lördag 18 januari 2014

Electronic Cigarette Review: Volcano Inferno + Volcano Bottom Coil Tank

Volcano, a company based out of Hawaii since 2009 has since grown temendously in the booming electronic cigarette market, most famous for their invention of the extremely popular and widely copied Lavatube. Other than that, they are known for their all around quality products and excellent customer service.

Their arsenal of vaping equipment ranges from small to big, pretty much. Starting with their Magma, which is their cig-a-like vaporizer, being the smallest of them all; targeted towards smokers who want to make the transition to vaping without carrying around something that looks like some kind of crazy sex toy. Then comes the Inferno, which is basically an Ego battery, but with some changes in the design. It puts out more power than the Magma and is customizable in terms of what you choose to vape out of (tanks etc.). It is also known for it's portability and ease of use. After that they have their famous Lavatube mod, now in version 2.5, which does read ohms, remaining battery and has the ability to adjust voltage freely from 3.0-6.0 volts.

I'm here today to review the Inferno Starter kit though. As I wrote previously I do own a older version of the Lavatube, which has been with me through thick and thin, and still is. However, I felt like getting something new, and leaned towards the newer Lavatube first as I was scared the Inferno might not put out the power I have been used to, and desire when I vape. Boy, was I wrong! Here is Volcano's description of the Interno:


"The Volcano INFERNO is the perfect e-cigarette kit for someone who's looking for great performance and long lasting battery life. The Tube Tank BCT (Bottom Coil Tank) setup and long lasting INFERNO batteries are an unbeatable combination. The pass-through USB batteries allow you to charge and vape at the same time and between them have enough battery life to vape for more than 12 hours between charges! The Tube Tank BCT (Bottom Coil Tank) system is a revolutionary vapour delivery system both simple and effective to use! Just fill the tube with your chosen e-liquid, screw on the base with its replaceable heating coil and you're set for hours of enjoyable vaping time! . This kit is perfect for for heavier smokers as well as occasional ones who want real power."



The Inferno Kit is quite expensive for being an Ego at $79.99 (or £49.99), but you certainly get what you pay for, both in terms of quality and quantity.

The kit includes:

  • (1) Gift Box
  • (1) 650 mAH Pass-through INFERNO Battery with 5-Click power on/off
  • (1) 900 mAh Pass-through INFERNO Battery with 5-Click power on/off
  • (1) Wall Charging Adapter
  • (1) Mini USB Cable
  • (1) Tube Tank BCT setup with (1) 1.8Ω heating coil
  • (1) 3-Pack of 1.8Ω replacement heating coils
  • (1) 15ml Bottle of USA MADE V-Liquid

So you do get two batteries, a killer bottom coil tank system, juice and everything you need to be up and running like a champ. Nice.





This thing just looks sick. As of now they come in four different colors, being: red, black, silver and pink. It is as said before an Ego battery, and is pretty much recognizable as one except for color schemes. I got the silver one, but it was difficult choosing as I also love black. Needless to say though, I wasn't dissapointed.

It has got an extremely clean finish, with the device being all aluminum (at least to my knowledge) with the exception for the fire button which is a harder plastic. It has got a dotty pattern thing going on which I really dig.

On the bottom of the battery you have "The Inferno" engraved in, and underneath the whole thing, a flame. At the top of the tank connector you see the Volcano logo with the text "Tube Tank". It all looks really neat and goes very well together. The tank system is really new though. It previously came with their Tube Tank; a cartomizer tank which I as I matter of fact currently use on my Lavatube. Design-wise, this bottom fed tank looks so much cooler, and makes the whole unit look like one piece. Love it.





This thing is extremely portable and easy to use. I carry it around in the pocket of my jeans all day, and never feel it's too big.

It powers up with five clicks on the fire button, and shuts down doing the same thing. It's a stealthy little thing, and while sitting on your desk, almost looks like a fancy pencil (with some kind of awesome smelling liquid in there).

This is not a device that attracts a lot of negative attention, as bigger mods have the potential of doing to the uneducated public. This is easily hidable in your hand, and is great for stealth vaping.                                                                       
It comes with a USB-charger, and both batteries are pass-through, meaning you can vape off of them while they are charging. You also have a AC adapter, so you can charge the unit both off the computer and from the wall. The charging port is located on the bottom of the device, which works very well.

