Cloud 9 Vaping Puresmoker Icon

I was fortunate enough to win a Puresmoker Icon in a raffle at UK Vapefest 2010 donated as a prize by Cloud 9 Vaping.

I have also posted a video review of the Icon, which you can see by clicking here.

The Icon is an e-cig that I have been very interested in, so I was absolutely delighted to receive it and couldn’t wait to try it. My prize package included two charged batteries and a packet of my favourite LR cartos, as discussed in my previous Carts v Cartos article, so I was up and running within minutes of it being handed to me.

The first thing I noticed about the Icon was it’s weight in relationship to it’s size. For such a small unit, it really does have a reassuring heft to it, weighing in at a whopping 78g compared to a Riva battery at 26.5g. This is not a bad thing, as it simply adds to the overall aura of quality and solidity that the Icon exudes.

The next thing I noticed in my haste to get things connected up, was the “Media Blasted” finish, which appears to be a bead blasted finish and is very attractive and feels nicer in hand than high polished stainless.

In with the packaging was a slip advising me to read the manual with a link to an online PDF, but it also highlighted the need not to over-tighten a 510 atomiser or cartomiser to prevent damage. It did seem a little odd at first, but when connected, there is plenty of thread connecting so no rattling or looseness, and the air flow is excellent.

One of the oft-mentioned features of the Icon is the switch, which is bottom mounted and incorporates a brilliant locking system.  The locking mechanism works by tightening the knurled stainless steel collar a few turns which renders the switch solidly locked. When in the locked position the Icon will tail-stand very happily whilst not in use.

When in use, the switch has very little travel, requiring the lightest pressure to activate the device with your finger. As the body of the Icon is so compact, I have found that it is very comfortable to hold it with my fingertips on the atomiser cap and activate it by bending my fingers slightly so that the palm of my hand depresses the switch. Using your little finger or ring finger is just as easy.

The Good

There are a lot of good things to say about the Icon, but I’m going to focus on a few of the main ones.

The switch is amazing and you’ll find yourself messing with it continually as it is so well designed and executed and just epitomises the overall solidity of the device. It fires every time consistently and due to the lack of distance the button has to travel, it’s a very comfortable device to use.

The overall size of the Icon is only marginally smaller than a standard Tornado, eGO or Riva battery with cone attached, surely making it one of the more portable “big battery” mods available.

Despite it’s diminutive stature, the stainless steel construction makes the device much heavier than you might expect, giving a much more assured feeling in the hand. It feels solid and bomb-proof.

The Bad

I’m really struggling to find anything bad to say about the Icon, it really has no obvious major flaws.

One slight issue though, is the lack of a well to catch juice that may leak from the atomiser or cartomiser, for example if flooded. The streamlined design causes any juice that escapes from the atomiser to run down the outside of the atomiser connector cap and down the outside of the battery tube. It’s not a major thing, but you do need to take care not to overfill your cartridge or cartomiser if you want to avoid getting liquid on your hands or in your pocket.

Summary

The Icon is a beautifully engineered, quality device that you won’t want to put down. It looks great, it feels great and its compact form factor makes it as easy to carry with you as a Tornado, eGo, Riva type e-cig, albeit much heavier.

I’m delighted to own an Icon, and I am sure this will be one of my most used e-cigs, particularly when I’m out and about and portability is an issue.

Scores

All pictures used in this article are copyright © Cloud 9 Vaping and reproduced here with their kind permission.