Even though pipe mods are certainly not for all vapers, they’re in high demand by those who do use them and seek them out. But because pipe mods aren’t for every vaper out there, there also aren’t a lot of them available for people to choose from, especially when compared to the many other e-cig products produced and released regularly.
Up until recently, the only types of pipe mods that you’d be able to find were handcrafted and expensive. But SMOK has changed things by offering two types of this rare e-cig mechanical. There’s the e-Pipe, which is pretty much self-explanatory, and then there’s the new Pioneer e-Pipe, which will be discussed in the review that follows.
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Key Features and Specifications
- 18350 battery
- eGo and 510 threading
- 7-amp safety fuse
- Locking ring
- Instructions
First Impressions
One of the first things that you’ll notice when you see the SMOK Pioneer e-Pipe is that it’s actually quite striking visually. Even the box that it’s packaged in is quite bold, consisting of an extremely thick and laminated paper with a fake wood grain texture. A quote by Albert Einstein, which reads, “I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs,” is also a unique and a very nice touch to the packaging. But what’s inside the box is more important, so let’s move on to that.
Once you take the Pioneer e-Pipe out of its box, you’ll also find a 7-amp safety fuse and a few instructions that may be unsatisfactory for some. Much like other popular SMOK products, particularly the mechs like Galileo and Magneto, the SMOK Pioneer e-Pipe also comes with a locking ring that will prevent accidental discharge of your battery while your mod is in your pocket. Plus, the safety fuse, which isn’t incorporated into the product itself, is also a great feature that adds value.
This device also features 510 and eGo threading so you can utilise a variety of eGo-threaded clearomisers. And in terms of battery, it can handle an 18350 model without or with the safety fuse.
Those who are already familiar with the brand’s original e-Pipe will notice that some of these features are additions to the first model.
Giving It a Test Run
When tested by reviewers, it was found that the Pioneer e-Pipe gives the performance that you’d expect from this type of device. In other words, it won’t really blow you away, but it won’t necessarily disappoint you either. If you’re steadily vaping, for example, you can probably expect to get around 2 to 3 hours in.
Users who did try out this device, though, found that it is a little difficult to hold. It may take some getting used to before you figure out how to hold it and use it comfortably, or it may just be built in a way that will never work for you. It may even be possible to get more than 3 hours of vaping out of a fully charged battery if you can manage to hold it comfortably. Some people who are unable to figure out how to hold it comfortably, though, may simply get too tired of dealing with it after a couple of hours of vaping. The problem is that the product is shaped like a pipe. Therefore, your hand needs to be positioned vertically and roughly an inch from your face in order to use it. As you can probably imagine, this is not what most people are used to in the world of vaping. In fact, this is not even how most people would typically smoke a standard pipe either.
Also, when using the SMOK Pioneer e-Pipe with SMOK clearomisers, users noticed that the performance actually declined. Other clearomisers perform better, and the Kangertech atomiser heads that are used on SMOK clearomisers are not appropriate for the Pioneer e-Pipe.
Final Thoughts
It definitely looks sophisticated, and it is hard to find similar devices on the market that look this good. Therefore, if looks are really what you are after, you certainly will not be disappointed if you invest in this product and add it to your collection of e-cig devices.
Nevertheless, there are certain things that are missing in terms of its performance and how well this device feels in your hand. For those vapers who just really want to have a pipe configuration as part of their collection, the Pioneer e-Pipe is a great choice, as they will probably be prepared to make extra investments into it, such as by purchasing the Trustfire TR-001 Charger, to make sure that it works as best as possible.
