Vandy Vape Pulse AIO.5 Kit | Reviews by Z-Lee

[Z-Lee]

Vandy vape Pulse AIO.5 Kit

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I'm a little late to the party, and probably not wearing the proper attire as per usual, but that doesn't mean I still can't get the job done. Today I'll be doing a review for the Vandy Vape Pulse AIO.5 "Without rba Edition" kit that was mistakenly sent to me by Sourcemore instead of the Geek Vape T200, but nevertheless, still a product I was interested in testing out anyway. Frankly, I don't mind doing reviews for products that have been out for a bit because it allows me enough time to do thorough testing w/out there being a deadline for putting out the review.

As many of you may already know, the Pulse AIO.5 is the updated and better constructed Pulse AIO that was originally released by Vandy Vape earlier in 2022. I'll be showing you many of the improvements made in the AIO.5 version along with many of the features that people loved from the OG Pulse AIO.

I want to thank Joyi over at Sourcemore for setting things up and making this possible. As always, I will be giving the Pulse AIO.5 a fair and honest review.

The first 10 pictures below are similar to what you'll find on Sourcemore's site here - some have been modified for aesthetics and clarity. Pictures can also be clicked on for better viewing. I've spent bits and pieces of the last 2 days trying to figure out how to condense the number of total photos down, so I pre-apologize if some of the photos seem out of place.



What Comes in the Package:
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There are 2 different variations in which you can purchase the Pulse AIO.5 kit. One is denoted "Standard" on the bottom side of the box, and the other labeled "Without RBA Edition". Oddly enough, the package contents listed on the side are identical, which thoroughly confused me. I ended up e-mailing Sourcemore before opening my AIO.5 just to make sure I hadn't received the wrong edition.

I darkened the Standard edition for clarity since I received the "Without RBA Edition" and is what I'm doing the review on. The Without RBA Edition has the proper package contents listed on the side, and lacks the Vessel RBA tank as well as some rebuilding tools and materials.
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► Pulse AIO.5 Device
► Pulse Vessel Pre-built Tank (for coil heads)
► Bonus Round Button Set
► Wrench (510 nut)
► Spare VVC Coil
► Accessories Bag
► Instruction Manual
► QC Type-C USB Cable (1 foot in length)
► 18650 Battery Adapter



Color Options:
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► Black
► Frosted Blue
► Frosted Black
► Frosted Red
► Frosted White
► Frosted Green

I received the Black colorway for the review, and purchased separately the Standard Frosted Blue kit that comes with the Vessel RBA because I'd heard so much about the RBA tank. Each kit will come with mono-colored panels pre-installed, and an additional set of panels with unique designs that will only fit the circular fire button insert which you can see above, and more in-depth below. Real photos of both will be shown in the second part of this review.



Features:
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Features include, but are not limited to:
► Various Fire Modes (Power, Smart, Voltage, TC for Ni, Ti, and SS, and Bypass)
► 80W Max
► VVC Coils
► Lexan EXL1414T Polycarbonate Design
► Basic Regulated Safety Protections
► Boro Compatibility (for most boro chassis/tanks)
► 5 mL Tank Capacity (3.7 mL for RBA Vessel)
► DIY and Pre-built Coil Head Options



Upgrades from the Original AIO:
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The biggest upgrade the AIO.5 made was the plate that the 510 nut screwed into. The original plate had apparently cracked the polycarbonate shell on the top of the chassis for many people. After a lot of complaints, Vandy Vape did a great job of correcting this by sending out free AIO.5 upgrades to those that had already purchased the AIO which I think was a very classy thing to do. I don't see a lot of vape companies claiming ownership of their mistakes like that anymore.

Also in the AIO.5 kit, comes two new side panels and a round button insert which allows you to change the fire button from a framed square, to a circular one. The process of switching out this insert may sound bothersome, but it's very easy to do. I'll show you down below in the second part of this review.



