Hardware Review: Q-Ultra POD Kit + RBA from Lostvape
So LostVape are at it again! Not content with their myriad of already available POD devices, another iteration of the popular Quest Series has been launched!
Lost Vape have been in the game for years now, but really gained fame when they created their unique Orion GO POD device. Touted as unique but also in a form factor that would set the scene for several devices that came after it.
Originally a DNA chipped device, the Orion, was simple to use, all the while being a super slim and quality unit.
You could just feel the quality, the weight behind it, and the finish was spectacular, and the later devices that followed also carried that feel of quality with them, the Orion Plus, the Orion Q, the Q-Pro which I’ve previously reviewed, and now the Q-Ultra.
Specifications and Features
- Size: 105×43.2×16.5mm
- Output: 5-40W
- Battery: 1600mAh (internal)
- Display: Screen – 0.69in OLED
- Resistance range: 0.15-3ohm
- E-liquid capacity: 4ml (Standard) / 2ml (TPD)
- Pods: Refillable, replaceable coil
- Coil options: Ultra Boost Coil Range – including RBA option
- USB Type C charging (70 mins charging time approx)
- Top adjustable airflow
- Top fill cap
Product Includes:
- Lost Vape Q-Ultra 1600mAh Device
- Lost Vape Q-Ultra 2ml Pod TPD – 4ml Rest of the world
- Lost Vape Ultra Boost M2 0.6 Ohm Coil (Pre-Installed)
- Lost Vape Ultra Boost MTL 1.0 Ohm Coil
- Type-C Charging Cable
- User Manual
- Warranty Card
Photos
The Review
So we all know about the original Orion right. Yep, the DNA based POD device that Lost Vape originally released. It looked like a walkie talkie, and had a pretty hefty price tag. It was built tough, with quality parts though, so there is that.
Not many realise that the Quest or ‘Q’ series are basically the same thing, just with LostVape’s proprietary chip rather than an Evolve DNA. And as more versions come out, the more improvements they’ve made.
For example, the original Orion Go, was an all in one POD and coil system, you couldn’t remove the coil from the POD in order to replace it.
This was changed in the Orion Plus, through to the rest of the ‘Q’ series also. Small changes have seen the ‘Quest’ or ‘Q’ get closer to it’s current iteration in every version.
Let’s take a good look at what Lost Vape have done with it’s latest ‘Q’ series device, the Q-Ultra.
The Main Body
The first difference you’ll notice is the size. The picture above shows the Q-Ultra(right) next to it’s older brother the Q-Pro(Left). The Q-Pro and everything that came before it, were of a very similar size, all made from stainless steel, with various coloured panels, and that familiar Walkie Talkie form.
This has changed with the Q-Ultra, not only is it larger, but it’s larger for a reason. LostVape have increased the size of the battery, increased the size of the POD, and made way for larger coils. Not to mention, made room to fit a display! Yep, that’s right, the Q-Ultra has the one thing that I wish all earlier iterations had, a screen.
The main body is made from various plastics and alluminium alloys, making this the largest, but lightest of the Orion/Quest ranges.
It’s considerably larger than the previous Q-Pro with the Q-Ultra coming in at 105×43.2×16.5mm while the Q-Pro was only 93 x 37 x 13.5mm.
Even though this latest device is much larger, this is a lot lighter, being made of various plastics, and a lightweight alluminium alloy frame.
These plastics do make this device feel a little on the cheaper side, and even though I can understand why LostVape have done this, I can’t help but feel that a little more heft (stainless steel frame) might give this the same quality feel that the previous devices had.
The panels are really nice, I received the Linen Grey version, which has a fancy cross stitch linen look, with a lovely cushioned and rubberised feel to it.
The POD
Let’s take a look at the PODs next. You’ll notice from the photos above that they’re pretty similar to the other PODs in the Quest range, well the same form factor anyway. You have your usual screw down fill port at the top and alongside it the proprietary mouth piece with rotating airflow control at the bottom of it.
This POD has a huge capacity compared to earlier iterations. You can fit a massive 4mls of eliquid in here obviously depending on the coil installed.
Another difference between the Q-Ultra PODs is that they incorporate the newer ULTRA Boost coils. I’ll go into some more detail below, but these new coils are simple push in coils like many other POD systems, something that Lost Vape have only just released with this POD kit.
Coils
With the Q-Ultra, Lost Vape have also released a new series of coils. These are called Ultra Boost Coils, and come in three different resistances.
- ULTRA Boost M1 Coil (0.3ohms)
A DTL mesh coil designed for vaping between 30-40Watts - ULTRA Boost M2 Coil (0.6ohms)
A DTL mesh coil designed for vaping between 20-28Watts
This is quite a nice Direct to lung coil, it’s a little restricted, but is a nice mid-range coil for lower wattage direct to lung vaping.
