Vapor Flask V3 Clone Review

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Kangxin 40w TP Vapor Flask V3 Review

The Kangxin 40W Flask is a variable wattage APV featuring the KX-40D temperature controlled chip which is manufactured by Shenzhen Kangxin Technology aka Bluesmoke. While Kangxin is a relatively new manufacturer, they have previously produced two ZNA clones (30W & 50W). Kangxin is also the manufacturer of the 50W chip featured in Robbot Tech’s ZNA 50 mod.

The Kangxin 40W TP Flask (aka. Vapor Flask V3) featured in this review came directly from Shenzhen Kangxin, and was packaged in their original yellow gift box, with an authenticity sticker affixed to the front. There is also a user manual included with the Flask.

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Where to buy the Kangxin 40w Vapor Flask V3:

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KANGXIN 40W TP FLASK SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Brand: Shenzhen Kangxin Technology
  • Type: variable wattage APV with temperature protection
  • Material: Anodized aluminium and copper plated brass
  • Connection threading: 510 ( adjustable brass pin)
  • Battery compatibility: Dual 18650 ( can work with a single 18650 )
  • Diameter: 22mm (at 510 connection)
  • Height: 90mm
  • Width: 60mm
  • Weight: 176.2 grams

Features:

  • 1W – 40W ( in .1 increments)
  • 1 – 9.0V output
  • 200F – 600F temperature protection limit
  • .10 – 1.00 ohm resistance (NI200 builds only)
  • .16 – 2.00 ohm resistance (Kanthal builds only)
  • Short circuit protection
  • Reverse polarity protection
  • Over heat protection
  • Low voltage protection

BUILD QUALITY

The Kangxin 40W Flasks are available in four different anodized finishes of black, silver, red, and light blue. I received the black, red, and silver versions of the Kangxin Flask however, it is the red version featured in this review. I also received the second version of the Kangxin Flask which does not include a USB charging port however, there is now a USB port version of the Kangxin available as well.

I found the overall build quality to be fairly consistent across all three pieces that I received. While the anodized finish appear to have some texture to them, they all feel very smooth to the touch. In fact I would describe the finish as being a little slippery, which was surprising. The device has a solid feeling in hand, the threaded portions of the device are all clean, and the fire and wattage buttons are properly installed.

While I find that the build quality of the SXK V2 Flask that I recently reviewed to be better than the Kangxin Flask, I would still rate the quality of the Kangxin Flask as good. The Kangxin’s fire button actually has a much nicer tactile feel to it than the SXK Flask, which has a softer press and clicky response.

Now the one aspect of this device that I have heard quite a few take issue with is the “Vaporflask Made in the U.S.A” engraving on the bottom, which is rather deep.

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What many are probably not aware of is that the original Kangxin 40W TP Flask was actually completed back in November 2014. The first version of the Kangxin 40W Flask also had “Vaporwall” engraved on the bottom instead of the Vapor flask engravings which currently appear on this device. I wish that Kangxin would have kept it that way. The original Kangxin Vaporwall Flask also was also constructed with a bare brass 510 connection and battery caps, which Kangxin has recently reverted back to and I will elaborate shortly.

(CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)
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The 510 connection as shown below is constructed from copper plated brass. As I mentioned above Kangxin has now reverted back to using bare brass for both the 510 connection and the battery end caps. The adjustable 510 pin is, and has always been bare brass. I know that there was a lot of concern, and rejection expressed by many vapers regarding the durability of copper plated brass 510 connection. However, I have had this device for well over one month and it is not even remotely close to stripping.

Yes, brass is a softer metal than stainless steel but, I feel that the fear of stripping the 510 connection is for the most part unwarranted. Several hundreds of the Kangxin Flasks have made their way into users hand and I have not yet read any reports of stripped 510 connections. Of course it is possible to strip the threading with careless behavior however, the same can be said about any device which is not properly cared for regardless of the materials used.

