Product intro and specs
The TARGET 200 kit is one of the latest kits from VAPORESSO. By now most vapers know who they are, as they’ve made some great products over the years. They are a very solid and reliable company overall, with only a few hiccups along the way. The 200 is the latest in a long line of TARGET products that have mostly been pretty good, with the most recent being the TARGET 80 which I reviewed back in September.
The TARGET 200 kit is a fully-fledged dual-18650 mod and sub ohm tank kit like we were getting a lot of before the pod/AIO craze hit. It’s nice to see a more advanced device come out, even though they aren’t as popular as they once were. The mod is rated for a 220-watt output (why not call it the TARGET 220?) while the tank in the kit is the new iTank which, despite the name, isn’t affiliated with Apple products in any way.
Price: $39.99 (at Element Vape)
Colors: Black, grey, blue, green, red.
First impressions
Off the bat, I’ve reviewed most of the VAPORESSO mods over the last four years or so. They’ve always been very stylish and good performers, so I have pretty high expectations for this one.
From a design perspective, the TARGET 200 is sleek but tactical looking, due to the panels which they call a “water-resistant braid”. The mod itself though is not water-resistant, so not sure why the panel is labeled that way. But I will say it feels great in the hand, giving some grip and cushion at the same time.
The color screen is large and bright, although the lack of changing colors on it is odd. It seems like an easy thing that could have been added. Overall, I really like the design and comfort this mod has to offer, and I was happy to try the new iTank with their new coils.
Build quality and design
Anyone who has used a VAPORESSO mod before should know the build quality by now. They’ve been around for years, and their mods always seem to last and are built well. This one feels quite sturdy but not very heavy compared to other dual-18650 mods. It’s nicely built. It feels solid and not cheap or flimsy, but it still is a dual battery mod, so it is a bit heavy with the batteries in. As for its size, it’s not a compact mod, but it’s pretty small for the product category.
The mod features a large 0.96-inch color screen that’s easy to see. It’s clear and bright and looks great. 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. I always like having a separate menu button, and VAPORESSO has been implementing those for a while now. One thing to note is that there is some very minor rattle with the up and down buttons on this one.
The included tank fits nicely on the mod. Since the mod is mostly oval-shaped but a little edgy in the front, it kinda reminds me of the old Smoant Battlestar mod, but more up-to-date. There’s plenty of room to fit larger tanks. The included iTank which bulges out to 24.5 mm at the glass doesn’t overhang, so a 26 mm should be the max. More than good enough these days. It uses a latch style door which fits great, so removing and replacing the batteries is easy.
As for colors, they have the five options listed above. I have the carbon black one which looks real good from up close. The outside frame is a matte gunmetal which compliments the panels nicely. All the color options come with the same frame, with the only difference being the panel colors. I would have liked to see some color differences on the frames as well. As for branding, they kept it nice and simple. The metal frame on the back has VAPORESSO engraved into it and that is all that's visible. The rest is at the bottom of the mod. Overall, it’s a great-looking and well-built mod, so no complaints here.
Features and functions
The TARGET comes with quite a few modes, but all of them are variations of power mode. No temp control on this mod which is the norm as of late. The industry has seemed to shift away from temp control and more complicated mods in favor of simpler mods, pods, and AIOs.
On the TARGET 200 you have a Pulse mode to pulse power, and a “F[t]” mode which just pulses power in a different way. Personally, I don’t get the point of making output choppier in a pattern for a better vape. Doesn’t add anything to vaping and seems more style than substance to include. And of course, regular Wattage mode, which is the mode I preferred using this mod in.
Using the menu, you can also gain access to the DIY mode which allows you to pick between soft, normal, and hard preheat, as well as Voltage and Bypass mode. Switching to Voltage or Bypass will change the screen from blue to red.
Outside of temp control, the TARGET 200 offers most of the options you can find in a mod these days. A watt curve mode would have been nice here as they’ve had it before, and it’s always a useful feature to have for those who take advantage of it.
Using the TARGET 200
The TARGET 200 is a pretty typical mod. There is a fire button, the up and down buttons, and the dedicated menu button. Basic operations are as follows:
- Click the fire button five times to turn it on/off.