The advised wattage is spot on. - ULTRA Boost MTL Coil (1.0ohms)
A mouth to lung single coil designed for vaping between 8-15Watts
Quite a good little coil for Mouth to Lung vaping, and again, just like the M2, the advised wattage is a spot on recommended setting.
In the box you’ll receive the MTL 1.0ohm coil, with the M2 0.6ohm mesh coil pre-loaded in the POD ready for use. The M1 (0.3ohm) coil does not come in the package, and is only available separately.
One other new coil that can be used with the Q-Ultra is the new Boost RBA, more info on that one a little further on.
Battery
The battery is an on-board internal 1600mAh battery, which is a huge improvement on past models which ranged up to 950mah
It lasts quite a while, obviously it will last longer on a lower wattage and a much shorter time when vaping at higher wattages, but it’s reasonable.
I did notice that it does drop quite quickly once you deplete down to halfway, but it also charges quite fast due to it’s USB Type-C connection.
Speaking of which, big +++ for having Type-C USB connection! Not many devices have adopted this and I’m glad that LostVape have.
Most USB Type-C chargers will charge the Q-Ultra, but I have noticed some of the fast chargers, for example the one for my Samsung S20 will not.
There is no pass-through on this device. So once you’ve depleted your battery down and need to charge it, you’d better have a backup to vape while you’re waiting on it to charge. Its a shame that LostVape didn’t include this in the chip, it’s a pretty important feature for those who only have the one device, and need to charge daily, or even more often.
Airflow
Airflow is a little janky with the Q-Ultra. From looking at the POD, it seems like it was designed for the airflow to enter via the airflow adjustment in the drip tip, which then goes down the center of the pod, then under the pod and up through the coil. Just like it’s predecessor.
But there are a couple of things that stop it from working correctly.
– The looser than intended airflow ring on the drip tip, allows air in even when it’s closed.
– The POD does not sit right down into the chassis of the mod, allowing air to get in under the POD directly, basically making the air adjustment in the drip tip completely useless.
As a result, you just cannot close the airflow completely, which makes it super difficult to get a nice mouth to lung vape from even the MTL coil.
This doesn’t really affect the flavour, since the air is still coming from under the coil, but makes for a bit of a limp vape, and is frustrating, because it is something that simply should work.
I really don’t know what you could do to fix this, besides adding another oring behind the airflow control and creating a better seal between the POD and the chassis of the device.
Filling
Filling is super simple, and is the same as all of the other Orion and ‘Q’ series devices. Unscrew the fill cap, fill and then screw it back on. Nothing to it!
Any Leaks?
Not yet, I’ve been running the Q-Ultra for about 2 weeks now, I’ve vaped it all day, I’ve even left it sitting for a day or so, and haven’t seen a drop of juice under the POD.
At risk of sounding like a doom’s dayer however, this won’t last forever, all POD devices eventually leak, even though Lost vape have done a great job on the POD, it is still a 2 piece pod with seams that you’ll notice juice seeping into. It is only a matter of time before juice works it’s way through these seems and to the outer side of the POD. Having said that, it’s not like you’ll be flooded with juice, just a little hint of it from time to time.
I recommend rinsing the POD out with water and allowing it to fully dry occasionally, so as not to allow the eliquid in the seams to saturate all the way through. Or you could leave it and just give it a wipe every so often, there really won’t be a lot coming through, just a few tiny touches. Lostvape have done a pretty good job of sealing this up, so far it’s one of the cleanest PODs I’ve seen in all of the POD system’s I’ve tried.
Usage
Lost vape have included a screen with this latest Q-Ultra, which is a really nice thing to have. Previous versions have had a single button to change modes and relied on an LED to show you how much battery you have left or which mode you’re in.
This display is neat and tidy, displaying Battery charge, coil resistance, how long your last puff was, the wattage you’re vaping at, and a puff counter.
Along with the new display screen (this is fantastic by the way), there are a few other functions on the device.
This device reads your resistance of your coil and sets the Wattage accordingly, after turning it off and on again, likewise, when fitting new coils. This is handy, but not 100% foolproof. I’ve found it setting the wattage a little too low for my preferred vape, and at times changing my preset wattage to a much lower power setting randomly, even without turning it off and on, or replacing the POD. Not something that is a deal breaker, as it only seems to happen from time to time, and it’s super simple to just adjust your wattage back again if it does happen, but it’s worth mentioning.
