Rader Eco 200W by Hugo Vapor

Commercial characteristics

• Sponsor having loaned the product for the magazine: The Little Smoker 
• Price of the tested product: 28.82 Euros
• Product category according to its selling price: Entry level (from 1 to 40 euros)
• Mod type: Variable power electronics and temperature control
• Is the mod telescopic? No
• Maximum power: 200 W
• Maximum voltage: 8.4 V
• Minimum resistance value for a start: 0.06 Ω

Reviewer comments on business characteristics

Dear vaping friends, it's not every day that a € 29 mod lands on my bench! The entry level is quite rare these days, the high-end also elsewhere. It seems that a majority of generalist manufacturers, Chinese in general, have agreed to accentuate all their efforts on the mid-range, undoubtedly the most promising segment.

So here we are facing a Rader Eco 200W from the brand Hugo Vapor, Chinese manufacturer in the circuit for three or four years now, specializing in box mods. I still have in my collection a Boxer mod, which was the manufacturer's first and which still works very well, at least electronically since a sumptuous attack of alopecia areata has furiously degraded its appearance over time. The guy loses his paint as fast as I lose my hair!

The mod of the day, the Rader, is presented as an almost identical cosmetic copy of the Teslacigs Wye 200 first of the name from which it borrows its form factor and its clever concept of ultra light box. However, a few differences stand out and, after having widely tolerated the liquid officers shamelessly copying the best-selling recipes, we are not going to be choosy when the process is repeated on the equipment. Anyway, the Wye V1.0 no longer exists and the ultra-democratic rate of the Rader largely justifies the fact of asking a serious review.

200W, double battery, variable power, “mechanical” mode, temperature control and TCR are on the menu. This box therefore has everything a great. We could just regret that she does not give the time but it would be a mistake because she does too!

Available in a large number of colors, it will be easy to find the right fit if you like the rather modern graphics and manga spirit. 

Come on, put on the white gloves and the suit, we grab the hammer and the mass and we'll see what the beauty has in the belly.

Physical characteristics and felt quality

• Width or Diameter of the product in mm: 42
• Product Length or Height in mm: 84
• Product weight in grams: 159.8
• Material composing the product: Stainless steel, Nylon, Fiberglass
• Type of Form Factor: Classic parallelepipedic box 
• Decoration Style: Military Universe
• Quality of decoration: Good
• Is the coating of the mod sensitive to fingerprints? No
• All components of this mod seem well assembled? Yes
• Fire button position: Lateral near the top cap
• Fire button type: Mechanical plastic on contact rubber
• Number of buttons making up the interface, including touch zones if they are present: 1
• Type of user interface buttons: Mechanical plastic on contact rubber
• Quality of the interface button (s): Good, the button is very responsive
• Number of parts in the product: 2
• Number of threads: 1
• Quality of the threads: Good
• Overall, do you appreciate the quality of manufacture of this product with regard to its price? Yes

Vapelier's note on quality feelings: 4 / 5

Reviewer's comments on physical characteristics and perceived quality

From a strict aesthetic point of view, we are dealing with a box in the shape of a parallelepiped, rounded on all angles with a greater width at the back than at the front. Nothing new but, personally, I quite like this form factor which holds well in hand. To this, we can add a great softness of the material which sensually flatters the palm. 

Since we are talking about material, the Rader uses an interesting mixture since it comes from an injection molding of polyamide reinforced with glass fibers. The process, significantly different from the ABS of the Teslacigs Wye, allows better resistance to shocks and high temperatures and is also widely used throughout the industry to replace certain metal parts, significantly heavier. The magic operates since we have a 71gr box, without battery. Less than the pair of batteries required for its operation and less than a large atomizer. 

As a result, the lightness / softness / form factor combo is a success and the handling quickly becomes obvious.

The battery hatch, forged in the same “metal”, is easily clipped to the back of the mod by four magnets located at the corners of the plate. The location is, in my opinion, ideal because it avoids the hatches located on the underside which open without warning and throw your precious batteries on the ground.

The front panel accommodates a good quality switch, quite noisy when clicked on but this will only annoy music lovers, click phobic and other neurotics who can only stand one type of noise: the one that comes out of their mouth. On the other hand, the pressure to be exerted must be fairly straightforward because, even if the stroke is low, the relative elasticity of the material requires a fairly authoritative index or thumb.

Ditto for the adjustment button or the endless [+] and [-] share a rectangular bar and the same type of click. I find that a good omen because, when you see it as a myopic mole, which is my case, the noise validates the feeling of having locked its setting. 

