Sigelei Kaos Spectrum Review – Pro’s & Cons Before You Buy

The Sigelei Kaos Spectrum. It’s the very latest vape device to hit the market and includes that funky light up LED strip running around the front cover.

This can be changed to match your mood – mine seems to be permanently set to blue *sniffs* haha.

What’s The Kaos Spectrum by Sigelei All About?

Inside is an updated version of the Sigelei 213 chip with the outer shell designed by California based ‘e-cig’ company Kaos.

I guess it’s placed in the vaping market to compete with the Smok Alien and Wismec Predator and promises to hit the giddy heights of 230W.

https://www.ecigclick.co.uk/best-box-mods-and-vape-mods/

So has it lit up my vaping world?

Let’s take a closer look.

The device was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review from Sigelei UK – as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Inside the Box

It’s a tough enough black cardboard box covered by a colourful sleeve that includes an image of the Kaos on the front and contents and specs on the back.

Inside you’ll find:

• 1 x Sigelei Kaos Spectrum Box Mod
• 1 x USB Cable
• 1 x User Manual
• 1 x Warranty Card

Sigelei Kaos Spectrum Specs

• Dimensions: 3-7/16″ x 1-3/4″ x 1-1/8″
• 510 Threaded
• Operating Wattage: 10.0 – 230.0W
• Voltage Input 6.4 – 8.4V
• Voltage Output: 1.0 – 7.5V
• Temperature Control: Nickel 200 (Ni200), Titanium (Ti), Stainless Steel 304, 316, 317 (SS), TCR
• Temperature Range: 100 – 300C / 200 – 570F
• Resistance Range: 0.1 – 3.0ohm
• 0.96″ TFT Color Display Screen

Sigelei Kaos Spectrum Key Features

• Detailed Operating Interface
• 6 Interchangeable and Customizable LED Color Settings
• Preheat Functionality
• Zinc Alloy Construction
• Requires (2) High Amp 18650 Batteries (Sold separately)
• *External charger recommended for optimal charging speeds*
• Micro USB Charging Port (DC 5V/2A)
• Fast and Balanced Charging Support
• Firmware Upgradeable

There’s no getting away from it – the key feature here has to be the front LED strip that you can switch between six different colours or turn off completely – depending on your mood or outfit I guess.

I’ve said that vaping should be fun many times and I guess the addition of this is indeed fun – but we’ll come to that later.

Away from the disco lights [old school haha] and you have a pretty standard mod with nothing that jumps out apart from the nice colour screen.

Sigelei says even with just two 18650 batteries the Kaos Spectrum is capable of firing up to 230watts – sadly I don’t have a gizmo that measures that claim accurately.

However I did pop on the TFV12 Cloud Beast King and specifically the 0.12ohm duodenary coil just to see how it fared – let’s say to me it seemed as if it was ‘maybe’ hitting that high power – but that’s just a ‘feeling’ if you like compared against the DNA250 mod I was using at the time.

Anyway the other features includes ‘fast and balanced charging’ which technically means you can charge your batteries whilst still in the mod – however and as always I highly recommend charging them in an external charger.

The USB port is also used for firmware upgrades – given the mod has only just been released none are available at the time of writing.

There’s also a pre-heat function – to get more power to temp control coils that need a quicker ramp up – and a pretty standard set of temp control settings with both TCR and TFR modes available.

TCR and TFR on the Kaos Spectrum

I rarely if ever venture into temp control mode on any of my mods.

However the Kaos Spectrum has plenty of options for those of you that do.

First up what the heck are TCR and TFR???

• TCR = Temperature Coefficient of Resistance.
• TFR = Temperature Factor of Resistance.

Now as you all know I’m the least technical vaper on here – a badge I wear with pride lol – so I won’t be the one to write a detailed piece on vaping and temperature control.

Instead here’s a link to probably the most extensive piece I’ve read about TC and I suggest you read it HERE for further info.

Design and Build Quality

Build wise the Sigelei Kaos Spectrum is just OK if I’m honest.

The zinc alloy body is light and feels a little ‘thin’ but once the batteries are in it’s a much more solid feeling device.

There’s no designated battery venting though I guess the battery door isn’t air tight – but even so some would have been nice especially as they say it can be charged via USB.

