Tobeco 454 Big Block clone review

zadiac

Sub Ohm & Flavor Junkie
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So this is my first review, so please bear with me. I wanted to do a video review, but video goodies not up to speed yet, so gonna do a written one.

I got the Tobeco 454 Big Block (clone) from @JakesSA from VapeClup at the JHB vape meet. This is my own personal experience and opinion of this device.
454-1.jpg


Not gonna go into packaging, as it had almost none....lol (just a little box it barely fit in - not Jake's fault)
With it came a little screw driver and some spare screws, coils and wick.
9871f872-64ff-418a-b96a-2d334a872d8b.jpg


Machining and construction
Machining was done very well and threads are smooth. The atty was clean and no residual metal from the machining was visible. I do not know which grade of steel was used in the making of this clone. It doesn't say on the box.
It's a 5 post device and the 4 negative posts form part of the deck with the positive post in the middle and insulated of course (also very well constructed).
454-7.jpg

It has a little steel plate to which the negative post screws screw into and you use the steel plate to trap the one lead of your coil. (The one in the picture seems to have a brass plate. Mine is steel, I think...lol). The screws are VERY small and if you're not very careful, you lose them quickly. I spent about fifteen minutes searching for one that fell on the floor...lol.
454-5.jpg

It has adjustable airflow control on the outer cap. By lining up different hole configurations, you can have 1, 2, or 4 adjustable sized vent holes depending on your coil build.
Now, the 510 drip tip that comes with it.....bleh! I almost threw it away! It is closed at the bottom with two side holes for airflow.
454-4.jpg

It limits the airflow too much and, in my opinion, the flavor as well. (Oh, and it whistles loudly when you inhale). I cut off the bottom part with the air holes just below the second O-ring. Now it's a nice drip tip....lol
454-6.jpg


Rebuilding and wicking

You can build single, dual or quad coils in this one. It's small on the inside, so guys with big fingers are gonna have a bit of a tough time with this one. It's tricky to build and even more to wick, but once it's done this little atty doesn't perform too bad.
454-3.jpg


Vapour production and flavour

It produces decent clouds, but the flavour is a little muted in my opinion.

Would I have bought it if I knew what I know now? Probably not, but I have it now and it's on standby as a backup.

Conclusion

It's not a bad atty at all. Not really my thing, but it performs decent, for a clone that is. I will definitely use it when I need to use a backup. I've had it on my 100W Sigelei since the JHB vape meet on 29 November and used it in single, dual and quad coil mode. The quad coil performed the best for me, but I'm a sub-ohm junky, so it's understandable.
If you like blowing clouds, like airy draws and don't worry too much about flavour, then this is the atty for you :)

Hope my review wasn't too boring, but I promise, the next one will be a proper video review :p

Keep on vaping!
 
Super review and great to see you telling it like it is.

With muted flavour and cloud potential - unlikely it's for me - so thanks @zadiac for the trouble of sharing your findings - your experiences have helped.
 
Very nice! Tobeco needs to take care of their QC, because the one i got (from the states) was terrible :p
 
So this is my first review, so please bear with me. I wanted to do a video review, but video goodies not up to speed yet, so gonna do a written one.

I got the Tobeco 454 Big Block (clone) from @JakesSA from VapeClup at the JHB vape meet. This is my own personal experience and opinion of this device.
454-1.jpg


Not gonna go into packaging, as it had almost none....lol (just a little box it barely fit in - not Jake's fault)
With it came a little screw driver and some spare screws, coils and wick.
9871f872-64ff-418a-b96a-2d334a872d8b.jpg


Machining and construction
Machining was done very well and threads are smooth. The atty was clean and no residual metal from the machining was visible. I do not know which grade of steel was used in the making of this clone. It doesn't say on the box.
It's a 5 post device and the 4 negative posts form part of the deck with the positive post in the middle and insulated of course (also very well constructed).
454-7.jpg

It has a little steel plate to which the negative post screws screw into and you use the steel plate to trap the one lead of your coil. (The one in the picture seems to have a brass plate. Mine is steel, I think...lol). The screws are VERY small and if you're not very careful, you lose them quickly. I spent about fifteen minutes searching for one that fell on the floor...lol.
454-5.jpg

It has adjustable airflow control on the outer cap. By lining up different hole configurations, you can have 1, 2, or 4 adjustable sized vent holes depending on your coil build.
Now, the 510 drip tip that comes with it.....bleh! I almost threw it away! It is closed at the bottom with two side holes for airflow.
454-4.jpg

It limits the airflow too much and, in my opinion, the flavor as well. (Oh, and it whistles loudly when you inhale). I cut off the bottom part with the air holes just below the second O-ring. Now it's a nice drip tip....lol
454-6.jpg


Rebuilding and wicking

You can build single, dual or quad coils in this one. It's small on the inside, so guys with big fingers are gonna have a bit of a tough time with this one. It's tricky to build and even more to wick, but once it's done this little atty doesn't perform too bad.
454-3.jpg


Vapour production and flavour

It produces decent clouds, but the flavour is a little muted in my opinion.

Would I have bought it if I knew what I know now? Probably not, but I have it now and it's on standby as a backup.

Conclusion

It's not a bad atty at all. Not really my thing, but it performs decent, for a clone that is. I will definitely use it when I need to use a backup. I've had it on my 100W Sigelei since the JHB vape meet on 29 November and used it in single, dual and quad coil mode. The quad coil performed the best for me, but I'm a sub-ohm junky, so it's understandable.
If you like blowing clouds, like airy draws and don't worry too much about flavour, then this is the atty for you :)

Hope my review wasn't too boring, but I promise, the next one will be a proper video review :p

Keep on vaping!


Nicely done. Informative and covering your every aspect. Very good read
 
Best flavour and clouds outta rda's are single or dual and not too low... About 0.7
I'm done triple and quad coils but I'm happy with a single twisted... But great effort... It's not easy to do a review... Well done
 
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