- Click fire three times to lock the adjustment buttons.
- Use up or down to adjust wattage.
- Hold the menu button to cycle through the three power modes.
- Click the mode button three times to enter the menu.
The menu has the three modes above, as well as a DIY mode for preheats, Voltage mode, Bypass, and a Settings area for puffs, turning their Smart mode on and off, and resetting the mod to default. 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. They only list one max output, watts at 220. 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 227, so an excellent rating at 220 watts. The amp limit I got was 43 amps with a 0.1-ohm coil, which is a little above average for dual-18650 battery mods. Most are around 40A. The volt limit I got was 9.257V, so there is a boost circuit which is great and not standard on every dual battery mod, so it is always nice when they have them.
Overall, it really is a powerhouse of a mod. It did struggle a little at 0.1 ohms, but only at 150+ watts when most mods will struggle at any wattage with such a low resistance. It also hit a little high with the high-resistance coil. But in the medium range of my testing, which happens to fit the specs of the included coils, it was very accurate. The mod adjusts in full-watt increments, which is great and I think all mods should do it like that. 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 the device at 2A charging. The max charge rate I got during my testing was 1.98A which is more than good enough to earn a 2A rating. It does allow for passthrough vaping as well so you can vape while it charges. Of course, the actual charge time will depend on your batteries, and it’s always just better to use an external charger and swap out batteries without waiting or worrying about charging in the mod.
VAPORESSO iTank rundown
Ok, so let's do a quick rundown of the tank. The tank included in the kit is the new iTank which comes with a large feature list but is pretty similar to other VAPORESSO tanks overall. The tank also comes in a kit with the TARGET 100 mod (check the pic above,) as well as the redesigned TARGET 80 mod. It features plug-n-play coils, which is the norm these days, and triple bottom airflow. The drip tip is a standard wide bore 510. It has a massive 8 mL capacity thanks to the included bubble tank and the fill method is a slide-back fill on the top which works great—we’ve seen it on a few of their previous tanks like the NRG.
To replace the coils, you unscrew the base from the pod tank and then pop them out from the tank. You can't do it with a full tank, but it can be done with about a 50% full tank—although it’s probably better to fill when it’s empty. However, the coil is hard to grip even though it sticks out a fair amount, so you're best off using the included tool or a flat head screwdriver. I wish it was easier to replace on the go without the need for a tool or ripping your fingers though to grip it.
The standout feature of the tank is that it uses a new coil line called the GTi. There are two coil options available right now, as well as a third listed as “coming soon” on their site:
- GTi 0.2-ohm mesh coil rated 60-75 watts (included)
- GTi 0.4-ohm mesh coil rated 50-60 watts (included)
- GTi 0.15-ohm mesh (coming soon)
Starting with the GTi 0.2-ohm coil, I found it best around 70 watts. The flavor was great and didn’t need any break-in at all. It lasted over 88 mL which is great. I put eleven tanks through it and the coil was still good. Overall, excellent coil, and one of the best I’ve had from VAPORESSO.
Then with the GTi 0.4-ohm coil, which I found best around 55 watts. Flavor wasn’t quite as good as the 0.2-ohm coil, but it was still very good and I got 80 mL of juice out of it which, again, surpassed expectations. A really good coil in its own right, but not quite as good as the 0.2-ohm one. Still, can’t go wrong with either—and since they are included in the package, you can try both and see which one you prefer.
Pros / Cons
Gallery
Verdict
Overall, the TARGET 200 is just an excellent option for someone looking for a fully-fledged DL kit that isn’t a pod or AIO device. It’s simple enough to not be scary to new vapers while offering enough options for the more advanced ones. Even the included tank in this kit is great, which is pretty rare as most included tanks are often just there to start you off before you move onto a better tank.
If a dual battery mod is too much for you, they also offer a single cell (18650 or 2x700) option in the TARGET 100, and a new kit edition of the smaller internal-battery TARGET 80 that includes the iTank. As far as size and battery options are concerned, they’ve made something for everyone. If you are in the market for a new DL vaping kit, give this one a look for sure—or whatever from this line fits your needs.
Let me know how you feel about the TARGET 200 in the comments below!
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