Earn Billet Box Custom Panels Set 1st Impressions
I have been looking at getting a set of Earn Billet Box Custom Panels for a while now and since I have never touched a set in person, I was a little worried about the way they would feel. They look textured just looking at photos since they seem to be made up of different pieces of the various materials involved. I was afforded an opportunity to buy a set a little cheaper than RRP, so I took a shot and I am glad that I did.
Who is Earn?
Let me preface this by saying that, unlike other modders that I have purchased items from, I have never had any contact with Earn RH. Earn RH appears to be the modder that creates all these beautiful panels. The photos above are samples of his work that he has posted in groups on Facebook. He is from Thailand and specializes in tips, panels, and buttons made from aluminum and shells, Abalone, Mother of Pearl, etc. A good portion of the work in the panel department are beautifully arranged mosaic-like patterns with these various shells attached to an aluminum panel.
How do you get these panels?
It looks like you can order directly from their Facebook page or order from retail websites. Vapeology and Cheeky Vapes carry Earn products. The price range varies, but for panels sets like I purchased, you can expect to pay around $200 USD.
My 1st Impressions
The panel set came in a wooden box and included the panels, a matching tip, and a matching button. The set was well packed and didn’t seem to have any damage from shipping. The set I purchased has a lot of brown tones and thought that they would look great on a Dober or Nugget, but I don’t have a Dober and they didn’t really look great with my Nugget. I was considering trading them at this point but I noticed that the panel edges had the aluminum backing showing and decided to try them on my Clear Billet Box and they looked great. My clear has been the home for my Bridg’d RBA and my RJ Mod Dragon panels for a while, but I decided these Earn Billet Box custom panels looked good enough to relocate the Dragon panels.
I was going to leave the Bridg’d in the clear and use the included tip instead of the Bridg’d tip, but I ran into a slight problem. The threading of the included integrated drip tip would not sit right with the Bridg’d installed. The photo on the left shows the gap left with the Bridg’d. I tried it on another Billet Box with my 2nd Bridg’d and had the same result. I tried it on a Billet Box with a Xeta installed and one with the Steam Tuners Insider installed and I was able to screw it down enough to sit flush. I have no idea why, but I decided to move the Panda out of the Clear and into another box. I now have a Xeta installed and like I said, it works fine.
The Tip
The tip looks great and matches the set perfectly. I had that fitment issue, but as I said, it worked fine with the Xeta. I am not a big fan of words/logos on panels, buttons, etc, but with some makers that use their logo as a cut out like Kontrl, Rainy Panels, and SSPP, it’s just fine. I have seen some beautiful buttons made by Earn, but they had the name printed on them so I passed on buying. I mention this because this set is almost free of logos, but he did find a place to fit it in with this set. A very small, well placed “Earn” is printed on the top of the drip tip. I am perfectly fine with this. The only other thing to mention with the drip tip is that the top of the tip is quite angled, which makes it a little too “sharp” feeling for me. Other than that, it’s great.
The Button
Not much to say other than it matches and having a little different design with the same color palatte looks great.
The Panels
I want to start out with somewhat of a suggestion for the Modder and anyone that sells these, Include photos of the inside of the panels when selling.
The inside of the panels won’t be seen when they are installed, but seeing the inside will let potential customers know what these are made of. I was happy to find that they were made with aluminum when I first took them out of the box.
The fit of the panels is superb. No wiggle, no warping, perfect fit.
The aluminum portion of the panels is thicker than the actual shells on the surface. These panels are flat and I wouldn’t expect anything different with the shell mosiac.
The feel of the panels are not what I was expecting, they are smooth. I am sure there is some sort of coating over the surface of the shells to pulls this off. I was expecting some texture based on the photos alone. The weight of the Billet Box is a tad heavier than stock panels and aftermarket acrylic panels and they feel solid.
Conclusion
Overall, the Earn Billet Box custom panels I received exceeded my expectations. Time will tell how these will hold up to everyday use, but they feel high quality. I don’t believe I will have any issues. The price is rich, but the ~$200 price tag for the set that includes matching button and tip isn’t too much more than other modders prices. I don’t have enough Billet Boxes to add any more Earn sets to the collection, but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a set if I need another set in the future.
They look and feel great! Quality craftsmanship from Thailand.
