Note* – No matter which Evolv DNA-equipped box mod you purchase, be it the Vaporshark Switchbox DNA 75 or another mod, the first thing you will always want to do is head over the Evolv and download the Escribe software to your Windows PC. You won’t need to use it at first, but eventually you will want to. Download Escribe here:

Introduction

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

I purchased the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 some months ago. I used it for about a month and then my lovely wife noticed it one Saturday morning and immediately took possession of it. It’s the deal we have; if she sees me reviewing a mod or tank that she wants, she has the “right of first refusal”, after I use it long enough to write a comprehensive review. That morning was the last time I had the chance to use this box mod, until recently.

Fast-Forward to just after Christmas. The staff of Spinfuel VAPE are now firmly ensconced back in our home state of New Hampshire. I did not have time to write the review while in Florida, so I asked my wife if I could use the SwitchBox for a few days in January, to refresh my memory. Apparently, she had left it behind. The reason? Her words; “We still own a home there, so why not leave some vape gear (and liquid) there?” I guess for the times when my wife heads back there when it’s too cold here. Too cold? Never! In any case, the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 was lost to me because not even in my wildest dreams did I see myself going back to Florida, house or not.

In mid-January, I made the decision to pick up another one at my expense, rather than pass on the review, so I contacted Vapor Authority, an authorized Vaporshark dealer, who sells the SwitchBox, and the Vaporshark DNA250, for quite a bit less than Vaporshark does. You can buy the Vaporshark Switchback DNA 75 for just $109.99. Vaporshark’s online store sells the SwitchBox for $129.99, the same price as their physical stores in Florida. In any case, I picked up a new one and after a couple of additional weeks with it I’m ready to give my review.

A Vaporshark Bias?

First, you should know up front that for some unexplainable reason I really like Vaporshark products. I don’t particularly like the company, or the sales people that populate their Florida stores, but I don’t have any real complaints either. When I see a new Vaporshark device I sense this desire to buy one. (Coming up soon is my review on the new Vaporshark Hedron, an RX-equipped 3x 18650 battery mod that I find myself using a lot more than I thought I would.) Do I have a bias? Maybe, but its undefinable.

The Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 is a single 18650 cell box mod that isn’t shaped like a box at all, and like the name implies, the heart of the mod is the Evolv DNA 75 chipset. I’ll go over some basic DNA operating tips later in this review.

 Vaporshark calls the SwitchBox “pocket-friendly”, and I suppose that’s true, as long as you don’t have a tank or RDA attached to it. Without an attached tank it is definitely a mod that slips easily into the front pocket of a pair of jeans. Don’t attempt this if you have a tank attached.

The Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 is 3.53 inches tall, 1.58 inches wide, and .99 inches deep. With the single 18650 it weighs just over 8 ounces. The body is painted with a luxurious, thick, soft black material (paint) that gives it a level of comfort you don’t experience every day. (Strangely enough, the Vaporshark Hedron is void of this rubberized paint and instead has a hard, glossy black metal body.)

What’s the Gimmick?

As a device built around the Evolv chipset there needs to be something about it to set it apart from other mods using the same chipset. For the SwitchBox that ‘something’ is interchangeable magnetic panels in various colors. If you want to customize your SwitchBox, Vaporshark offers these panels in different colors for $14.99 a set. A little expensive for what they are, but hell, I fell for it and picked up the blue panels. I imagine many people have as well.

One panel is for the battery cover and the other panel fits the other side of the SwitchBox, the side with the OLED display and buttons, leaving the top, bottom, and a narrow black center running from top to bottom. I purchased the blue panels when the device first came out, in fact I had preordered the SwitchBox and panels, and for some reason the panels I received were not painted with the same, soft rubberized paint. Still, it looked sharp. I wanted red panels, but at the time the only color I could order was the ‘baby blue’. CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

Although the Vaporshark SwitchBox looks and feels ‘narrow’, the width is 25.3mm, which means that most new SMOK, Joyetech, WISMEC and eLeaf Sub-Ohm tanks will fit just fine. For the refresher course I popped on the UNIMAX 25 tank and it fit perfectly. The UNIMAX 25 is, of course, 25mm wide.

