I purchased this unit from Jason at Electronicstix.com a month ago, and have had my ups and downs with it. If you're looking for the one line review:
"There are things I don't like about it, but it's my favorite."
The Start:
The first unit I got was poorly finished. There were tool marks in the finish, and a few major scratches. The supplied atomizer was a poor fit for the carts supplied, and had to be pried off. The metal immediately began to discolor within 24 hours of use.
This was taken 48 hours after I started using the SP2. The cap is unscrewed so you can see the original color of the metal.
I went to the "chat support" on the McDonald Webb web site, and they said someone would get back to me. Within 2 hours James McDonald had e-mailed me to apologize for any problems I may have had, and asked me to call him right away and he would get it taken care of. On the phone he was as polite as could be, and shipped me out another unit, with an extra set of batteries, a few packs of carts, a new atomizer... Everything but the battery charger. In return he said he would appreciate it if I would return the current unit so he could see what the problem was. He just replaced the unit without a moment's hesitation and then asked if I would mind returning the defective one.
The customer support was, in short, amazing. Within two days I had the replacement unit.
Fear and Loathing in Richmond:
Now the problem was, I was convinced that the next unit would do the same thing. So much so that I refused to take it out of it's little baggie until I had it anodized and sealed. My opinion of the SP2 was pretty low. I had one I needed to get anodized, one I had to return, and not a lot of time, equipment, and money to work with. Then a funny thing happened... The discoloration on the SP2 turned a light grey, and had filled in all around the barrel. It didn't look terrible... With my black 510 atty, it looked OK. I thought, "I'll send this one back, and just let the other one discolor if it's going to. Maybe order a different mod later on..." After all, I like the way that the SP2 vaped (more on that later) the issues were cosmetic...
The Forgiveness of Sin and the Redemption of Ignorance
The new unit he shipped out is flat out excellent. There is some slight discoloration, but what I would consider "normal" for any metal product. There are no nicks, tool marks, scratches... One small area around the button shows some scalloping from where it was milled, but nothing you could feel with your finger. (Yes, I'm that picky about finish, and the rest of it is excellent.) The new atomizer at least fit everything properly. The "copper" on the atomizer is just a finish though, and not a great one at that. It a best e-cig BE112 so anyone familiar with their metallic finishes has an idea of the quality. Aside from that, it's a BE112, and works just like you'd expect.
Did Someone Say Something About a Review?
Enough talk of that silly BE112 though, because it took me all of 5 minutes to hook up my trusty 510 adapter and atty to the SP2.
How does it vape?
At the end of the day, mods boil down to a bigger battery holder and a switch. The 3.7V battery is a bit stronger than Joye stock and give a bit more vapor. If you like vaping at 3.7V, then this does the trick as well as any mod. It's much better than the stock 510 batteries not only for delivering more power, but providing that power longer.
This is a 3.7V device only. However McWebb could easily make a longer sleeve for 2 batteries later on. 5+V vaping isn't my thing, so it was no big deal to me.
Fit, Finish, and Feel
One of the deciding factors for me when ordering the SP2 was weight. I'm an ex-pipe smoker, and I'm used to holding my e-cigs in my teeth. A big heavy mod would quickly be set aside for something lighter. The SP2 is made of Aluminum and is extremely light. I can easily hold the assembled unit in my teeth.
The second unit I received, as mentioned, is excellent. The matte aluminum had the feel of those matte spots on weightlifting bars in your hand and is nicely done. The size fits my hand perfectly. The unit stands on end easily and doesn't fall over. A complaint with early units was the atomizer threading, but this seems to be fixed on my unit. The threads are all clean and solid. The recessed button prevents misfires when placed in the pocket and has a light push that you can easily do with your pinky. As a guitarist, I pretty much love anything that makes me use and strengthen those pinky fingers, so this might not be a selling point for everyone.
The unit is totally mechanical, and the included user manual does an excellent job of explaining how it disassembles into its 8 parts. The fit of the atomizer connector is novel and allows for slight changes in battery size (for protected batteries) as well as funny attys that don't quite fit.
