Voopoo Argus GT 160W Kit Review

Welcome back folks, today I’ve got something a little different for you to check out. This is no ordinary piece of kit, it does things very differently than other basic kits have in the past. It’s quite unique, and I kind of really like it!

As you’ll likely have noticed, Voopoo, have been knocking it out of the park lately with a few really successful releases, it all started with their ‘Vinci’ series of devices, their PnP coils, and then the introduction of a new POD system the Drag S and Drag X, more advanced versions of their Vinci line-up. The PODs that were used with the new Drag series pod mods, are really unique, with a large capacity, fused joins to eliminate leaking, and extra strong magnets to hold the POD in place with ease.

These very same PODs have become Voopoo’s star product and they are used in both the Drag S and Drag X. The e-liquid capacity is fantastic at 4.5ml and is likely the very reason that Voopoo decided to stretch their luck, and build an adapter for these PODs, essentially allowing them to screw into any device with a 510 connection. This brings Voopoo’s PnP coils to many more users, basically allowing their POD to be used on anything already in the market.

Is it a POD? A POD tank? A tank with a POD? A POD on an adapter? Well, it’s pretty much all of those, so you can call it what you will, I’ll call it innovative 😉

The Argus GT kit was sent to me directly by Voopoo for the purposes of this review.

Photos

First Impressions – Rundown

I really didn’t know what to think of this before it arrived. I’d kind of gotten stuck on the whole Pod Tank side of things, not only curious as to how it was going to work, but also what exactly was it trying to achieve? I guess Voopoo figured, why create another tank, when they already have a POD system that works, that has excellent e-liquid capacity (it actually does).

On just seeing the box, I was taken aback, this kit comes in a small protective case, just like a hand tool, or beard shaver set might, with foam inserts and the whole shebang! Totally professional packaging right there.

Inside, you’ll find the usual, Mod, Pod Tank, USB cable, Manual, and x2 spare coils.

The Argus GT kit is first and foremost, a 2 battery 160W Mod, with a POD and POD adapter provided instead of a tank. I feel like the inclusion of the POD and adapter, takes a bit of shine off of the fact that this twin battery mod really is something else in itself. Because so far I’ve found it to operate exceptionally well, whilst being quite compact for a 2 battery mod, and really really lightweight.

The Main Body

As you can see from the photos above, the Argus GT Mod is quite a compact unit, measuring in at 51 x 132 x 26mm, it’s actually smaller and shorter than the Lost Vape Centaurus which is a lot of vape packed into such a small size. It’s not only smaller, but much much lighter, weighing in at only 105g without batteries and approximately 200g with batteries.

Size is a huge deal, but it isn’t everything, and the Argus GT is not only small, but feels really lovely in hand also. With modern styling, Zinc Alloy frame, part plastic frame and leather insert in the heel, this is a comfortable device to carry.

The finish is really nice, being of plastic, zinc alloy and leather. There is a splatter effect over the plastic parts of the mod, which I dislike, it makes the mod look like it’s had eliquid spilled all over it, but that’s just personal preference, others may like it.

From top to bottom, you’ve got a spring loaded 510 connector that you can put any atomizer onto (you’re not just limited to the POD tank), the machining is quite nice, clean, and threading atomisers on is really smooth. It sits flush with the top of the mod, which is great, which means you’ll need to keep an eye on how far you screw your tanks down, in case you leave an atomiser mark on the top of it.

The fire button comes next, this time around it’s a raised square button with a pronounced click to it when pressing it, it’s also quite comfortable due to the recessed moulding. Down below, is your up and down buttons as well as the screen powered by the Gene.AI chipset.
The screen is bright and vibrant, exactly the same as you’ll find in the Drag S and Drag X devices.

Off to the side, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, for not only charging, but also for applying future updates to the device. I wouldn’t recommend charging a 2 battery device using the USB port, instead, for safety you should use an external charger. But if you’re stuck, Type-C charging is what you’ll want, for a quicker charge.

Underneath you’ll find the battery bays. Access to these is via a slide and swing door. This door is super simple to slide open, and just as easy to close. There is a little sideways movement in the door, however, and I also noticed that the hinge that holds it is held by the plastic part of the mod. The piece that holds it is quite small, so there may be a breakage issue down the track. I haven’t had any issues, and it’s as good as the day I received it, but this might present issues in the future after opening and closing it over time.

The POD Tank

This is really new. Something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. But it was inevitable at some point, with PODs and coils getting larger and larger. It was only a matter of time before someone decided that a POD would make a great tank, and it actually does!

The Pods, you’ve likely seen before, first released on Voopoo’s Drag S and Drag X POD Mods. They hold 4.5ml of e-liquid, and are made from PCTG plastic which is really durable, especially to drops. They’re transparent with a light tint so that you’re able to see your liquid level easily, and have a comfortable integrated drip tip.

Voopoo have designed a base for the PnP Pod with it’s own 510 connector, allowing the universal POD also compatible with the Drag S and Drag X, to simply slide into place, and hold with it’s powerful magnets, onto the ring connector base. It looks a little strange, but it works quite well, and considering that these PODs simply do not leak, (they may seep a little over time from the base of the coil) makes for a leak proof Pod tank.