The one oddity that continues to show up on all Kangxin Flasks is the misalignment of the of the air flow channels between the top plate and the 510 connection. I have not found this to affect performance in any way, so aside from looking a bit janky, it is not really a big deal.

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The battery slots are nice and spacious, more so than the SXK V2 Flask. The threads on the battery slot are well machined, clean, and free any anodized coating. The battery caps have 4 vents holes drilled around them, and a coin slot to aid installing and removing the caps.

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While the battery slots appear to be well machined, there is some slight variance of depth between them because I am able to screw one battery cap about 1.5mm further than the other. If both battery caps are screwed in all the way the coin slots will not line up. However, if this bothers you, you can simply back one of the caps out until both slots are aligned in the same position, and it will not disrupt connectivity.

With two 18650 batteries installed, the Kangxin Flask weighs 263.5 grams. Due to the shape and ergonomics of the Flask style, the weight distribution is even and so the Flask doesn’t feel super heavy in hand.

The lack of a USB charge port on my version of the Kangxin Flask has not been a negative for me. The reality is that I would much rather invest the 2 minutes it takes to swap batteries, then wait the 6.5 hours it takes to fully recharge two 18650 batteries at .5A. I also prefer not to use USB ports that are secured using hot glue, such as the USB version of the Kangxin Flask.

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When compared side by side with the SXK V2 Flask there are several differences between them. The Kangxin Flask is about 2mm shorter in height, even as it is almost 20 grams heavier. In terms of overall build quality and finish, almost everything about the SXK made V2 Flask is better, and much closer to a 1:1 replication. The exception here is the chip and the fire button of the Kangxin Flask which are better than the SXK Flask in my opinion.

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FUNCTION

The Kangxin KX-40D chip is a temperature protected chip with a flat DC signal, and it basically has all of the same menu functions as the Evolv DNA 40. When the device is powered on and the fire button is hit for the first time the display will read “Hello”, followed by “KX-40D”. The KX-40D chip does have buck/boost converters and flash memory.

The Kangxin KX-40D TP chip has the following menu features:

  • Fire lock — click fire button 5x
  • Stealth mode — from the locked position hold the fire button and wattage down button simultaneously
  • Left/Right mod — from the locked position hold the fire button and wattage up button simultaneously
  • Adjust temperature setting — from the locked position hold the wattage up and down buttons simultaneously to access Temperature setting, then use the up down buttons to adjust to the desired setting. Temperature protection can also be turned off from the mode by scrolling up past 600F to OFF.

Below is a caption of the KX-40D chip board specifications.

spec sheet

PERFORMANCE

The Kangxin KX-40D chip can fire both standard Kanthal and Ni200 builds (please see specs for resistance limits in each mode). When an atomizer is installed or changed the KX-40D chip will ask “New coil up/Same down”, which means press the wattage up button if you are using a different atomizer, or press the down button if it is the same atomizer.

The KX-40D chip will usually accurately detect when an atomizer with Ni200 is installed. I say “usually” because there have been at least two occasions where my Kangxin Flask fired my Ni200 build in Kanthal mode and displayed a firing voltage output instead of my set temperature limit while in use.

In both instances this occurred when I removed the Ni200 atomizer to refill it, and when I reinstalled it and I was prompted with the “new up/same down”. When I hit the down wattage button for “same coil”, the device fired in Kanthal mode. So this is something a little glitchy to watch out for, but it was easily resolved by removing and reinstalling the atomizer and selecting “new coil” even though it was the same.

My Kangxin Flask does fire direct from sleep mode which kicks in after 1 minute without any activity. However, if the my Kangxin Flask is left without activity for an hour or more there will be a slight delay in firing both in Ni200 and Kanthal mode as the chip reboots with “Hello/KX-40D”. When using the Flask in Kanthal mode it appears that after 2 or more hours without any activity I will be prompted by “New coil up/Same down”, before the device will fire. Below you can see the difference in what the display screen looks like when using Ni200 and Kanthal builds.

