Hiya,
The first IP67 rated mod by Vaporesso, the Forz TX80, that is what I will be writing about today. The kit contains an Aegis solo like device with a rugged tank, is it better than the Aegis Solo? We shall see about that.
It is equipped with an updated version of the Axon Chip, the 2.0 version. The previous chip was great already on one of my favorite dual battery mods, the Gen.
Thank you
@Vaporesso_Chelsea for sending me this kit for the purpose of this review, much appreciated as always!
Specifications:
In the package:
1 x FORZ TX80 MOD
1 x FORZ TANK 25 (4.5ml)
1 x GTR 0.15Ω MESH Coil (pre-installed)
1 x GTR 0.4Ω MESH Coil (in box)
1 x Screwdriver
1 x USB Silicone Plug
1 x Silicone Drip Tip Cover
1 x FORZ Badge
4 x O-ring
1 x Glass Tube
1 x Type-C USB Cable
1 x User Manual
1 x Warranty Card
Review:
What a beauty of a mod, can’t make anything else of it. Somehow, I am often lucky with the colors I receive, this one is just perfect for my taste. Love the stainless-steel finishing on the front of the device surrounding the screen and button. Silicone gives it a very nice grip and the leather with the stitching just completes the beauty of this device. As always with such silicone devices, it does pick up the tiniest bits of dust and are clearly visible on the black surface, washing it of under the tap from time to time.
It is not clear it’s a Vaporesso mod as the branding is not overexaggerated, on the top side of the device ‘Vaporesso’ has been written down in small letters, on the bottom FORZ TX80 is written next to the battery cap and on the top of the device it says AXON CHIP. Only the letters FORZ on the leather stitching are clearly visible when looking at the device quickly. Like devices with minimal branding.
It lays very comfortably in the hand and it allows for both a comfortable thumb and index finger fire. All buttons sit on the mod very well and do not rattle. All of them click very nicely and feel very good on my fingers. Love the design of the fire button, sticking out from right under the stainless-steel frame.
Always like to test the waterproof part of such claimed ip67 rated devices. Even though the tank is rugged, I did not try to put that one in water as I did not want to soak my coil with water, but with the drip-tip cover on and airflow closed I suppose it might be waterproof as well. I can nothing but confirm that the mod is waterproof, the pictures below will proof that.
Bottom battery cap sits in the very tightly, it even can be hard for some to unscrew it without using any tool for it. That is where the provided tool comes in handy, it can be used to unscrew the battery door. Inside the mod it is clearly marked with + and on the battery cap -. On the side you have a plug that uncovers the USB-C port, great it is USB-C, but I with external battery mods pretty much never use the USB ports.
Screen is maybe the only tiny minus I can find for the mod itself. It is displayed vertically, and it looks the same as on the GEN, no colors, just plain text. Not a very big deal, but a horizontal display just is my preference. It is possible to flip the screen and adjust the brightness in the settings. Have to say that on its highest brightness setting it is not very bright, would have expected it to be brighter. I tried hard to find it, but it is simply not there, a puff-counter. Kind of strange this was not included, hope a firmware update comes out to include it.
Device scrolls wattage in 0.5 increments, already at the 5W, which is kind of a pity. It would have been nice if at least the first 25W it would scroll in 0.1 increments for more exact MTL setting. Also, the device does not go back to 5W once reaching the 80W max output, you will need to scroll all the way back.
You have lots to scroll through on this device. The very bottom button is the ‘selection’ button, when clicking 3 times you get into the menu. Here you can choose between F[t] mode, Pulse Mode, Power Eco, Smart TC, DIY Mode and system set. F[t] mode is a new mode that is not available on the AXON version 1 chip. The idea is similar as Pulse Mode, it is a set up curve that is supposed to improve the flavor. The Pulse mode is something I appreciated and used a lot on the Gen, and I have to say that the F[t] mode is in experience very similar to the Pulse mode, they do vape slightly different but it is very hard for me to explain the difference. The Pulse mode seems to hit harder at start than the F[t] mode.
Next in line is Eco mode, yes it does save yourself a bit of battery, but you also loose on vape quality, DIY Mode, Pulse Mode and F[t] mode hit much harder than when in ECO mode. It is handy when your battery is about to be drained to get maybe a couple of more puffs out of it, but I suggest to taking a spare 18650 (or 10 if your feel like) with you on the road to not have to use it.
