VooPoo Argus XT w/ UForce-L tank Kit
Hello and welcome back to another review! I have good news for any VooPoo fans out there, as their Argus MT and XT kits are now available to be purchased with their newest UForce-L tank that was originally released with the Drag 4 kit. Personally, I think this was a great move as their UForce-L tank features top airflow versus the bottom airflow MAAT tank that was originally released with the Argus MT and XT kits. The UForce-L tank out-paces the MAAT tank in pretty much every way including flavor output, so if you're on the market to purchase a new VooPoo product, I would heavily suggest the Drag 4 kit or the latest Argus MT/XT kits featuring the newest UForce-L tank.
I received the Argus XT for review and so won't be covering the Argus MT, however much of their functionality is the same with the exception of the physical QS Lock found on the MT being two-way, while there's a three-way switch on the XT variant as well as the external 18650/21700 battery compatibility found in the XT; the MT has an internal battery. The kit can be found on VooPoo's official site here, however they managed to use the MAAT tank in much of the kit information, so I would advise sticking to the information found here and in my previous Drag 4 kit review for accuracy.
As far as the differences between the Drag 4 and Argus XT mods, there isn't much. The most noticeable distinction between these two kits is that the Drag 4 houses two external 18650 batteries with a C-Frame battery enclosure and the Argus GT houses a single 21700 or 18650 (with the included adapter) and has a bottom hatch enclosure. The Argus MT and XT are both IP68-rated, however this may be questionable in some aspects and I'll get into that a tad bit later in the review.
I was asked to focus on the UForce-L tank in this review, and so will be covering mostly the tank. I posted a review on the Drag 4 kit not long ago which covers pretty much the same mod functionality as the Argus XT, as well as a fairly in-depth look at the UForce-L tank. For the sake of redundancy, please check out the Drag 4 kit review as I will be re-highlighting the main features and pros and cons in this review.
I want to thank @VOOPOO_Official for sending the Argus XT/UForce-L kit for review. As always, this will be an unbiased, fair, and honest review.
(VooPoo official photos have been edited for clarity and can be clicked on for easier viewing)
I received the Argus XT for review and so won't be covering the Argus MT, however much of their functionality is the same with the exception of the physical QS Lock found on the MT being two-way, while there's a three-way switch on the XT variant as well as the external 18650/21700 battery compatibility found in the XT; the MT has an internal battery. The kit can be found on VooPoo's official site here, however they managed to use the MAAT tank in much of the kit information, so I would advise sticking to the information found here and in my previous Drag 4 kit review for accuracy.
As far as the differences between the Drag 4 and Argus XT mods, there isn't much. The most noticeable distinction between these two kits is that the Drag 4 houses two external 18650 batteries with a C-Frame battery enclosure and the Argus GT houses a single 21700 or 18650 (with the included adapter) and has a bottom hatch enclosure. The Argus MT and XT are both IP68-rated, however this may be questionable in some aspects and I'll get into that a tad bit later in the review.
I was asked to focus on the UForce-L tank in this review, and so will be covering mostly the tank. I posted a review on the Drag 4 kit not long ago which covers pretty much the same mod functionality as the Argus XT, as well as a fairly in-depth look at the UForce-L tank. For the sake of redundancy, please check out the Drag 4 kit review as I will be re-highlighting the main features and pros and cons in this review.
I want to thank @VOOPOO_Official for sending the Argus XT/UForce-L kit for review. As always, this will be an unbiased, fair, and honest review.
(VooPoo official photos have been edited for clarity and can be clicked on for easier viewing)
> Argus XT mod
> UForce-L Tank w/ Straight Glass (4mL)
> PnP-TW15 (0.15Ω)
> PnP-TW20 (0.20Ω)
> Spare Bubble Glass (5.5mL)
> Spare Silicon Rubber Seals Pack
> USB Type-C Cable (~1 foot in length)
> 18650 Battery Adapter (Battery Not Included)
> User Manual
> IP68-Rated (Shock-proof, Dust-proof, Water-proof)
> Top-to-Bottom Airflow
> 100W Max Power (80W with an 18650)
> GENE.TT 2.0 Chip
> QS Lock
> Holeless Appearance
The atomizer pictured in the above collage is of VooPoo's MAAT tank. The crater design was not implemented into the UForce-L tank because it's not needed with the top-to-bottom airflow. However, the liquid catch cup nomenclatured the "crater" (it's in the shape of a crater) is a great idea for bottom airflow tanks as they're often known for coil leakage/seepage exiting the airflow slot and ending up all over the mod. The crater will contain probably 1/4 of a mL of juice before it overflows, assuming the atomizer is standing upright.
