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Review - UD (Youde Technologies) AGI - Dripper/Genesis/Silica Tank From Safer Cigs

ZT

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Review - The UD AGI Tank from Safer Cigs


This UG AGI Tank ( http://www.safercigs.co.uk/AGI_tank_and_Dripper/p705283_9264581.aspx ) was sent to me free of charge by Safercigs (www.safercigs.co.uk) for the purpose of review.
My reviews of the product are my opinion only and do not reflect the views of this website www.planetofthevapes.co.uk. My opinion of this product is personal and above all honest.


The UD AGI Tank at first glance looks like yet another Genesis style rebuildable tank atomiser; but this product has a difference - it is a Genesis, but can also be used as a silica tank and a dripper.


This tank is made by YOUDE TECHNOLOGIES - the same Chinese manufacturer who made the AGA and iGO range of tanks/drippers. Both of these items were excellent and to this day have a place in the arsenal of many a seasoned rebuildable fans atty box.


With this being said .. The bar for this product is high, it needs to be good to weigh in against these other cut price heavyweights.


I will start by reviewing this product in each of its forms, then round up at the end.


One thing I will say is this product looks a lot nicer in the flesh than it does in any of the production photo’s so far.


The Kit

general 2.jpg general 3.jpg


The UD AGI Atomiser comes boxed (in the by now common YOUDE black cardboard box with multi-coloured vapour) and includes a a spares kit with various screws, orings, rubber bungs, mesh, wire, silica AND an allen key for the recessed screws. Plus of course the atomiser body itself.


As a Dripper


I started out testing this product in dripper form. On initial looks .. I was wondering how you use it as a dripper .. Is it just a case of wiring it with silica and keeping it on top of the tank? This seemed a bit of a cop out to me .. So on further investigation and dismantlement it becomes obvious that in fact the whole top deck just unscrews from the tank ... And is held in place by a standard 510 connection! Bonus .. You just screw the top bit off .. And boom! Dripper!

steep2 1.jpg steep2 3.jpg


As a dripper it seems fair to pit it against the stalwart iGo-l as this is a: by the same company and b: the nearest thing in terms of setup and looks. It has a good well (a bit bigger I think than the iGO) and is nice and easy to wire up .. Easier in fact than the IGO - the pins are placed so you no longer have to wire your coils at the end of the silica, there is enough room around the posts to wire a coil in the middle and wrap the ends around from each direction... I say the ends .. There is enough room in this baby to fit in a HUGE amount of silica if you so desire.


In the bottom of the deck of this atty are two recessed allen key screws (these are for when you use it silica/genesis wise) please do not remove these while in dripper form! Or things are gonna get messy.


I rather think there is room for the more adventurous amongst us (*cough* jrob3rts *cough*) to remove the recessed screw directly below the wick and have a damn good play with airflow ... Just beware it leaking. As James has noted from a conversation I had with him about this product at silly o’clock in the morning - some sort of straw stuck in the screw hole under the wick would help stop leaking if you decided to try taking a screw out and going for a bottom air hole.


Vapewise - I would like to say it vapes as well as an iGO but it doesn’t .. It vapes better! I get more vapour and a deeper flavour, and with the addition of more silica .. more time between dripping sessions.


NOTE: One thing I will add on a less positive note .. In this configuration after 24 hours of use , I have noticed a small drop of eliquid underneath one of the allen key screws on the bottom of the dripper .. I suspect it has slowly leaked during use .. Nothing mad .. But worthy of note. Not something that would stop me using it.


As a Silica Tank


Before I start this section I feel it should be noted that the erstwhile AGA range are also capable of being wicked with silica - but I always got the feeling with the AGA it was more of an afterthought, a lot more thought has gone into the layout of this from where you position the coil to feeding the silica through the holes. (in fact I got the silica through with out using any “bootlace” mesh ends at all ... And quite easily {2mm silica}). The real beauty with this design tho is if you do use “bootlace” mesh ends .. You can just unscrew the top and pull the mesh off after they are through. Also you can easily coil the wick BEFORE threading it and attaching it to the posts .. Way easier than trying to coil it after.

silica 1.jpg silica 3.jpg


My main worry with any kind of top coil silica tank is dry hits. I had them with the AGA, with the vivi tank and almost all tanks using this basic design I have ever used.