As seen above, the kit comes with two batteries. One at 650 mAh (smaller) and one at 900 mAh. I've used both of these equally, and after a full day of vaping, using only one fully charged of them in a day, I've never had the battery die on me. Frankly, I've never even seen the low-battery warning yet (the fire button will go from a white color to a purple/red when you fire the device). So the vape time is great. Having two batteries means you could easily go two days without charging any of them, if you are a moderate vaper (I vape pretty heavily though).                                                                                                                                                        

The new tank system is also extremely easy to use. Since this is bottom fed, there is no longer need for tilting the device to saturate a top coil, which you have to do with the Vivi Nova for example. Gravity does the trick here. Switching out coils are also painless; just unscrew the tank from the battery while it's upside down, unscrew the old coil, put in a new one, add liquid to the tank, take a few primer puffs without firing to saturate the coil, and you are good to go. No need to prime after that - just keep your tank filled (at least the bottom) and vape way.                                                                                              
It does have a fire cutoff timer, which I feel sometimes is a little bit too low, as I like to take a few primer puffs to get the device going and end with a long drag. Most of the times it works fine though, but I have been cutoff mid-vaping a few times. Might just be me.

I have no idea if this comes with battery protection, but having read up a little bit, it seems most (at least from respectable vendors) have short-circuit protection and other battery safety features, so I would expect the Inferno to have it as well. Li-ion batteries are quite powerful, and if mistreated or if something sinister would take place, knowing protection is there is a great relief. 




This thing hits like a beast. I have no idea what voltage this is set on, but would guess it's 3.7. In all aspects of the vaping experience, for it's size, this hits really good. I have noticed sometimes that the power seems to shift a bit though, meaning the throat hit sometimes can be less pronounced. Other factors could play in to this though, like vaping too much; making your throat less responsive to the sensation. I do think it has something to do with the battery though, but this is not something I experience often. 
I have had a few dry hits with this, which in terms of physics should be impossible. I might be from vaping it too fast and hard, not giving the juice a chance to enter the coil for a second or so. But, again, this is not an issue I've had to deal with more than a few times.

Since I got it, I've tried quite a few juices (all from Volcano at 16 mg - and for the last few days, Shaka Strawberry and Choconilla Haze), and have also compared them with my Tube Tank on my Lavatube. What I find pretty crazy, again, coming back to the power of the device, is that at 5.0 volts on my Lavatube, the Inferno still outpowers it in terms of throat hit and vapor production. Might be a faulty Lavatube, I don't know, but I have to say I'm really impressed with this little thing. The flavor is really pronounced with the new tank, and you avoid getting the wicking material taste like you do get a bit from the TubeTank. Switching flavors and cleaning the tank is also extremely easy. Just rinse the tank with water, dry it, fill with your favorite e-juice and you are good to go. In the future, if I don't find anything better than this device, it will be the device I use for flavor sampling. All-around, great taste, fantastic throat hit and vapor production.



  • It looks fantastic.
  • The new tank is awesome, delivering fantastic taste, vapor and throat hit.
  • Coils in the tank are extremely easy to switch.
  • Easy and pretty fast charging, pass-through is also a great plus.
  • The batteries seem to last forever.
  • Great power for such a small device.
  • Very easy to use, and pretty much maintenance free.






  • Juice seems to leak in to the well where you put the drip tip several times a day. So you do get juice in your mouth and have to remove it with a paper towel.
  • The power feels inconsistent at times, but it is luckily barely noticable and pretty much to be expected with an Ego type device.
  • It's pretty expensive. You do get quite a lot with the kit, and you do get what you pay for in terms of quality, so it ain't that bad. 

I love this device, and am very glad I got it. I didn't think it would replace my Lavatube, as I wanted something new that was smaller. And to be honest I was a bit sceptical about how much power such a small thing could put out. Luckily I was extremely wrong. This thing will accompaning me for a long time ahead.

A big plus for Volcano's amazing customer support as well. They really are a great company, and I have a great trust in their products.

If you want a portable little device that looks totally bad-ass, get yourself an Inferno!





4 kommentarer:

  1. I liked your review. As someone who also has one, I think you hit it spot on. One thing I would like to add, and also one question about that subject..... I love look and feel of the Inferno, however, after I quit smoking and then looked to upgrade tanks. I found, looking back, that the Inferno's coils are quite expensive with respect to Evod and the like. I can usually get 5 coils for tanks for around $8USD, but the Inferno is 3 for $12USD. Wonder if anyone has found another coil, cheaper, that would work?

    SvaraRadera
  2. It's seems most of us are searching for the same: cheaper coils. Still no luck

    SvaraRadera
  3. Great blog, wonderful introduction, I think e-cigarette is very interesting, but I won’t try to suck it

    SvaraRadera
  4. Thanks for sharing knowledge and tips. It's a very useful post.

    Electric Rig

    SvaraRadera