Coils & Coil Head Vessel Tank:
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There are a wide array of VVC coil heads for the Pre-built Vessel tank ranging from 0.15 all the way up to 1.2 ohms. This is quite impressive as there aren't a lot of tanks that can boast this kind of resistance range. However, there is no cross-compatibility with other brand coils, so you're essentially stuck with Vandy Vape's VVC coils for this tank. That seems to be a common theme nowadays and that isn't the worst thing in the world since the VVC coils are pretty good about not leaking, but the flavor output of the coils themselves is just okay. It's not bad, but it's also nothing to write home about. More pungent juices like a pure fruit flavor or something sweeter may fare better than the 70/30 dessert juice I'm using.

As seen in the top picture above, the coils themselves determine the airflow. For the 0.15 ohm coil you see on the left, the sides of the airflow leading into the coil are wide open. As you make your way toward the higher ohm coils to the right, the airflow tightens down drastically to pin holes. I've not tried any coils other than the 0.3 and 0.6 ohm coils that came with the kit, so I cannot tell you how well the 1.2 ohm coils perform or if they provide a true MTL draw.

The coils are drop-in and the refill method is pretty standard for a boro tank.



Side Plates & Assembly:
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Batteries & Charging:
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The Pulse AIO.5 can house an 18650 battery using the included adapter, or either a 20700 or 21700 battery. I don't have any 20700 batteries to test out how much wiggle room there is, but a 21700 fits nice and snug. A 21700 is 1 mm larger in diameter than a 20700 battery, so you may find there's a tad bit of clicking if you do end up using a 20700.

I had to test the legitimacy of the advertised "QC Type-C Charging Cable" (QC standing for Quick Charging) and it peaked at around 0.9A. Hardly a QC cable by today's 3A charging speeds, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing for a few reasons. For one, you shouldn't be charging an external battery device through the USB unless you absolutely have to. Yes you can, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should. And two, higher amp chargers will heat up your device and batteries getting them much hotter. Ever had your cell phone shut off because it's too hot? Heat, is essentially the quickest way to shorten the lifespan of both a chip and batteries. The USB should be used almost exclusively for firmware updates.



Specs:​

 

[Z-Lee]

Testing Results & Observations:

You get quite a bit in this package. Everything you see above with the exception of the Blue Pulse AIO.5 and the box behind it, is what you'll be getting in the "Without RBA Edition" kit. There is also a spare accessories bag full of O-rings, spare fire button screws, and an Allen wrench - the Allen wrench is for replacing the square button panel insert for the round button panel insert. The boxes you see in the background are actually facing backwards to show you the spare panels and button inserts, so don't forget about them buried in the bottom of the box when you start pulling out items. Personally, I like the transparent panel covers, so I converted the solid black panels with the square button with the transparent panels with the round button, which you'll see further below.

If you purchase the Standard Edition, it will come with the RBA Vessel tank along with two coils, a coil lead measuring tool, and spare O-rings for the RBA Vessel tank. If you're a rebuilder, this is well worth it.​

When I opened up my review package to look at all of the goodies, I found that the spare coil had already been opened. Finding funky things in a review package is nothing new to me, but I'm really hoping you don't end up with this in your box, lol.​

The Exterior w/ and w/out Panels:

Not much to be said here, as the photos do much of the talking. The Polycarbonate has a soft, yet sturdy hand-feel. I've dropped both of them a few times off of my desk, and the worst that's happened is one of the tanks got knocked a bit out of whack - reseating the 510 nut fixed that in a jiffy.

In the top left photo, you can see the slanted airflow holes sitting just to the left of the fire button. These are non-adjustable which is fine, since the coils restrict the necessary airflow themselves.

In the second pair of photos with the panels off, you'll notice on the front side toward the top, a peep cutout that not only allows you to look directly into the tank - you can also look down toward the base of the tank to see just how low the juice level is if it does not meet the level of the cutout. Below the cutout from top down, there's the fire button, UI, left and right directional buttons, and the USB Type-C port. Flipped around, you get a good look at the Vessel boro tank and the battery.

Note that all of the side panels are held on by 4 small magnets situated in each corner. With both of these boro devices sitting next to each other, these magnets are strong enough to tow the other around. The ability to switch panels is a nice touch, giving the AIO.5 a unique look while still remaining matchy matchy.

