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Anthony Vapes: CKS Icon 200w mod Review and Tech Test

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with a text review and video link here

for my honest review of the CKS Icon 220w Box mod. Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for the purpose of this review from elementvape.com

Introduction:
The CKS Icon is a dual 18650 mod that features the VOtech chip in it. It has an auto temp control mode as well as the normal Ni,TI, and SS modes. Capable of 200 watts and 9.5volt output. Available in 2 colors, with a rubberized finish and retails around 100 bucks.

Manufacturers Specs:
Output Voltage 1.0 Volt 9.5 Volts

Wattage Output Range: 5-180W

Output Current 40.0A

Standard Atomizer Resistance 0.1 Ohms 3.0 Ohms

Temp Mode Atomizer Resistance 0.05 Ohms 1 Ohms

Bypass Mode Atomizer Resistance 0.25 Ohms 3.0 Ohms

Temp Limit Fahrenheit 212 °F 572 °F

Temp Limit Centigrade 100 °C 300 °C

Output Power 5 Watts 200 Watts

VOtech chip + CKS design

Bypass (Direct Connection)

Regular Temp Control Mode (NC)

Automatic Temp Control Mode (AC)

Variable Power Control (VPC)

Coil Support for TC Mode Ni\Ti\SS316

Anti-Dry Burning Technology

Short Protection

Overheat Protection

Reverse Polarity Protection

Low Resistance Protection

Low Battery Voltage Protection

Testing Results and Pictures
Product Image
niMh3En.jpg


IVl6zuN.jpg




Watt curve screen:
JNpFg3o.jpg


510 pin:
g5d3xmN.jpg


Battery tray:
ex4GqtM.jpg


Spreadsheet:
ZDEkwST.png




Soft Cell cutoff. I'm going to call it 3.4V per battery as they were at 3.40 and 3.40 when the weak battery popped up. I was using samsang 30q batteries and vaping in temp control mode at 465 degrees.

Initial Impressions and features
When I first got this mod, My initial impressions was It’s got a cool unique look to it. I loved the rubberized finish on the mod. The screen is bright and the menu system is nice and laid out. All programming is done on chip and there are 5 curve memory slots. I was excited because Ive wanted to get a hold of this chip for quite some time, but never took the plunge personally. It was easy to use and comfortable to hold.

Watt Mode Performance
Let’s get into some data. I ran tests at .11, .15, .2 and .53 for the high resistance to get the voltage limit. Before I get into what the chip can do i want to talk about the of the challenges i faced. While the mod itself never got hot to the touch like the warlock z box and cuboid tap (or even warm for that matter) The heat protection did kick in a few times during my testing. I finished it out using a heat sink and it still gave me issues. The only thing on the mod to get hot was the 510 pin (see 510 pin pic above) the batteries and the mod itself never got warm. The mod itself reads resistance accurate and is stable. It also reads live resistance. Adjusting the mod was fast which is nice during my testing. At the .11 resistance, like many mods, this mod hits a bit on the weak side by about 10-15 watts over 100. Under 100 being 2 watts low at 25 and 9 watts low at 100. It did output 40 amps as the specs state so it’s amp limit is accurately stated. At the .15 test, it fared a bit better. Over 100 it was still 9-13 watts on the low side, but under 100 it was within 4 watts. Those were the only 2 i could complete in full. I did do the max testing at .2 and .54 though. At .2 max output was 200 watts on the dot so it is accurately rated at 200 watts. At the .53 built it maxed out at 177 watts. This is pretty impressive as most mods will not output 177 watts at such a high resistance. It put out 9.688 volts so their spec of 9.5 volts max output is actually underrated by a bit. The 9.688 volts is the highest i’ve seen from a dual battery mod. It also tells me there is a boost circuit in the mod. This is a mod that works best over .2 ohms where it seems to be most accurate and can put that high volt limit to good use. It’s accurately rated but can’t really handle the heat at high amp draws. The curve mode has 5 memory settings and also tested well, switching the wattage at the correct intervals.

Temperature Control
Using SS wire in SS mode, This mod performed very well in temp control most of the time. It will never burn your cotton and hits a little on the weak side so turn it up about 10-20 degrees higher than you normally would.. Personally i was running it at about 465F where i found it best. My test builds worked really good as did my big single coil builds. Where it didn’t fare great was with huge dual coil builds at low resistances. The ramp up was too slow. You can’t set your wattage in temp mode. It’s similar to what I seen out of the drag. The temp control signal on this mod appears to be similar to PFM. that could be causing the slow ramp as I don’t know what the max wattage would be. Similar mods like the G class (120 watts) and Drag (80 watts) use PWM/PFM but allow a wattage setting, but only the g class makes use of it as the drag won’t hit that 80 regardless with some builds. So I’d peg this device similar to the drag, really good in temp control in most situations except for large dual coil low ohm builds that require a lot of watts to ramp up. My big single coil that needed about 60 watts to ramp worked great (as seen in the video). The AC (auto control) temp mode is a mode made for prebuilt coils according to the manual. I tested it with a Cleto SS .4 ohm coil and it didn’t work very well. It was cutting off way too early. The AC doesn't work well and should be ignored. Stick to NC (user control) mode

