Dovpo Venus Nano Pod Kit
Welcome ECFers! Today we'll be taking a look at the Venus Nano which Dovpo sent me for the purpose of a review. I did a review of the Limpid Pod device a while ago, and you can expect much of the same stuff in terms of performance that we saw with the Limpid. About the only things that are different are the battery size and thus the form factor of the pod mod.
I appreciate Joan over at Dovpo for setting me up for this review. As a reviewer, this critique will be conducted in a fair and honest manner.
Let's dive in!
→ OVERVIEW ←
Colors:
From left to right, we have:
> Black
> Grey
> Purple
> Green
> Blue
> Brown
Features:
The main things to note about this device are the compact size, the coil pods (now having a 1.2Ω D2 coil pod available, as well) which are both compatible with the Limpid Pod kit, and the 1000 mAh battery which is a slight upgrade from the Limpid.
What's in the Box:
Each package contains:
> Dovpo Venus Nano Pod Mod
> Dovpo D2 Coil Pod (1.0Ω cartridge pre-installed)
> USB Type-C Charging Cable
> Lanyard
> User Manual
One thing to note, the lanyard that comes with the kit looks more like a synthetic rope with no logo instead of what you see above. To me, it's pretty cool that they added one to begin with, because most kits do not include one even if the device has a lanyard ring built into it.
Specs:
> Pod: 2mL Full-View D2 Cartridge (available in 0.8Ω, 1.0Ω, and 1.2Ω cartridges)
> Pod Mod: Internal 1000mAh Battery
> Product Size: 7*44.6*16.5mm
> Product Weight: 31g
> Cartridge Size: 24.9*14.7*21.67mm
> Wattage: 15W
> Charging Current: 650±mA (USB Type-C)
→ REVIEW TESTING & OBSERVATIONS ←
Intro:
The package the Venus Nano comes in is very small and compact. Even if it were to get banged around a bit during shipping, I have no doubts that it would still arrive in perfect working order.
I would consider the Venus Nano pod kit a starter kit. It has everything you'd need to start vaping minus the juice. A spare cartridge is not included with this kit, so be very, very careful that you allow the coil inside the pod to soak up the vape juice you've put in before you start to vape. If you see a bunch of bubbles when you fill the pod, it's working as intended. If you don'tsee bubbles, you should try sucking on the mouth piece a few times without it inserted into the pod mod to help aid the wicking process of the coil.
What comes in the package is more or less exactly as it's described. As I mentioned above, the lanyard doesn't look like the one advertised, but to me, that doesn't detract from the overall product itself. If you are a lanyard person, this might be something to keep in mind.
The USB Type-C cable that comes in the package is about a foot long which is pretty standard for cables that come with vape kits. If you're not an android phone user, this might be something to keep in mind if you're wanting a longer charging cable and don't already have one.
The User Manual has everything you'll want to know about the Venus Nano kit, including all of the LED indicators that will let you know the condition of your battery, and may help diagnose any issues you may run into with the device.
The Venus Nano Pod Mod:
The Venus Nano Pod Mod is very small. Measuring in width at only 4 and 1/2 centimeters, it will fit into your pocket very conveniently. The exterior is made of hard plastic which makes the Venus Nano very light in weight. If you were to drop it on accident, I don't believe there will be much of a consequence in terms of the functionality of the device simply because it weighs so little. Of course I don't recommend you testing this out repeatedly, because it will likely get scuffed up in the process.
The ribbed design makes it very easy to hold onto even if you have greasy fingers. I've even found myself spinning the device around in my fingers a bit because of the way it feels. I've noted above the location of the lanyard ring and the airflow hole. Be aware of where the airflow hole is in regard to how you hold the device. The Venus Nano has a very loose to loose MTL draw depending on if you're using the 1.0Ω cartridge or 1.2Ω cartridge respectively. There's also a 0.8Ω cartridge that I wasn't sent for testing, but I'd assume it has slightly more airflow than the 1.0Ω cartridge. If you find this airflow to be too loose for your liking, you can always cover the airflow with your finger just a bit to tighten the draw closer to your preference.
The top of the pod mod is where you'll insert the D2 cartridge. Inside you'll notice the standard brass-coated spring-loaded positive and negative pins, as well as the auto-draw sensor. This device can only be activated by auto-draw, so it's important to keep this section of the pod mod clear of liquids other than basic condensation. What you don't see here which you see on many pod devices, are magnets. Yep, this pod is held in with a skinny lip found on the pod which I noted as the "Minimum Line" below, that slides into grooves cut out of the pod mod.
On the bottom is where you'll find the USB Type-C charging port. Disregard the scratches you see - that's the plastic protective adhesive film the product is shipped with. When peeled off, there's a nice and shiny gloss finish. The 1000 mAh battery is advertised to fully recharge in only 20 minutes, and that I cannot agree on. If you use this converter, charging a 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery at 650 mA, you're looking at closer to 1.6 hours. I tested the charging speed myself, and it ranges between 0.5 and 0.6 mA which is actually a bit below the stated charging speed. That in itself isn't uncommon, but the advertised 20 minutes is a far stretch from an hour and 36 minutes. I tested the charging myself and ended up at around an hour and a half. This amount of time is pretty common for most pod devices with smaller batteries like this one. The Venus Nano does support pass-through vaping, so if you're charging it and want to take a few puffs, you can do so.