Here you can visibly see the airflow slot positioned near the top of the UForce-L tank. This does a great job of funneling the airflow down smoothly before doing a 180 and heading straight up through the coil leading to a quiet vape.
The "Dual In One PnP Coils" are somewhat misleading. While there are two separate mesh coils per coil head, it's two halves. Now I'm not a math genius, but I'm pretty sure two halves makes a whole. I'm certainly glad we get a whole coil in each coil head, lol. I will mention that two mesh coils in this configuration are parallel and will result in more of an even and unison firing which should put out more instantaneous vape than the standard dual post cylindrical mesh coil. In theory, it should also allow you to use a slightly lower power setting to reach the same vaping temp as a single cylindrical mesh coil because each half coil is double the resulting resistance utilizing more voltage instead of amps. If that is in fact the magic behind the curtain with these new PnP-TW coils, it certainly seems to be working well.
The "Dual In One PnP Coils" are somewhat misleading. While there are two separate mesh coils per coil head, it's two halves. Now I'm not a math genius, but I'm pretty sure two halves makes a whole. I'm certainly glad we get a whole coil in each coil head, lol. I will mention that two mesh coils in this configuration are parallel and will result in more of an even and unison firing which should put out more instantaneous vape than the standard dual post cylindrical mesh coil. In theory, it should also allow you to use a slightly lower power setting to reach the same vaping temp as a single cylindrical mesh coil because each half coil is double the resulting resistance utilizing more voltage instead of amps. If that is in fact the magic behind the curtain with these new PnP-TW coils, it certainly seems to be working well.
My favorite feature on the new Argus XT mod is the QS (quick sliding?) Lock which you can see above. Sliding the switch to the left locks the entire mod and prevents any adjustments to the mod and also from firing. Positioned in the middle, it fully unlocks the mod to make value adjustments and allow firing. Slid to the right, locks only the adjustment buttons and still allows you to fire. Being that VooPoo mods fire so quickly, it always bothered me that I'd unavoidably fire the mod trying to turn it off no matter how fast you click the fire button. Again, ignore the MAAT tank pictured here.
Testing & Observations:
Both the Argus XT mod and UForce-L tank were mailed to me in separate packages. I'm not entirely sure how they will be packaging or shipping this kit together. By the looks of the kit from the website, it looks like it will all fit in the cool aluminum case you get with the Argus mod. I heavily favor this over plastics, as the metal case actually provides rigidity for storage and potentially has further use depending on how you carry your kit with you for trips and such. Between the two, you get quite a bit of goodies and everything is here to start vaping other than the external batteries (if MT is ordered, it will come with an internal battery) and vape juice which makes it a great DL starter kit.
There's quite a bit going on in the collage above. As I mentioned before, I went pretty in-depth with the UForce-L tank in the Drag 4 kit review linked at the top of this review. Here, you can see what the black tank looks like with additional angles of view.
A couple of things I want to emphasize with this tank is the number of O-rings you should be aware of and careful not to accidentally misplace them - they're all needed for this tank to operate properly. I noticed while removing the airflow ring that the transparent O-ring situated around the top of the tank chamber very easily popped off. If you look in the photo above with the accessories, the spare O-ring pack comes with 7x O-rings and the top cap gasket with the fill ports. All 5x of the tank O-rings have been labeled above (4x in the bottom left photo and the 5th at the very top) and should be inspected after long-term use for wear/tear/failure.
The 810 driptip uses the remaining two black O-rings. The top cap itself does not have O-rings, so keep this in mind if you plan on using your own driptips.
Lastly, when removing and installing the glass, the black O-ring along the bottom of the tank is quite grippy and may make the removal/installation a tiny bit of a PITA. Be patient and don't force the glass on or off with great pressure as this could lead to shattering the pyrex.
A couple of things I want to emphasize with this tank is the number of O-rings you should be aware of and careful not to accidentally misplace them - they're all needed for this tank to operate properly. I noticed while removing the airflow ring that the transparent O-ring situated around the top of the tank chamber very easily popped off. If you look in the photo above with the accessories, the spare O-ring pack comes with 7x O-rings and the top cap gasket with the fill ports. All 5x of the tank O-rings have been labeled above (4x in the bottom left photo and the 5th at the very top) and should be inspected after long-term use for wear/tear/failure.