The 510 drip tip is fairly small and tapers in along the top making it easy to secure your lips around them. This is more important for higher ohm coils aiming for more of an MTL vape.​

The 510 drip tip has two O-rings on it and can be replaced with your own 510 drip tips assuming they have O-rings on them.

Battery orientation markings are clearly displayed on the inside of the battery slot (positive side down).​

For the newbies (including myself):

The top left photo shows the boro tank cutout after nearly two months of use w/out ever having wiped out the inside. As you can see, there's very minimal moisture in there and that's likely condensation from the airflow which is to be expected.

I added in this collage of photos just to give anyone that's new to a boro-style device, a better look at its components and how they all work together.​

The Vessel Pre-built Tank:

The Vessel Pre-built Tank is pretty self explanatory. One big thing to note is that the openings of the airflow ring sitting under the tank are oriented sideways. I'm assuming that this is the case for all of the Vessel Pre-built tanks as this would make the most sense lining itself up with the slanted airflow holes in the chassis. However, if this isn't the case, be sure to open the airflow all the way so that you can see through to the other side before inserting the coil. Then, when you're inserting the coil, line up the airflow holes of the coil with the open airflow ring on the tank to make sure you're giving yourself the proper range of airflow for future adjustments.

Refilling is easy, simply pull out the rubber bung and fill away. Try not to fill the pod all the way to the refill opening - this usually ends up as a mess, and can force juice through the coil into the airflow leading to gurgling/spitback. If you end up with gurgling or spitback when you vape, tip the device upside down over a sink for 15-20 seconds while gently shaking up and down until drops of juice stop coming out of the drip tip.



The UI:

I didn't take any pictures of the UI, because it's very basic. The main screen in Wattage Mode shows the wattage selected, the battery indicator, the coil resistance, the puff counter, and the voltage (only when fired). The functionality is almost identical to previous Vandy Vape devices like the Gaur-18/21 and the Pulse V2 squonk mod, but a bit less fancy. You can scroll up a few picture collages to take a peek at what the UI looks like if you're interested. Like the previous mentioned mods, the menu is split up into two different sections.

Hitting the fire button quickly 3 times allows you to scroll through each firing mode:
► Wattage - Allows power adjustment using wattage values
► TC (SS/TI/NI) - Temperature Control for advanced users; wattage can be adjusted by hitting the fire button quickly 4 times once a TC mode is no longer blinking; TCR values can be changed in the sub-menu shown below
► Bypass - Battery voltage is directly applied to the coil, but still regulated/protected
► Voltage - Allows power adjustment using voltage values; wattage can be seen when firing

Holding down both directional buttons gives you access to:
► RST - Resetting the puff counter
► Ver - Firmware version
► TCR - Custom Temperature Coefficient of Resistance setting; can only be adjusted when a TC mode is currently selected
► Smart - Recommended wattage is auto-set and limits the maximum wattage setting
► Normal - Allows user whatever wattage setting they desire between 5 and 80W

My biggest gripe about the UI is the battery indicator, and I've noticed the same thing with the Gaur-21 and Pulse V2 squonk mod. The indicator will show full status on a half charged battery, and will not begin showing drainage until it gets to probably 40-50% battery life left. When I want to leave the house with a full battery, I'd like to know if I have a fully charged battery or not - not if it has at least 50% battery life.​

Changing Out the Fire Button:

The accessories bag in the top left holds the Allen wrench which will be needed to replace the fire button panel insert. There are also 2 tiny clear rubber plugs that I haven't figured out a purpose for. If you know what they're for, let me know, lol.

There are 3 Allen screws and a magnet that are holding the fire button panel insert into place. The panel may take a little bit of finesse getting the bottom left corner out from around the magnet, so be patient. There isn't a lot of plastic around that corner, so I can see it snapping fairly easily if you were to just pull on it.

Remember that once you make this change, only the secondary panels are useable since the fire button cutouts in the panels themselves are specific to which fire button panel insert you have installed.​

Final Thoughts:

All in all, this is a great kit whether you're new to boro devices like myself, or a boro veteran - biases aside. There's a lot of talk about how this is a rip-off of the original billet box and what not, but if you want to make that argument pretty much everything vape related other than the originally released box mod, "sub ohm" tank, RDA, RDTA, RTA, etc. are all rip-offs. Heck, an RDTA is a rip-off of an RDA - they just stuck a tank under the deck. Don't let that determine whether or not you'd purchase the AIO.5.

