Tests and Reviews: Invader IV by Teslacigs ~ The Vapelier

Commercial characteristics

Sponsor having loaned the product for the magazine: Wholesaler Francochine
Price of the tested product: 58.90 Euros
Product category according to its selling price: Mid-range (from 41 to 80 euros)
Mod type: Variable voltage electronics
Is the mod telescopic? No
Maximum power: 280 W
Maximum voltage: 8 V
Minimum value in Ohms resistance for a start: 0.08 Ω

Reviewer comments on business characteristics

Little by little, Tesla (or Teslacigs) has established itself as a very serious manufacturer, rather specialized and known in our regions for its powerful boxes, made for direct vaping and sending the sauce.

The Invader V3 was directly inspired by American products such as the Hexohm or the Surric and, it is clear that the product had been an excellent surprise, both for vapogeeks happy to be able to use high powers for a low price but also for distributors because the box was sold like croissants in a bakery the morning before mass.

To follow up this saga, it was therefore necessary to work on a new product, positioned in the same price range and which would give more or better than the previous version. Suffice to say that the bar is set high enough and that this V4 will therefore have to deserve its laurels.

We therefore have a box whose concept is similar to that of its illustrious predecessor: a box that works according to a single mode, the variable voltage, which has no screen and which rather favors the vape & feel which wants us to regulate more harmoniously to taste only on a graduated scale of power. Which, all in all, is far from being stupid when it comes to a vape system intended above all to become a taste vector of sensations.

280W, 8V, 0.08Ω. Here in three numbers is the essential technical sheet of this mod and a good indication of what it will do for you: send voltage to your atomizer, like any other box, but with power, low latency and absolute enjoyment if the rendering is to match.

A fourth number remains impressive: € 58.90. This is the price you will have to pay to get this passionate object. Suffice to say that by offering itself at 1/3 of the price generally requested for this type of box, the Invader V4 will undoubtedly be the attraction of this fall 2018. On condition, however, that the user experience joins the promising datasheet. What we are going to try to decipher. Be careful, this box is intended above all for experienced vapers ... and gourmets.

Physical characteristics and felt quality

Width or Diameter of the product in mm: 28
Product Length or Height in mm: 92
Product weight in grams: 283
Material composing the product: Aluminum
Form Factor Type: Classic Box
Decorative style: Classic
Quality of decoration: Excellent, it is a work of art
Is the coating of the mod sensitive to fingerprints? No
All the components of this mod seem well assembled? Yes
Fire button position: Lateral near the top cap
Fire button type: Mechanical metal on contact rubber
Number of buttons making up the interface, including touch zones if they are present: 1
User Interface Buttons Type: Metal Adjustment Dial
Quality of the interface button (s): Excellent, I love this button in every way
Number of parts in the product: 2
Number of threads: 1
Quality of the threads: Excellent
Overall, do you appreciate the quality of manufacture of this product with regard to its price? Yes

Vapelier's note on quality feelings: 5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on physical characteristics and perceived quality

Aesthetically, a first notable change is obvious. Gone is the badass Jerrycan look of version 3, Tesla imposes a very massive, futuristic design that draws more on the SF than on a gas can. Some may regret this choice because it is true that the adventurer look of the previous one had an undeniable charm.

Don't panic, we keep a massive, rather masculine appearance and the design has been taken care of by the in-house designers. No plump curves here but drawn, sharp lines and a massiveness affirmed by subtle straight engravings and judiciously placed to accentuate the Bauhaus, industrial and utilitarian effect. In short, we stay on simple codes but thought to evoke power and reliability. It's different but it's successful.

This massiveness is also found, of course, in the size of the box which refers its illustrious ancestor to the rank of boxinette for a lady in her Sunday best. The dimensions have increased to achieve a respectable mass that will not fit all hands. The cause is simple, the Invader IV can feed on different types of batteries: 18650, 20700 and 21700. You therefore need space to accommodate new arrivals and thus enjoy greater autonomy and a discharge current more suitable for high aerobatics. Of course, we are dealing here with a double battery, you need what it takes to send clouds!

The switch was the most awaited element on this new version because the previous one was a little hard to handle in the long run and imposed a fairly strong pressure of the finger. Here, it's butter. The trigger is clear, does not require a titanic force and the button remains very pleasant to handle. A real success which is, in my opinion, an undeniable plus on this new version.

