Edd Balance SBS

[Netvaper]

I recently got this mod as a pressie and it seems to have gone largely under the radar and as it was a soggy weekend I decided to do a review of it, what it’s like to use and to give me some instructions to refer to if I have a blonde moment as annoyingly none are supplied!

It comes in a sturdy foam lined black plastic case, inside in sealed zip bags are the mod, two battery tubes for 18650 and 18500 and a battery cap for 18350. I’ve know idea where ‘Edd’ comes from but the mod is by 5Avape who call it the Stratum Balance Style Mod and I believe is based on the high end OLC Stratum Balance DNA60 mod. It has the Ambition Mods Easy SBS chipset and provides VW and TC (3 presets for Ni200, SS316 and Ti), a spring loaded 510 pin, power 1-60W, 0.5-8V, 0.1-3ohms and the usual protections you’d expect in a regulated mod. There is no onboard charging or battery venting, the battery tube inside the body is lined with the same material as the body and has a red marker at the bottom to indicate the battery is inserted positive down, tanks up to 24mm fit. A 0.91" easy to read and very bright screen on the base shows battery status, ohms, volts and amps. The mod is constructed from POM and SS and feels solid and well built with nice battery tube/cap threading and no rattles, it has no branding.

What really sets this mod apart is it’s dinky size and the design. Dimensions; H 72cm, W 24cm, D 48mm, 38mm from the base to the top plate, the 18650 tube is 31mm from the top plate and the fire button is 30mm from the base. Weight (with 18650); 150g, for comparison the original Pico weighs the same and the Mixx weighs 200g. The design incorporates long narrow curved fire and up/down buttons at the top and bottom of the body which wrap round it and match the body colour so at first glance you wonder where they are, the buttons feel solid with a nice click. I think the design is elegant and stylish but I wasn’t sure what it would be like to use.

I’ve only used it with an 18650 battery in VW mode which is the default when first turned on so if you’re a VW vaper you can just set the wattage (no round robin) and you’re good to go. It’s a basic chipset but with no instructions you have to figure it out yourself. Inserting a battery doesn’t turn it on, five clicks of the fire button does, thereafter five clicks will lock/unlock the fire and up/down buttons. The up/down button can be locked/unlocked by a long press in the centre, this is retained along with the mode settings when the battery is replaced. To get to the mode settings lock the up/down button and press the left or right side of the up/down button twice whereupon you can toggle through the modes (watts, SS, Ni or Ti) using the left or right side (-/+) of the up/down button, pressing the fire button will confirm the mode displayed. It selects the mode shown if you don’t after about 10 seconds so make sure you are in the right one. To adjust mode settings unlock the up/down button. Other things worth a mention are; you can turn it off by slightly loosening the battery tube/cap, I couldn’t find any way to turn the overly bright screen off, flip the display or adjust the brightness, it stays on for a minute after pressing any button so the screen will use more power. Despite the lack of venting the body and battery didn’t become overly warm, an 18650 battery lasted me all day.

Typical downsides to an SBS mod are your hand may cover the airflow on a bottom airflow tank and a low fire button position, this one is no different. It’s dinky size means it takes a bit of getting used to and it is worth stressing I very much doubt it would suit someone with larger hands or fingers. Mine aren’t and I found it comfortable in the hand and to use firing it with my middle finger either right or left handed. That said depending on where a bottom airflow intake is relative to your hand it may be trickier but you can fire it with your index finger or thumb.

There are niggles with this mod, for me the most annoying is the screen's too bright but none are deal breakers for me as I love the design and small size and that’s what this mod is all about. It’s a well received pressie that will get plenty of use. Some photos are below.

 

[Netvaper]

Came across a new version of the original OLC Stratum Balance that I think todd will be reviewing soon. The short vid is in Russian but it is an interesting design in that the whole thing can also be encased in an AIO style shell, looks very nice.

 

[Tazz]

I recently got this mod as a pressie and it seems to have gone largely under the radar and as it was a soggy weekend I decided to do a review of it, what it’s like to use and to give me some instructions to refer to if I have a blonde moment as annoyingly none are supplied!