Overall Impressions
This mod to me was an enigma wrapped in a riddle. The more I used and tested it, the more i developed a love/hate relationship with it. At times i really liked it, but then at other times the flaws of it really got on my nerves. I expected a lot less issues from a premium mod. It’s not stuff that would have bothered me in a cheaper mod but when a mod has a premium price tag attached, i have higher expectations. I was impressed with the TC performance and how simple and easy it was to use. I was also impressed with the watt curve mode. I really like the looks and feel but the nagging cons really made this a tough pill to swallow.

Pros:
  • Feel (nice rubberized finish and comfortable shape)
  • Looks
  • Temp Control Performance most of the time
  • Accurately Rated at 200 watts and 40 amps and 9.5 volts
  • High Volt limit (9.688) highest Ive seen personally (has boost circuit)
  • Watt Curve Mode (works well, 5 memory spots, programmed on chip
  • Simple menu system
Cons:
  • Plastic Battery Door
  • Battery tray design and contacts (see pic above)
  • Can’t handle 200 watts (goes into heat protection)
  • Lacks features for premium chip (no TCR or SS430 mode) can’t adjust watts in TC mode
  • Feels like too much plastic for a premium mod
Conclusion
So with all that said, do I recommend this mod? I don’t like to do hard yes or no, and this one was by far the toughest decision to make. The reason being is because for everything really good about the mod, there is something bad about it to match that. I’m impressed they accurately rated the mod. The high volt limit was really impressive. Temp control was great most of the time. Watt curve mode is awesome. Love the rubberized finish. But then the battery door being plastic, the design of the battery contacts, the lack of features, and the fact it won’t be vapable at 200 watts (not that i recommend that) really hurt it. So for me it’s 50/50 I can’t lean either way towards yes or no. Mind you if this was a 40-50 dollar mod i’d probably lean towards the yes. The way i see it is if i personally paid 100 bucks for it, I wouldn’t be happy with it. But if i got it on sale for around 50 bucks i would be happy with it. It’s not a bad mod by any means, but the drawbacks to me make it feel like it’s not worth the price tag. So i’m not going to add it to my sheet. However if the price ever drops I would probably add it, or maybe i can add a column for only if on sale. Let me know what you think.

For good recommendations feel free to check out my google sheet of recommendations located here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1c4MZ2xYBE-1-0A6rLYY46OHtzHCM-roJINpxghmhzXM/edit?usp=sharing this sheet will be updated regularly so feel free to bookmark it. It has 3 tabs one for juice, one for mods, and 1 for attys

I want to thank you guys for reading (or watching or both). Stay tuned later this week for more reviews. Tomorrow I’ll be doing a triple threat review. I’ll be reviewing the Vapefly fantasy mini, Vapefly Fantasy, and a contest for a vapefly fantasy mini (note: contest details in the video). Thursday will be the Yosta Livpor 160 mod review on my channel and Friday an info video on whether dual coil or single coil is best for flavor. Feel free to subscribe to my channel to see all my reviews and receive notifications when they get posted.

As always I am Anthony Vapes and I’m just keeping it Honest, Hopefully you all can say you are doing the same and I’ll see you on the next review

Again another big thanks from element vape for providing me with the mod for review.

CKS Icon Link : https://www.elementvape.com/cks-icon-200w-tc-box-mod
 

gakudzu

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Really stepping up your review game lately, A. Very informative, as always!

I could actually feel you struggling over whether to recommend it or not lol. A tough decision for sure. Personally, I really like the way you just lay it all out there, and leave it up to the viewer to decide for him/herself. No need to sugarcoat or hide anything, as some others do. The facts speak for themselves.

Keep on keepin' on:cheers:
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Really stepping up your review game lately, A. Very informative, as always!

I could actually feel you struggling over whether to recommend it or not lol. A tough decision for sure. Personally, I really like the way you just lay it all out there, and leave it up to the viewer to decide for him/herself. No need to sugarcoat or hide anything, as some others do. The facts speak for themselves.

Keep on keepin' on:cheers:
Thanks! that's why i try to do. Just inform. I'm a reviewer not a salesman ;)
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Challenge Team
Reviewer
Great review mate as always still a great looking mod ...if one comes up in a sale might still have to nab one
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
I am going to keep an eye out for this mod......on sale in the $50 or less range!

Thanks for all the great info as always!

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
No problem :)
 

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