While doing this, Tesla also retouched the voltage adjustment potentiometer. Well took it to the engineers because the result is much more comfortable than the endless American-style potentiometer in which you have to slide a fingernail or use your entire index finger to move the part. There, no more problem, the knob is flexible but sufficiently retained not to move on its own and the central relief largely allows the knob to be turned as desired. A second improvement, a second success.

In the series of notable improvements, we note the appearance of a vertical LED of good size responsible for informing us about the battery charge rate. Blue, everything is fine! Green, we are at 50% charge and Red, it's over, we have to recharge quickly. This idea had already been exploited long before by other brands but, finally, the idea being good, very visual and informative, it seems very suitable for this type of mod.

The connection plate is operational and allows to mount atos up to 25mm in diameter. This is therefore sufficient for most proposals. Of course, for this price, we do not have a reassuring Fat Daddy and we may regret the slightly small diameter of 18mm and a conventional aspect which clashes a little in so much assertive massiveness but we will console ourselves with a spring 510 pin, quite hard, and a turntable that does its job without kicking or posing this particular problem.

The battery hatch is one of the sides of the box and is held by two magnets of good size. The outfit is perfect and we quickly find the helping hand to take it off and put it back on. We note the presence of two large longitudinal openings and two rows of three holes for any possible degassing. This is amply sized for the purpose of the Invader. Moreover, the bottom cap also offers us five vents for the same function. Suffice to say that the box is not ready to heat with so much air circulation. The interior cavity accommodating the battery cradles is clean and perfectly arranged. There are spring-loaded connection pads and the famous battery extraction tab.

On the opposite side of the battery door, we notice the Tesla logo in the central position and a micro-USB port that will help you if you are outside and you have forgotten your spare batteries. However, avoid using this charging method on a regular basis, an external charger of good quality will ensure a much longer life of your batteries and a more controlled load.

To close this chapter, it remains for me to tell you about the materials used. Here, Tesla offers us mostly aluminum, which allows our Invader to display a completely correct weight and far from corresponding to its size. 144 gr bare and 283 rigged with its batteries, it is rather light in the end for an imposing object. The machining is very precise and displays a mechanical finish far superior to the third Invader of the name. Ditto for the paint which gives a tinted appearance in the mass so well it is posed. What to see coming months or years of quiet use without risk of alopecia areata as we have sometimes seen on the previous opus.

Functional features

Type of chipset used: Owner
Connection type: 510
Adjustable positive stud? Yes, through a spring.
Lock system ? Electronic
Quality of the locking system: Excellent, the chosen approach is very practical
Features offered by the mod: Battery charge display, Protection against short circuits from the atomizer, Protection against reverse polarity of batteries
Accusability: 18650, 20700, 21700
Does the mod support stacking? No
Number of batteries supported: 2
Does the mod retain its configuration without batteries? Yes
Does the mod offer a recharge feature? Charging function possible via Micro-USB
Is the recharge function pass-through? Yes
Does the mode offer a Power Bank function? No power bank function offered by the mod
Does the mode offer other functions? No other function offered by the mod
Presence of air flow regulation? No
Maximum diameter in mm of compatibility with an atomizer: 25
Accuracy of the output power at full charge of the battery: Not applicable.
Accuracy of the output voltage at full charge of the battery: Excellent, there is no difference between the requested voltage and the actual voltage

Vapelier's note regarding functional characteristics: 5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on functional features

As one can imagine, the functionalities of the box are not legion and it is besides what one asks of it. No temperature control or even variable power, the chipset is entirely devoted to one thing: sending voltage to your assembly.

To do this, you will use your unique means of adjustment: the rotary potentiometer. This one is engraved with five main symbols.

The I: Delivers 3 V
II: Deliver 3.4 V
The III: Delivers 4.2 V
IV: Deliver 5.6 V
The V: Deliver us from evil because here, it is 8 V that the machine will send ...

Of course, it is possible to refine these adjustments by opting for all the intermediate positions, but do not forget an important thing: here, we adjust to taste, not to the eye.

The box is nevertheless equipped with sufficient protections to ensure a risk-free vape:

We click five times on the switch to turn on or off.
A ten-second cut-off is present.
The box protects you from a possible reversal of the batteries by not turning on.
Atomizer short circuit protection.
If the chipset temperature exceeds 70 ° C, the mod goes to sleep.
If the output voltage is too high, the mod switches to standby.

