Product intro and specs
The ARMOUR G and ARMOUR GS are the two latest devices by VAPORESSO. They are hybrid AIO/pod systems, or pod mods as they have been called lately. VAPORESSO has gained a lot of popularity lately with its more compact COREX-powered pod lines, but they've also had success in the pod mod market with products of the LUXE series.
The ARMOUR G and ARMOUR GS are nearly identical devices. The only difference is that the ARMOUR GS is a tiny bit bigger and heavier and uses a single replaceable 18650 battery, while the ARMOUR G has an internal built-in battery listed at 3000 mAh. Both come with 5 mL pods that are compatible with the GTX coils, but there are differences in the pod and coils included in the packages—more on that later.
The devices are adjustable from 5 to 80 watts and have all the bells and whistles of VAPORESSO'S mods. These devices are typically a better fit for the intermediate vaper than a true beginner. Depending on the coil and pod used, you can have a full range, from a pretty tight MTL vape to a fully open DL vape.
Let's see how these two kits fare and if they continue VAPORESSO's long-lasting tradition of solid pod mods.
Price: $39.88 (ARMOUR G at Eight Vape), $36.99 (ARMOUR GS at Vape Sourcing)
Colors: Brown, black, silver, blue, green, pink, red
Build quality and design
The ARMOUR G and GS are designed like AIOs. They are practically fully-fledged mods that only work with their atomizers, which are two pods per device—one for MTL vaping and one for DL vaping. The GS is slightly taller at 126 mm compared to the 113 mm of the G, and that's due to the fact that it takes an 18650 battery.
The ARMOUR kits really come off like premium-looking and feeling AIO kits, with the mod taking inspiration from the Geekvape Aegis line. The soft leather panels feel great in the hand and give them a classy look. The rubber bottom makes them extremely sturdy and the vibrant orange fire button really stands out and lays on top of the large and bright color screens.
There is also a little flair added with two small LED accents along the side of the mods, and the airflow control on the pod matches the orange fire button. My one complaint is that the LEDs lack function. They can only be on or off (on is when the screen is on) and only orange. They don’t change colors with the themes and can’t be programmed. Under the screen are the up and down buttons, as well as one of my favorite features, i.e. the lock slider. Being able to just slide to lock your device is a great feature.
The battery door of the GS is a hinged door on the bottom. It worked great with no issues for me, and the battery fits great.
Color options are plentiful, and the leathers are also colored accordingly. The GS version has a full leather wrap, while the G version has two leather panels and the frame as a metal bar separating them. They both have the same color options with one exception; the G has a red option with black leather on top of the seven common options.
I received the pink GS and the blue G. The blue is a very light blue, almost periwinkle. The leather is a lighter shade of blue, which adds a nice contrast, and it has a nice texture to it. It really contrasts well with the orange fire button. The pink is a vibrant, almost hot pink, and the dark black leather really looks great with it. It feels great, and I like how it wraps all the way around. It's really a great-looking mod.
Getting started
The ARMOUR series has always been a little more advanced feature-wise, and these two are no exceptions.
Pushing up and down allows you to adjust the wattage between 5 and 80 watts in full-watt increments. Above that, there is a lock slider that fully locks the device for pocketing. The rest comes from the fire button.
- Five clicks turn the device on and off.
- Three clicks take you to the main menu.
In that menu, you can select between Eco (normal) or Pulse (hard) mode, lock the watt settings (can still fire), change the theme (three theme options), and go into the settings menu. In the settings menu, you can turn Smart mode on or off (auto sets wattage when a pod is attached, but can still be adjusted), reset the puff counter, change the screen brightness, turn the LEDs on/off, and turn the on-screen animations on/off.
I love Smart mode and think leaving it on is the way to go because whenever you change a pod, the wattage is set to the recommended range for the coil. Even if you are unsure, just pop it out and in again and it’ll adjust back. A great feature for not burning coils by accident.
The pods themselves come in two versions, with the differences being in the airflow range. One pod is for MTL and comes with the G, while the other pod is the DL pod, which comes with the GS. Both are compatible with either device, though, so you can buy them separately. The higher resistance coils(0.8-ohm, 1.2-ohm) go best with the MTL pod, while the lower resistance ones (0.15-ohm, 0.2-ohm, 0.3-ohm, and 0.4-ohm) go best with the DL pod.
Filling the pods is easy and can be done without removing the pod from the device. The pod itself is magnetic and pops in and out with little effort. To fill the pod open the rubber plug and fill through the large hole. Super easy. The pod is pretty much fully visible (about 95%), but the pods are tinted. I'd prefer clear ones to make it easier to see your juice level. Still, they aren’t too dark, but they are dark enough that I'll ding them for that in the cons.
The coils are plug-n-play and stick out of the bottom. Thankfully, they stick out enough that I was able to remove them without the use of tools, but a small tool makes it easier on the fingertips.
Overall I'm very happy with the usage of these devices.
Performance
The VAPORESSO ARMOUR G and GS both use the GTX line of coils. I’ve used plenty of these in my life and in past reviews, so I'm no stranger to them.
The G comes with the 0.4-ohm coil rated at 26-32 watts, and the 0.6-ohm coil rated at 20-26 watts. I'm not a fan of the 0.6-ohm coil; it’s too powerful to use high-nicotine juices for MTL vaping, but too weak for a good DL vape with low-nicotine juices. I wish they would have included the 0.8-ohm coil instead, which is fantastic and perfect for MTL vaping—which is where a device like this really shines. Having a 12-16 watt coil with a 5 mL capacity and battery over 2000 mAh is an easy all-day vape.
Even with the MTL pod, there is enough air for a restricted DL vape with the 0.4-ohm coil, which I liked using at 32 watts. It’s a good coil for flavor and RDL vaping.
The GS comes with the DL pod, and the two coils included are the 0.15-ohm coil rated at 60-75 watts and the 0.2-ohm coil rated at 45-60 watts. I liked both coils, and found the 0.2-ohm best at around 60 watts and the 0.15-ohm best at around 70 watts. They both provide a good DL vape and good flavor, and they last really long. I felt the 0.15-ohm coil was a little better for flavor, though. Can't go wrong with either, and since it comes with both, you can try them yourselves and see what you like better.
Overall, both devices perform great, and regardless of the included package, you can use either device any way you want if you buy the other options separately. But I think it really shines with a coil I've had before that isn’t included in any of the packages (the 0.8-ohm mesh MTL coil).
Battery life and charging
Both devices feature a USB-C port on the front and have a listed charge rate of 2A. In this section, I will only go over the G since the GS takes a removable battery.
The internal battery of the G is listed at 3000 mAh. Based on how ratings are rounded up and how the usable capacity comes out compared to the listed battery rate, my expectations for these tests are a charge rate of at least 1.6A and a 2400 mAh battery capacity. I tested this, and for max charge rate I got 1.87A, so great job there. For the usable capacity I got around 2450 mAh, and the device took about 90 minutes to charge. Overall, the battery testing results were within my expectations.
Gallery
Verdict
Overall, these two kits are two more good ones in a long line of similar VAPORESSO kits. The ability to change on the go between a low-wattage MTL to a high-wattage DL vape is nice. I do think these shine best as MTL devices; especially the G. Its small size, built-in large battery, and 5 mL capacity make it an all-day vape with the 0.8-ohm coil. There are not a lot of MTL pods with batteries and capacity that large. It’s like a bigger version of the ECO NANO with a bigger battery, in a sense. But really, both work well for pretty much anything you want, so you can’t go wrong either way.
Both ARMOUR kits are recommended.
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