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In terms of the Kangxin Flask actual performance while in Temperature Protected mode with Ni200 builds, it has been near flawless for me. I usually run Ni200 builds at .14-.16 ohms and 12.5W-16.5W depending on the e-liquid I am using. At this resistance and wattage range I found that the TP (Temperature protection) would kick in relatively fast when set to 450F or below. When TP is activated “temperature protected” will flash on the display screen and the chip will throttle back voltage/wattage output in order to keep the firing coil below the temperature protected setting.

The dryer your coil is the quicker TP will kick in. Chain vaping will also cause TP to kick in more often. However, the device going into TP mode does not mean that there is anything wrong with the device or your build. So you should not panic or worry if you feel like your Flask is always going into TP mode as this is what it is supposed to do. If you keep your TP setting below 450F, you will also notice that you get a much cooler vape, which you may or may not like.

Tempered Ni200 wire is also a lot easier to work than the loosey goosey regular Nickel wire. If you are new to Nickel wire and TP devices I would suggest that you go the route of tempered Ni200.

In order to test, and demonstrate how well the TP feature of the Kangxin KX-40D chip works, I juiced up my .14ohm coil and wick, and set my device to 30W and continually fired the coil over and over until the wicks were dry. You can look at the photo demonstration below and see that the dry cotton wick is far from scorched, and that photo was taken immediately after the last firing of the device. If you are an experienced coil builder then you know what “juicy and burnt” cotton wick looks like, and this is not it. So I do feel certain that the TP technology of this chip truly works, and works well.

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OVERALL

While I have been both happy and impressed with how well the Kangxin Flask functions and performs while in Temperature Protected mode, for my personal tastes I still prefer to vape with regulated devices in standard Kanthal mode. The main reason being that I feel that Ni200 and TP takes the edge off of my vape, more specifically with certain e-liquids. When using Ni200 with richer, more complex flavors I feel like there is something lost for me and the vape is a little flat. Whereas when I used Ni200/TP with a more delicate flavor e-liquid, I felt like Ni200/TP was a really nice compliment to it because the delicate flavor was not being partially burnt out by uncontrolled coil temperatures. So TP definitely has its place with me, it just not my across the board preference at this time.

However, my personal tastes and preferences for Temperature Protection do not matter. What does matter is that Shenzhen Kangxin Technology managed to accomplish what 99% of vapers said would never happen, which was to make a real working Temperature Protected variable wattage chip. While I am only aware of two reports of chip/device failure with regards to the Kangxin 40W TP Flask, I am sure there may be more incidents than I have heard of. However, by most accounts of user feedback that I have read, the owners of the Kangxin 40W TP Flask are by and large very happy with this device.

The bad news is that due to an incredibly high demand for this device, Kangxin has been struggling terribly over the last month and half to fulfill that demand. And so there are many more would be owners of this device who remain in waiting to receive one. So be aware that even if you choose to buy one, the wait to actually receive it may be very long, if you receive it at all.

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PROS

  • ​Fully functional Temperature Protected chip
  • check
    ​Decent build quality
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    Buck/boost converter
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    Flash memory
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    Dual 18650/long battery life

CONS

  • ​Brass 510 connection/battery caps (for some users)
  • ​No USB charge port (for some users)
  • Exclamation Triangle
    Firing delay after several hours of no activity (for some users)

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Where to buy the Kangxin 40w Vapor Flask V3

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32 thoughts on “Vapor Flask V3 Clone Review”

  1. Just another outstanding review on your part Nicole , thanks so much for this . Glad to see you have maintained your objectivity which along with your well laid out writing style still makes you my favorite reviewer.

    Don’t change a thing lol.

    Found your comments about the vape differences between the temp controlled setting and your regular devices quite interesting and informative as well .

    No wonder you make the big dollars , now if Nathan shorts you, even by a nickel (because a nickel will grow into a quarter) and well you know , before you know it your short a full dollar or more.

    We can’t have any of that so we will have to proceed with what we decided to do in the past.

    I’m thinking a different location instead of the one we decided on initially for final dismemberment and disposal .