On both sides of the USB port, are two blue LEDs. When taking a puff, these will light up. Removing the pod will cause it to blink 3 times, and putting a pod in will make it blink once. While charging, the light will remain blue until it's fully charged, and then the light will turn off.
There is also a child-protection lock available, but it's a bit of a hassle. Plug the USB Type-C cable in, and then pull and push the pod out and in 5 times, and the device will not function. To reactivate it, do this again and it will unlock the device.
The D2 Cartridge:
The D2 cartridge comes available in three different resistences, a 0.8Ω coil pod cartridge, 1.0Ω coil pod cartridge, and 1.2Ω coil pod cartridge. The Venus Nano pod kit comes with a 1.0Ω cartridge and no spare pods. I'm sure they do this to reduce the cost of the kit, but it's quite easy to roast a coil, especially if you're a beginner. It is my belief that all starter kits should have a spare coil/cartridge, but it is what it is. When purchasing additional D2 coil pod cartridges, be aware that there are 0.8Ω, 1.0Ω, and 1.2Ω variations. The 1.2Ω cartridges are going to have a slightly tigher draw, and will last a bit longer when it comes to puffs per battery life than the 0.8Ω and 1.0Ω options.
It's important to note that "cartridge" in regard to the Venus Nano means a pod with a non-removeable coil. When the coil burns out, you toss the entire pod. I like to call it a coil pod because it's a pod with a non-removeable coil. I wouldn't consider this standard terminology, however. I've also seen the term "cartridge" used in reference to a pod with a removeable coil, so be aware of this ambiguity when deciding on what kind of device you're looking for.
To access the refill port, simply push the black mouth piece back and forth a bit to loosen it and then remove it from the pod. Underneath the black mouth piece, you'll find a tethered rubber plug shown in the bottom two pictures above. Unfortunately there's nothing on the rubber plug denoting which side to pull up on, so you'll have to look into the tank portion of the pod and find the end with the wider plug. To help you figure this out, if you see the name "DOVPO" on the pod, pull from the left side. If you don't see DOVPO like in the pictures above, then pull from the right side. The size of the refill port very easily fits a chubby gorilla sized bottle nozzle inside of it. Just be sure not to overfill the pod as it fills very quickly toward the top.
The "Minimum Line" is marked by a faint ridge that sits just below the top of the pod mod when you've inserted the pod. I wouldn't recommend allowing your juice to get this low, as it often leads to leaking/draining of your pod down into your pod mod. I had this happen with the inital pod that came with the kit which is my fault, but it caused leakage down in the auto-draw section of the pod mod and had to be cleaned out. If you see your juice levels dipping below the top of the pod mod while the pod is inserted, I'd recommend topping it off to avoid this happening.
Replacement D2 Cartridges:
Replacement D2 cartridges will come in pairs that look like the box above. These are compatible with both the Venus Nano and the Limpid pod kits. Be aware of which coil resistances you're getting. The check mark on the box above indicates this box having 1.2Ω cartridges.
→ FINAL THOUGHTS, PROS/CONS, AND RATING ←
I've been testing this device for about a month now. Overall, the Dovpo Venus Nano has been quite pleasant for an MTL vape. I've tried vaping this in RDL and the coils always end up giving a burnt taste. Go back to vaping in MTL, and they taste just fine. I don't notice a huge difference between the 1.0Ω pod and the 1.2Ω pod. Maybe a slightly more open draw from the 1.0Ω pod, but the flavor output is about the same. You'll get slightly more battery life out of the 1.2Ω pods, so I'd recommend going that route but go with whatever works best for you. Overall, like I mentioned in the Limpid review, I'm going to guess that you're going to get anywhere between 500 to 700 puffs per cartridge. I've had to replace mine due to leaking issues which often happens once the coil gets closer to the end of its life. That's more or less me pushing the life of the coil as far as it can go, so I wouldn't consider the leaking normal wear and tear. The availability to turn this device completely off is nice, but is slightly tedious.
Dovpo currently has the Venus Nano kit for sale at $14.99 as of the posting of this review. The D2 cartridges are sold for $5 in pairs.
Pros/Cons/Considerations:
+ + Pros + +
∎ No leaking
∎ Pocket-friendly
∎ Well-built
∎ Easy to hold
∎ Consistent vape
∎ Auto-Draw is sensitive
∎ Mouth piece feels good between the lips
∎ Mouthpiece removes easily
∎ Very easy to see various juice levels
∎ 1000 mAh internal battery
∎ USB Type-C charging (0.5-06A verified)
∎ Good bang for your buck
∎ Ability to turn the device completely off
- - Cons - -
∎ Only one cartridge in the kit
∎ Refill plug has no indicator for which side to pull up on
∎ Turning the device completely off is a bit of a hassle
+ - Considerations - +
∎ Comes with a lanyard
∎ No power options other than coil resistance
∎ No airflow options - loose MTL (unless you use your fingers)
∎ Pod can be difficult to pull out with slick fingers
∎ No battery status indicators
Overall Rating:
8
I hope I covered everything you'd want to know about the Dovpo Venus Nano pod kit. It's been fun testing this out and I think it's a great product for MTL vapers if you're looking for something on-the-go that's very compact and portable. None of the cartridges have been duds so far, and that's awesome. I would expect a higher level of QC from Dovpo over other brands, but that's what keeps me coming back for their products. I appreciate Joan over at Dovpo for setting me up with this review, and hopefully there will be more to come.
Cheers and happy vape hoarding!
