Hcigar VT75 Color
Hcigar's new VT75 Color (or VT75C for short) is an updated version of their popular VT75 mod, featuring an updated ergonomic design constructed from Aluminium Alloy and Zinc Alloy, and the new Evolv DNA75C board is found within. The Hcigar VT75 Color takes either a single 26650 battery, or an 18650 battery using the included adaptor.
An exciting aspect of this mod is the inclusion of the DNA75C board, which offers a brand new colour screen with endless visual customisation options, and the ability to adjust virtually all settings from the mod itself, rather than having to plug your device into your PC as with previous DNA boards! Let's have a look at what the Hcigar VT75 Color has to offer...
Specs
- Dimensions- 88mm x 43mm x 31mm
- 147g weight
- Aluminium Alloy and Zinc Alloy construction
- Black, red and blue finishes available
- 510 threading with anti-leak design
- Compatible with a single 18650 or 26650 battery
- Threaded battery cap
- Genuine Evolv DNA75C chipset
- Large full colour OLED screen
- Customizable themes
- Escribe customization
- Large fire button with LED light indicator
- 1-75W wattage range
- 0.15-3.0ohm resistance range
- 100-300C/200-600F temperature control range
- Ni200, Titanium, SS and TCR temperature control modes
- USB charging
What's in the box?
The Hcigar VT75 Color comes boxed with a USB Cable, 18650 battery adaptor, user manual and warranty card.
Design and Build Quality
Available in a choice of black, red or blue finishes, the Hcigar VT75 Color features an ergonomic design manufactured from zinc and aluminium alloys with a rounded edge that makes it comfortable to hold in hand. It measures in at 88mm x 43mm x 31mm and weighs 147g (without a battery inserted), making it a pocket friendly device too.
A striking aspect of the Hcigar VT75 Color is the OLED colour screen, a key feature of the new Evolv DNA75C chip. This displays a wealth of information, and the theme and font can also be customised through Escribe on your PC. I'll cover more on this in the section below! The screen is very clear, and I've found it easy to read under any light condition.
A large hexagonal shaped fire button is found on the VT75 Color, this also has an LED light which flashes when the button is pushed. I did have a few issues with this when I first started using the VT75 Color, the fire button had a tendency to stick which was slightly worrying. This did ease off with use, and I haven't had any issues with it sticking for a while now.
Up and Down buttons are found underneath the OLED screen, with a third Option button located in between these buttons. This enables easy navigation of the various menus found within the DNA 75C chip. A USB port is present as well, enabling you to charge your VT75 Color, and link it to your PC for Escribe usage.
At the top of the VT75 Colour there is a large, circular stainless steel plate which has 'designed by Hcigar' engraved on it, and the spring loaded 510 connector is housed within. This accepts atomisers up to 30mm in diameter without overhang, and is designed to prevent eliquid leaking from the 510 connector down to the chip. The base of the VT75 Colour houses a threaded battery cap, which screws on and off with ease, and this accepts a 26650 battery by default or an 18650 battery when using the included adaptor.
DNA75C Board
The DNA75C is the latest chipset available from Evolv, and the Hcigar VT75 Color makes use of this. A colour screen is one of the most notable inclusions with this new board, and you have the ability to customise most settings through the mod itself without needing to plug your device into your PC to use Escribe, making it far less restrictive, especially for users of temperature control coils.
Of course, Escribe compatibility is still included, and you can customise the theme of the device and the font via Escribe with thousands of different options already available, plus you still have the ability to customise your preheat, set different vaping profiles and view information on your vaping usage and habits alongside the wealth of other customisation options Escribe on PC is very well known for. You still do need Windows to run Escribe.
The DNA75C chip is a joy to use and navigate, and I got to grips with it very quickly. Five clicks of the power button will lock and unlock your VT75 Color, whilst locked the time and date are displayed onscreen. The time and date can be set through the menu system, however I found that each time I removed my battery the time and date reset, which was annoying!
Once unlocked, the home screen will display the current profile, wattage setting, temperature limit, output type and resistance, as well as a battery life indicator at the bottom of the screen. All of these can be removed or added to the display as you see fit. Two icons are also present, one looks like a computer monitor (this is called 'Views' by default) and the other is a gear wheel, which is your settings. Navigating around the screen and menus is easy, thanks to the addition of the option button.
Selecting 'views' will take you into a menu where you can see data on your last puff, a diagnostics sub menu which shows the current battery voltage, board temperature, room temperature and USB status, 'Live' which allows you to display live data on selected settings, and 'my stats' which gives you data on your current puff count, total puff time and power.
Settings contains various different options. The first is Atomiser Settings, which allows you to change the selected resistance, the output mode (between Watts, Nickel 200, SS 316 and Titanium 1 by default), turn temp protect on or off, change the wattage setting and set the preheat from 1-75W. The next option is Temp Protection, which allows you to turn TC on or off. Temp Unit allows you to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Stealth mode turns the screen on and off. Live View Fields allows you to edit which information is displayed, and Time and Date allows you to set the time and date. Finally, you can adjust the screen brightness with the slider underneath.
Performance
The Evolv DNA75C board has an output power range of between 1-75W, and it can fire resistances in wattage mode from 0.15-3ohm. With this being an Evolv chipset, I didn't expect anything other than smooth and stable performance in wattage mode, and that is exactly what I got! It is very accurate at reading resistance, ramps up quickly in wattage mode with no delay from pressing the fire button to the VT75C actually firing, and delivers a very consistent vape.
Out of the box, the Hcigar VT75C supports Ni200, Titanium and SS316 in temperature control, and in my opinion Evolv still set the standard when it comes to temperature control performance! You can utilize Escribe should you wish to use other wire types in TC, such as NiFe for example, and load these settings onto the Hcigar VT75C.
You have two options when it comes to which battery you want to use, as the Hcigar takes a 26650 battery as standard, and an 18650 battery with the included adaptor. I got marginally longer battery life from a 26650 battery than I did from an 18650 battery, but when using either battery I could get a full days use vaping on the Eden Mods Trillium with a 0.5ohm coil head at 35-40W.
Conclusion
Using the Hcigar VT75 Color gave me my first ever look at a DNA75C board, and I've come away incredibly impressed. This has got to be the most advanced board on the market yet, and at the same time it's the most user friendly board that Evolv have released yet, with the ability to customise pretty much anything from the mod itself, with little need to connect your VT75 Color to your PC in order to use Escribe.
Build quality of the Hcigar VT75 Color is very good too, the Aluminium and Zinc Alloy construction stands up to heavy day to day use, and I've barely got a scratch on it even after using it daily for the best part of six weeks. It feels like a high end device, and the DNA75C chipset just adds to it perfectly. It's a great device that is well worth having a look at!
Many thanks to Gearbest for sending in the Hcigar VT75C for review, you can purchase the VT75C from them for under £60 here!