    1. Chris my darling, thank you for your kind, yet always entertaining comments. I will contact you later to discuss the “plan”, LOL. Be well hun. :)

  2. Kudos on a good review and as for this “plan” you guys are working on, I want in! /Jk

    However I am curious about the part where you said 99% of vapors didn’t think they could make a TP VW board, why is that?

    According to the above spec. sheet Kangxin licensed the technology from Evolve so that gives them the go ahead and the help to produce these boards.

    It’s also nice to see a chinese company doing everything right instead of just copying other people’s blood, sweat, and tears.

    1. OK Gary, I will contact you when the “plan” is finalized, lol. ;-)

      Early on it was posted on the forums rather frequently that since Evolv did not nail the TP technology, or at least weren’t able to consistently produce good working boards, that the Chinese also would not be able to. It did take China quite a few tries to clone a good DNA 30 board. Cloupor needed 3 versions to get it right.

      I wasn’t surprised that China did it, I am surprised by the low failure rate thus far though. But, since Kangxin is now having problems with supply and demand, its possible that this can change also.

  3. Nicole, you can get rid of that uneven battery issue easily. Look inside the battery tubes, there are screws at the top…you can back one or both out to adjust for battery rattle without needing to crank the battery caps down uneven or below flush.

    Pretty sure Kangxin reverse engineered the DNA40, and they didn’t license the tech from Evolv. There’s too many little variations that wouldn’t show up otherwise, from the battery indicator having a solid top, whereas on Evolv boards it’s hollow, slightly different verbiage in the menus, etc. And it’s not remembering if you locked the device after it goes into deep sleep.

    I’ve had mine a full week now, still enjoying the heck out of it. TC is hit or miss with me as well, on some attys it’s an improvement, on others, not so much, and it’s downright horrible on some (Marquis and Veritas RDAs, with airflow only coming in on one side, for example).

    And some like the Kayfun V4 clone, it’s an exercise in frustration…when it works on the KF4, it works great, but getting it to actually work and stay working is after a refill is, well, tricky.

    Should also note that the KX-40D chip does something better than Evolv. They seem to have omitted the “refinement mode”, which tends to cause more problems that its worth on DNA 40 devices.

    1. Hi dear, thanks for your comments. I haven’t had any issues using the KF4 with the Kangxin, that is the only atty that I have a Ni200 build in. But, lots of folks had issues with the authentic KF4 and Flask, so not really surprised to hear that.

  4. Hi Nicole,

    Another nice review!! I like you are not totally sold yet on TC. I do like the the fact that there are no more dry hits and it is a bit of a fuss to zero in on the right temp,coil, and wattage settings. I know that TC is bassically in it’s infancy and I look forward to the day that it’s quirks become a thing of the past. I’m still learning and experimenting but look for the day that this feature becomes a set it and forget one. Thanks again for your insight and keep up the great work!!

    1. Hello and thank you so much for your comments. :) While TP is not 100% “my thing” yet, I have honestly grown to appreciate its potential. I like that coils and wicks last longer and do get all gunky so fast. But as you said it does take some getting used to and finding which temperature settings and e-liquids work best together. Thank you again!

  5. Just a small critique; you stated that you “have little doubt that the TP technology of this chip truly works, and works well.” I re-read the sentence 3-4 times just to make sure you were giving the temp functionality a thumbs up. If possible, could you reword this sentence? I fear other readers/patrons of your site (which I do enjoy) may misunderstand or become slightly confused as I did. Because I read/view a lot of vape related sites and publications due to the nature of my research, I tend to skim for key points as I did with your review. When I reached this portion my skimming came to a grinding halt.

    Any-who, like I said a small critique. Feel free to completely reject my two cents; after this is your brain baby and not my own. Thank you for providing the service you do.

    Keep on Keeping on,

    1. Hi Nate .. Not a problem at all, I will re-word that part shortly to clear up any confusion. Thank you

  6. @Croak

    Just because there are differences in the menu is not proof conclusive that they cloned or not. It’s not uncommon for a company to license a tech and have it different from the original.

