Sometimes, when you’re searching for the really good vaping stuff, you have to dig a little deep. Some items you can only find by practically stumbling across them. The VaporWerks Stratus is one of those. Made by a relatively unknown manufacturer, the Stratus is a small Genesis-type atomizer. We placed out order for it by adding ourselves to a spreadsheet found in a post on ECF back in January. Today a box appeared in the mail, with our address scrawled by hand on the label, with a West Virginia return address we didn’t recognize. When we opened it to find a beautiful little atomizer, we were pleased… but puzzled. It took some time before someone here remembered we’d ordered it.
We found the Stratus to be very easy to set up with the help of a small eyeglass-style Phillips-head screwdriver. It has a fairly typical setup for a Genesis, though the screwdriver is only needed for the negative connection. The positive connection is held down by a small, knurled nut which we found very easy to work with.
Our Stratus came with a quartz tank, though we also ordered ours with a second as clumsiness insurance, and an additional stainless steel tank in case we ever want to take it somewhere hazardous, like a war zone, construction site, or day care center. The tank is sealed with the use of two O-rings, much in the same way as the Zen atomizers.
The cap is secured with two O-rings, also like some Zen atomizers, but unlike the Zens, it is very securely attached, and would be quite difficult to knock off the atomizer unintentionally. We found the draw of the cap to be quite good; the 1/16″ hole provides a draw that sits in a very good place between tight and airy.
The center post is adjustable to allow the atomizer to sit flush with any PV. Unlike some other atomizers that make this difficult to do on the fly, with the Stratus the adjustment is as simple as turning the center post via a screw-head form the bottom, and we were able to do this easily, even after setting up a wick and coil.
The Stratus features two wick holes, allowing the use of dual wicks or a U-wick, if desired.
Build Quality: 9/10
The Stratus is a very well-built atomizer. Knowing all the parts are made by hand, we imagine that a lot of time is spent on each unit getting it just right. Everything fits together extremely well, and small touches like the adjustable center pin and the positive connector for the coil make the Stratus easy to work with.
Looks: 8/10
The Stratus bears a passing resemblance to the Z-Atty-U, though it is considerably smaller and does not have a knurled base. Grooves cut into the top cap not only give it a clean look, but the depth of the grooves emphasizes the thickness of the materials used to construct the atomizer, and help give it a very durable look. Being hand-made, the brushed finished on ours was not as perfect as it would be if these were machine-made, but the very minor imperfections don’t really detract from the Stratus’ looks. Rather, they give it a bit of depth and character.
Flexibility: 9/10
Much like the Phiniac Cobra, the Stratus is built with a design that easily allows for multiple wick configurations, and the Stratus has an adjustable center pin to allow it to sit flush with any PV. However, we found the adaptability of the Stratus to surpass that of the Cobra, being much easier and more convenient to use.
Performance: 9/10
Like any Genesis atomizer, the performance of the Stratus will vary depending on how it is set up. However, we found it to vape excellently even with test configurations consisting of a single wick of 400 stainless steel mesh and either 32-gauge or 28-gauge kanthal wire.
Price: 8/10
The Stratus is being sold for $90 ($100 with a Pyrex tank), which is a good price for an American-made atomizer with this kind of build quality, and definitely less expensive than many comparable Genesis atomizers.
Overall Score: 8.6
The Stratus by VaporWerks
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