The Darwin: Really an “advanced users” device?

Before I get into the main point of this article, lets take a moment and discuss a brief background on traditional variable voltage devices and ohms law.Variable voltage, as some may already know but may still be new to others, is a feature on some devices which allows you to select the desired output voltage to send to your atomizer or cartomizer. Atomizers and cartomizers each have a resistance measured in ohms. For the next few sentences lets say you’re using a 3.7v device. At fixed voltage, the lower the ohms the hotter the vape, and the higher the ohms the cooler the vape. Now lets bring watts into the equation. Your voltage to the second power divided by the resistance or ohms will give you the wattage, so:Voltage2 / Ohm  = Watts   

3.7×3.7 / 1.5 = ~9.1 watts

3.7×3.7 / 2.5 = ~5.5 watts

As you can see there, the lower resistance (1.5) is a higher wattage than the higher resistance of 2.5. Why did I spell that out for you? As you experiment with various voltage levels and ohms combinations, you are trying to find your preferred heat level. Whether your know it or not, you’re in the search of the perfect wattage, the perfect power output; that amount of heat that feels just right and brings out the flavors you want in the juice you love. Watts is power; and the amount of power changes the amount of heat given off by the coil, and heat is the name of the game in vaping.

Lets say you now have a variable voltage device. Lets imagine you have that 2.5 ohm Atomizer and you want to achieve that 9 watts you got earlier. Now you have to do a little math and figure out where you need to set the voltage to get the desired 9 watts, luckily we have ohms law calculators to make our lives a little easier.

Voltage2 / Ohm  = Watts

4.8×4.8 / 2.5 = 9.2

As you can see you would need 4.8 volts to achieve close to that same wattage you get with a 1.5 ohm atomizer at 3.7v. Now at this point you’re probably either thinking:
A) Shady, you’re an idiot, the title is about the Darwin and the Darwin is not variable voltage and none of this matters or:
B) Wow, that seems like a lot to fiddle around with on a traditional variable voltage device.

Now throw away the calculation details I mentioned above, and lets talk about the Darwin. The Darwin by Evolv is not a Variable Voltage device; The Darwin is a Variable Wattage device, and what does that mean you may ask? Well as a user you do not have to do that math to get your desired power level, the Darwin does all of that for you, all you need to know is that magic number known as Wattage.

Now before I get back into the Darwin and what it does, let me address the point of this article first. I always hear people refer to the Darwin as an advanced users device or a device for users who understand ohms law.

The thing is, when you use a Darwin you don’t need to know any of that. You don’t need to know a single thing about ohms law to use a Darwin and achieve a great vape. The great thing about the Darwin is regardless of the atomizer or cartomizer you put on there, it’s going to automatically change the voltage output to make sure you get that wattage you want. No longer do you have to do the math and no longer do you have to change the voltage whenever you change your atomizers or cartomizers because the Darwin does it for you. As soon as you press the fire button to take a vape, the Darwin reads and adjusts constantly to make sure that wattage you set is being sustained. Lets say you have your Darwin set to 9.1 watts; it does not matter if you put a 1.5 ohm atomizer on there or a 4 ohm atomizer.  You don’t have to change anything, as soon as you put that atomizer on and press the fire button the Darwin is reading and adjusting that voltage to make sure you’re getting that 9.1 watts.

 

Now lets take a step back from all the numbers and just look at the device itself. Unlike a Provari or Buzz, or many of the mods out there variable voltage or not, you don’t have to fuss with batteries and an external charger. You don’t have to worry about your batteries dying unexpectedly. The Darwin has its own internal battery, it charges through USB whether it be with a wall plug, or the USB port on your computer. It acts as a pass-thru so that you can use it while it’s charging and the LCD screen tells you how much battery you have. The battery will easily last you a day if not two, and nearly everyone has a wall plug or USB port available to them at all times.

Here we have the Darwin, a device that does all the math for you to make sure you’re getting the vape you want consistently every time you press that button. A device that requires nothing more then a Mini-USB cable to make sure it stays charged. What makes this device only applicable to the advanced vaper? If you think about it, on the surface the Darwin is as easy to use as an Ego. You have the Device, the USB charger and the atomizer/cartomizer. No matter what atomizer/cartomizer you use, you will be able to get the vape you want and the hardest part is dialing in that thumb wheel to find your sweet spot.

Yes it is an expensive device at about $230, and I would not tell someone brand new to vaping to go out and buy it; Id tell them to get something like an ego. The Darwin is a big investment if you’re not committed to vaping, but for someone who is committed and ready to move past an ego, I’d tell them if they have the money to spend to just get a Darwin.

For those of you that still think $230 is too steep, or for those who just are not sure if you will appreciate Variable Wattage/Power Regulation, find someone with a Darwin and try it. Another option might be hold off and wait for Evolv’s newest little device called the Kick. The Kick is a device that will allow you to use your current 18650 compatible tube mod, give you much of the same functionality of the Darwin and a taste of the consistent hits variable wattage offers. At the much lower cost of only around $45, the Kick should be a viable option for anyone who is interested in variable wattage but not ready or able to spend the price of a Darwin.