The styling of all the Rev devices is inspired by motor racing – just take a look at the Rev Sport, Nitro and GTS mod to see what fires them up…
As you can see the mod has a massive 2.8in LCD colour screen – protected with “Quartz Level Hard Panda Glass” – have you ever seen a “Hard Panda”? They all look cuddly to me.

There are plenty of “Dashboard options” – that you can choose from and pick the colour too. Apparently inside the mod is a 32mb memory just to store all these dashboards – more than was in my massive Commodore 64k a few years ago!

It is a dual 18650 battery vape mod – the batteries are not included and the mod will output up to 220W.

There is a vibrate motor inside which activates when you confirm menu choices and you can change the “glowing” light pattern and colour around the fire button too.

In the kit version comes the Drift 2 sub ohm tank. Oh and this has been “souped up” a bit too with single, triple and quad mesh or standard coils. You get the Single and quad mesh coil heads included. The tank is also compatible with coils from other brands.

There are 2 tank capacities available – the 2ml capacity for the EU due to the TPD regulations or the standard 5ml capacity. Apparently there is a conversion kit for the 2ml to increase the capacity.

There are 9 colours available: Red/Black, Black/Green, Blue/Black, Rainbow, Blue, Lemon, Red, Black and Orange.

As always although I received this device free for the purposes of review – I will report back honestly on my findings with the device in my possession.

What’s In The Box

• Rev Tech Phantom mod
• Rev Tech Drift 2 tank
• M1 coil
• M4 coil
• Spare parts
• USB Cable
• User manual

Features

Rev Tech Phantom Mod Specs

• Size: 54x31x144.5mm (including standard tank)
• Battery: 2×18650 (not included)
• 2.8in colour LCD display
• Quartz level hard panda glass screen cover
• Output: 220W max
• Resistance range: 0.05-3ohm
• Modes: VW, TC (Ni200, SS304, SS316, Ti), TCR, CCW, CCT, Bypass and 6 memory storage slots
• Temperature range: 100-300°C / 212-572°F
• Micro USB 5V/2A charging
• Passthrough
• Firmware upgradeable

Rev Tech Drift 2 Tank Specs

• Size: 51.4×24.5mm (Standard Version) / 38×24.5mm (EU Version)
• Capacity: 5ml standard / 2ml EU
• Coils: Rev R, Rev S and Rev M coils (Plus Smok TFV8 Baby, Eleaf HW, Vaporesso GT).
• Top fill
• Triangular bottom adjustable airflow
• Converter kit available for 2ml to 5ml capacity

Build Quality & Design

I received the Rev Tech Phantom Kit in the Black version.

The whole kit is surprisingly light when you consider the size of that screen and the big tank sat on the top.

I can’t really comment on the colour match as I have the black version so it looks perfectly fine from here!

Rev Tech Phantom Mod

This is a larger sized mod – but isn’t as heavy as you would expect.

The first thing you notice is the massive screen nestled in the centre apparently covered with hardened glass.

Obviously this is going to be a massive fingerprint magnet but it is as clear as anything and you can change the display colours, screen timeout and brightness level too.

On the side of the mod is the fire button, this has an LED light ring around it and you can change the colour of this light. The fire button has the same textured finish as the grip side of the mod.

Below the fire button are the + and – adjustment buttons and below that is the “M” for “Menu” button.

The USB connector at the bottom is located behind a pull out plug and I think this looks great too.

The opposite side to the fire button has a textured grip area and the rear has what looks like a leather finish panel with 3 battery vent holes at the base.

On the bottom of the mod is just the Rev logo and the required legal icons.

510 Connector

The 510 connector is located in the centre of the top panel and has a nice decorative effect around it.

I tried the biggest diameter tank I have – the Freemax Mesh Pro – which in the Resin Version is around 28mm where the airflow ring sits and that fitted fine. A measurement with my cheapo ruler makes it look as though 30mm tank should go on here without overhang.

Battery Compartment

To access the battery compartment the rear cover pulls off and this is held on by magnets you could use to hold an Anvil up to your kitchen ceiling with… Well not quite but you get what I mean! They are strong enough to make removing the cover require some effort and not a single wobble when the cover is installed.

A very neat and clean battery tray with polarity markings and a removal ribbon give this another hint of quality. The bottom battery connectors are the solid spring loaded type and it does take a bit of effort and tilting the batteries to remove and install them.

The mod just feels excellent quality – nothing is loose or rattle-ly and it is blemish and flaw free.

