Features
Sturdy, refined top-side-mounted switch with silver-plated brass contacts and twist-locking functionality. The Lab switch is a smoother, more robust version of our innovative Roller / Dingo switch, a common point of reference for all current top-firing mech designs. All critical components of the new switch are heavily reinforced and 100% liquid-sealed.
Robust, lightweight 304 food-grade stainless-steel construction with a minimum number of parts for a low-loss, super-efficient operation, unseen in existing top-firing designs.
Configurable to use a Spring-Loaded, Springless-Fused, or Springless-Direct negative battery connection, for a high-performance or safety-oriented operation.
Dependable short-circuit protection (Springless-Fused mode) based on a super-low-voltage-drop, resettable PTC element, suitable for resistances down to 0.5 Ohm.
Hybrid-style, future-proof top connection with open airflow.
Extendable for use with 18650-size batteries.
Diameter: 22.0mm. Length: 78mm. Weight: ~88g.
Safety / Performance Configuration Modes
The Lab sets a new standard in mech mod performance and safety, since it has been designed to include advanced safety features with a minimal or zero impact on the overall dimensions or performance of the device. Although IMR batteries are proven to be very safe, every short-circuit results in minor battery damage which affects the discharge characteristics of batteries and their ability to hold a charge. A single, prolonged short-circuit is often enough to cause permanent battery failure.
Out of the box, every Lab can be configured in 3 different bottom-cap-to-battery contact modeswith different safety vs. performance characteristics.
Springless-Fused Mode
In Springless-Fused mode, a high-performance PTC protection module is assembled into the bottom cap of the device to protect your batteries and the mod itself from damage caused due to short-circuits. The fuse used in the Lab is resettable, does not affect the dimensions of the device and has anegligible impact on performance when using resistances down to ~0.5 Ohm.
During a short circuit, the PTC module interrupts the high-current and slowly warms up. This heat is transferred directly to the bottom cap of the Lab and signals that the device has been short-circuited. As soon as the fault is removed, the device cools down fast and reverts back to its low-resistance state.
PTC fuses do not ‘burn’ like the traditional ones. In contrast, they have an internal resistance which is dependent on current and temperature: An abnormally high current or temperature will quickly bring a PTC fuse to a high-resistance state, which effectively brings the current down to very low levels.
The tripping time ranges from a few milliseconds (hard-short, IMR battery), to a few seconds (8.5A current at room temperature). This means that the Springless-Fused mode provides dependable protection, which prevents battery / mod damage under hard short-circuit conditions. The fuse can withstand many short-circuit cycles with little to no impact on its performance.
Springless-Direct Mode
A Springless-Direct cap contact is also included with every Lab, which can be used to remove all protection features from the device. When using the Springless-Direct contact, the voltage drop on the mod will be negligible, resulting in performance unseen in existing top-firing designs. However, its use is only recommended with protected batteries, or for *very experienced users*. Due to its ultra-low-voltage-drop characteristics, the Lab should not be short-circuited in Springless-Direct mode, since the short-circuit current is limited only by the internal resistance of the battery. A long, hard short circuit in Springless-Direct mode can cause very quick damage to any IMR battery and, under extreme conditions, also to the mod itself.
Due to the high-efficiency design of the Lab and the performance characteristics of its PTC fuse, it is virtually impossible to detect any difference between the Springless-Fused and the Springless-Direct mode during real-world use, all the way down to 0.5 Ohm. In absolute numbers, the performance impact of the fuse is minimal: Ballpark voltage-drop values are 0.06-0.08V drop at 1.0 Ohm (~4A), and 0.12-0.17V drop at 0.5 Ohm (~7A), both at an ambient temp of 40*C.
Overall, the performance of the Lab in the Springless-Fused mode is consistently higher than the performance of most high-end mech devices without any kind of protection built-in. The additional performance recorded in Springless-Direct mode is only valuable in benchmarking terms, and results in little to no real-world benefits.
Spring-Loaded Mode
The Spring-Loaded mode is a compromise between performance and safety. Spring performance is on average higher than the performance of the fuse when using well-maintained and plated or high-conductivity springs. However, it is not as consistent, since springs tend to lose their flex with use. Moreover, springs provide only little short-circuit protection, since they may collapse only *after* a battery has overheated.
The spring-loaded configuration is very useful for fitting abnormally long batteries in 18500 mode, or when using long Kick modules with 18350 batteries, since it provides around 1.0mm of additional battery space.
Battery / Kick Compatibility
Due to its cap design, the Lab can accept 18490 or 18500 batteries without any redundant adjustment parts, such as screws or pogo pins, which result in reduced performance and require frequent maintenance.
The usable battery space in the Lab (without extension) is:
In Springless-Fused / Direct Mode, up to 50.60mm with the cap fully recessed in the main body, and up to 51.60mm otherwise.
In Spring-Loaded Mode, up to 51.60mm with the cap fully recessed in the main body, and up to 52.60mm otherwise.
When using the LA-T16 extension (18500-to-18650), the available battery space becomes:
In Springless-Fused / Direct Mode, up to 66.60mm with the cap fully recessed in the main body, and up to 67.60mm otherwise.
In Spring-Loaded Mode, up to 67.60mm with the cap fully recessed in the main body, and up to 68.60mm otherwise.
Important: The LA-T16 extension limits the battery diameter to 18.40mm max, which means that some (usually low-quality) batteries with thick insulation may not be able to pass through it.
If you are planning to use an Evolv Kick with the Lab, you should be aware that the Evolv Kick 1 / 2 modules are produced with a loose length tolerance: Units with a max length of 17.80mm (2.80mm oversized) may also be found. This means that with certain 18350 battery / Kick combinations, the Kick might not allow the bottom cap of the Lab to close completely, or it may not fit inside the Lab at all. In most cases, the Kick length issue can be remedied by configuring the device in Spring-Loaded Mode. Using the LA-T16 extension in combination with a 18490 battery is another possible workaround.