RNRManufacturing: Journeyman (Kaji) - 3.7/6V Wood Bottom feed Mod - A BUYER'S Review

[Southwest]

Let me start by saying this is my first review. I am an end-user and I bought this device at full price (same with ALL my devices, hardware, juices, etc.). This particular device motivated me to write this review.

THE VENDOR:
Let’s begin with Kaji ( Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods ). He is extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly understands all aspects of mod device design, components, construction, electronics, batts (by make and models: best, worst and in between), safety, adapters and tests every possible model of atty on his devices.

Kaji (Ryan) and I have corresponded at length on many aspects of this product and I have yet to come across any vendor (as I said, I have purchased form many) that has taken this kind of time, patience, and honest willingness to be helpful and informative.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE DEVICE:
Each piece is hand-made. Kaji tells me it takes 7 hours to complete ONE! Kaji and his father do every step of the process. This is a labor of love: his love for his Dad (ask him about his Dad and vaping), love for vaping, love for finding a quality feeding and voltage ambidextrous mod that would meet his high standards (I think he told me he purchased something like 15 mods before deciding to design and create his own) and desire to offer the vaping community something different and unique.

The woods are all individually chosen for character (look, grains, etc), strength (relative to this specific use and design) and with an eye on practicality – some woods are just too pricey to use. The ones he did choose are all gorgeous!

The main body (back and sides) is made from a single piece with the door cut from the same piece of wood so the grains are consistent. The end pieces (depending on which you choose) are either matching (from the same piece of wood) or a complimenting contrast from a different color/type wood. 3 coats of polyurethane (sprayed on with a HVLP gun.) leave the wood very touchable and you can feel the grain. And, it also nicely seals the wood to protect it. I love wood and I love the look and feel of wood. This mod gives me both. In some instances he may (for an extra charge) custom paint. I know of one that he did, but I do not know if he will continue to offer this option. The woods are absolutely gorgeous, why paint them?!

The feed-press-button was carefully thought out to give easy and consistent pressure to the internal juice bottle. Clearly great amounts of though and consideration went into each and every choice/decision made for every aspect of this design.

There are 2 magnets on the inside back panel and two more on the inside of the door. This is a very creative approach to “attaching” the door. They help hold the batts and hold the door in place (very securely – once the door is on, it will not come off unintentionally). You get a second set of small spacer magnets to put on top of the door magnets when using the smaller batts for 6V. IF this device has any Achilles heel, this is it. I am afraid of loosing these extra little magnets when not in use. But, I have found an easy solution! I keep a small metal cup right next to my chargers. It was always there but I noticed it when I was wondering how to not loose these little magnets. So, I keep them in the little zip-baggie they came in and when I am using the 18650 batt, I just place the baggie to the side of that metal cup and the magnets do the rest. They are always right there next to my batts and chargers which is exactly where I HAVE TO GO for the 6V batts.

One time, I forgot the extra little magnets and the device and door all worked just fine without them. But, they do snug everything up quite nicely when using the smaller batts for 6V vaping. Perhaps Kaji will sell additional sets of these as accessories. One final point about this “Achilles heel” (if it is one), is that sometimes when you remove the door, the batts come with it. Luckily, the magnets are strong enough that the batts stay stuck to the door

THE SIZE:
While not exact measurements (you can get those form Kaji), the box is approximately 3.5 inches tall, width about 1.6 inches, and depth about 1 inch. The earlier edition I had was just a bit bigger and yet the smaller version difference is dramatic. This fits perfectly in my hand. I am in contact with several other proud Journeyman owners and they all say the same thing. Interestingly enough, we all have very different sized hands. The feeding button is very well placed for easy pressing, as is the primary activation button (also very high quality – nice size and strong click).

This size is easy to hold, no matter your hand size, and easy to pocket (as long as your pants are not too tight) or briefcase, knapsack or purse.

So far, I have only one “wish” for future versions and that would be for Kaji to consider making some with the opposite button orientation (button, atty, batt and juice bottle to opposite sides).

THE ELECTRONICS:
The electronics are extremely well thought out. You will not see bunches or tangles of wires like on some other box mods. You will not see gobs of silicone sealer like in some other box mods. In fact, I could only find two little wires visible in the entire mod. One travels about 5/8” from the 6 amp on/off switch to the rail on the inside leading up to the primary activation button. The other is less than ½” long leading from the primary activation button to the bottom of the atty connector. There are no other wires as all other connectivity is done with rails (metal strips on the underside of the top and down along the inner side panel with the primary activation button - see pics below).