Rev Tech Drift 2 Tank

This is the 2nd generation of the Rev Tech Drift tank.

It is a strange looking tank – almost looks like an RDTA with a huge metal base and then a small top glass.

But the metal part is also a liquid container, in fact on the 2ml version you actually don’t get the glass part.

There are red O-rings on my glass which match the red Rev logo and top cap arrow.

This is a slide top fill tank which does work OK – I did find with chubby style bottles I couldn’t get the nozzle in fully so had to remove the drip tip to make it easier. But even then it was difficult to fill – I resorted to only using the 10ml bottles of my e-liquid as bigger bottles were a struggle.

There is a “flappy membrane” fill hole – which you open up with the nozzle. Some people don’t like them. Before you slide the top cap shut make sure the gasket is installed properly as mine kept popping out and I had to push it in before the cap would close again.

I got the drip tip out but no 810 will fit in it – the drip tip hole is less than a mm smaller? So it looks like a non-standard drip tip fitment.

At the base is the airflow adjustment ring which turns smoothly.

You can dismantle the tank into all its component parts – the threads felt a bit “squeaky” but it did screw up fine.

Trying to just remove the tank base on its own to change a coil is annoying. The tank just automatically starts unscrewing at the glass part – meaning you get covered in e-liquid. The tank base and isolation component part are very hard to grip.

Rev Drift 2 Tank Coils

You can use the coils from the original – Rev R, Rev S and the new Rev M coils. Also the Rev Tech website says this tank is compatible with coils from other manufacturers. These do look a lot like the Smok TFV8 Baby, Eleaf HW, Vaptio Frogman and the Vaporesso GT coils. I have some of the above so I will try them in after I have finished with the included coil heads.

Yep they fit – shown in the photo below is the Smok TFV8 Baby coil installed.

Set-up Guide

The kit will arrive with the tank and mod packaged in the same box but not connected together.

You will need to install the tank, fill it, install a battery and away you can go.

Mod Basic operation

Display

Although this might look super complex – it can be as complex as you make it.

For instance if you just want an adjustable variable wattage mod – like a simple Eleaf Pico etc then this will act exactly like that – only with higher power settings available.

Basically everything on the screen is really telling you pretty much the same as your Pico would – power settings, battery life, coil resistance etc – but it is presented in a very glamorous way. It might even be frivolous to some as that huge screen is going to be draining away the battery quicker. I do like a bit of frivolity now and again though and this really does look the part.

Depending on which dashboard you choose the current temperature/wattage setting will be displayed, the power level of each battery (A and B), the current user mode, the coil resistance, Amps and Volts (when you press fire) and the dials will show you the power ramping up and also the puff duration in seconds.

When you leave the device a few seconds a clock screen saver will appear just press any button to take that off. After a longer time stood idle the screen will go black again just press any button to fire it up again.

Mod Settings

I have dabbled little in temperature control and to be honest I don’t know anyone who uses it so I will try and stick to using the mod with the tank and coils it was supplied with.

• Power On = press the fire button 5 times quickly – the screen will power and a vibrate will confirm.
• Power Off = press the Menu button and navigate to the “Turn off” sub menu, scroll to “Yes” and press fire. After performing the Firmware Update you can turn the mod off with simple 5 clicks of the fire button.
• To vape = press the fire button down – over 10 seconds held down and the mod will cut the fire off to prevent damage or overheating.
• Enter the menu = press and hold the “Menu” button
• Make adjustments / navigate = use the up and down buttons
• To confirm / select = press fire
• To enter different sub menus = press the menu button.
• Lock device = press fire quickly 3 times

Menu System

Enter the menu system and use the adjustment buttons, fire button and menu button to navigate through and select.

When you confirm a selection the vibrate will activate to tell you it has been stored.

• Mode: Select from Power (Variable Wattage), Stainless Steel (TC), Titanium 1 (TC), Nickel 200 (TC) and TCR.
• Bypass: Allows the full battery power to go straight to the coil – make sure to know Battery Safety and Ohms Law before using this mode.
• VTC/ VPC: You can set variable temperature/power curves and store them in one of the 6 memory slots.
• Colour Mode: Set the screen theme colour
• Dashboard: Choose the screen display theme
• Display mode: Set the screen timeout time
• Brightness: Customise the screen brightness setting
• Light Mode: Customise how the light on the fire button operates
• Vibration: Turn vibration on or off
• Time settings: Adjust the time on the display
• Pin lock: Set a pin to lock and unlock the device – say for child safety purposes – like you would on a mobile phone.
• Puff reset: As it says on the tin – reset the puff counter.
• Factory reset: Again like a mobile phone will return the device to the factory defaults.
• Turn off: Erm turn off the device!