The TFT screen is not so good and feels more like a kind of extremely thin Perspex cover rather than toughened glass with the slightest pressure on the screen resulting in real ‘give’.

On mine the funky light up LED strip seems loose alongside the top right of the screen and the slightest touch causes it to ‘click’ as if one: it’s not sat in tight enough and two: it’s the same sound as clicking your buttons which instinctively makes you check if you’ve pressed the up button!

Speaking of the buttons I guess this moves us onto the design of the Kaos Spectrum.

Button Placement

The up and down buttons are so in the wrong place it’s untrue and not only down to the left being down and the up on the right either – but then I am left handed so maybe it’s just me.

Being set right above the screen means that your thumb and fingers cover most of the figures whilst you’re pressing them which is just a silly little thing but trust me after a while it gets annoying.

Why they didn’t put them below the screen is beyond me because it was the very first thing I noticed lol.

They really do rattle too which I guess if you’re at a rave [or wherever the young folk boogie these days] and you’re waving your LED mod in the air the noise of the bass will cover-up the rattle or even make you feel as if you’re joining in with the beat on a pair of maracas.

One redeeming thing is the fire button which is big and both extremely clicky and responsive.

Colour Screen

OK the 0.96 inch TFT colour screen is bright enough and very similar to the Evaya 66 I reviewed.

On this the wattage and temp colour changes from:

• Green at 10 to 60 watts
• Orange from 60 to 110 watts
• Then onwards it’s red up to 230watts.

It doesn’t round robin and is quite slow both up and down.

It’s also extremely small which is further accentuated by its landscape layout rather than portrait – if that makes sense.

In other words it’s a small strip or window rather than a nice full length screen such as on the RX200s.

If you’ve gone full colour then don’t be afraid to show it off is what I’m getting at here.

Pleather

This mod was crying out for a carbon fibre insert on the rear.

Instead we get extremely poor pleather – which does nothing for its looks and is actually not that comfortable to hold being quite rigid and with my soft unmanly hands I found it quite uncomfortable.

I think Kaos and Sigelei really missed a trick not adding even fake carbon fibre – it would have lifted the looks of this mod considerably and added to the Alienesque look it’s going for 😉

Sigelei Kaos Spectrum Quick Start Guide

Before we take a look at how it performs here’s a very basic ‘quick start guide’.

• 5 rapid clicks on and five clicks off
• 3 clicks on fire button brings up menu showing Power & TCR and Colour Mode
• Select power and TCR lets you choose wattage – SS –Ti – Ni200 or go into your TCR mode.
• Inside TCR mode you can set 5 different memory slots.
• Choosing colour mode allows you to choose the LED light colour
• Once selected you have the options to use the light only when using – always on or lights off completely.
• Selecting lights off mode leaves just the tiniest light behind the strip when you’re firing.
• Minus and fire = button lock and unlock
• Plus and fire = preheat power and time settings

Company says can be charged via USB [not recommended] and say NOT to use whilst charging!!! So pass through not advised.

How Does Spectrum by Sigelei and Kaos Perform?

My understanding is the Kaos Spectrum is powered by the slightly updated chip n board found in the highly popular Sigelei 213 – yeah that one has carbon fibre and looks awesome lol.

So users of that will be familiar with its performance.

OK what can I say other than the Spectrum neither blew me away nor left me wanting.

The jury is out as to whether it can do the 230 watts – my instinct is I doubt it can and I’m sure there will be plenty of technical reviewers with all the proper gear to put it through its paces.

I was able to sit the huge Cloud Beast King on there without any overhang and my smaller 22mm tanks – RTA’s and RDA’s didn’t look lost on there.

Ramp up time was excellent without the slightest gap between hitting the fire button and getting it firing.

Though saying that using the Cleito RTA with a simple dual quad coil 5 wrap coming in at 0.23 ohm did make the Spectrum chug a little before kicking in – probably my build lol.

Temp Control Test

The only TC coil I had to hand was on the Slipstream tank and was stainless steel.

I duly pretty much drained it and then set the required temp and began firing until it was almost dry.

The TC worked extremely well and after a couple of extremely short fires it refused to fire up again leaving the coil without any burn marks.

How this would differ with homemade coils I can’t comment as unfortunately I had no TC wire around.