As with most Mods, you’ve got the x5 clicks on/off of the big fire button. Pretty straight forward. You’ve also got your up and down buttons for adjusting the wattage, which goes up and down in 0.5watt increments, all the way up to 40 Watts and then it round-robins back down to 5watts.
Hold the fire and ‘up’ buttons to go into locked mode. (this locks your wattage) and again to unlock.
Hold the fire and ‘down’ buttons to reset your puff counter.
ULTRA Boost RBA
Also available (not packaged with the Q-Ultra unfortunately) is the ULTRA Boost RBA. Designed to fit devices where the Lostvape ULTRA Boost coils are used (I’m expecting newer Lostvape devices to use them soon too)
It’s a two post single coil RBA, that fits into a Q-Ultra POD just like a factory coil would. As you can see from the photos above, it comes in it’s own little box, with a bag of spares to get you going.
An important point to note, is that it also comes with it’s own removeable 510 base, so you can dry fire your coil on a 510 compatible device before putting it into your POD, which is a really nice thing to have. Thankyou Lostvape for including this.
The airflow from the RBA is quite good, there isn’t a lot of turbulence and it’s quite smooth. Zero whistling, and you’ll get a really flavourful direct to lung hit.
Building on the RBA
As you can see above, the RBA has an outer shell that unscrews, to reveal a really tiny deck with 2 posts and 2 wicking ports.
The posts use hex grub screws, of which you’ll find the correct sized allen key in your spares baggy, along with some spare orings, some pre-wound coils and some cotton.
As small as this is, it’s pretty easy to build on, specially with the provided pre-wound coils (again, thankyou Lostvape for this).
Simply fit your coil, tighten the grub screws, clip of any excess wire, and you’re ready to dry fire. Being non-contact coils, you shouldn’t need to dry fire, (I usually do anyway just get rid of any hotspots) which is where the 510 adapter comes in really handy.
Wicking on this can be quite tricky. I’ve found a lot of cotton is not necessarily the best option, neither is trying to fit cotton down the wicking ports. For me, trimming the wick right down, thinning it out, and resting it on top of the wicking ports, has given me the best result. Every other way I’ve wicked it has given me a great vape, but the occasional one off dry-hit.
It’s really important to get your wicking right, so play around with it. To much cotton and you’ll get dry hits, not enough, and you’ll find juice under your POD from leaking down the center air hole of the RBA deck.
If you wick this right, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take a nice big long pull at about 28-30 watts without a dry hit.
Bravo for releasing this RBA Lostvape, a POD device becomes extra versatile and gives people more options and reason to purchase it.
Pros:
- Well built and attractive
- Nice size, fits well in the hand.
- Easy to fill.
- Simple to use.
- USB Type-C charging
- Excellent flavour
- Great Vapour
- Very smooth vape
- Lightweight
- Large eliquid capacity for a POD
- Reasonably priced
- RBA available
Cons:
- The airflow is faulty (cannot do tight MTL vaping)
- Battery doesn’t seem to last long enough
- No passthrough (cannot vape while charging)
- Feels a little cheaper compared to past versions
Where to Buy:
You can purchase the LostVape Q-Ultra Pod Kit from many resellers all over the world. But you can also buy directly from LostVape through the LostVape Online Store. At the moment, the Q-Ultra is retailing for $49.99USD.
Conclusion
All in all, I have really enjoyed this one. Of all of the POD’s that I own, this has been my go-to over the last few weeks, and one of my most reliable devices. Even though it is a larger size than it’s previous versions, it’s lighter, and still fits in the pocket really nicely.
It’s simple to use, easy to fill, has great flavour and airflow, and best of all, zero random flooding or leaking like so many other devices get.
This is a great looking device too, and the newer finishes not only look great, but feel fantastic and help give this lighter built device, a classier appeal that almost matches it’s previous versions.
The one thing that I was disappointed with, was the faulty airflow, the airflow ring, really doesn’t do a lot due to the ambient air getting into the system anyway, so you really cannot tighten this down for a good Mouth to Lung vape. This was a little bit of a failure between design and production unfortunately, and will be a bit of a let down for Mouth to Lung vapers. The good news though, is that if you’re a Direct to lung vaper, this won’t be an issue for you, and you’ll still be able to use and love this device.
One thing I particularly love, is the RBA sample that I received with this mod. It’s allowed me to experiment a little, and leaves the user with another option, should coils become un-available, or difficult to procure.
The new Ultra Boost coils are great, and put out fantastic flavour, they also seem to create a more dense vape than coils for the previous ‘Q’ devices, which is warmly welcomed.
Great work on this Lostvape, you’ve nearly nailed it, and all of these incremental improvements are excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes from the LostVape labs next!
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