Between the two sits a superb 0.96 ′ OLED screen, very clear and perfectly ordered. The hierarchy of information has been thought out with acuity and all the data appear at a glance, we will come back to this below.

On the top-cap, we find a steel connection plate, beautifully made and grooved for the rare atomizers taking their air flow through the 510. The mod will easily accommodate large diameter atomizers. A 27mm will fit right in. Plus, that would be gluttony and you would lose the flush attitude that any geek has any right to expect from their set-up. 

Two degassing vents are formed by cutting between the body of the device and the battery hatch. Nothing to fear from that side.

A micro-USB port will be used to recharge your box even if I strongly advise you to use an external charger to do this. It should be noted that the load implemented can go up to 2A with the appropriate equipment, which bodes well for a certain speed in nomadic mode. And so much the better because the box is not passthrough, that is to say that it will be impossible for you to vape with a wire on the leg, the load interrupting the power supply to the chipset. Venial sin in my case since I always have two batteries in the bag ...

Well, we remove the blouse and the gloves, we take the microscope and we'll see how it works! 

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: Switching to mechanical mode, Battery charge display, Resistance value display, Protection against short circuits from the atomizer, Protection against reverse polarity of batteries, Display of the current vape voltage, Display of the power of the current vape, Display of the vape time since a certain date, Temperature control of the atomizer coils, Support the update of its firmware, Adjust the brightness of the 'display, Clear diagnostic messages
• Accusability: 18650
• 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 passthrough? No
• Does the mode offer a Power Bank function? No power bank function offered by the mod
• Does the mode offer other functions? Alarm clock type
• Presence of air flow regulation? Yes
• Maximum diameter in mm of compatibility with an atomizer: 27
• Accuracy of the output power at full charge of the battery: Good, there is a tiny difference between the requested power and the real power
• Accuracy of the output voltage at full charge of the battery: Good, there is a tiny difference between the requested voltage and the actual voltage

Vapelier's note regarding functional characteristics: 4.5 / 5

Reviewer's comments on functional features

The Rader does it all and it does it very well!

First of all, we have a very traditional variable power mode which is incremented in 0.1W steps between 1W and 100W. Then, the steps get bigger and the increment will be 1W between 100W and 200W. Of course, who can do the most can do the least, but I admit getting tired of 0.1W meters quite quickly… I prefer those in 0.5W that I find more suited to the reality of a vapoteur. Find me someone who will tell the difference between 47.4W and 47.5! 

Preheating is present. Very effective, here is an example of what it does on signal. On my 0.65Ω atomizer which I ask for an output power of 36W, the Rader sends 4.88V. It is therefore roughly modeled on Ohm's law, to within a few hundredths. In Power + mode with the same parameters, it sends me a whopping 5.6V, or a reality of about 48W that it will maintain for about 3 seconds. Ideal for a coil with particularly lazy complex resistives. On the other hand, for the single strand, even a little diesel, the duration of the pre-heat is a little long. In Soft mode, the mod will send 4.32V or a power of 28.7W that it will also maintain for 3 seconds. 

We also have a temperature control mode, adjustable between 100 and 315 ° C which natively supports the SS316, the Ni200 and (unfortunately) the Titanium. There is also the possibility of directly implementing the heating coefficient of your wire if it does not belong to any of these categories by accessing the menu mode which we will see below. 

Still in summary, the possibility of vape in bypass, that is to say by emulating a mechanical mode. This mode will bypass the computing capacity of the chipset while retaining the usual protections and will send the voltage present in your batteries to your atomizer, i.e. between approximately 6.4V and 8.4V charged batteries. Interesting for atomizers with very low resistance (I remind you that the Rader starts at 0.06Ω) in order to send an immense amount of vapor into the stratosphere. Be careful, however, not to go wrong, if you use a Nautilus in 1.6Ω, switching to By-Pass mode at 8.4V could well expel ato in the stratosphere rather than vapor!

To finish with the functionalities, let's focus on the Curve mode which allows you to draw a personalized signal. This is done on eight points. Each of the points can be adjusted by adding or subtracting watts at the power initially chosen (+/- 40W) and the duration can be defined between 0.1s and 9.9s. 

Let's talk now about ergonomics if you want, the record is not very easy on the subject. 

