Review of Wismec LUXOTIC NC. Third Pancake Is a Lump

In this review, I will tell you about the third reincarnation of the popular and somewhat cult Noisy Cricket battery block from Wismec, which has changed its name to LUXOTIC NC.

In the first part of the review, I already talked about the packaging of the kit and described in detail the complete Guillotine V2 RDA dripper, in this part we will talk about the mod itself. Please do not be offended if my opinion does not coincide with yours.

Unlike the two previous models, Luxotic NC has lost its streamlined shapes, has become almost rectangular and more brutal. I specifically do not focus on the colorful inserts made of multi-colored plastic, this is a matter of personal taste (but in real life it is much nicer than in the photo, the main thing is to look from afar and not pick it up). buy vape mods australia The overall dimensions have also grown (well, what did you expect, the new 20700 battery format dictates its own “body positive” standards). Nevertheless, the mod is quite comfortable in the hands, and thanks to the rounded edges, it “doesn’t press anywhere” with any grip.

The Fire button remains in its place and still pleases fans with the JayBo logo, but the potentiometer has moved from the side edge to the narrow end and changed its color to match the case, thanks to which it no longer stands out as a black spot. The button has a soft stroke and a noticeable tactile click, does not rattle when shaken and does not rattle when lightly touched. The potentiometer rotates smoothly and moderately tightly, it will be almost impossible to accidentally move it. The device is turned on and off by pressing the Fire button five times, no other “Morse code” is provided for in the controls.

The 510 connector on the top edge is almost completely surrounded by plastic, only a thin rim remains of metal, but the surface around it is relatively protected from scratches, since the connector itself protrudes slightly above the general plane. The positive pin is brass and spring-loaded, and at first glance it seems that it is protected from liquid leakage, but this is unfortunately not the case. In the photo above, the general sloppiness in the fit of the plastic and supporting metal surfaces is very clearly visible, from other angles it is not so noticeable, but it feels just awful, I just want to squeeze JayBo’s throat for such a sloppy job. They also put the mode switch on the top edge (also not protected from liquid leakage) and, as a “cherry on the cake”, they drilled another hole right in the center, from under which the LED flickers.

The left position of the switch (if you look at the fire button at this time) enables parallel connection of batteries, and the LED lights up white at this time. In this mode, the mod practically works in the “bypass” mode and gives “as much as it can” to the winding, controlling only the minimum and maximum resistance and protecting your batteries from overdischarge. The time interval between pressing the button and the start of heating the coils is sometimes simply amazing in its slowness, you can get used to it, but an unpleasant aftertaste remains.

The right position of the switch (if you look at the fire button at this time) turns on the conditionally sequential connection of batteries, and the LED lights up red at this time. In this mode, the mod (depending on the position of the potentiometer) can give from 1.3 to 5.5 Volts to the coils, but I really wanted an honest “high volt” mode coupled with a protection board and overdischarge control. The mod does not shine with special speed of operation in this mode either, and in addition to everything else, it also buzzes quite loudly and crackles with chokes. The switch travel is long and very tight, there is absolutely no need to worry about accidental switching while vaping or carrying it in your pocket.

The bottom edge of the device is entirely given over to the cover, on which there are several icons and the name, as well as six gas outlet holes, of which only four actually work. The cover opens by sliding to the side and is not particularly fixed in place, but even without batteries inside it stands quite tenaciously in its place, I think that the spring-loaded contacts of the current collectors help to keep it in place.

Under the cover you can find a piece of black PCB with four contacts and two minus signs, which means that the batteries are still installed with the pluses deepest, but the board itself no longer needs to be removed and twisted to change the operating mode. In addition, in any configuration, there will be two branded “sleeves” made of black plastic inside the mod, these are adapters from the 18650 format to the 20700 format, without them, the power sources will walk inside like in a rattle, and the mod will not start at all.

On the bottom of the case you can see two spring-loaded contacts for transmitting current from the negative terminal of the batteries and two more spring-loaded contacts in the depths of the case, framed by red crosses indicating that “the positive terminal should be pushed here”. You can partially examine the insides of the mod by pulling out a couple of protective and thin plastic tubes, but this will not help to clean the insides from the leaked liquid, the device will still have to be disassembled “screw by screw”

The most important thing in this mod is that it works! Without problems and complaints, put the switch in parallel and just vape like on a very capacious mechanical mod, if the winding turned out to be too heavy and slow or, on the contrary, you want to reduce the power, switch to the last and choose the supplied voltage to your taste. You get used to the somewhat slow start quite quickly, as well as to the large dimensions of the device. But getting used to the decorative panels clinging to your fingers and palms will be much more difficult. The constant leakage of liquid onto the board along the entire upper platform of the mod is a great concern, and how long it will survive under such a waterfall is a mystery. In all other respects, this is a repeat of the Noisy Cricker II, only for 20700. If you did not have a second “cricket” or you are a big fan of the new battery format, or you just like the appearance – think about buying it. In all other cases, it is better to abstain.

What I liked

Nice design (but not the fit of the components)

Support for resistance less than 0.1 Ohm

Adapters for 18650 batteries

Convenient battery compartment cover

Protection against short circuit, battery overdischarge and board overheating.

Spring-loaded 510 connector raised above the main plane.

Large platform for evaporators

What is simply good

Two operating modes

LED showing the current operating mode

Ability to work with one battery in parallel connection mode

Main format 20700

Relatively light weight

What could be better

Slow board response

No protection against liquid leakage on the upper end

Disgusting fit of decorative panels

Crackling in serial battery connection mode

No honest “high volt”