ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE! I'm stoked to the tits!
So while normally don't really care for unboxing stuff, in this case it was a really pleasant experience. I liked the packaging of the v1, and thought the carton tube was very neat. And Mad Heaters really stepped it up an extra notch on that one. The metal band resembling the finish is really cool and adds to the premium feel. Same for the envelope with the manual and the fancy cloth (pro-tip if you want some more of those; ask your local optician for some). Awesome stickers with the Mad Heaters logo. Sweet improvements that emphasize the premium product.
Looks. I love the shape of the revolve. I think it has the most elegant esthetics of all the metal stems out there. Comparing the two, the v1 is just a tad bit curvier and the v2 has a bit more mass. Most noticable ofcourse in the different look of the options-ring, but also visible in the slightly increased width of the body above the airport, and at the end of the mouthpiece. In that aspect, I think I still slightly prefer that streamlined curve of the v1, without depreciating the v2 shape. I really like the bigger indent for the airhole (and the one on the back) on the v2, greatly improving the ease of finding the airport with your fingers. I also immediately and positively noted how one of the grooves of the body's fins now aligns exactly with the airhole, which wasn't a thing on the v1 yet. Lastly, the finishing of the grooves between the fins. It's perfect now; just as smooth and shiny as any other part of the body. In the looks department, the V2 really dots the i's, crosses the t's. Finishing touches completed.
The insides. Yup, same deal. It just all feels completed now; the new rounded grooves of the helix, beveled edges on certain parts, the small increase in width around the airhole to eleminate some minor leaking (it works!), the shapes of the DRC-tube's holes. I'm finding this hard to say, but in comparison it almost makes the V1's insides seem crude. Only in comparison! the V1 is still a really sophisticated and fine working device.
(forgot to disassemble the secondary cooling unit, and the helix isn't entirely resin free, mybad)
Operation. Yeah, big improvement on that. I loved how the V1 fit together, and the V2 simply shows that tiny metal tubes can fit even more precisely. Loving the clicks when the parts come together, turning both the options ring and mouthpiece (in 'locked / drc control' setting) feels so much smoother. And while I had no problem switching drc settings on the v1 (simply align the mouthpiece indicator at the end with the icons), pulling back the mouthpiece and tube to point that tiny arrow to your desired setting and clicking it in again, is really satisfying. I did think the V2 mouthpiece would have a small protrusion where it's in contact with the options-ring/helix, as a means to lock in one of the DRC settings. I however quickly realised that something like that would disable any spinning mouthpiece functionality.
Cleaning. Can't judge that yet. I like the new reclaim screen though. I'd imagine it clogs up faster, but being able to replace it seems a lot easier now. On the V1, I'd sometimes just leave the screen stuck in the body and soak both in iso. I think I'll start switching them out on the V2 more often, to vape a few of them in the bowl again.
Vapor. For the past year, I've been using the V1 almost exclusively. Always with the DRC tube, and either A) fully closed and through a small glass percolator without water or B) natively, with the airport opened just a tad (I'd say 2 mm2 max). And I'm a full-extraction-in-one-hit DV user. When using the V2 on exactly the same settings/setup, I immediately feel a significant drop of the temperature of the vapor. On the V1, when going native and for a full-bowl-one-hit, I'd still have to be a bit careful with my inhalation as to not over-do it. On the V2, piece of cake. The increased mass and secondary cooling spiral simply work. And with that drop in temperature, my throat and lungs allow me to take bigger hits, so .. more vapor. Haven't tested any differences in flavor (on lower click-temps), so far that hasn't really been my thing. I imagine that the flavor-chasers amongst us would use the direct tube. Using the extra secondary cooler might slightly decrease flavor (because of the increase in surface area). Though without it, the surface area of the titanium touching the vapor will be the same as on the V1 when on it's 'max flavor settings' (and near equal to any 'straight condenser and vapor-path' metal vape) while still giving the extra cooling benefits of the added mass of the body. Will fiddle with that somewhere in the future. To summarize; The V1 was easily the coolest metal body available, the V2 has it beat by a noticable margin.
Simply put; for the past year, I didn't feel like the V1 could be better, but the V2 fully proves it most certainly can.
If I were to choose now between getting a V2 and a (second hand) V1, I'd go for a new V2. And if I had a V1, I'd probably upgrade. Because it most certainly is an upgrade. Not in a 'big overhaul' kind of way, but in the tiny perfections on all these different fronts. 10 out of 10!
The other new items I ordered:
Wood liner tubes: not just a tube with a hole, but precisely machined for the revolve. Small ridges on the outside to grab on to the wood, 2 grooves on the inside to connect with the o-rings on the helix. Haven't started with my own wooden sleeve yet, but I'm sure these lining tubes will work out perfectly. They are SS however, and not ti. Not that I'd notice, but my dumb brain tells me that full titanium would be nicer. 9,5/10.
Glass 14-10 connector. It fits 100% with the v1 mouthpiece (really, like they shaped the glass by pressing a v1 into it). No leakage, not even the tiniest of wobbles. The v2 mouthpiece has a minimal wobble, but still no noticable leakage. Plus, the connector being completely polished makes me trust it enough to put my ti mouthpieces in it without the risk of scratches. 9.5/10.
Glass bodies. Only fitted but haven't used them yet. But since I managed to break a 11mm OD one, I'm sure I'll like the extra thickness after the first drop. Same quality of finishing, small tolerance, polished edges and airhole. And thanks so much for the extra glass ^^. 10/10.
Midnight blue cap. Great colour, perfect (initial) pvd job. No flaws what-so-ever. I heard through the grapevine on the discords that some also had the inside of the cap (and partly the clicker disk) coated, and I'm glad mine didn't. 10/10.