How To Install The Battery

It is not recommended to charge removable batteries whilst they are in the device. Make sure you are clued up on your Battery Safety.

Remove the batteries and charge in a good quality external charger. Also whilst handling your batteries have a feel and a good look round for any damage or torn/worn battery wraps. Replace if anything looks a bit dodgy.

• On the bottom of the mod is a slight lip to put your finger nail in and flip off the rear cover. These magnets are strong!
• If batteries are installed use the removal ribbon to remove them – again it can be quite tight as the terminal springs are strong too.
• Install 2×18650 batteries according to the polarity markings on the battery tray with the ribbon sat underneath them.
• You may need to install the battery at the bottom terminal first and push down against the spring to get the top of the battery to fit into the tray.
• Replace the rear cover.

How To Fill The Tank

• On the top cap of the tank is an arrow marked – find this arrow.
• At the point of the arrow push the top cap across and this will reveal the filling port.
• Squeeze liquid into the filling port. It has like a membrane seal so you will need to insert the nozzle or dripper into the filling slot. If it is difficult remove the drip tip to allow the bottle to get closer to the slot.
• Make sure the filling slot seal is pushed in fully. Mine kept coming out slightly meaning the top cap would not close properly.
• Slide the top cap closed.
• For first time use or a new coil – leave the tank to stand for 10-15 minutes. These are mesh coil heads so the wicking is quite dense and takes a while to fully absorb the e-liquid. You may need to refill the tank again once the coil has soaked up some of the liquid in the tank.

How To Change The Coil Head

• Remove the tank from the mod.
• Turn the tank upside down and unscrew the tank base. (Make sure to unscrew the base – if you have the larger capacity tank – do not unscrew the isolation component part next to the glass).
• If there is a coil installed this simply unscrews from the tank base.
• Screw a new coil into the base.
• Replace the base onto the tank.
• Fill and leave to stand as described above.

How Does the Rev Tech Phantom Kit Perform?

Flavour & Cloud Production

This is a sub ohm tank – so it is designed for use with higher VG proportion e-liquids. I used 80% VG liquid in here. We tell you all about liquid proportions in our guide to PG and VG in e-liquid.

Also with this being a higher powered tank you don’t need high nicotine levels, high VG e-liquid generally is only 6mg at the strongest nicotine strength.

I am using my usual Stika Bombz Fruit Salad e-liquid which is 6mg nicotine strength.

M4 Quad Mesh Coil

This is the first coil I tried in the tank! It is 0.15ohm – rated 50-100W – best at 75-85W.

The airflow in the fully open setting has zero restriction – and in fully closed it is pretty much fully closed too so you do have a wide range of adjustment.

I generally had my airflow set in the mid position.

So I started off at 50W which wasn’t bad – plenty of vapour and the flavour was there but a bit muted. Moving up the power settings at 60W this already felt a lot better, at 70W this was a lot better but not mind blowing.

At 75W the flavour is coming through a lot more – at the moment it is slightly cottony tasting still so I have turned it back down to 70W and will run a couple of tank-fulls through it to bed in before I take the wattage any higher.

So after the 3rd tank-full this is still very “Cottony” so I have had to take the power down to 65W. Plus the flavour hasn’t improved greatly to be honest. Plus trying to run this at the “best” recommended wattage is giving a slightly dry taste – on the verge of dry hit territory sadly.

So far this is pretty disappointing flavour wise I am afraid to say. For instance compared to the Dual Mesh coils on the Freemax Mesh Pro and the Geekvape Alpha this is pretty poor. In fact the single coil Fireluke Mesh is way better for flavour.

M4 Quad Mesh Coil – Number 2!

As I had an extra M4 coil I thought I would try that but sadly more of the same.

Above 65W and it starts to taste very dry like if you continue at this power it is going to start burning.

So I have been using this coil on and off for over a week – I would say about 5-6 tank-fulls and still not much better sadly.

Look it isn’t terrible but seems well below the standard of other single or multi mesh coil tanks you can buy now.

In fact I keep picking up the Smok Mag Grip as the flavour from that is far preferable sadly.

M1 Single Mesh Coil

The M1 single mesh coil is 0.18ohm, rated 40-80W – best at 60-70W.

So I filled the tank and left it to sit for 15 minutes. The resistance on the mod is showing as 0.19ohm.