• To switch to Off or On: 5 clicks. So far, it's standard.
• If you click three times, you can change the mode. You will then have the choice between: Power for variable power; Ni200, SS316 and Ti for temperature control, Cl for Curve mode and finally By-pass for “mecha” mode.
• If you double-click, you will have access to changes to the settings for the mode you are currently using. In Power, you will have access to pre-heating. In temperature control, you will access the general power. In By-pass, you will not have access to anything 😉. In Curve mode, you will be able to access and modify the curve. 
• If you do not click, you will get bored hard! 

But that's not all, there is still a lot to discover!

• If you hold [+] and [-] simultaneously, you can lock / unlock your power or temperature setting.
• If you hold down [+] and the footswitch, you will lock / unlock the ato resistance
• If you hold down [-] and the switch is pressed at the same time, you have access to a very complete menu that will offer you the following things:

1. Setting the date and time.
2. Adjusting the screen brightness (default full)
3. Reset the puff counter.
4. Stealth mode: total shutdown of the screen to save energy.
5. TCR set: to implement your own heating coefficient for temperature control.
6. Default: reset to factory settings.
7. Exit: Because you have to get out of there one day or another ... 

The screen succeeds with mastery in making all these beautiful people visible in one and the same space. At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to say that I have never seen a screen so clear and readable despite the profusion of information it offers. Judge instead:

In three lines and from top to bottom:

1 online:

1. Icon of charge of two separate batteries.
2. Icon of the selected mode and icon of the fine adjustment (pre-heating or curve or power for the CT)
3. Time and number of puffs.

2 online:

1. Power or temperature in large.
2. Duration of the last puff in seconds. (Very clever, it stays on the screen 2 to 3 seconds after the puff)

3 online:

1. Value of resistance
2. “Padlock” icon which indicates whether the resistance is locked. Otherwise, the Ω sign appears.
3. Voltage delivered in volts. (Which stays on the screen 2 to 3 seconds after the puff, practical!)
4. Intensity delivered in amperes. Useful to know if you have the right batteries to deal with it. (Don't stay on after the puff, it's a shame).

After this rather exhaustive overview, there remain the protections of which I will spare you the long litany. Know that the Rader will protect you from everything except ebola and Abba! You can also update the firmware on the manufacturer's website even if, at this time, no upgrade is available.

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

A black cardboard box contains the box as well as a USB / micro USB cord and instructions that have the good taste of speaking French. Nothing transcendent but the necessary is there and the object is well protected.

Appreciations in use

• Transport facilities with the test atomizer: Ok for an inside jacket pocket (no deformations)
• 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

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

Reviewer's comments on the use of the product

The GT200 chipset, owned by the manufacturer, is not only complete, it is also very pleasant in the vape. Rather typed powerful and nervous, it will perfectly accompany large steam-powered critters but can just as easily drive a cushy MTL ato with excellent reproduction quality, a guarantee of a well-optimized signal and a well-written calculation algorithm. 

In use, we can only be pleased that some manufacturers are betting on lightness and new materials. Gone are the bricks that could be used to break the display case and which made the slightest session of vape outside painful. Here, it's very light, very soft and very solid. The very basis for a mod that we are not afraid to release every day. 

No shadow tarnishes the picture. Over three days of intensive testing, no abnormal heating, including at high power. No missfire. The autonomy of the batteries seems correctly managed even if the screen, and it is logical, pumps a little energy but we have known and we know much worse! 

In short, the Rader remains usable in all conditions, with all possible atos and comes out with honors! 

Recommendations for use

• Type of batteries used during the tests: 18650
• Number of batteries used during the tests: 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? All
• Description of the test configuration used: Taifun GT4, Wotofo Pofile RDA, e-liquids of different viscosities
• Description of the ideal configuration with this product: A powerful RDTA.

Was the product liked by the reviewer: Yes

Overall average of the Vapelier for this product: 4.6 / 5

The mood ticket of the reviewer

Let's not be more royalist than the King, the Rader is a great mod. We could blame it for its resemblance to the Teslacigs Wye200 V1 but that would be mean. It differs from it profoundly by the rendering and the materials used. Having had the chance to have the two to compare, I would say that the Tesla is smoother in its vape and that the Rader is more nervous. But the match ends there because the first has disappeared in favor of a version 2 which is certainly nice and qualitative but which has lost the extra soul of its predecessor.

For the Rader Eco, an O-BLI-GA-TOIRE Top Mod! Because it is complete, solid, light, soft, its screen is great, it provides vaping and… it costs € 29 !!! Should you wrap it or is it to consume on the spot?

(c) Copyright Le Vapelier SAS 2014 - Only full reproduction of this article is authorized - Any modification of any kind is totally prohibited and infringes the rights of this copyright.