The 810 driptip uses the remaining two black O-rings. The top cap itself does not have O-rings, so keep this in mind if you plan on using your own driptips.
Lastly, when removing and installing the glass, the black O-ring along the bottom of the tank is quite grippy and may make the removal/installation a tiny bit of a PITA. Be patient and don't force the glass on or off with great pressure as this could lead to shattering the pyrex.
The airflow vents on the ring that feed into the three downward slotted airflow holes provides a wide range of airflow from a slightly restricted DL to a tight RDL. The only irk I have about the airflow ring is that it doesn't have a stop when fully closed or opened which can be difficult to navigate when in the dark or while driving. As seen above, it can be quite difficult to visually tell where the airflow is positioned unless you're at the right angle with lighting. On the stainless steel version of this tank, it's much easier to see but can still be difficult to tell when in the dark.
The exterior of the mod as a whole has a rounded hexagonal shape to it which gives it a great hand-feel. The buttons are responsive and have a nice tactile feel. I will mention that the up and down buttons are quite small, so if you have big sausage fingers, you may find it difficult to hit up or down without hitting both buttons.
The front facing UI is molded into a plastic shell that covers the zinc-alloy frame of the mod. This does add a little bit of weight, but is great to see on an IP68-rated device. Aluminum may be lighter, but it's definitely not as durable as zinc-alloy when it comes to dings and dents. I wasn't able to open the device because there are no visible screws to do so - pretty much the entire mod is held together with adhesive which can be both a good and bad thing depending on what kind of adhesive was used, and how well it was applied. As I state with all IP67/68-rated devices, treat them like they're not IP-rated at all and they should last you a decent amount of time given the frame is not made of plastic.
The USB Type-C port doesn't have any gaskets sealing it which makes me question the validity of the IP68-rating. I'm assuming the chip is sealed in the port, but there's no way to tell. Regardless of this, if you manage to get your mod wet, be sure to make sure it's fully dried out before plugging anything into this port. This may seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people on reddit drop their device in the toilet or sink and then immediately plug it in to test and see if it's damaged... aaaaaand all I will say is, if it wasn't before, it is now. Please, IP68-rated or not, make sure everything is fully dried out before you use the Type-C port.
The advertised charging speed for the Type-C port is 3A. I was able to achieve 1.9-2.3A so while it's not quite 3A, 2.3A is pretty good. You will need a QC capable cable and power supply/wall adapter to achieve this.
The screen pictured here has the protective sticker on it still. I tend to leave these on as it helps the screen from getting scratched, but to each their own.
As I mentioned before, the QS Lock is my favorite feature on the Argus XT. On the Drag 4, you can select how the QS Lock On/Off behaves through the UI, but on the Argus XT you can use them all any time you want w/out having to select a different QS Lock mode. All of that is explained in the Drag 4 review linked at the top of this review if you have QS Lock questions or the functionality of the UI in general.
The "carbon fiber" sticker wrapped around the back of the mod is padded and has a nice soft feel. It's not actually carbon fiber if you were wondering. There's also a lanyard ring on the back side of the mod if that's of interest to you. With a fully-loaded tank and battery installed, my thoughts are that this would be some hefty bling to carry around your neck, but if that's your thing, then go for it.
The bottom battery door has a very durable latching system which is nice to see given quite a few of the previous Drag S and X's have reported their battery hatches failing. The inside of the hatch is lined with a thicc rubber gasket which should keep water from entering this portion of the device if dropped in water.
On top, the brass-plated, spring-loaded 510 pin has enough resistance to maintain a good connection with the atomizer, but not so much that it feels like you're grinding the threads when screwing an atomizer in. While the base of the positive pin looks to have an O-ring, there's a vacant slot that undercuts the bottom end of the threads on the mod which I could see being a good spot for any leaking juice to pool. You may need a Q-Tip or something to get underneath the threads around the 510 pin if you do so happen to get juice in this area. I've never seen this vacant area under the threads on any other mod so I'm not entirely sure what the idea was behind this design. The shortest distance between edges of the metal 510 plate measures 27mm. Depending on how OCD you are, you could use up to a 29mm diameter atomizer at the base before the bevel slants off at the edges of the plastic, but there will be a small gap as the metal portion of the plate is raised just a bit above the bevel on the plastic.