As with the M4 coil the airflow resistance can be shut down to no airflow and then very open airflow so plenty of adjustment.

Starting at 50W this does give out a lot more vapour than the M4 coil. But not much taste -but it is early days and this is thick wicking.

This coil feels a lot “smoother” than the M4 but the cottony taste is still there sadly and not picking up any “fruit-salady-ness” at all.

Like with the M4 I am reluctant to go much higher power-wise as this cottony taste just warns me this coil wanting to start dry hitting soon and a mesh dry hit is something nobody ever wishes for.

I will try a few tank-fulls of e-liquid through it before I adjust the power see if there is any chance of the coil “bedding in”.

The more I vape on this the worse the flavour is becoming sadly. Almost a tinge of a Burnt Rubber Bouquet now – Mmm yummy.

I did try to up the power to 55W but Oh man its nasty.

Rev Tech Phantom Mod Performance

The Phantom mod is beautiful and performs really well.

As I really didn’t like the supplied tank and coils I used my Freemax Mesh Pro tank on here to do the performance and battery tests.

75W on the Phantom on a 0.2ohm coil felt exactly the same as 75W on my Voopoo Alpha One and the coil resistance on there was showing 0.21ohm so pretty close. I do have to say the fire speed on the Phantom matches the Voopoo mod as well!

Everyone who I show this mod too loves the screen and although it is a bit busy there is all the info you need. Even down to the Amps you are drawing when you fire – which is nice to know for battery safety too.

I did notice as you have separate displays for each battery capacity that they sometimes didn’t discharge equally – i.e. one bar showing more than the other. But within a few vapes it seemed to equal out again.

Firmware Upgrade

Looking on the Rev Tech site I have just noticed a Firmware update.

You can find out the current firmware version you have by entering the “Factory Reset” option in the menu. It is displayed on the bottom of the screen. Mine is V0.14 – the site seems to have V1.00 as the most current.

How to Upgrade

Download the upgrade file and unzip it to your computer. Open the program and it does give you the instructions.

It is usually recommended to only use the USB cable which came with the mod. There also may be a delay when connecting as sometimes Windows is trying to find a driver for it.

• Remove the batteries from the mod.
• Press and hold down the + and – adjustment buttons and then install the USB cable to the mod and your PC.
• When connected press “Start” – only then release the adjustment buttons when the progress bar starts moving.
• The mod was making some really odd noises it has to be said!
• Nothing on the software tells you when it has completed other than the progress bar fully turns green – so I assume it has updated?

After Firmware Upgrade

When I switched the mod on it had reset back to defaults of Dashboard and colours etc. But I think there are some added dashboards now. There are some quite plain just digital display dashboards without the dials.

I just popped back into the “Factory Reset” menu and it is saying V1.00 so it has updated successfully.

Now when you press fire it vibrates and also seems to fire up a lot quicker. I did turn the vibration off though!

Also the ability to turn off the mod with 5 clicks of the fire button has been added – phew – rather than having to go into the menu each time to switch it off!

Battery Life

I used a pair of matched 18650 batteries and had the screen set to just slightly lower than full brightness.

Obviously the screen settings, power mode and level and your own vaping habits will cause a variation in battery life.

But to give you a rough guide I got around 10 hours in total vaping at 75W which equated to 290 puffs.

Pros

• Gorgeous clear huge screen
• The grippy textures on the mod and fire button feel really nice in the hand
• A lot lighter in weight than I was expecting.
• Love being able to customise the screen themes, colours and the light on the button.
• Quick firing time
• Upgradeable firmware
• Display shows Amp rating when firing – useful if you want to make sure you are not pushing your batteries too hard.

Cons

• Huge screen – may seem frivolous to some as it doesn’t display anything that a normal digital LCD screen wouldn’t display.
• I did have a few small leaks from the airflow on the tank when I tipped it over.
• No idea what the coil material is – people might want to know if they want to use in Temperature control modes.
• M4 coil head never seemed to “Break In” i.e. a lot of cotton taste even after several tank-fulls and had to keep turning the power down.
• M1 coil head was even worse – resulting in a burnt rubber taste.
• Trying to fill the tank with anything other than a 10ml bottle makes a huge mess.
• Annoying to turn off – you have to go into the menu, select “Turn Off” then “Yes” and click to confirm…urgh… (However after the firmware update this was rectified!!)
• When you try to change the coil you end up unscrewing the glass section 9 times out of 10 and get covered in e-liquid. Hard to grip just the base and the isolation component part.