We therefore notice that it is possible to make a box dedicated to power-vaping while maintaining a completely comfortable level of security. Tesla played well this time around by offering an excellent level security pack.

Note: the box will start from 0.08Ω. It is with this type of assembly that you can reach, if you wish, the plateau power of 280W. If your resistances are higher (0.2, 0.3… up to 2Ω), the power will be restricted in order to always maintain maximum safety. Out of the question to go familiar with 280W with a 2Ω assembly, eh? You would have to send 24 V for that and, unless you connect to the car battery ...

Evaluation of the packaging

Presence of a box accompanying the product: Yes
Would you say that the packaging is up to the price of the product? Yes
Presence of a user manual? Yes
Is the manual understandable for a non-English speaker? Yes
Does the manual explain ALL features? Yes

Vapelier's note on packaging: 5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on conditioning

We will be able to save our eyes in this chapter. You just need to know that the packaging is correct for the price charged. We have the box, a USB / Micro USB cord and a manual that speaks French in a box all more cardboard. Note all the same the reassuring presence of two adapters that will allow you to use 18650 batteries.

Appreciations in use

Easy transport with the test atomizer: Nothing helps, requires a shoulder bag
Disassembly and cleaning facilities: Super simple, even blind in the dark!
Easy to change the batteries: Super simple, even blind in the dark!
Did the mod heat up? No
Has there been any erratic behavior after a day of use? No
Description of situations in which the product has experienced erratic behavior

Vapelier's rating in terms of ease of use: 4/5

Reviewer's comments on the use of the product

Tesla has been developing proprietary chipsets for some time, the quality of which is unanimous. Suffice to say that the Invader IV is no exception to the rule. Powerful and fast, the homemade chipset works wonders on atomizers equipped with heavy mounts. No diesel effect to blame here, the mod sends everything it has quickly to power your most exotic coils. Around 0.15Ω, the box is in its favorite field and the rendering is fleshy, very linear and really efficient. The absence of latency is quite magical and the effect of immediacy is a big plus for the most geeks of vapers.

On quieter assemblies, the box behaves very well and sends a very precise signal but we feel that it is running below its technical capacities. The rendering is very good, undeniably, but not really sharper than good “classic” electronic boxes. For example, the WYE 200 from the same manufacturer slightly exceeds the Invader IV when it comes to assemblies between 0.5 and 1Ω. On the Invader, the brutal signal therefore corresponds very well to very low resistances but is too impetuous to calmly drive more standardized resistances. So much the better, that's not really what we're asking for. The box perfectly assumes its identity as a steam locomotive and it is very good thus starting from the fact that it is necessary for all the tastes.

In use, no problem comes to stop a quality vape. Autonomy with 21700 is quite satisfactory, without being surprising either. The mod does not heat up at all and is reliable over time. In short, we have here a box made to send which has been thought out down to the smallest detail to accomplish its work in safety and with a “potato” which shows itself to the height of its purpose.

Recommendations for use

Type of batteries used during the tests: 18650, 21700
Number of batteries used during the tests: 2 + 2
With what type of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Dripper, Classic fiber, Sub-ohm assembly, Genesis-type rebuildable
With which model of atomizer is it advisable to use this product? Any atomizer, not BF, with a diameter of 25mm maximum
Description of the test configuration used: Blitzken, Vapor Giant Mini V3, Zeus, Saturn
Description of the ideal configuration with this product: A good big double Coil !!!

was the product liked by the reviewer: Yes

Overall average of the Vapelier for this product: 4.8 / 5

The mood ticket of the reviewer

It was difficult, after a V3 which had unanimity, to propose a replacement to the height. Yet Tesla did and exceeds even the highest standards.

First, it was a question of improving what could be problematic on the previous version. Exit the switch a little hard, the paint which is peeling, the reluctant potentiometer. All faults have been corrected with great care.

Then, it was necessary to decide in the quick to offer not a light versioning but a real novelty. This is where the choices in terms of aesthetics and power supply take on their full meaning.

Finally, it was necessary to stay within the same price scale and offer a successful product. It is therefore totally successful since the price does not increase or slightly. As for the realization, being a box built and thought to generate strong powers, it is perfect and in total correlation with the purpose of the product. It's a box for performance-addicted geeks and it will never be left behind!

So many qualities are worth a Top Mod but they also validate the fact that a Chinese manufacturer can quite make very high-flying equipment for a low price. That's good news, isn't it?

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