Lastly for the mod, the 510 threads have a very short but noticeable "neck" that keeps the atomizer from rubbing against the 510 plate. This is great for heat dispersion and keeping the 510 plate looking nice, however it does create just a very small gap between the mod and atomizer when fully screwed in.
The front facing UI is molded into a plastic shell that covers the zinc-alloy frame of the mod. This does add a little bit of weight, but is great to see on an IP68-rated device. Aluminum may be lighter, but it's definitely not as durable as zinc-alloy when it comes to dings and dents. I wasn't able to open the device because there are no visible screws to do so - pretty much the entire mod is held together with adhesive which can be both a good and bad thing depending on what kind of adhesive was used, and how well it was applied. As I state with all IP67/68-rated devices, treat them like they're not IP-rated at all and they should last you a decent amount of time given the frame is not made of plastic.
The USB Type-C port doesn't have any gaskets sealing it which makes me question the validity of the IP68-rating. I'm assuming the chip is sealed in the port, but there's no way to tell. Regardless of this, if you manage to get your mod wet, be sure to make sure it's fully dried out before plugging anything into this port. This may seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people on reddit drop their device in the toilet or sink and then immediately plug it in to test and see if it's damaged... aaaaaand all I will say is, if it wasn't before, it is now. Please, IP68-rated or not, make sure everything is fully dried out before you use the Type-C port.
The advertised charging speed for the Type-C port is 3A. I was able to achieve 1.9-2.3A so while it's not quite 3A, 2.3A is pretty good. You will need a QC capable cable and power supply/wall adapter to achieve this.
The screen pictured here has the protective sticker on it still. I tend to leave these on as it helps the screen from getting scratched, but to each their own.
As I mentioned before, the QS Lock is my favorite feature on the Argus XT. On the Drag 4, you can select how the QS Lock On/Off behaves through the UI, but on the Argus XT you can use them all any time you want w/out having to select a different QS Lock mode. All of that is explained in the Drag 4 review linked at the top of this review if you have QS Lock questions or the functionality of the UI in general.
The "carbon fiber" sticker wrapped around the back of the mod is padded and has a nice soft feel. It's not actually carbon fiber if you were wondering. There's also a lanyard ring on the back side of the mod if that's of interest to you. With a fully-loaded tank and battery installed, my thoughts are that this would be some hefty bling to carry around your neck, but if that's your thing, then go for it.
The bottom battery door has a very durable latching system which is nice to see given quite a few of the previous Drag S and X's have reported their battery hatches failing. The inside of the hatch is lined with a thicc rubber gasket which should keep water from entering this portion of the device if dropped in water.
On top, the brass-plated, spring-loaded 510 pin has enough resistance to maintain a good connection with the atomizer, but not so much that it feels like you're grinding the threads when screwing an atomizer in. While the base of the positive pin looks to have an O-ring, there's a vacant slot that undercuts the bottom end of the threads on the mod which I could see being a good spot for any leaking juice to pool. You may need a Q-Tip or something to get underneath the threads around the 510 pin if you do so happen to get juice in this area. I've never seen this vacant area under the threads on any other mod so I'm not entirely sure what the idea was behind this design. The shortest distance between edges of the metal 510 plate measures 27mm. Depending on how OCD you are, you could use up to a 29mm diameter atomizer at the base before the bevel slants off at the edges of the plastic, but there will be a small gap as the metal portion of the plate is raised just a bit above the bevel on the plastic.
Lastly for the mod, the 510 threads have a very short but noticeable "neck" that keeps the atomizer from rubbing against the 510 plate. This is great for heat dispersion and keeping the 510 plate looking nice, however it does create just a very small gap between the mod and atomizer when fully screwed in.
With all 21700 mods, I test their performance and the Argus XT is no exception to the rule. Based on the results above, I'd estimate the amp cutoff to be between 23 and 24A which isn't bad, but it does effect the wattage output between 80 and 100W capping it at 87W. If you're using a 0.10Ω coil, you're likely to see a decrease in max wattage due to this amp cutoff.