Battery Life – Let’s be real here; most of the new box mods we see arriving here for review are dual and triple 18650 battery mods. Battery life is much longer with a dual or triple battery mod than it is with any single 18650 battery mod. While I might get several hours with the UNIMAX 25 attached to my Vaporshark Hedron, I get barely 90 minutes of heavy vaping with the Vaporshark SwitchBox, and that’s vaping the UNIMAX at a modest 58W. While the Evolv chipset manages battery power efficiently, you will still be at the mercy of a single battery. Keep a couple of fully charged batteries at the ready.

USB Cable – Although we practice external battery charging only, it is interesting to note that the USB cable that is included with the Switchbox is a 2-Amp cable, capable of recharging the 18650 battery in as little as 40 minutes.

Using the Evolv DNA 75 Box Mod

The DNA 75 is Evolv’s moderate wattage, temperature-control, variable-wattage board. It is controlled through the Escribe software which can be installed on any Windows PC (no Mac version yet). Hey, Evolv, how about porting Escribe to iOS and Android platforms?

If you’re not yet familiar with Evolv board, the company made its name with the DNA40, the first Evolv board to feature Nickel wire temperature control vaping. Since then, the DNA boards can handle all the current wires in TC mode, from the original Nickel to Titanium and Stainless Steel.

The Evolv DNA series now includes the DNA 75, DNA200 and DNA250. You may have seen other mods claiming DNA166, but those mods use the DNA250 chipset and throttle it down to 166W with dual 18650 batteries. The Lost Vape Therion 166 is the latest to do so. Funnily enough, the DNA 200 was released before the DNA 75, the DNA 250 is the latest. Can the DNA 300 be far behind?

All Evolv DNA boards are manufactured in the United States, and as such the failure rate of the chipset is very low. The DNA 75 was the first Evolv board to feature the Preheat function.

Basic Operation of the DNA 75 Chipset

To wake the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 from its power off state, tap the Fire button. Many people have remarked that the DNA device they own does not have a ‘shut off’ function like most other operating systems in various box mods. While that may be technically true, once the DNA mod sits for a bit the board does turn off, reserving battery power the same way that a complete shutdown of, say, the RX300 box mod is capable of.

To use the mod, press the Fire Button. To change the wattage setting click or hold the Up and Down buttons. Simple enough.

Display

The Evolv DNA 75 has a small .91” diagonal white OLED screen. The screen is attached to the main board by a flexible cable, allowing freedom for the manufacturer to design a mod around the board just the way they want. The display show the following information…

Watt setting: The power level currently set on the DNA 75.

Battery indicator: The current state of charge of the battery.

Temperature display: When not firing, the maximum heating coil temperature setting. While firing, the actual temperature of the heating coil is displayed.

Volts display: The output voltage being supplied to the atomizer.
Ohms display: The resistance of the atomizer attached to the device. When using a temperature sensing coil, this is the resistance of the coil at 70°F

In normal operating mode, when the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 is not firing, the maximum temperature setting will be displayed on the screen. When the device is firing, the actual average temperature of the coil is displayed on the screen.

The Temperature Protection setting is 450° Fahrenheit. To change the limit:

1)  Lock the device by pressing the Fire button five times.

2)  Hold down the UP and DOWN adjust buttons for two seconds.

3)  After two seconds, the maximum temperature will be displayed, and the UP and DOWN buttons should be released.

4)  Use the UP and DOWN buttons to adjust the maximum temperature

5)  When the display shows the desired maximum temperature, press the Fire Button to exit temperature adjust mode.

The maximum temperature is adjustable between 200° Fahrenheit and 600° Fahrenheit. To disable the temperature protection entirely, adjust the limit up to 600 degrees, then press the UP button one more time. The temperature limit will read OFF. You’re back in Variable Wattage mode now.

To switch to Celsius, adjust temperature down to 200° Fahrenheit, then press the DOWN button one additional time. The temperature will switch to reading and adjusting in Celsius.

The Evolv DNA 75 Preheat Function

When the Evolv DNA 75 is used with a temperature sensing atomizer, meaning any RDA or tank with compatible wire, i.e., Nickel, Titanium, or Stainless Steel, an additional feature called Preheat is activated. No vapor production is produced when the temperature goes below the boiling point of the liquid. Preheat will send extra power (wattage) until the heating coil is up to the operating temperature so as to shorten the delay between pressing the fire button and creating vapor. Because Preheat is temperature based, it will not overheat or scorch the vapor.

