How we test, and how we score
If a review does not say how it was done, it is an opinion with a byline. This page is the method, published once so every review can be read against it.
Time in hand
Every device gets at least 14 days of daily use before a review is written. Long enough for the novelty to wear off and for the first coil to die — which is usually where the interesting problems show up.
Devices we buy ourselves get longer. Devices sent by a brand get the same two weeks, and the review says what was sent.
What we measure
| Metric | How |
|---|---|
| Usable battery capacity | Discharge to cut-off, compare against the rated mAh |
| Coil life | Puffs until flavour fades, with a fixed liquid and wattage |
| Airflow | Subjective open/restricted scale, plus a note on adjustment range |
| Leak resistance | Carried in a pocket and a bag for a week |
| Charge time | 0–100% on a fixed charger, logged |
| Build quality | Threads, gaskets, paint wear after two weeks |
Numbers we cannot measure honestly (flavour, throat hit) are described, not scored.
The score
Devices are scored out of 10 on four axes, weighted equally:
- Performance — does it do what it claims, consistently.
- Build — what breaks first, and how badly.
- Ownership cost — coil price × realistic life, plus consumables.
- Friction — fill, charge, clean, carry.
A device can score well and still not be right for you. The score is a summary, the text is the review.
What gets a device marked down
- Claimed capacity or wattage that does not hold up in testing.
- Coils that are unavailable or single-source.
- Leaks that appear in normal carrying, not just when upside down on a desk.
- Proprietary consumables with no third-party alternative and no stated roadmap.
What we will not do
- Publish a review of a device we have not used for two weeks.
- Accept payment for a positive score. Sponsored content is labelled and excluded from scoring.
- Change a score because a brand asked. Corrections are for factual errors only, and they are noted at the bottom of the article with a date.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, email us. Corrections are published in the article with the date and what changed — quietly editing a review is worse than never writing it.