    An example would be the innokin svd 2.0 which was legitimately licensed from evolve. The original dna 20 board did not have stepdown yet it is included in the svd 2.0.

    That being said did Kangxin go through evolve? I don’t know.

    1. I really don’t know how Kangxin came into the TP, but I will say that it is interesting that they have had this clone done since November. While another Chinese manufacturer has struggled for months to get their first batch out of the door. The language barrier is great with Kangxin, so they are not the manufacturer who you would have great success with communicating, and asking these kinds of questions.

      1. The algorithm making ni200 temp control has existed for decades. China already knew the workup behind the DNA 30 and has been creating their own chips (many of which are more reliable than evolv’s). All China had to do was essentially develop their own DNA40 like chip with little to no mess because they were able to fix where evolv fell short. The rumor for a temp chip had been in the community for probably a year by now. Evolv rushed development and crashed, China sat back waited, fine tuned and nailed it; resulting in a better more reliable product. If I do life right, ni200 won’t be the only temp control capable wire.

          1. :D Thanks! This is what my research is all about. I am working to create vape specific algorithms for Kanthal wire. Unlike Ni200 Kanthal’s resistance doesn’t change significantly enough with heat to accurately predict temp. Therefore, a method of prediction has to be acquired using other parameters. Thats about as much as I can say without giving away my intellectual property before publication. I really hope I can pull this off.

          2. Sounds intriguing Nate, and I wish you nothing but success in your endeavors. If it turns out be one those “next great things”, then I have bragging rights of saying I heard about it first. :D

          3. Put Vaping Cheap even moreso on the map :). Tell you what, can you contact me personally via email so I have a means of keeping you updated? I have one of the big corps interested in my work and chasing me around and I have been doing everything in my power to keep my work open source and in the hands of the people. I would like to keep you on the inside regarding publication dates, completion, findings etc.

  7. My vf v3 changes the ohm reading every time i hit the fire button in wattage is this normal or a prlblem withthe chipset?

    1. Most likely, the screw(s) on the post(s) of the coil came loose. Or the positive pin from the device to the atomizer doesn’t make proper contact.

    2. Hi Alex, that depends on how much the resistance is changing. Its normal for resistance to change slightly due to temperature and age. If the resistance is changing wildly then there is a problem with connectivity. The issue may with your build and atomizer, not the device itself. Ni200 coils do not last as long as Kanthal, and if the Ni200 coil is degrading then your will resistance will be all over the place. Rebuild your atomizer ..

    1. If I am not mistaken you cannot buy tempered Ni200 in the US. Some friends of mine have been buying it from the UK.

  8. Bought 2 of these. .. junk. One died after three weeks and the other is glitchy, constantly need to remove and reinstall the batts. Stay away from this one…

    My 2 cents

    1. Yeah, I just posted a comment on another review that I have heard from vendors and consumers that the Kangxin Vaporflask has turned out a lot of defects in recent batches. It started to happen once they began to outsource manufacturing in order to keep up with demand. So yes, it may be a good to avoid the Kangxin Vaporflask now .. which is awful because they had a hugely successful early run.

  9. William West

    I have a Vaporflask V3. For some reason it just quite working with any tanks. Says Atomizer Open. Been working great with all my Aspire, Artic and SMOK VCT tanks. Nothing I seem to do seems to work, it just won’t fire anything ! What can I do to get that Atomizer Open fixed?? Thanks for any information. The instruction book say’s nothing of this problem.

      1. William West

        Yes you are right. I put a lightly dipped Q-Tip in Alcohol and spun it around in the center pin for cleaning. Undoubtedly, the Q-Tip turned the center pin closed. So I got a small screw driver and turned it back out a little. Wa La, It works again. So if anybody has this problem in the future, the center pin cannot be screwed in. Has to be turned counter-clock wise a little to make contact. Probably better not to try to clean inside the 510 contact. But thanks for your reply. William

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