With the original release of the Pulse AIO, there was an issue where a lot of people had cracking in the chassis around the housing that holds the 510 nut. Vandy Vape addressed this by releasing the updated AIO.5 that enlarged the housing, and sent those that purchased the original AIO a free chassis upgrade. As I mentioned before, this is unheard of in the vaping industry, and I'm glad to see a company backing their product like this.

The VVC coils aren't bad, but I wouldn't compare them to Freemax's 904L X or Vaporesso's GTi coils for flavor output. If you have strong flavored juices like fruit, the VVC coil will probably be better. I pumped about 700 puffs through the 0.3 ohm coil before it burned out, and I just crested 1000 total puffs putting the 0.6 ohm coil at 300ish puffs. I can't put the wattage above 20W without getting a burnt flavor, so I feel like this coil is on its way out. Anything below 1000 puffs I wouldn't call a long-lasting coil. I tested both of these coils with a 70/30 VG/PG dessert juice which I've been using for pretty much all of my recent reviews - the flavor is just so-so. Get the Standard version for the Vessel RBA tank if you're into rebuilding, or buy a boro tank with a bridge for a coil that you like. The rest of this device is great.

The 21700 battery compatibility is fairly unique to boro devices which I think is a huge bonus. Sure it makes the overall device slightly bigger, but I'll trade 3mm in width and 5 mm in height for 160% battery life over an 18650, any day. Alternatively, there really isn't much you're going to find in a boro-style device for under $100, and most of those will limit the battery size to an 18650. There are high end mods that have 21700 battery compatibility, but you're looking at several hundred dollars. This is easily a no-brainer if you're just getting into boro devices, or if you're looking for a boro device that you're not afraid to carry around and break. There are however a few nitpicky things that I would like to bring to the table that will hopefully be looked at for future releases.​

Pros/Cons/Preferential Considerations

+ + Pros + +
► Great introduction to boro devices
► No leaks
► Built well - tough enough to take some falls
► 21700 battery compatibility
► 5 mL tank
► Easy to refill
► Easy-to-navigate UI
► Smooth/good hand-feel
► Comfortable drip tip
► Magnets hold panels securely
► Replaceable panels/fire button come with the kit (easy to do)
► Replaceable 510 drip tip (drip tips need O-rings)
► Price point really can't be beat for a boro device

- - Cons - -
► The Vessel Pre-built tank could have been an open tank allowing bridges for other coils and RBAs instead of just VVC coils
► Like previous Vandy Vape mods, the battery indicator only begins to show discharge at around 40-50% battery life

+ - Preferential Considerations - +
► VVC coils are good, but not outstanding
► Size isn't as small as 18650 boro devices
► Airflow range is RDL to likely MTL (not sure how large the airflow holes are on the higher ohm coils)
► UI and adjustment buttons are hidden behind panel
► Some do not like the rubber refill plug​

Overall Rating:

9-9.5

Great entry-level product for those seeking the boro experience.



Well, that about wraps things up! Hopefully I covered all or most of what there is to know about Vandy Vape's Pulse AIO.5 kit. I had a great time playing around with this kit, and it's drawn me into the world of AIOs (fortunately or unfortunately?). If you've ever wondered what a billet box would be like without wanting to spend 3 benjis on one, this is a perfect place to start. The Vandy Vape Pulse AIO.5 kit can be purchased for $39.99 using code "PAIO5K" if the price is higher and can be used at checkout here. The code also applies to the Standard Edition, but the +$20 will still apply making it $59.99. If you're interested in the panels, they can be found here, and the VVC coils can be found here.

Since I received information for the Geek Vape T200 (Aegis Touch) Box Mod but got the Pulse AIO.5 instead, you can purchase the Geek Vape T200 for $50.99 using the code: "GT200M" at checkout.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Vape Hoarding!​