VAPORESSO GEN 80S Kit Review: Test Results Are In

Product intro and specs

The GEN 80S is one of the latest kits from longtime popular manufacturer VAPORESSO. By now most vapers know who they are as they’ve made some great products over the years. Some of my favorites have been the LUXE series, along with the recently reviewed GEN 200 and the original GEN. The GEN 80S follows the same design principles as the rest of the line, which I’ll go over in detail in my review.

The GEN 80S kit is a fully-fledged vape mod and sub ohm tank kit like we were getting a lot of before the pod/AIO craze. The mod is a compact and lightweight single-18650 device designed for maximum portability. It’s paired with the iTank, which I’ve already gone over in the TARGET 200 review. I won’t be discussing it in depth here, but feel free to check the tank rundown section of my previous review for more info on it. The only difference is that in this kit it comes with a 5 mL capacity and no bubble glass.

Price: TBA

Colors: Aurora green, sunset glow, midnight blue, dark black, light silver, matte grey.

First impressions

Build quality and design

VAPORESSO has been known for making quality mods. It’s pretty rare to hear about any quality issues in their devices and this one feels the same. It’s very light but seems really durable as well. They say the body has several layers to it. First, there’s a polycarbonate base, followed by four times of applying a metal spray, followed in turn by a rubber coating. The rubber coating is fantastic and gives it a nice matte look with no fingerprint issues and no visible wear. And I’m sure it’ll last, as even my older original GEN never wore down.

The fire button is a simple circle on the front of the mod. Below the screen are the up and down buttons as well as their menu button. below that is the Type-C port. It features a large 0.96-inch TFT color screen that’s easy to see and clear and bright and looks great. It’s not the smallest mod overall though. It is a little tall but it’s also very slim and thin to balance that out, so good for pocketing for sure.

The 510 pin is great and gave me no issues with any atomizer and the included tank fits nicely on it and looks great. Probably due to the three-screw design they use for the 510 pin base into the mod. The battery door is a magnetic plate on the back with a little indent on the side to pop it open easily. The magnets are strong, the plate fits perfectly, and there is a protective coating on the door.

As far as colors go, they have six really nice options. I always love the color fading options, and out of the bunch listed above my favorite is the aurora green. It’s a lime-green-to-blue fade and it just looks really sleek and different. What I like about the GEN series is that the entire body is all colored. It makes each color option feel unique. The matching tank is a great touch as well—a matching resin drip tip would have perfected it, but all tanks come with a black Delrin wide bore 510 tip.

Branding wise they kept it very nice and simple. There is a small engraved “VAPORESSO” on the left side of the mod in matching color and the back has a very small “V” logo which looks like an upside-down Avengers logo. Overall, it’s a great-looking and well-built mod.

Features and functions

The GEN 80S is using the latest edition of the Axon chip, the same version that’s being used in the GEN 200, TARGET 200, and a variety of other mods. I really don’t mind them using the same chip in a lot of mods because it is a great performer.

Outside of temp control and watt curve mode (which is sadly not here although it is a useful feature,) the GEN 80S packs all the modes you can expect in a mod these days. You get Wattage mode, Pulse, F[t], Voltage, Bypass, as well as a soft, a normal, and a hard preheat.

Personally, I find it easy to just use this mod in regular Wattage mode. I don’t feel any of the extra modes add much, and Bypass mode doesn’t serve a purpose in my opinion. The other modes I don’t find much value in are Pulse mode (which pulses power,) and a “F[t]” mode (which pulses power in a different way). Voltage mode is nice to have, but since most coils are labeled in watts, it really only services people who build their own coils—and even those usually find it easier to use watts. But overall, if you don’t mind the absence of TC and watt curve, the GEN 80S packs all the modes you’ll need and then some.

Using the GEN 80S

Basic operations of the GEN 80S are as follows:

The menu has the three modes above, as well as a DIY mode that gives you access to preheats, Voltage mode, Bypass, and a Settings area. This is where you’ll find a puff counter, the option to turn Smart mode on and off, and a mod reset function. On the puff counter, there is also a puff history by day over the last seven days. Note that there is no option to change screen color. The screen displays the wattage, a puff counter, battery meter, resistance, puff timer, and voltage output.

Power mode performance

Testing on this mod was done with Sony VCT5A batteries. VAPORESSO only list max wattage at 80—max volts and amps aren’t listed on their site or in the manual. I do wish all three were listed.

During my testing, the max achieved wattage was 84, so their 80-watt rating is excellent. The Amp limit I got was 25 with a 0.1-ohm coil, which is pretty low for a single-18650 mod. Around 30 is usually the expected, give or a couple of amps. The volt limit I got was 7.153, so there is a boost circuit which is practically required on single-cell mods. I’m glad it wasn’t omitted, which happens rarely but I have seen it before. I was also capped off by the watts, so it is likely that the volts can go higher with a higher resistance. Overall, it’s not ideal for low-resistance/high-wattage vaping, but that’s the case for any single 18650 mod. Once you have a resistance of 0.15 ohm and above, it works great.

The mod adjusts in full-watt increments, which is great. It scrolls fast but it does not round-robin, which is no big deal. You can see the full test results above.

As far as the charge rate goes, they list it at 2A. The max charge rate I got during my testing was 1.86A, which is good enough to earn a 2A rating. They could have listed it at 1.8A, but most manufacturers round up, and 1.86A is close enough. The mod allows for passthrough vaping as well so you can vape while it charges. While plugged in it shows the time left until full which is great. I’m happy with the results, but I always find it easier to use an external charger and swap out batteries, without worrying about charging in the mod or waiting.

Pros / Cons

Gallery

Verdict