The coil I used in the Crown 3 is extremely old and has been used for testing for quite some time, so the resistance reading of 0.41 is not the fault of the Argus XT, it's the atomizer. Regardless, this erratic resistance reading doesn't effect how the mod performs with a 0.41Ω coil as Ohm's Law is Ohm's Law. Generally between 0.2 and 0.3Ω is the sweet spot to find the max wattage output, but being that the resistance was so high, I wasn't able to achieve that. Anthony Victor from Vaping360 reached 93A I believe with a 0.15Ω coil and DJLsb Vapes from Youtube reached 100W between 0.2 and 0.6Ω which seems to be quite a bit high based on my findings. The mod does seem to sluff off a bit with higher resistance coils up above 70ish watts, but these tests are merely to see the capability of the mod and would never see the craziest of vapers trying to pull 77W from a 0.78Ω coil unless they're asking for a really nasty cough. VooPoo advertises consistance power output, but DJLsb Vapes states otherwise. While I don't have data to back it up, I'd guess that you will can consistency till around 30%ish battery life remaining.
The full spreadsheet of single and dual 21700 mods I've tested and rated can be found here if you'd like to see how this mod compares to other 21700's. I would put this on par with the performances I see from Lost Vape's Quest/Quest 2.0 chips.
Additional Thoughts:
Overall a decent device. While the mod has great functionality and aesthetics, I think the UForce-L tank is the shining star with this kit. I can't say I was a big fan of their previous PnP tanks or coils, but they really stepped it up with the new PnP-TW coils. I wouldn't quite say they're Freemax 904L X level because they don't last nearly as long, but for overall flavor output they rank decently well. Part of that big leap for me was the fact that they shifted to a top-to-bottom airflow for the first time and pulled it off quite well. I've had serious problems in the past with VooPoo coils leaking on me to the point where I stopped purchasing VooPoo products because I was sick of the constant mess. So far the UForce-L has been great in that department.
I vaped the TW15 coil at 55-60W and it started to lose flavor around 800ish or so puffs but lasted until around 1200 puffs before the flavor degredation really dropped off. Currently at about 800ish puffs with the TW20 coil at 45W and the flavor has dropped off a bit, but still putting out great flavor. I've been using a 70/30 VG/PG Blueberry Strudel and Kiwi Strawberry mix and I can pick out all of the flavors. While I got decent flavor from all airflow ranges, my favorite setting is about 1/4 open for best flavor.
+ + Pros + +
→ Uforce-L Tank
◆ Well Built/Durable
◆ Quarter-turn Top Cap
◆ No Leaks
◆ Great Flavor
◆ Easy to Refill
◆ Smooth Top Airflow
◆ Tight RDL to Almost Full Open DL
◆ Big Tank (5.5 mL Bubble Glass)
◆ Much Improved PnP-TW Coils
◆ Compatible with All VooPoo PnP Coils
◆ Comfortable & Removeable 810 Drip Tip
→ Argus XT Mod
◆ Great Hand-feel
◆ UI is Easy to Understand
◆ Decent Power Output for Single Battery Mod
◆ Fast Firing
◆ 21700 Battery Compatible (18650 with Adapter)
◆ Battery Latch is Durable
◆ 3-way Functioning QS Lock Switch
◆ USB Type-C Port (up to 2.3A tested)
- - Cons - -
→ Uforce-L Tank
◆ It's a Bit Tall
◆ Lots of O-rings to Keep Track Of
→ Argus XT Mod
◆ Eco Mode Seems Like a Gimmick (You can simply reduce the wattage if need be)
◆ Wattage Output Drops Off Considerably when Batteries are Low
+ - Considerations - +
→ Uforce-L Tank
◆ Top Seal is Difficult to Clean
→ Argus XT Mod
◆ Zinc-alloy Frame (It's a bit weighty)
◆ No Pass-through Vaping
◆ Type-C Port Doesn't Have a Gasket or Seal (IP68?)
◆ Atomizers Don't Sit Flush on the Mod
◆ Mod Sleeps After 10-15 Min. & Requires Double Fire to Vape
◆ Available Lanyard Ring (Lanyard not included)
◆ From My Tests, Mod Didn't Quite Reach 100W
Overall Rating:
8.5 - 9.0
Great starter kit for DL users and the best that VooPoo's come out with in some time.
Well, that about wraps it up. I didn't intend on writing a full review for the entire kit, but here we are. I hope I covered everything you'd want to know about VooPoo's Argus XT kit with the new UForce-L tank. If you feel like I missed something here, check the Drag 4 kit review I linked at the start of the review. Feel free to respond or PM me if you have any questions. Thanks for taking the time to read the review!
Cheers and Happy Vape Hoarding!