To recap briefly, the most asked question we get from owners or potential owners of any Evolv DNA mod is this: How do you go from Variable Wattage to Temperature Control? Here’s the answer; save it somewhere, or bookmark this review.

1)  Lock down the DNA mod by pressing the Fire Button five times.

2)  Hold down both the UP and DOWN adjust buttons for two seconds.

3)  After two seconds, release the buttons.

If in Variable Wattage mode, follow the instructions above to bring the mod into TC mode. Commit this to memory and you’ll do fine with any Evolv DNA mod. If you start out in TC mode, pushing the temperature up one notch past 600F will bring into Variable Wattage mode.

Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 Bottom Line

If you don’t like the Evolv DNA boards then nothing I can say that will change your mind about the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA75. At the same time; if you are a big fan of the Evolv chipset and 75 watts is plenty of wattage for you, then the Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 is one worthy box mod. Vapor Authority sells the SwitchBox for $109.99, which is an excellent price for a DNA 75 box mod, not to mention the Vaporshark quality factor.

When my wife took my SwitchBox from me back in Florida I’ll admit I was disappointed in giving it up. I didn’t suffer for it, I have all kinds of mods and at least a dozen Evolv DNA devices, but the Switchback was special to me.

We keep plenty of 18650 batteries charged up with our Nitecore chargers, and when it takes just a couple of seconds to remove and replace a drained battery, using a single cell box mod just isn’t a problem.

The current trend with new Sub-Ohm tanks seems to be producing monster sized coils with enormous wire and cotton, yet requiring less wattage for an optimal vape. Whether it’s the UNIMAX 25, or SMOK TFV8 Cloud Beast, an optimal vape can occur with as little as 46W, leaving plenty of wattage in reserve for ultra-low resistant coils.

Because of the Vaporshark Switchback DNA 75 has a diameter of 25.3mm all but one Sub-Ohm tank I own fit perfectly, as will yours no doubt. Even the SMOK TFV12 has bottom base diameter of 25mm, so it can be used with the SwitchBox using the V12-Q4 or V12-X4 (quad coils) although when I use this tank on the SwitchBox I can hear it screaming for more power… for that reason alone I recommend staying with the UNIMAX, MELO, or SMOK TFV8 tanks, or any 22mm-25mm sub-ohm you like.

The Vaporshark SwitchBox DNA 75 box mod cannot be compared with any dual or triple 18650 box mod when it comes to maximum wattage output. The mod must be evaluated as a DNA 75 mod running on a single 18650 battery. Using these considerations there is only one grade that reflects this gorgeous box mod;

Grade: A+

“Fantastic design, comfortable to hold and use, equipped with the mighty Evolv DNA 75 chipset, the Vaporshark SwitchBox is my choice for a single 18650 DNA-equipped box mod. There is no better DNA 75 mod available today.”

Vapor Shark SwitchBox DNA75 Box MOD Features:

Variable Wattage

Temperature Control, Sensing, and Limiting

High-Quality OLED Screen

Ohms Meter

Battery Level Indicator

Illuminated Fire Button

2.0 Amp Zip Charging

Interchangeable Magnetic Panels

Compact and Lightweight Design

Exceptionally Ergonomic

Anti-Slip Coating

Stunning Aesthetic Design

External 18650 Battery (Sold Separately)

Upgradeable Firmware

Reverse-Polarity Protection

Short-Circuit Protection

Over-Charge Protection

Over-Discharge Protection

10-Second Cutoff

Lock/Unlock Capability

Vapor Shark SwitchBox DNA75 Box MOD Specifications:

Manufactured by: Vapor Shark

Threading: 510

Wattage Range: 1W – 75W

Temperature Range:

Battery Compatibility: Single 18650 (not included)

Height: 3.53 Inches (89.7mm)

Width: 1.58 inches (40.2mm)

Depth: 0.99 Inches (25.3mm)

Weight 0.38 Pounds (6.17 oz.)

Vapor Shark SwitchBox DNA75 Box MOD Includes:

1 x Vapor Shark SwitchBox DNA75 Box MOD

1 x USB Charging Cable

1 x User Manual