I’ve used a full tank on this with a 50/50 juice mix .. And had no dry hit so far, though I was doing the “top coil tilt” towards the end of the tank. Flavour and vapour production with this method was the same as with using it as a dripper. I have used this while out at the pub .. Its been faultless so far and is a great configuration for out and about. Though I did notice a tad more dryness towards the bottom of the tank.


As a Genesis


As a genesis tank .. Configuration is exactly the same to set up as the AGA-T, with the exception that the top thumbscrew on the AGA is replaced on this by being a philips screw on the center post. I actually prefer this as on the later AGA-T the thumb screws didnt always hold so well. The phillips screw is a well solid connection .. And you dont have that panic of pulling the wire out when wiggling it to break the excess.

geny 2.jpg geny 1.jpg


The mesh hole seems a tad further away from the post than on the AGA -T tho this has not as yet caused me any problems (aside from the normal geny cursing and madness I always go through).


Performance is better than the AGA imo - with better flavour and vapour production. (I’m wondering if flavour increase in all the modes is due to the bigger top cap)


I personally find genesis good while it lasts .. But faffy .. And certainly not for going out.
Im more of a silica fan at present (that can change by the week).


That said, I’ve been using this as genesis since 8am this morning .. And have not had a single problem yet ... This is with a 50/50 vg PG mix.


Round Up


Looks wise this thing is really quite lovely, its clean stark basic lines appeal to me, personally (I wish someone would make a flat top Sigelei!) The tank which I *think* is glass (tho I may be wrong) is clear, its pretty and looks the dogs on a Vamo. It also looks good in dripping mode (IMO I prefer the look of this to both the AGA and iGO). Also .. It has a rather funky engraved UD AGI logo on the top cap ...


Its of solid construction and performs well in all its guises, even handling VG heavy juices in silica tank mode without skipping a beat till very near the end of the tank. So with the aside of a *possible* slight bit of leaking in dripping mode - Im very pleased with the performance of this.


Value : This is a tad more expensive than the Aga-T at £34, but with the extra features still good value, and certainly not heading into the “stupid money” territory.


YOUDE TECHNOLOGY have once again proved that a good quality usable product does not have to cost the earth. And while non of this products features are ground breaking in themselves .. Put them all together and you have something far greater than the sum of its parts.


Now it seems to me that Chinese atty’s end up getting Christened with names other than their model designation when they hit vendors shops.


This one should be called LEGION - for it is many.


Versatile and pretty Im a fan.


Many thanks to Safercigs for the opportunity to review this product.

general 1.jpg general 4.jpg
 
Thanks for the review. Really appreciate it.
The position of the posts in the dripper mode looks like a very positive move to me.
Would love to get my hands on one of these in due time.
 
Outstanding write up, fair enjoyed that :)

Shame about the leaking in dripping mode though :(
 
Outstanding write up, fair enjoyed that :)

Shame about the leaking in dripping mode though :(

Its only slight Todd .. TBH i was in two minds as to wether it was leaking ... or just cack handed juice dripping ... I think it was leaking tho .. but at a rate of about a drop in 24 hours on mine.

with tolerances etc its highly possible that some units wont leak and some may leak a bit more I guess

Its not something that will stop me using is as a dripper
 
High PG it run out at a rate that would put me off, 50/50 and it would be slower but left over night with either resulted in all the liquid running out.

Whilst IMO I like it a lot, wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they sort the issues with the leaking in dripping mode.
 
The answer IMO (and I hope the manufacturers do a revision) would be to use pullable rubber bungs instead of allen key screws in a smooth hole.
 
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