Final Review Verdict

The Rev Tech Phantom mod all day long is beautiful, no performance issues, no rattles or wobbles and works wonderfully.

I personally love the huge screen and the dashboard options. However I can understand some people thinking they are a bit gimmicky and pointless. The fear would be the battery life – but I found it to be pretty good even with the flashy screen, fire button light and vibration all enabled!

The tank was a massive let down for me. I love mesh coil sub tanks – I have either reviewed or owned most of them. The Rev Drift 2 tank is poor by comparison to most of them sadly.

If it was my money I was spending on this I would totally buy the mod on its own. The tank isn’t worth the extra price of the kit. Buy the mod and grab a better mesh coil sub tank.

When I put the Freemax Mesh Pro tank on the Phantom mod – I really enjoyed using it. With the Drift 2 tank I kept leaving it sat on my desk and picking up other devices. With the Mesh Pro tank on it was in my hand all the time.

The post Rev Tech Phantom Kit Review – Mod Is In Pole But Tank Is In The Pits… appeared first on Ecigclick.

The mod is a dual 18650 regulated mod with a good hand feel and comfortable firing position. The construction screams luxury and as the REV mods try and emulate the automotive world, with its sleek lines we are looking at a Bentley for sure.

Disclaimer: we received the REV GTS 230w for the purpose of this review. All opinions are based on my own experience and road-testing.

In the box

• 1 x Mod REV GTS 230w
• 1 x USB Charger
• 1 x REV Key Ring
• User manual
• QC Card

Features and Specs

• Size: 94 x 55 x 32mm
• Battery: 2 x 18650
• Screen: approx. 80 x 40mm (at largest points)
• Output modes: Power / VT (NI200, SS, Ti1), TCR (M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M6), Bypass /
• Preheat
• Wattage range: 5W – 230W
• Voltage range: 0 – 8.5V
• Temperature
• Resistance parameters: 0.08 ~ 3 Ohms

The REV GTS 230w will fire on a wattage range of 5-230w and 230w definitely brings the heat. If temperature control is your thing then there is the offering to support Stainless Steel, Nickel and Titanium along with 6 memory settings within VTC mode.

For those who like to customise their vaping experience you will enjoy the variable power curve mode for an individual draw.

I was impressed with the bypass function, which provides a semi-mech experience, even if it did nearly knock me on my backside.

Resistance range starts at Build Quality 0.08-3 ohms allowing you make use of many different types of coil builds from stock coil MTL down to more complex multiple coil builds. This makes the REV GTS 230w suitable for beginner to advanced vapers.

A voltage range of 0-8.5v is stated on the packaging. However, how the mod will fire with 0 volts in the batteries puzzle me?!?

Design and Build Quality

The bodywork

Rev have looked to Motorsport for inspiration with the GTS 230 but in terms of weight they seem to have taken more from monster trucks than F1. This is one heavy vape mod. The chassis is fully metal. The battery cover alone weighs 59g.

When fully laden with 2 x 18650 cells the mod weighs 293g, making the battery cover 20% of the total weight. This jumps to 29% when the weight without batteries is considered. But sturdiness can help with reliability and durability, time will tell.

Scan the GTS and you see smooth lines, there’s no denying this is an attractive mod. The body has an inward curve on the right to allow for a comfortable and secure grip. As a lefty the trigger position on the top right shoulder allows for an easy view of the screen however, to have the same firing position in the right hand you would have the backplate visible, meaning any bumps in the wattage/temp would not be as easy to pick up.

Remove the battery door and you’re faced with a luxurious bay. I know it sounds strange saying that but the grey housing and the even the sprung battery contacts look and feel high quality. The removal tab is secure and mine showed no sign of coming away from the mod itself. The magnets are really strong.

However, after about 4 days of constant use I found a bit of lateral play but thankfully no rattle.

Ignition

Five clicks on the fire button starts the ignition and the GTS boots satisfyingly quickly. The display is large, clear and surprisingly uncluttered.

The plus, minus and menu buttons have a reassuring click. All in all, this is one well put together mod.

The fire button is found on the top right shoulder of the mod and happily it can be fired with pressure on any part of the button. One thing I need to highlight here is the mushyness when locking and unlocking the mod. The manual states you need 3 clicks to lock and unlock, however, you’re looking at more like 5 at there seems to be misread.

The 510 has a gold, spring loaded connecter but no grooves for tanks that take their air feed from the 510 connecter. The 510 is mounted off to the left of the mod but as the device itself is quite wide it may well fit a 30mm atty.