Check Out The Sigelei Spectrum In Action With The Devil Vaper

What I Like

It’s a case of what I ‘almost’ like on the Spectrum.

Its design is I guess at best functional as it isn’t the most ergonomic mod I’ve ever used and it’s kinda neither curved nor boxy – its just well oblongish!

I like the tapered top which means larger tanks fit nicely and smaller ones don’t get lost and look daft.

Not that I use temp control much but a simple dry burn test to me seems to point that it is a good device in TC mode.

For me personally the light up LED strip isn’t really my thing but I like the fact it’s something new and is certainly a talking point.

The young lads in my local bricks and mortar vape shop absolutely loved it and I’m old enough to be their dad – so that says it all I guess lol.

Look it’s not that I don’t like it – it’s more that as a relatively young thinking 55 year old I just felt a bit daft using it in public in ‘light mode’.

I’m sure if I was heading to Ibiza this summer I’d be in the clubs waving it around like a loon.

What I Don’t Like

I don’t like the up and down button placement.

Each time I press one the rest of my hand/fingers covers the figures – drop them below the screen and I’d have no worries apart from the rattle – which is annoying.

OK I’m gonna say it – I really don’t like the light up LED strip – yeah I know I’m a sad grumpy old bugger.

I’ll be interested to see how some of the older reviewers feel compared to the younger snap back cap ones 😉

I really don’t like the pleather insert on the rear – had that even have been a carbon fibre sticker and it would IMHO lifted the overall look and design of the mod considerably.

Now I’m building coils I do recognize the need for pre-heat power settings – however with the Spectrum it’s a bit hit and miss actually getting into that mode.

What I mean is having to press the plus and fire button is a bit er hit and miss!

Sometimes it fires and sometimes the screen shows you’re in pre-heat mode but as soon as you go to change the settings it disappears.

It took me more than a few goes to sort it out and in the end I didn’t bother.

I’ve used mine every day for 9 days at the time of writing and already there’s a little split/bubble where the up button is situated – it looks like over time that might become bigger.

Despite being zinc alloy I also have a feeling that dropping this on a hard surface will do it some damage as it feels quite brittle.

The battery compartment door is also loose and feels extremely fragile.

Given you need to press down and slide in to open and lock it each time I do I have to be careful as I instinctively don’t have much faith in its longevity.

The nice TFT screen is let down by being in landscape rather than portrait and would have looked amazing filling the whole front.

Final Review Verdict

This is what the designers – e-cig company Kaos says about the Spectrum:

You have to dream with kaleidoscope vision but move through life with the aggressiveness to do what most believe impossible.

You have to be obsessive, to fix on an idea and be willing to fail at it a thousand times before you discover something amazing.

But above all you have to be spontaneous never letting go of that spark that gets you out of bed and in life’s face.

Alrighty then…

Apparently the ‘guys’ gave the Sigelei Kaos Spectrum to a whole bunch of ravers at what I assume is some kind of dance-fest [lol] at Insomniac’s Beyond Wonderland – and apparently they were in ecstasy over it – no pun intended…maybe.

So you can see the target audience they’re going for and yeah I reckon the younger vapers out there will love it and yes it does its job well enough.

However for me it is a neither nor kind of vape device.

What I mean by that is it’s not classy and grown up like say the Sigelei 213 nor is it badass like the Wismec Predator or Smok Alien.

In fact the real chaos aspect for me any way is it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis.

It’s like the boring bloke in the office who wears dull grey suits all year then for two weeks in the summer he hits the clubs in Ibiza wearing neon Lycra and dances for half an hour before going back to his room for a good book and a cup of cocoa.

It really – I mean really wants to be a badass – but just can’t quite get there – and that’s why I’ve taken to calling it the ‘dad dancing mod’.

Pros

• LED light strip to match your mood
• Colour screen
• Good in temp control
• High powered – up to 230 watts allegedly
• Wide enough for larger tanks and atties
• Firmware upgradeable

Cons

• Bad button placement
• Button rattle
• Pleather is poor
• Battery door loose
• Doesn’t feel sturdy
• Screen too small
• Pre-heat mode hit and miss
• For me a little pricey

Did you buy the Sigelei Kaos Spectrum? Would love to hear what you thought. Leave us a quick comment down below!