Airflow

The airflow on this POD adapter is seriously insane, you can tighten the airflow right up only allowing air to seep between the POD and adapter, giving a pretty good MTL draw. (Not quite a tight MTL draw)
Alternatively, twisting the airflow adjustment and opening up the 2 large slotted airflow holes will give you a really really open airflow, just like you’d get on a larger tank. If you want to put in some coils that take a higher wattage and cloud the room up with big airflow, you can do that here.

The airflow ring can spin right around, so you have a complete 360 degree adjustment, Voopoo call this their ‘infinite’ airflow, which is a good and bad thing in a way. (it’s not easy to see where you’re airflow is at in a dark room)

The airflow is quite smooth and when tightened down can produce a nice denseness to the vape. There are minimal whistles, but the airflow can be a little on the noisy side.

Power & Battery

The Argus GT mod is a powerful little beast, you can get a good 160 watts out of it in RBA mode, and ‘Smart’ mode not only adjusts your wattage automatically according to the coil you have inserted, but it also caps your wattage, so that you cannot go too high. For example with a 0.2ohm coil you may only be able to go up to 60watts, whereas the 0.15ohm coil, will get you up to 80Watts before being capped. Quite a nice little feature from Voopoo and will help with avoiding potentially burning out your coil prematurely.

As mentioned earlier, this is a twin battery mod, taking x2 18650 batteries of your choice. The batteries drain evenly, and down to a reasonable battery cutoff, before it no longer fires on empty batteries.

There is a USB Type-C connector supplied that you can use to charge your batteries on board (not really recommended but its there if you’re in an emergency) There is no pass-through charging on the Argus GT, you cannot vape whilst it is charging.

The USB Type-C is also there for firmware updates, that Voopoo have on their website, upgrading the firmware on your device will unlock new features and better operation. I’ve tried to use the Voopoo software to adjust settings of my review device, it upgraded, but I do not have access to any of the configuration settings like I do on their other devices, I’m assuming that Voopoo will allow that in a future update.

Filling

Filling really is too simple. Remove the POD unplug the silicone cover, fill your POD, replace the silicone cover. Filling is super simple. These are some of the easiest to fill pods I’ve ever used!

Usage & Operation

This mod is powered by Voopoo’s Gene.AI chipset just like it’s siblings the Drag S And Drag X, with familiar screen, and controls, has quite fast response when firing.

This beast comes with temperature control settings, with 3 preset wire types, Ni/Ti/SS, which you have access to by clicking the power button 3 times. The first mode is ‘Smart mode’ (yellow), the second, ‘RBA Mode’ (light blue), and the third gives you the option between the 3 wire modes. Long press the fire button to choose.

You can also edit the temperature control options right from the mod, when you’re in temperature control mode. Hold the up/down buttons together and you’ll be presented with options to change the temperature co-efficient for the wire choice, as well as base wattage, and resistance.

I’ve run a few different atomizers on this using 316L Stainless Steel wire, and it performs really well, temperature control kicks in as it gets up to temperature without issues.

On screen you have your wattage, dual battery bar indicators, resistance, voltage, time of last puff, puff counter, and a small gauge to show you the power of your last puff.

The button configuration and operation is familiar, and very similar to the Drag Pod mod range.

5 clicks of the fire button to turn the mod off and on.
Clicking fire button and down, resets your puff counter.
Clicking fire button and up, locks the device.

Pros:

• Small form factor and attractive design
• Dual Battery
• Multiple modes: Smart/RBA/Temp
• Great colour screen and information layout
• Pod tank is innovative
• Fantastically dense flavour
• Simple to use
• Unique and flexible usage

Cons:

• Battery door is a little flimsy
• Not a fan of the black paint splatter effect
  

Where to Buy:

You can purchase the Voopoo Argus GT on presale right now for $59.99 USD. This is likely to start shipping to stores all over the globe shortly, so keep an eye on your favourite store’s new product announcements.

Conclusion

I’m really really impressed with this mod. It’s nice to see Voopoo come out with a Mod rather than a Pod device, at a reasonable price that can compete with some of the more expensive dual battery mods available.
It is such a lightweight and compact dual battery mod, that I’ve been using it with regular tanks over some of my larger more expensive devices.

The inclusion of the POD Tank was a great move, and opens up possibilities for the end customer. Being able to hot swap the POD between various devices has it’s benefits, and I’ve been using this myself over the span of my review time. At home, using the Argus GT mod, whilst changing the POD over to my Drag X for when I’m out and about.

It has been an absolute pleasure giving this device a good run, and can easily say that this is going to be one of the most innovative designs of 2020.
Simple to use, simple to fill, simple to swap batteries, while this mod doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of a DNA device, it certainly makes up for it with it’s powerful chip that not only provides some automatic protection against burning out cois, but is obviously centred around simplifying operations and settings for the user which will help many of those transitioning from PODs to more more powerful setups.

Fantastic work on this one Voopoo!

Shane Presser

Shane Presser has been vaping since 2013, and has extensive experience with advanced equipment, coil builds and DIY mixing. He is the man behind VapersGarage, and also more recently Aussie Vape Stores, a resource to help vapers find their nearest Vape Shops, and eLiquid Vendors.