Heads up

The tapered 80x40mm (approx.) display gives a lot of room for information on the screen. The layout is clear and uncluttered, making use of a dial readout which looks like an LED display on high end cars. The current software version gives us 4 screen layouts under the dashboard heading.

To compliment this, we have 5 colour modes: red, blue, green, orange and white for each dashboard setting. The display has variable brightness and is perfectly clear when used inside. However, take the GTS 230w outside and we have a different story. The display is simply not bright enough to see in sunlight. This is really unfortunate and one of the only things I could pick this mod up on throughout my testing.

In all display variants the screen clearly shows wattage output, the mode selected, volts and amps drawn, coil resistance as well as puff and draw counters. I used all of the pre-set display modes equally and there to be no clutter to any of them.

Leaving the mod idle will see the screensaver appear which shows an analogue style clock in the top dial and a digital clock in the bottom dial. Perhaps this is a little lazy on REVs part, but I don’t see why I need two time displays at the same time.

Paint Job

The finish on this mod is one of the best quality I have come across. Perhaps this has to do with the all metal casing and therefore no paint work, but I experienced no scratching or flaking of any lacquer whatsoever.

I’ve had the REV GTS 230w in pockets for hours on end pulling it in and out past rivets in jeans and wearing rings with no nicks at all and after 2 weeks it still looks box fresh! I was impressed.

Menu Functions

• Holding down the “M” button for 2 seconds takes you to the customisation menu.
• Here you can choose your output mode, display and time settings.

The menu is easy to understand so beginning vapers can feel confident they will get on with this mod. All options have a top-level approach with sub menus kept to a minimum. To return to the main menu from a customisation menu hold down the “M” button for 2 seconds and a repress for a further 2 seconds exits the menu completely.

How Does The REV GTS 230 Mod Perform?

From the first draw I knew I’d like this mod. The GTS 230w delivers its power reliably and confidently. The relatively short throw of the fire button feels luxurious. You can feel the power build to your max setting throughout the draw.

Jumping up the wattage range things started to heat up…fast! 150w was bearable but 200w was uncomfortable. I was using fully charged batteries for this test and 230w was unbearable for me.

The GTS offers a bypass function for those who want to experience a semi-mechanical hit. After a couple of pulls in bypass mode the body began to get uncomfortably warm and I had to leave it to cool down for a bit just to be on the safe side.

The powerhouse in the GTS 230w is REVs own Venom chip and the unit sent to me was running version 3.1.1 of the software. However, during testing I learned that an update became available. The chipset game reliable and consistent performance, I honestly can’t knock it!

At a constant setting of 76w I didn’t feel the mod getting warm even after a long evenings use. It takes a while to reach the set wattage so the introduction of taste modes for hit type could be an improvement REV TECH might want to make to future firmware upgrade.

Pros

• Luxurious feel
• Clearly set out display
• High quality materials
• Clean power delivery

Cons

• Display can’t be read in sunlight
• Lateral play on battery door
• Mushy trigger for locking

Final Review Verdict

I was more than happy to use the REV GTS 230w every day that I had it in my company. It’s a little heavier than I’d like, but there’s no denying the build quality on this device is high end. Indoors the display is spot on but make sure you have your settings personalised before you leave the house. The addition of taste modes would be a benefit.

The post Rev GTS 230 Review | Will it be Pole Position or Stuck in the Pits? appeared first on Ecigclick.

This is a kind of preview/quick review first impressions kind of deal – a test drive if you like – given the three mods I received are all pre-retail versions so it’s nigh on impossible for me to fully review them!

The Rev Sport – Nitro and GTS are designed here in the UK and developed out in China by Triangle technology with the aim to bring vape mods to the fans of high performance cars and motor sport.

Given I don’t drive or have any interest whatsoever in motor racing – not since the days of James Hunt anyway – I was the obvious choice to review these bad boys lol!

Put it this way if I had to choose any car it would probably be a battered up old Land Rover with real mud rather than a shiny sporty type

They’re Sporty and Sleek and Modeled On Sports Cars – But How Do They Vape?

Anyway – design wise I think it’s fair to say the Rev Tech pit crew has achieved the dream of a sports car to vaping crossover – especially the Nitro which does look very sporty.

But as I try to tell all the ladies – looks aren’t everything and as always with vaping it’s what’s under the bonnet that counts [do sports cars have bonnets?]