I would still like to see the unit available in an anodized and sealed version. (James McDonald confirmed during our telephone call that he is looking into that for future units)
Battery Life
The included 800mah battery is about 1 hour too short for me. It goes out just before I leave for work. I vape pretty regularly though, so that still great battery life. I would have changed 510 batteries 4 times in that period. (And smoked 2 analogs because the 510 didn't have enough battery life to get me to work in the morning.) Considering that a bigger battery means more weight, I'm happy with the compromise.
The Final Verdict
No mod is perfect... I'd like to see this unit a little sleeker, I'd like the metal to be anodized and sealed, I'd like it with a native 510 connector. One complaint I would add is that the batteries are unprotected. Like many batteries, there are vent holes on the positive pole of the battery. With the design of the SP2 the positive pole of the battery is pointed at your face. Since the unit easily accepts protected batteries, this is a minor issue IMHO. McDonald Webb have already said that they're moving to protected batteries to ship with the units in the future.
However, I love the size and the weight, the unit seems nigh indestructible and will do it's job for a long time. And if something does happen, I have faith in the customer service from the makers. I spent $62 shipped for the SP2 and it came with everything I needed, batteries, charger, atty... That's a good deal when alot of mods are getting near $200 by the time you buy all the stuff to use them. The low price comes from going with a mass produced mod... You lose some of the "cool" factor perhaps, but that also means that they have plenty of spare units and parts. A problem had a new unit in my hands in two days.
After a rough start, I now think my SP2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you're looking for a bigger battery at a good price, the SP2 does the trick and does it well. If you need a basic mod that will give you bigger batteries that can be replaced cheaply, the SP2 is the way to go. I have no doubt that this will save me money over buying replacement 510 batteries.
If the SP2 was a car it would be a Honda Civic - cheap, practical, affordable, perhaps a little on the ugly side. If you're looking for the Ferarri of mods, keep going. If you know that a '93 Civic is worth more than a '93 BMW on Craigslist you might want to slow down and consider the simple charms of the SP2 Steampunk Sparkplug. I look forward to seeing what McDonald Webb have in store for the 2.0 version.
"There are things I don't like about it, but it's my favorite."
The Start:
The first unit I got was poorly finished. There were tool marks in the finish, and a few major scratches. The supplied atomizer was a poor fit for the carts supplied, and had to be pried off. The metal immediately began to discolor within 24 hours of use.
This was taken 48 hours after I started using the SP2. The cap is unscrewed so you can see the original color of the metal.
I went to the "chat support" on the McDonald Webb web site, and they said someone would get back to me. Within 2 hours James McDonald had e-mailed me to apologize for any problems I may have had, and asked me to call him right away and he would get it taken care of. On the phone he was as polite as could be, and shipped me out another unit, with an extra set of batteries, a few packs of carts, a new atomizer... Everything but the battery charger. In return he said he would appreciate it if I would return the current unit so he could see what the problem was. He just replaced the unit without a moment's hesitation and then asked if I would mind returning the defective one.
The customer support was, in short, amazing. Within two days I had the replacement unit.
Fear and Loathing in Richmond:
Now the problem was, I was convinced that the next unit would do the same thing. So much so that I refused to take it out of it's little baggie until I had it anodized and sealed. My opinion of the SP2 was pretty low. I had one I needed to get anodized, one I had to return, and not a lot of time, equipment, and money to work with. Then a funny thing happened... The discoloration on the SP2 turned a light grey, and had filled in all around the barrel. It didn't look terrible... With my black 510 atty, it looked OK. I thought, "I'll send this one back, and just let the other one discolor if it's going to. Maybe order a different mod later on..." After all, I like the way that the SP2 vaped (more on that later) the issues were cosmetic...
The Forgiveness of Sin and the Redemption of Ignorance
The new unit he shipped out is flat out excellent. There is some slight discoloration, but what I would consider "normal" for any metal product. There are no nicks, tool marks, scratches... One small area around the button shows some scalloping from where it was milled, but nothing you could feel with your finger. (Yes, I'm that picky about finish, and the rest of it is excellent.) The new atomizer at least fit everything properly. The "copper" on the atomizer is just a finish though, and not a great one at that. It a best e-cig BE112 so anyone familiar with their metallic finishes has an idea of the quality. Aside from that, it's a BE112, and works just like you'd expect.