As you may have heard/read elsewhere, this device is designed to operate at 3.7 volts or 6 volts. It does both exceedingly well. At 3.7 it uses the 18650 batt and Kaji recommends for 6 volts use 2 of the AW LifePO4 3.0 volt rcr123a batts. He also recommends using a 3 volt charger (one with a manual switch to force limit the charge to only 3 volts) as this prevents any chance of the batts over charging to 3.7+.

Everything is sealed and hand soldered and all done more cleanly and neatly than you might imagine could be in an all hand made device (see pics).

THE FEED SYSTEM:
This is a bottom feeding system. The box holds a 3 ml bottle which Kaji has custom altered with a tiny tube, o-ring and cap that all accommodate the feed tube and prevent any leaking. There are a few pieces, which we cannot see, which all go together nicely to ensure easy, consistent feeding right up through the connector into the bottom of the atty.

The 3 ml bottle comes out and replaces very easily. The device comes with two of these customized bottles and I think Kaji will be selling additional ones as accessories sometime soon. What is great is that they are standard 3 ml bottles so you can have as many as you want and just swap out the customized cap, tube and dropper tip (with O-ring and tube hole) which all swap out in about 15 seconds or less. So, you can easily carry as many different juices as you care to carry in regular 3 ml bottles.

There is a little bit of a learning curve when you first start using the device (swapping bottles, how much juice to feed, door magnets) but you should be up and vaping in minutes and within a day you will have it down. You’ll never suffer a flooded atty again!

The mod comes native with a 510 connector and comes with a specially customized 901 adapter (with customized built in feeding tube) I have used mine with both and it works flawlessly. I believe the customized 801 apdaters can be bought on request for $5.99. You press the feed button and hold it (no pumping needed) until you see juice at the bottom of the atty (between atty bottom and connector) – or, if using 901 until you see a droplet forming at the 901’s air intake hole. This usually takes about 3 seconds. Don't worry about any visable juice as that immediately gets sucked back into the atty and bottle when you release the button. Now your atty is “fed” and good for about 7 or 8 draws on 3.7 and about 4-5 draws if using 6V (we all know 6V vaping uses more juice).

The design of the tube and feed system let you feed right down to the last drops in the bottle. And, as we already covered, swapping out a new bottle takes about 15 – 30 seconds start to finish (depending on your dexterity).

MY CONCLUSIONS:
I have used this device at 3.7 and 6V. I have also used the 306 LR, 510 LR, the regular 2.5 oHm 510, the 3.3 oHm 510, regular (3.3 oHm) 901, and HV 4.5 oHm 510 attys on this device – ALL WORK FLAWLESSLY. I am looking forward to getting an 801 adapter from Kaji so I can try it with a HV 4.5 oHm 801 atty as well. Smokie901 tested the new LR cartos from Provape on the mod and says those work great, so some cartos will work. Check with Kaji because apparently there are a couple attys that do not easily accommodate the bottom feeding system.

The mod looks BEAUTIFUL, feels wonderful to the touch, great size in hand and functions flawlessly. If I could have only one mod – this would most certainly be it! Luckily that is not the case cuz I’m friggin obsessed and have several AWESOME mods!!!

Happy Vaping!

PS. Come join us in elixirtv.com for nightly live chat/video shows. The discussions revolve around vaping and diverge. We laugh, learn and share. There are vape enthusiasts, vendors, youtube reviewers and giveaways. It is all free and we have lots of fun. I warn you tho – all uncensored :tongue:
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[KEITH97M3]

Hey Southwest,
excellent detailed review, the only way it could have been any better would have been to include a slide show or video with some popcorn and soda , but aside from that it was very well written. If this was your first review, I can't wait for you to review more stuff.

Keep on doing reviews, I can just imagine the time and effort this took but the end result was well worth it.

Aloha, Keith

[Southwest]

Thanks Keith,
Actually, it was pretty easy because this mod (and all the prior research into feeders) became a passion/obsession. Feeders are certainly gaining in popularity and variety but this one just seems to trump them all - at least IMHO.

I don't know if I will write more or not. It has never been my intent to become a reviewer. Most mods, and vendors, already have many reviews. This one is new and Kaji is a unique breed. I had to cut some of the preamble from this post due to size limits. The full version is posted, I am sure you can find it easily - I just have a different screen name: NebulaBrot.

Thanks for reading and feedback!
Cheers & happy 4th,
~S.W.~

[MITRICH]

HA ha if your second review is half as good..... I will be deff glad I read it!!!
Great review, lots of great detail!!
Thanks!

Oh and how do you like the AW lifepo4 batts?

[Southwest]

Thanks mitrich. Actually, I don't have much batt knowledge. What little I know, I learned some from research and more from Kaji (he's like a friggin encyclopedia of vape info).

