Sigelei Top 1 Review: How Does it Perform?

Sigelei was once known for high-quality mods that just wouldn’t die. But their reputation has suffered recently after they overstated the abilities of their mods. Now they’re launching the Top 1, a rather elegant dual-18650 mod.

The design is quite unique and has a race car-like theme, similar to a gearshift with a nice big color display in the middle. The top part is wider than the bottom so it’s not likely to slip out of your hands.

Price: $59-$65

Colors: black, gunmetal, gold

The Top 1 has a really comfortable shape. Unlike many mods these days, it can by thumb-fired by right-handed vapers. The color screen is large and bright, and while I know some may not like the looks, I think it has a certain elegance to it. The carbon fiber inlays are a nice touch and they don’t feel cheap.

The Top 1 has a few options for the user interface, but I liked the default “speedometer style” one. The menu and layout are similar to all of the newer Sigelei mods like the V-Feng and X-Feng, so it was pretty easy to pick up and use. It also has a nice variety of modes like TC for Ni200, SS (316 and 317), and Ti, and a TCR mode, as well as an adjustable preheat function.

I found this to be a very accurate mod. It hits a little weakly at the 0.11-ohm resistance mark, which is pretty common, but it really shines at 0.15 ohms and above. Even during the 200- and 150-watt test, it was only one watt off. That’s quite impressive. No matter what the setting, once I got up to the 0.15-ohm coil, it was never off by more than a few watts, as long as it was within its limits.

Sigelei claims the Top 1 has a maximum power output of 230 watts. They list a max amp output of 38, and a max voltage output of 7.5. Big kudos to them for listing all three. In my test results, the wattage output pretty much reached the advertised level and maxed out at 215 watts. That’s more than close enough for me to consider it accurately rated. Definitely not a Fuchai 213 situation. It’s plausible that with a 0.17-ohm coil, I could have gotten even closer to 230 watts.

The maximum voltage output was 7.05 volts with a 0.5-ohm coil, which is right in line with most dual-battery mods that don’t have boost circuits. The Top 1 fell a little short of the 7.5 volts but it’s close enough. Again, it’s plausible that it could reach 7.5 volts with a higher resistance coil, so again kudos for not claiming 8.4 V capability like some other mods without a boost circuit do.

I measured 38 amps as a max, which is a little below the 40-amp average for a dual battery mod these days. However, it meets their listed spec on the dot, so I can’t fault them for it. Overall, I find the Top 1 to be an excellent performer as well as being accurately rated.

Using SS316 wire in the default SS316 mode, I tested six builds ranging from round spaced coils to fancy coils, in single and dual configurations. The only positive thing was that I never got any dry hits, but the vape itself was anemic. When it reached the temperature limit, the mod would practically cut off, and provide a weak vape instead of throttling back like it should.

On top of that, Sigelei made some odd choices for the available settings. In temperature control mode, you can’t adjust the watts, so it’s in auto-wattage mode. But you can do a wattage pre-heat which overrides the temp control for a set duration until it kicks in. That doesn’t really make much sense at all. I think they need to go back to the drawing board on their temp control and also adjust the throttle to provide a smoother and more consistent vape. Overall, the Top 1 is a fail in temp control.

• I’ve used 10 atomizers on this mod with no issues at all. I’ve also pulled at the 510 and wiggled it without any issues or drop-off in performance. The Top 1 has a centered 510 pin that can handle a 30 mm atomizer without overhang.
• The mod has some minor button rattle on the fire button, but none with the up and down buttons. The fire button is large and clicky and has an indentation on it. That’s a really nice touch, although the button feels hollow. The screen has a large, bright color display that’s easy to see.
• You have three layout choices for the GUI. It’s packed with all the important information you need, including resistance, power setting, temp setting, and a clock.
• It has individual battery monitors that read live voltage. To access that you press up and fire at the same time. I ran into some issues with that; it seems to read the A battery about 0.05V high and the B battery about 0.05V low.
• During my three weeks using the mod there were four times where the mod would refuse to fire, citing a “check battery error.” When I checked the batteries using the mod, it read the A battery below 3.0 volts. I took both out and checked voltages and both were good, put them back in and it worked fine. Could be a loose wire or a firmware issue. I can’t say for sure, but it’s bad.
• The battery door is a standard bottom-loaded one. It closes nicely, and stays shut with no gap. They list USB charging at 2.5 amps but I didn’t test that because I don’t recommend charging batteries internally.

Anyone who has used a recent Sigelei mod can use the Top 1 without any learning curve. It’s the same menu system they have used for quite a few other mods, like the V-Feng and X-Feng. Five clicks turn the Top 1 on or off. Three clicks enter the menu. Use up and down to scroll and press fire to select. Very simple.

For power mode, the Top 1 is a good mod that is accurately rated, but for temperature control it’s just bad. The “check battery” issue where it occasionally misreads a battery is frustrating. If they fix that or if it’s an isolated issue on mine, then it’s a good device for power mode.

I can only review what’s in my hand and that issue was enough to make me pass on it. What about you? Have you tried the Top 1? Let me know what you think in the comments below.