Did Someone Say Something About a Review?
Enough talk of that silly BE112 though, because it took me all of 5 minutes to hook up my trusty 510 adapter and atty to the SP2.
How does it vape?
At the end of the day, mods boil down to a bigger battery holder and a switch. The 3.7V battery is a bit stronger than Joye stock and give a bit more vapor. If you like vaping at 3.7V, then this does the trick as well as any mod. It's much better than the stock 510 batteries not only for delivering more power, but providing that power longer.
This is a 3.7V device only. However McWebb could easily make a longer sleeve for 2 batteries later on. 5+V vaping isn't my thing, so it was no big deal to me.
Fit, Finish, and Feel
One of the deciding factors for me when ordering the SP2 was weight. I'm an ex-pipe smoker, and I'm used to holding my e-cigs in my teeth. A big heavy mod would quickly be set aside for something lighter. The SP2 is made of Aluminum and is extremely light. I can easily hold the assembled unit in my teeth.
The second unit I received, as mentioned, is excellent. The matte aluminum had the feel of those matte spots on weightlifting bars in your hand and is nicely done. The size fits my hand perfectly. The unit stands on end easily and doesn't fall over. A complaint with early units was the atomizer threading, but this seems to be fixed on my unit. The threads are all clean and solid. The recessed button prevents misfires when placed in the pocket and has a light push that you can easily do with your pinky. As a guitarist, I pretty much love anything that makes me use and strengthen those pinky fingers, so this might not be a selling point for everyone.
The unit is totally mechanical, and the included user manual does an excellent job of explaining how it disassembles into its 8 parts. The fit of the atomizer connector is novel and allows for slight changes in battery size (for protected batteries) as well as funny attys that don't quite fit.
I would still like to see the unit available in an anodized and sealed version. (James McDonald confirmed during our telephone call that he is looking into that for future units)
Battery Life
The included 800mah battery is about 1 hour too short for me. It goes out just before I leave for work. I vape pretty regularly though, so that still great battery life. I would have changed 510 batteries 4 times in that period. (And smoked 2 analogs because the 510 didn't have enough battery life to get me to work in the morning.) Considering that a bigger battery means more weight, I'm happy with the compromise.
The Final Verdict
No mod is perfect... I'd like to see this unit a little sleeker, I'd like the metal to be anodized and sealed, I'd like it with a native 510 connector. One complaint I would add is that the batteries are unprotected. Like many batteries, there are vent holes on the positive pole of the battery. With the design of the SP2 the positive pole of the battery is pointed at your face. Since the unit easily accepts protected batteries, this is a minor issue IMHO. McDonald Webb have already said that they're moving to protected batteries to ship with the units in the future.
However, I love the size and the weight, the unit seems nigh indestructible and will do it's job for a long time. And if something does happen, I have faith in the customer service from the makers. I spent $62 shipped for the SP2 and it came with everything I needed, batteries, charger, atty... That's a good deal when alot of mods are getting near $200 by the time you buy all the stuff to use them. The low price comes from going with a mass produced mod... You lose some of the "cool" factor perhaps, but that also means that they have plenty of spare units and parts. A problem had a new unit in my hands in two days.
After a rough start, I now think my SP2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you're looking for a bigger battery at a good price, the SP2 does the trick and does it well. If you need a basic mod that will give you bigger batteries that can be replaced cheaply, the SP2 is the way to go. I have no doubt that this will save me money over buying replacement 510 batteries.
If the SP2 was a car it would be a Honda Civic - cheap, practical, affordable, perhaps a little on the ugly side. If you're looking for the Ferarri of mods, keep going. If you know that a '93 Civic is worth more than a '93 BMW on Craigslist you might want to slow down and consider the simple charms of the SP2 Steampunk Sparkplug. I look forward to seeing what McDonald Webb have in store for the 2.0 version.
