eCab by Joyetech

Several days back we gave our impressions of the eRoll, Joyetech’s little automatic battery cig-alike. The eCab is sort of the eRoll’s big brother; it shares a lot of the features — as well as drawbacks — of the eRoll, but in a larger package.

Five eCabs Watching a Sixth Explode

Other than the size, there’s one significant difference between the eRoll and the eCab: the charger. While the eCab features its slim, light PCC charger/case, the eCab run on a small rechargeable battery, a 10440 360mAh battery a bit smaller than a typical AAA cell. This battery is charged via an included charging cradle that plugs into a USB port, rather than a portable PCC. While this means you can’t charge batteries in your pocket, like you can with the eRoll, that 360mAh rating means the eCab batteries will last about four times as long as the eRoll’s 90mAh battery.

This battery makes the eCab considerably longer and fatter than the eRoll, but the lack of a PCC means it also generally costs less. Performance-wise, there’s actually very little difference between the two. They both use a similar small plastic tank to hold juice (though the eCab’s tank has quite a bit more capacity than the eRoll’s), and the atomizers used are identical between the two. Vapor production is similar, though seems to be somewhat better on the eCab, probably due to the bigger battery.

Size Comparison of eCab, eRoll (bottom) and Pen Stolen from Office (top)

Another difference is that, while the eRoll is an “automatic” (i.e., it produces vapor when you puff on it, like a cigarette would), the eCab is activated with a button. This may not seem as natural as an automatic to a recent smoker, but it does improve battery life by not activating accidentally, as is common with most automatics. It also allows the atomizer to be pre-heated, by pressing the button before puffing, which can result on a stronger draw with more vapor.

We do like the eCab. It provides good performance at a low price.  However, for a device the size of an eCab, being stuck with the old-style tank-and-atomizer seems unnecessarily limiting.  Frankly, if you’re looking for something that size, we’d really recommend going with the eGo or Vision Spinner instead, to allow the use of other 510 and/or eGo-threaded atomizers.

The box scores:

Build Quality: 7/10

Joyetech has a lot of experience with devices of this size. They’ve build a very solid mini-mod in the eCab.  The whole thing assembles into a very sturdy, very pocketable device that can take a lot of abuse without breaking.  We’ve dropped our test units more times than we can count, and they just keep vaping.  However, the tank configuration that works by having the atomizer pierce the plastic tank often does not seal very well. While our eCabs have not leaked, sometimes refilling them can be messier than we’d like.

Looks: 8/10

The eCab is available in a range of colors, including white, stainless, and black, among others, with brass accents.  It’s a rather nice-looking device.  If we have a complaint about the look, it’s a minor one: the button emits a very bright white light when pressed.  It’s a little hard to stealth-vape when you’re sending off bat signals every time you take a puff.

Flexibility: 4/10

Here’s where we come to the eCab’s Achilles heel: It is a singularly inflexible device.  It has special batteries, a special charger, special atomizers and special tanks.  It does what it does well, but that’s all it does.  If you’re looking for flexibility — any flexibility at all — from your vaporizer, this is not what you’re looking for.  In the eCab’s defense, it is small enough to carry anywhere, and the battery lasts considerably longer than smaller options, which does give you a few options as far as where to use it, if not for how to use it.

Performance: 7/10

The performance of the eCab is admirable for such a small unit. While the tank-and-atomizer configuration is somewhat old school, on the eCab it does result in a very good amount of vapor and flavor as good as anything we’ve tasted on a fixed-voltage device of this size.

Price: 3/10

We found eCab kits selling at retail for just over $50.  Frankly, that price really doesn’t impress us. If you’re going to spend $50, you might as well get an eGo starter kit for all of the same functionality, plus the option to use other atomizers.

Overall Score: 5.8

eCab by Joyetech