Humpty's Review of the eGo Bamboo APV V2 (aka Vamo) 
(Jan 2013)


The 'Bamboo' as renamed (previously called 'Vamo')  after an ECF users vote is a big battery china mod. The problem with china mods is that it's difficult to spot the gems. You can't tell which factory it comes from, as 'copyright' is not really a tangible idea China. OEMs have been known to deal amongst themsleves in order to make the extra buck. In the end it's a gamble on quality, but cheerfully, the prices are still low compared to the rest of the world.

Two things have become significantly popular in the ecig world between 2011 and 2013. the first are ClearoMisers, i.e atomisers surrounded by a tank of liquid, so dripping becomes unneccessary. And the other are 'VV' mods, i.e variable voltage big battery mods. Since the main suppliers (the chinese) have caught on, the price of VV mods have now dropped to the level of ordinary BB mods.

A VV mod let's you set the voltage between a certain range. This affects the current and hence the power going through the atty. This way you can get a cooler or hotter burn, depending on your taste. The Bamboo goes one better by offering a 'constant power' function, which means the voltage would be adjusted if the resistance of the atty changes during vaping to produce the same power. This is quite interesting, as ECF mod chit-chat over the years mainly speculated 'constant current' but thinking about it, constant power probably makes more sense. On top of that there's also two power delivery modes, RMS which is the default and AVG which the site strongly advises you not to use unless you're a 'veteran'.










Cost

Body
us $ 39.00 Includes the built-in switch and battery extension tube.


(simple packaging, no extra kit)


(supplier : HealthCabin)


Looks and Feel
The pics you see here are for chrome-black. There is also a normal chrome and a stainless steel version. I chose the black to hide any fingerprints.

It's pretty heavy, mainly due to it's thick walls and with a full height of 13.5cm (excluding atty), holding it, I feel something like a jedi knight or one of those men waving down fighter planes on an aircraft carrier. This is because the switcher and atty socket alone takes up a lot of height. 

Because of where the button is positioned, it doesn't feel 'bottom-heavy', a crime other mods fall prey to. Instead, it's fairly well balanced whether you choose to use the extension or not. The extension fits in the middle between the main tube and the bottom spring cap. From the assortment of batteries I had, all of them fitted without over looseness or tightness. You have the usual choice of a single18650 at 3.7v or two 18350s at 7.4v.

Some people may like taller than average mods, for me it felt more comfortable using a single 18350 batt, discarding the extra batt extension. But as we shall see later on, there is a penalty for that.

The main button is ever so slightly rattley, but not enough to be annoying. There's good contact and the smaller controls buttons present no problem.

LCD display is white/blue and very bright and at the top a plain flat standard ego/510 socket.


Operation
The designers have done their homework with this mod, trying to cram in as many relevant functions they could. The tell tale sign is of the two left right (L,R) mini studs above the main button. Long presses will switch modes while short presses will increment or decrement the voltage (+-0.5v) or power (+-0.5w). The main gripe I have with this is the roll-around pass the limits. E.g 3.0v will roll around to 6.0v and 3w will roll-around to 15w. This could get nasty if you're not too careful.

You might ask how is it that a single 3.7v cell could provide 6v? or a power/current greater than normal ?
Well inside each VV device is a bunch of circuits using inductors and capacitors that store up the charges and let them loose very quickly. You can even 'hear' the cycles in operation, especially if using two 18350s, infact it could get annoying if you're no used to it (a reason why I only using the mod for testing and not my daily vape).
But all said and done, power-wise it does it's job.

To switch the mod on/off, click the main button 5 times.
To switch between VV and CP hold both L+R for 3 seconds.
To check the battery voltage, hold L for 3 seconds.
To check the atty resistance, hold R for 3 seconds.
To switch between the RMS and (the not-recommended) AVG, hold either L or R button for 10 seconds.
And you get the usual warnings for low battt and short circuit protection.

And now we come to the biggy. I have a variety of single 18350 cells, different brands, all sizes and shape. In the single 18350 configuration (without the extension tube), not one of these brands performed well even when fully charged. Any more than 3 normal presses in a row (pausing 3 secs in between) and the device would blink twice and shutdown. Sometimes it would be on the third press. This means I need to press 5 times to turn it back on. Some brands are protected, most are not, some store more charge, some are taller..etc. But not one of them past this test. Either there is a magic brand out there that this mod likes, or there might be a bug in the unit I have, I don't know. It seems this mod senses that a single 18350 cannot deliver the power it needs. 18650s and 2x18350s in the 'tall' configuration (with the added extension) present no problem. Hence to this day, I'm forced to hold this device like Obi-wan Kenobi.


Size Comparison
The Bamboo beside a regular 18650 mod and my kettle.



Vapour Taste and Throat hit
Depends on your atty and e-liquid.

Can deliver a range of different voltages/power hence no problem producing desired vapour.


More of throat hit than taste. For the wide range of control, a strong taste can be attained, but the taste is tainted by the stronger throat hit and harshness even at the lowest of settings.


Pros Cons
Good range of voltages and power provides throat hit and vapour.

Good fit for all batteries
Well placed button.
Easy to clean battery spring.
510 + ego thread.

Bottom well collects leaking e-liquid.
Relatively cheap.
Longer than most big batt mods and heavy.

Didn't work well with single 18350 (practically unusable).

Irritating frequency on some settings.

Not the mod for 'cool' tasty vapes.

Wear N Tear problems after 4 months (see below).

Conclusion
This is not the mod for a mild tasty vape. i just couldn't achieve it. But for those who need the power and control for throat hit and warm harshy vapes, if you don't mind the tall size, go ahead, knock yourself out. Otherwise, it's cheap enough to use as a backup or testing mod.




Updates

Apr 2013

Bad Points;
Ok, a couple of defects have shown up after 4 months of usage.
The 1st is that the black chrome coating has deteriorated unevenly (rubbed off).
The 2nd is that the button too has also lost some it's coating.
Both 1 and 2 did not affect it's performance but it's looks and rough feel have diminised it.



The 3rd is a bit worrying, one of the two controller buttons (the right one) has lost some of it's 'bounce'. It's still useable, but I can feel it's response has deadened when compared to the responsiveness of the left button.

Good Points;
I have noticed that the 'well' directly beneath the atty socket is probably designed there for a purpose. After a couple of heavy dripping sessions, the e-liquid is collected into the well instead of making a mess down the side of the body.


End.



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