It comes in a sturdy foam lined black plastic case, inside in sealed zip bags are the mod, two battery tubes for 18650 and 18500 and a battery cap for 18350. I’ve know idea where ‘Edd’ comes from but the mod is by 5Avape who call it the Stratum Balance Style Mod and I believe is based on the high end OLC Stratum Balance DNA60 mod. It has the Ambition Mods Easy SBS chipset and provides VW and TC (3 presets for Ni200, SS316 and Ti), a spring loaded 510 pin, power 1-60W, 0.5-8V, 0.1-3ohms and the usual protections you’d expect in a regulated mod. There is no onboard charging or battery venting, the battery tube inside the body is lined with the same material as the body and has a red marker at the bottom to indicate the battery is inserted positive down, tanks up to 24mm fit. A 0.91" easy to read and very bright screen on the base shows battery status, ohms, volts and amps. The mod is constructed from POM and SS and feels solid and well built with nice battery tube/cap threading and no rattles, it has no branding.

What really sets this mod apart is it’s dinky size and the design. Dimensions; H 72cm, W 24cm, D 48mm, 38mm from the base to the top plate, the 18650 tube is 31mm from the top plate and the fire button is 30mm from the base. Weight (with 18650); 150g, for comparison the original Pico weighs the same and the Mixx weighs 200g. The design incorporates long narrow curved fire and up/down buttons at the top and bottom of the body which wrap round it and match the body colour so at first glance you wonder where they are, the buttons feel solid with a nice click. I think the design is elegant and stylish but I wasn’t sure what it would be like to use.

I’ve only used it with an 18650 battery in VW mode which is the default when first turned on so if you’re a VW vaper you can just set the wattage (no round robin) and you’re good to go. It’s a basic chipset but with no instructions you have to figure it out yourself. Inserting a battery doesn’t turn it on, five clicks of the fire button does, thereafter five clicks will lock/unlock the fire and up/down buttons. The up/down button can be locked/unlocked by a long press in the centre, this is retained along with the mode settings when the battery is replaced. To get to the mode settings lock the up/down button and press the left or right side of the up/down button twice whereupon you can toggle through the modes (watts, SS, Ni or Ti) using the left or right side (-/+) of the up/down button, pressing the fire button will confirm the mode displayed. It selects the mode shown if you don’t after about 10 seconds so make sure you are in the right one. To adjust mode settings unlock the up/down button. Other things worth a mention are; you can turn it off by slightly loosening the battery tube/cap, I couldn’t find any way to turn the overly bright screen off, flip the display or adjust the brightness, it stays on for a minute after pressing any button so the screen will use more power. Despite the lack of venting the body and battery didn’t become overly warm, an 18650 battery lasted me all day.

Typical downsides to an SBS mod are your hand may cover the airflow on a bottom airflow tank and a low fire button position, this one is no different. It’s dinky size means it takes a bit of getting used to and it is worth stressing I very much doubt it would suit someone with larger hands or fingers. Mine aren’t and I found it comfortable in the hand and to use firing it with my middle finger either right or left handed. That said depending on where a bottom airflow intake is relative to your hand it may be trickier but you can fire it with your index finger or thumb.

There are niggles with this mod, for me the most annoying is the screen's too bright but none are deal breakers for me as I love the design and small size and that’s what this mod is all about. It’s a well received pressie that will get plenty of use. Some photos are below.

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Perfect little stealth vape!

 

[Phrasing]

Nice write up

Personally I prefer the mixx or the abyss for my sbs wants, because they are more appealing to my eye.

For people who like a minimalist mod i bet they look great though.

 

[zouzounaki]

always thought this looked quite a stylish wee number, been tempted a couple of times to get one.

 

[Phrasing]

always thought this looked quite a stylish wee number, been tempted a couple of times to get one.

I think naturvape has some stabwood acrylic ones still. My other half nearly bought me one for Christmas but the colour I liked sold out.

 

[Astral]

The Stratum Balance 2 is absolutely gorgeous, really stunning, only the placement of the fire-button is saving me from actually wanting one.

 

[zouzounaki]

I think naturvape has some stabwood acrylic ones still. My other half nearly bought me one for Christmas but the colour I liked sold out.

ah, i have an aversion to stabwood. i was hit with too many marble ashtrays as a child

 

[Phrasing]

ah, i have an aversion to stabwood. i was hit with too many marble ashtrays as a child

Or not enough?

 

[wraith]

They are cracking wee things for the price. Buttons are a bit awkward but forgivable.

Can't see why anyone would use the 18350 setup unless they have a 3mm tall dripper or something.