All three have pretty much the same menu system so we’ll look at that first and then a quick first impression/review – and yes they are in order of finishing with the 3rd place first!

The devices were sent to me by Rev Tech free of charge for the purpose of this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Right – lets hit the pedal to the metal and see what these bad boys can do!

Retail Version Update [01/11/2017]

OK as I’ve been at pains throughout this pre-review to point out the ones I received were pre-retail however I’m pleased to say the glitches and niggles I and other reviewers who were sent the mods identified HAVE been ironed out.

I was fortunate to meet Rev-Tech MD Aftab Sabir at the recent Vaper Expo and spent a good half hour chatting with him about the devices and indeed the issues I’d mentioned.

He revealed the feedback from reviewers had been exactly what the company had been looking for and spent time taking me through the issues we’d identified.

OK all the doors and buttons are now rattle free – the Sport ramp up is indeed a lot sharper – the irritating memory function is now fixed – indeed he took batteries out of half a dozen random mods and showed me that your settings are still there when you swap the batteries out!

One issue that he is still a little concerned about is in temperature mode.

We’ve found that if you put a ‘hot’ tank on top the temp control can be a little iffy however if you use a room temperature or ‘cold’ tank you wont get an issue – though how many people put hot tanks on their mods! Once the tank is on there’s no problems in temp control and this is something firmware upgrades will sort out.

Aftab very kindly gave me the three retail versions and I have been using them since expo and I’m pleased to say those niggles have well and truly been ironed out!

I also tried to replicate putting a ‘hot’ tank on board all of them but didn’t once get the issue he mentioned – maybe I’m too cool for school

I have to say his stand was extremely busy over the two days I was there with interest from both vapers and companies and with more exciting new products coming out in the near future I reckon these guys are a name to remember.

I have now updated the review scores to represent the improvements.

Quick Start Guide For the Rev Tech Mods

• X5 clicks of the fire button on and off
• X1 click of the menu button scrolls through dashboard colours

Hold menu button to access options:

• Bypass
• Preheat
• Colour mode
• Dashboard style
• Display mode
• Brightness
• Time settings
• Factory re-set
• Turn off

Rev Sport Mod Preview and Quick Review

Powered by an internal 4200mAh battery the Rev Sport powers up to 100 watts and has a decent temperature control suite.

The design is indeed very sports car-esque however despite fitting nicely in the hand it is rather heavy handling – not light as you’d expect a sporty model to be let’s put it that way.

It comes with interchangeable ‘grills’ one of which might be a little shall we say close to a well-known car manufactures emblem.

Access to the menu is via the M button and here you can tailor your settings by holding it down to access the options or click once to change the colour of the light around your ‘dashboard’.

I used this with a number of RDAs and RTA’s if I’m honest I felt the performance was a little short of what I expected – even with the ramp up mode at max – it took a bit of a chug before firing – maybe a bit of dirt in the pistons – let’s hope before they are released as retail versions these slight issues will be tweaked.

As this is pre-retail it’s difficult to judge the finer details of the mod but let’s say I hope the retail version will include the chip remembering your settings when swapping out batteries.

I have had to set both my wattage and indeed the time every time the device has been powered off – which may seem a little picky but trust me it becomes a chore.

The fire button had a rattle to say the least – Rev said in their covering letter the GTS has button rattle which will be sorted before release – however the Sport version I received rattled a lot.

Of the three I’ve ‘pre-viewed’ the Rev Sport was the one I put last on the finish line mainly due to the awful button rattle and the almost cold engine start.

Again I must reiterate these are pre-retail mods – so most of us reviewers are going to be a bit in the dark as to how to judge them!

The Rev Sport – Inside the Box

• X 1 Sport Mod
• X2 spare grills
• X1 USB cable
• X1 Rev key ring

Rev Sport Mod Specs

• Mod Size: 88x44x31mm
• Capacity of Battery: 4200mAh
• Internal Wattage: 5W to 101W
• MODE: POWER/VT(NI200,SS,TI)
• TCR:(M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M6) / BYPASS / PREHEAT
• Voltage Range: 0-4.2v
• Resistance Range: 0.08-3Ω

The Rev Nitro Preview and Quick Review

OK this is apparently capable of a top speed of 200 watts and is powered by two 18650 batteries.

I received the black and white version and Rev say they’ve modeled the design on a Ferrari steering wheel.

Given I know absolutely nothing about cars or motor sport I had to check Google images and I can maybe see a similarity!

