped the 12MG nicotine and the throat hit and vapor production were above average based on other 12MG flavors I’ve had in the past.

Final Thoughts

I began this review by stating that I like Vapor King products and the Ultimate Kit didn’t change that. It’s a good value considering the number of components you get, including a generous amount of eLiquid and cartridges.  It’s always the ‘after sale’ prices that I find a bit higher than normal. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

The eJuice was good, though not exceptional. If you spring for the Ultimate Kit you can choose the flavors you want to try, so I’d pick a tobacco blend based on your old analog cigarette and then a couple from the sweet/fruity line you think you might like. The prices of the eLiquid are on par with other eJuice companies in the 30ML line, but their 10ML line is about a $1 more than several American Made juices I’ve tried, and to be fair, $1 less than some others.

On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being “don’t bother” and 5 being “must buy”, I’d give Vapor King Ultimate Kit 2 different scores; 3.5 Stars if you enjoy vaping mini-eCigs in the 3-piece design (as I do) and 2 Stars if you prefer American Made eJuice or the 2-piece cartomizer/battery set up. Having said that, Vapor King products are head over heels better than the dozens upon dozens of other branded mini-eCigs I’ve reviewed or tried in the past year. As a new Vaper I enjoyed those brands but as I gained experience, both in hardware and eLiquid selections, I can honestly say that those earlier reviews were based on a very narrow viewpoint. There is no doubt that Vapor King plays in a more serious sandbox. Vapor King Ultimate Kit

I like the Vapor King Storm 2.0 better than the Ultimate Kit mini-eCig, but I’ve been vaping a long time. The eGo battery Storm 2.0 is a stronger, longer-lasting vape than any mini-eCig, but since vaping an eGo device can bring stares when vaping in public I keep a fully functioning mini-eCig kit active all the time and take it with me everywhere I go in public. With the inclusion of the Vapor King PCC it is now the kit I use in public. And that’s the bottom line for me.

Have you tried Vapor King products? Why not comment below and let us in on your experience.

Jason Little, with input from Lisa Johnston