In this review, I will tell you about the new mechanical mod El Thunder 21700 from a popular Russian manufacturer, interesting not only for its support of three battery formats at once.
The El Thunder Company is well known to domestic users of mechanical mods, its products are successfully sold, and have long been winning the hearts of Western fans of mechanical devices.
The device comes in a small, cute tube made of wooden veneer with a round button, around which a leather cord is wrapped, familiar to many fans of the El Thunder team’s products. On the front part, you can find the manufacturer’s logo painted on, on the end there is a small stamp with a mark of the version and color of the device. Inside, wrapped in thin foamed polyethylene, is the mod and all its accessories, partially hidden inside the case.
El Thunder 21700 package
El Thunder 21700 OG mechanical mod
Packaging
Instructions
Adapters for 18650, 20700 and 21700
Magnet for 18650
Replacement contact for atomizers with a long pin
Instructions for El Thunder 21700In addition to the device itself, the box contained a small instruction on fashionable craft paper, designed as a drawing and with the appropriate font. vape shop online Next to the instruction, there was a piece of white perforated plastic in the form of a card, and inside the case there were two more similar ones, but already blue and of different thicknesses. In addition, here you can also find a replacement pin for the button and a magnet in the insulator for use with 18650 format banks that do not want to leave the market.
Appearance and design of El Thunder 21700
Here we should turn to history a little to explain that El Thunder 21700 first appeared at exhibitions and on the Internet not at all in the form in which we will consider it below. The thing is that El Thunder 21700 already exists today in three versions, and the first two are strikingly different from previously released devices not only in the filling, but also in the exterior: the smooth lines and angles have been replaced by a milled case with a spiral pattern and careful processing of sharp corners. And, in my opinion, the mod looks amazing and stands out strikingly not only against the background of its predecessors, but also among the overwhelming majority of boring Russian-made pipes. In this version, for 9500₽, you can buy three versions of the mod in powder coating: white, black and red.
A little later, the manufacturer presented a limited version, united by the theme of the “four elements”: Wind, Earth, Fire and Water. The case, which is practically identical to the previous version, received decoration in the form of shiny engravings in the coating down to the bare brass (which is guaranteed to fade in a couple of days) and a two-tone paint job, sustained in the spirit of the elements. And a hefty price of 12,000₽, corresponding to such beauty.
The third, and apparently the last version of the El Thunder 21700 with the OG marking (which means Originals), which I got to review, appeared later than the other two and looks absolutely identical to the El Thunder 20700 – the same angular case with bevels at an angle of 60 ° and three protruding rings in the area of the recess located just above the center of the case. Even the height remained the same, only the outer diameter became larger, and then, only by a millimeter. On the one hand, this is the same simple, but well-recognizable style of “tandoors”, which everyone knows and loves, but on the other, against the background of previously released versions for 21700, it looks like an ugly duckling. Although what cannot be taken away from such an outwardly unpretentious form is that the device is extremely convenient to use, although it does not “dissolve” in the palm of your hand.
El Thunder 21700 Specifications
Body material: brass
Diameter: 25 mm (on landing and at the narrowest point), 27 mm (at the widest point)
Height: 87 mm
Weight: 123 g (178 g with 18650, 181 g with 20700, 192 g with 21700)
Supported batteries: 18650/20700/21700
Connector: 510
Button mechanism: spring
Contact group: constant contact
Automatic adjustment (spring) to the length of the atomizer pin and battery
Impressions
Appearance is always a matter of personal taste, some people like smooth shapes, others like chopped and sharp angles. I admit honestly, I never liked the design of “tandoors”, but I can’t help but note the convenience of such a shape, the pipe fits perfectly in the hand, the grip is comfortable and it is very pleasant to use the mod. There are no complaints about the operation of the device, after a week of active use, there were no misfires or problems with “frying”, I did not even bother to clean the contacts. I also have no questions about the quality of manufacture and processing of the mod, the threads look impeccable, even on the housing, not involved in the circuit. There are no complaints about the paint either, if you are not yet tired of powder coating, a little rough, but very pleasant to the touch, then you will definitely be satisfied with the quality. I really liked the white El Thunder 21700 OG.
On the one hand, we got a familiar device, in which nothing has changed fundamentally (except for the support of 21700 and new case options, none of which fell into my hands), and on the other hand, the device has been developed and has some interesting solutions. Of course, we are talking primarily about unusual adapters in the form of perforated cards, designed not only to help maintain compatibility with 20700 and 18650 batteries, but also allowing you to choose a combination of inserts for yourself, when your mech mod with an installed bank is guaranteed not to resemble maracas. Frankly, these parts look rather unpresentable and they are saved only by the fact that they are not visible. In addition, there is a suspicion that over time, with frequent deformation, they can fall apart. But their undoubted advantage is that they cope with the task at hand perfectly. The second point concerns the redesigned design of the button, now when replacing the can you don’t have to worry that the spacer and spring will fly off the mod and disappear into a black hole, where you will never find them again, now the button mechanism is closed, although it is still separated from the housing. The disadvantages include the way this mechanism is attached, after all, the good old thread and the ability to get to the surface of the spacer, covered with carbon, without a hammer and chisel of extra tools would be a much more convenient solution. How durable the plastic will be with frequent disassembly is also a big question, but you won’t have to go there often.
When choosing a new El Thunder, first of all, you should consider whether you are ready to finally switch to the 21700 format (for which the device is sharpened, despite the “backward compatibility” with 20700 and 18650), the device has few competitors here. And that it is intended more for atoms of ∅25 mm, and the most common diameter is still 24 mm. But “more not less”, 24mm drippers and tanks look great on the device, due to the wide chamfer at the top the step is almost invisible.