Did not use it in TC, I also don’t think this is the type of mod is bought by many TC users, and TC also gets less popular nowadays for my feeling. I can say however that Smart TC is smart indeed. When trying to enter smart TC with the provided coils it automatically puts it back to F[t] mode as it recognizes the coil is not meant for TC, because it is Kanthal.
DIY mode is basically the type of mode that other mods are starting up in as default. Here you can choose between VW, VT (TC), VV, Bypass and Super player mode. It is nice to see that there is so many options and that especially VV is included. For VT you can choose the coil material and later on set the temperature and wattage. Super player mod is something quite unique, and something I have not used, but the description says: ‘In DIY Mode, when the coil resistance of the loaded coil is between 0.03 and 0.05ohm, the system will prompt to enter super player mode, which is suitable for RDA/RBA coil with ultra-low resistance’. Conclusion of all these functionalities is that Vaporesso thought of pretty much everybody out there in need of a single battery mod, for me I am not using most of it, but it is for sure useful for other. I am running this device mainly on F[t] mode, Pulse Mode and VW mode.
Now the first Rugged tank that I have seen. It looks quite big on top of the mod, the base is 25mm which fits perfectly, but it gets a bit ‘fatter’ in the middle with 27mm in diameter. Whole outside of the tank is made from silicone which gives it the rugged protection. And yes, it is rugged, I threw it around a bit to see if the glass won’t break, and it did not. The silicone drip-tip cover comes in very handy when travelling, no worries about throwing it in your bag or pockets and getting dirt inside your coils.
Fully taking apart this tank is quite a pain and I do not suggest doing so unless necessary, to replace glass for example. Generally taking off the bottom and top cap is not a big deal; it starts when trying to get the glass out of the rubberized case. Again, the tool that was provided is also used to unscrew the ‘fill-base’ from the top, this is needed to be able to access the inner cage to take out the glass. The problem is that I was not able to take out the glass, it is too stuck in there, and while trying to reach the glass there is O-rings on the way which you prefer not to touch. I decided to not continue trying and concluded that I won’t take it fully apart unless the glass breaks, which seems something that probably won’t happen with the rugged design.
Fill-system is OK but has some threading action going on which I generally prefer not to have. It has thick threading which overall seems to be working fine. Fill ports are big enough, but on the outside of the fill ports the cage is surround, so the actual filling holes are quite small. Don’t fill to fast otherwise you will end up with liquid flooding out of your tank. 4.5ml is OK, but could have been better, especially when vaping in the range of 60-80 watts.
Bottom airflow ring turns smoothly with some nice restiveness to it. There are three air inlets which allow for lots of airflow or very restricted airflow. It sounds smooth fully open or almost closed down, no overloud noise and no whistling.
Now the best part and most exciting part, the coils. Vaporesso for me is one of the better coil producers out there and I can confirm that these two coils that are compatible with the Forz tank are no different. Amazingly crisp flavor at any wattage setting. No backspitting or weird sounds coming from these coils, smooth and dense. I prefer the 0.15ohm coil (60-80w) over the 0.4ohm coil (40-60w) simply because it can push a bit higher. Flavor wise they are very similar, in one word; Amazing.
Replacing coils is also easy by unscrewing the base and plugging it right into the tank, also here the tool that is provided can come in handy to pull out a coil. Replacing a coil with liquid inside will results in a mess though.
Conclusion:
For me clearly a better device than the Aegis Solo, and yes, the Solo is an older device already, but still. Vaporesso really made a fantastic mod that just cannot be complained about really, the only things I wish were different would be the screen being vertically, and the 0.1 increments up to 25W, but that’s it. Will repeat it once again, fantastic job Vaporesso!
Reason it being better for me than the Solo is the Axon 2.0 chip, it just gives the user so many options, they seem endless. Also, the design is very comfortable in the hand and the buttons just finish of the pleasant experience with this mod. But why is there no puff-counter? Kind of strange.
A tank that delivers fantastic flavor and just cannot be criticized with the additional rugged protection. Feel free to throw the tank around in your home, or garden, and it will be just fine. Only downside for the tank is the complexity in replacing the glass on it, it seems close to impossible to me.
Should you buy this kit? My answer is loud and clear, YES. You will not be disappointed; I can guarantee that. I will officially call this my favorite single battery mod so far.
More information on this kit can be found on the Vaporesso website >
FORZ TX80 » Vaporesso
Thank you for taking your time to read! Let me know if you have any questions,
SP013
