New from Shenzhen Dovpo Technology Co. Ltd, the TC-50 is a 50 watt variable wattage box mod with included temperature control.
Dovpo TC-50 Specifications:
- Operating Voltage: 3.2V-4.2V.
- Maximum Output Current: 23A.
- Operating Wattage: 1.0W-50W.
- Temperature Control Function which is available when using Nickel 200 atomizers.
- Nickel 200 atomizer working resistance range: 0.1-1.0 Ohm.
- Temperature Control Range 200F-600F 100℃-400℃.
- Normal atomizer working resistance range: 0.10-3.0 Ohm.
- Auto recognition that detects a normal or Nickel 200 atomizer.
- Short Circuit Protection.
- Low Voltage Protection.
- Overheat Protection.
- Battery Reversal Protection.
- Overtime Vaping Warning.
- Power-off memory function.
- Uses 1x 18650 external battery.
- Spring loaded 510 connection.
- Supports charging via USB cable.
- LED screen shows resistance, temperature, wattage and voltage.
- Length 8.3cm, width 3.9cm, depth 2.4cm.
- Aluminium Alloy Construction.
A Very slim and well presented box contains:
- 1 x Dovpo TC-50 Mod.
- 1 x Micro USB charging cable.
- User Manual.
- Genuine Dovpo product card.
- Scratch and check authenticity code on the box reverse.
The Dovpo TC-50 is a good looking mod:
This is certainly a nice looking device. It is very lightweight but it does feel well constructed.
Some people may find the logos on one side of the device a little large but personally I quite like them so its a non issue for me. I think the white logos and the silver trim complement the overall black look nicely and yes it is only available in black.
A silicone protective sleeve was included with the review item but I don’t believe it comes with the device itself, however they are available to purchase.
The floating 510 pin works exactly like you’d expect but I have found with some RDA’s and RTA’s you do have to screw them on with a little more effort than is usually typical. Everything I tested on the device sat completely flush with no gaps. There are venting grooves cut into the top of the mod around the 510 connector to allow airflow.
The buttons are all nice and clicky and have a good feel to them. The battery compartment is a sliding panel that has two good quality magnets at the bottom. Replacing batteries is easy but one strange issue is that unlike most mods of this type that typically have the positive connection at the top, in the case of this mod its at the bottom, so bear in mind your battery goes in upside down. The device does have reverse battery protection so its really nothing to worry about.
Size wise its a little bigger than my iStick 30w and I would say its about the size of an iStick 50w but probably a little deeper but since I don’t own one I can’t say for sure. Nevertheless it is small enough to feel very comfortable in the hand.
The LCD display is definitely large enough and certainly bright enough however outside in strong sunlight it becomes a problem and is very difficult to see.
Battery venting is located at the bottom of the device but due to the way I hold it I always seem to have my little finger covering it, so in some respects I feel the venting should have been a little larger than it is. The USB charging port is also located at the bottom of the device which is likely to annoy people who want to stand their mod upright while charging.
Operating Procedure:
Firstly the manual despite covering everything is not the best written one you will ever come across, to be fair its probably entirely due to the translation from the original Chinese. Even though this is a 50 watt device it is very similar to a DNA40 mod particularly the menu operation, so if you have used one of those a lot of this will feel familiar.
- After inserting the battery and closing the compartment, five clicks switches the device on.
- The Dovpo logo will appear and within one second the device is ready to use.
- While switched on, a further five clicks locks the device and five more unlocks it.
- With the device locked, hold down the plus and minus buttons to access temperature control. Pressing the minus
- button will cycle down from 600 Fahrenheit to 200. Pressing down again swaps to Celsius mode.
- Pressing up while in temperature control will switch temperature control off.
- The manual also covers additional options such as Stealth Mode which switches off the display and also the ability to switch the display for left handed users.
- Wattage Power Level can also be locked by holding down the plus and minus buttons.
Some issues to be aware of:
Firstly the device claims to have auto recognition in practice it doesn’t really work like it sounds. The device does not truly detect the difference between Ni200 builds and Kanthal builds so it means for a Kanthal build temperature control isn’t automatically switched off.
This means when fitting the atomizer you have to go into the menu and do it yourself. The way it actually works is that temperature control will obviously only ever work for you if you use Ni200 nickel wire.
Another confusing thing is “New Coil on same down.” This appears on the LCD when fitting a new atomizer. Not very helpful is it? What it actually means is that if you have just screwed on a new atomizer that you should select the plus or “up” button to tell the device it should recognise a new coil. For an atomizer that you have previously used you simply select the “down” or minus button.
Finally unlike a lot of other mods this device never truly switches off. After one minute the display switches off but take note because the device is still switched on and will display once more when the fire button is pressed.
After a period of about five minutes the device does shut down and the battery is not drained during this time but pressing a button makes it active again within one second.
With the power on time being so fast its something to be mindful of. Especially if you intend to keep it in your pocket, in that situation I would make sure that you remember to lock it. I have had no issues leaving the device on my desk overnight but if you’re at all concerned simply remove the battery.
So how does it vape?
It vapes pretty much how you’d expect any 50 watt device to function. I have tested this with the Mutation X V4 RDA, the Twisted Messes RDA, the Vision MK, the Herakles Sub Ohm Tanks and with the Kanger Subtank Mini. I have had no issues with any of them.
The Dovpo provides a consistently good vape, obviously the higher the wattage the faster the battery will drain but since you can easily swap the battery out its a great little device.
Temperature Control actually does work:
Temperature Control is new to me and this is the first device I’ve used where I have had to get to grips with it. Rather than tell you my methods which may be error prone or bad practices I will simply say that there is a lot of information online for you to consult.
One thing I will say is that unlike Kanthal, working with Ni200 wire requires you to really tighten down the screws in your RDA to the point where you almost snap the wire. Tightening down the wire like I would for a Kanthal build lead to all sorts of errors, typically “Atomizer Low” warnings and the temperature control will not function correctly. Ni200 wire is also much springier and doesn’t hold its shape as well as Kanthal so requires far more care when building, especially considering that you need to evenly space your wraps.
As far as the Dovpo TC-50 is concerned when I successfully built my Ni200 coils correctly in my RDA it passed the dry cotton burn test and did not catch alight. The wattage will fluctuate up and down to maintain the desired temperature and temperature protection kicks in and prevents vaping when it needs to. In many ways I found it a far more flavoursome vape than regular Kanthal.
Ni200 builds for those new to it are going to be very frustrating but once more tutorials appear it will make a lot more sense to everyone. This vaping technology is still new so there is a learning curve.
Is the Dovpo TC-50 worth it?
This device is available from Gearbest for a bargain price and I think it is totally worth it. It feels nice and comfortable in the hand and feels very lightweight so is ideal for people who want to vape while out and about.
Overall – Final Thoughts
The Dovpo is a good quality, compact mod that goes up to 50 watts, takes a single external replaceable battery and has the added option for temperature control. Essentially you can’t really go wrong with this, the only people it won’t interest are those that require far more power.
If I had one major gripe its the way it doesn’t truly switch off and I constantly have to remember to lock it while carrying it in my pocket. Also the menu can be very confusing initially.
The Good
- Decent build quality.
- Has Temperature Control.
- Good price.
- Replaceable battery.
- Compact and lightweight.
The Not So Good
- Menus can be confusing and can be very hard to see outdoors
- Doesn’t truly auto detect wire types
- Never truly switches off so requires locking
- Getting good results from temp control builds will take practice. Not a con as such just something to be aware of.
- Don’t automatically blame the device for something that is likely user error.