Performance wise the Nitro is more like it but again not the quickest to get firing on all cylinders and again the preheat function made only the slightest difference in ramp up time.

The menu is again accessed by holding down the M button or clicking once changes the colour of the dashboard outline.

Sadly the memory on the Nitro is none existent and each time I swapped out the batteries I had to alter all my settings to how I wanted them – if there’s one tweak the pit crew at Rev do is to fix this!

This one has the very cool red pedal styled fire button at the top of the mod making it ideal for thumb firing – and despite x2 18650 batteries this one felt slightly lighter.

It certainly feels good in the hand and the pleather accent/grip on the side fits nicely into the design with grill like battery venting at the base of the mod.

The battery door is on the base and fits snugly with no rattle at all.

I actually quite like the look of this one and even given this is pre-retail model – it’s not a bad mod to vape on.

The Rev Nitro – Inside the Box

• X1 Rev Nitro Mod
• X1 USB charger
• X1 Rev key ring
• X1 protective cover

The Rev Nitro Specs

• Mod Size: 86x57x32mm
• Capacity of Battery: 2×18650
• Wattage: 5W to 200W
• MODE: POWER/VT(NI200,SS,TI) TCR(M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M6) / BYPASS / PREHEAT
• Voltage Range: 0-8.5v
• Resistance Range: 0.08-3Ω

The Rev GTS Preview and Quick Review

The winner by a mile for me in the Rev race with this one boasting a cruising speed of 230watts – I’ll leave the experts to judge that!

Powered by x2 18650 batteries this looks a lot more like your typical vape mod and Rev say it’s modeled on the shape of a Bentley – high end stuff!

I received the racing green colour and I have to say the Rev GTS does look classy with an extremely large screen.

Again the menu is accessed via the M button and again you click once to scroll through the dashboard outline colour options.

It’s lighter than the others and whilst it’s not quite ergonomic it still feels good in the hand.

Rev told me this one DID have button rattle that would be fixed before release – however I found none at all!

Performance wise the GTS outshone the others leaving them in its wake with near instant ramp up time and a definite feeling this was hitting the wattage I’d set.

Design wise it’s one of those less equals more moments and I really love the look and feel of this one.

The battery compartment is accessed by removing the back plate which in itself is a work of art – very touchy feely – and venting is on the base which might not be the best place for it.

Speaking of the base you’ll need to be careful with this one as its curved and rocks alarmingly when you touch it – a case of new tyres for better grip maybe?

Sadly swapping out the batteries means you once again need to re-set all your settings which as I keep saying become a chore.

Of the three this one definitely deserves the win.

The Rev GTS – Inside the Box

• X1 GTS Mod
• X1 USB charger
• X1 Rev key ring
• X1 protective cover

The Rev GTS Specs

• Mod Size: 94x55x32mm
• Capacity of Battery: 2×18650 Wattage: 5W to 230W
• MODE: POWER/VT(NI200,SS,TI)
• TCR(M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M6) / BYPASS / PREHEAT
• Voltage Range: 0-8.5v
• Resistance Range: 0.08-3Ω

Final Thoughts and Placings On the Trio of Rev Tech Mods

The designers at Rev Tech set out to create a line of mods modeled on high performance cars and to some extent they’ve certainly achieved that.

It has to be said this trio certainly stands out from the vaping crowd and it’s a refreshing change to see another take on how a mod should look.

As I said at the start as a reviewer my hands are tied somewhat given the three I’ve received are all pre-retail versions with the Rev engineers saying final tweaks will be done by the pit crew before these roar off the retail starting grid.

The devices are designed in the UK but manufactured and developed in China with the emphasis on vapers who love cars and motor sport:

We wanted to bring something new into the industry – with new innovation and technology to make it simple and easy to use.

I think it’s fair to say these are indeed simple and easy to use vape mods – the menu is a cinch to navigate and very clear to understand.

Please note as far as the contents are concerned retail versions will ship with a USB cable and a user manual and firmware upgrades are planned.

As to innovation – there’s nothing really innovative if I’m honest except I guess the design which on the whole is good and achieves its objective of a synergy between vaping and high performance cars.

Vaping performance wise I can’t really comment honestly or in great detail without having the full retail versions to run a few test laps.

However if the pit crew iron out a few niggles – especially the slow start from the Nitro and Sport AND sort out the annoying menu issue – Rev will have 3 worthy vaping winners on their hands.

The post The Trio Of Rev Mods Pre-Reviewed – Are They High Performance Vaping Dream Machines? appeared first on Ecigclick.