As I began to research HV vaping, I was mostly concerned about the battery issues. Time and again, I kept running into advice that AWs are the safest.

I tried the 3.0V Tenergys with the (Tenergy "required" charger) and they consistently over charged to 4.2. They went back FAST.

The AWs have only 500 mAh, and I certainly wish that would be higher, but with the switchable 3.0V/3.6V UltraFire charger, these AWs have not yet come off the charger any higher than 3.4 max. I feel safe with them even if I do have to charge more frequently. They are the ONLY batts I use for 6V vaping.

An interesting footnote from my experience (little in the way of comparisons as these are the only HV batts I have ongoing experience using), these seem to hold their power and then suddenly drop off rather than a slow decline. I think I like that because it becomes an easy "tell".

[deadeye]

great job man good review i have one now am just waiting on my batts

[Southwest]

BIG NEWS UPDATE!! Kaji has added NEW CUSTOM options! New woods (including a new beautiful BlackWood), New 6 ml bottle size option, and a new 5V regulated version!!

More reviews on his site by: Clyde2801, Wafflestomper, Smokie, Allaboutthevapor, Nebulabrot aka Southwest, Mr.Smokeification.

Check it out here: Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods

Copied from elsewhere (hope nobody minds cuz THESE are really nice)

After many requests, we finally got around to implementing a simplified customizable ordering process, which is online now. We will still be offering our standard models in four wood combinations weekly via the website, but now allow you to easily pick a custom configuration based on your wants and needs.

Please visit Welcome to R&R Manufacturing - Handcrafted Battery Box Mods to order. (Click on the Custom Order Category)

Here is what we offer through the custom order option.

• Main Body Wood Selection (African Bubinga, Brazillian Cherry, Maple, Padauk or Yellowheart)
• End Caps Wood Selection (African Bubinga, Brazillian Cherry, Maple, Padauk or Yellowheart)
• Bottle Size (3ml standard size box or 6ml slightly wider box)
• Voltage Options (3.7v/6v or 5v Regulated)
• Button Orientation (Left or Right side of the box)

* Custom orders take 2-3 weeks to ship.

Here is some information on our products:

• Handcrafted (3.7v/6v) or (5v) wooden box mod -

1 PROTECTED 18650 for 3.7v
2 PROTECTED rcr123a 3.0v for 6v
OR
2 PROTECTED rcr123a 3.6v or 3.7v for 5v

• Bottom Feeding Juice System (Feeds the atomizer from a bottle inside the enclosure via a feed button on the cover. No more dripping, carts or cartos, provides the benefits of dripping without the inconveniences)
• Currently the Smallest Wooden Enclosure Bottom Feeding System
• 5 amp momentary switch
• 6 amp master on/off
• Polyurethane Clear Coat
• 510 native atomizer connector (custom 510-901 adapter included)
• Box will come with two bottles (1 service bottle, 1 carry bottle)
• Hand engraved serial numbers (inside main body and inside of the cover)
  
  *Batteries, chargers and atomizers are not included

Examples of custom wood combinations and box size differences for 3ml and 6ml bottles

All Padauk - Padauk Main w/ Yellowheart Ends - Maple Main w/ Padauk Ends



Brazillian Cherry w/ Yellowheart Ends - All Brazillian Cherry - Brazillian Cherry w/ Padauk Ends



Bubinga w/ Yellowheart Ends - All Bubinga (6ml size) - Bubinga w/ Padauk Ends



3ml vs 6ml



If there are any questions or you would like further customizations please contact me at ryan@rnrmanufacturing.com

Thank you.

AND
My NEW 5V is the: Maple/Padauk 6ml 5v (Left Side Switch)

New wood combos from some custom orders with new size (6ml) and 5v option. Hope you guys and gals like it.

Maple/Blackwood 6ml 5v - All Bubinga 6ml - Maple/Padauk 6ml 5v (Left Side Switch) - All Bubinga 3ml



6ml - 5v - internal



Maple/Blackwood - 6ml - 5v



Maple/Blackwood - 6ml - 5v



Maple/Cherry - 6ml

[deadeye]

those new ones look awesome man guess i need to start the mod fund again lol

[Southwest]

Got my 5V 6ml left-switch Maple w/Padauk ends yesterday and it is AMAZING! The hit is PHENOMENAL!! Of my 4 different 5V devices, this one hits the best. The fact that it is wonderfully beautiful wood and houses an internal 6ml non-leaking & non-flooding juices feed is all just BONUS!!!!

Way to go Kaji! Another AWESOME mod! I may start a collection of RNRManufacturing mods! I may end up needing a display case!