Steam and Vape Curved Aluminum Panels
This post is part announcement, part review of the new Steam and Vape Curved Aluminum Panels that will be released Monday. These panels are a high end, limited run.
Steam and Vape has partnered with Volute Modz to bring limited-run, high-end aluminum curved panels to the Billet Box game. These panels are made of T6 aluminum, CNC machined, and engraved in a limited edition runs.
For now, two versions have been shown, the ones I have and the ones Kris Purple has. There are two more also coming and I have been given permission to share the videos of these.
Kashmira
This set uses a Mandela theme and are limited to 20 pieces. (link)
The Mandala meaning circle or even sphere, environment, community, it is in this spirit that the Kashmira Hindu-inspired panels were born. The theme is highlighted by the harmony of the finishes combining optical reflection, textures, and colors. Several steps are necessary to maintain the shine of the polished aluminum and to work with the different shades of white and black.
Haimeï
This set is a nautical theme and limited to 10 pieces. (link)
Haimeï Chinese name, country where the compass was imagined means little sister of the sea. The theme is highlighted by the harmony of the finishes combining optical reflection, textures and colors. Several steps are necessary to maintain the shine of the brushed aluminum and to work with the different shades of white and black.
Thaïs
These are not on the site yet, but are limited to 15 pieces.
Hypatie
The set is not on the website yet and has a limited run of only 5.
These are set to be released on Monday (France Time), I am not sure what time though. They are in very limited numbers, so we shall see how long they last. I am guess that they won’t last long at all.
Conclusion
I have had a set of the Haimeï panels for a couple of days now. They are quite lovely. They look and feel great. Fitment is spot on. No sliding, no rattling. Perfect fit. The machining seems, from a non-machinist point of view, very well made. The fact that they are curved is a bonus. I know from talking with friends that make panels that curved panels are not an easy task. With the set that I have, my only concern is that the white portions might get dirty easy and I am not sure how they would clean up in that event.
The rear panel has two windows, one to allow you to see your juice level and to show off your pretty RBA and the other is quite unique, it allows you to see your battery level and details about your build. The send window doesn’t show the complete DNA 60 screen, just the important info.
The pricing is very good for what these are, high-end panels. These panels are at 130€ tax included (for Europe) and approximately $128.9 USD tax excluded (for international export). According to Alex, they are not building the cost of the many failed sets into the overall cost, which is unheard of. Either way, the price, compared to other panels on the market, is more than competitive.
I also want to thank Alex for the special engraving on my set.
