Voopoo Drag 3 Reviewed

There’s a new Drag on the block, and Voopoo have been working hard to bring us the latest version of this ever popular device!

Carrying on the legend that is the Drag, Voopoo have changed things around a little. The original Drag was of course your everyday Variable Wattage mod with a tank included in the kit bundle, while various iterations since have been similar, up until the Drag 2 at least, at which point, the Drag series became drastically different, with “Pod Mods” being the main aim with the Drag S/Drag X series and the Drag Max which was a dual battery version.

In fact, everything has been Pod related or a “Pod Mod” recently. We haven’t seen anything come out of Voopoo with a 510 connector on it for a long time. The last was the Argus GT that was fitted with a “Pod tank”.

Let’s take a look at what Voopoo have done with the new Drag!!

Big thanks goes to Voopoo for sending this directly through to me for review!

Photos

General Info

The Drag 3 has gone back to it’s grass roots, of being a Mod first and foremost, that can take Pods as a secondary option. Gone is the POD recess in the body of the device, that was provided with the Drag S/X series, and Argus GT, with a spring loaded 510 provided instead, so you can put your favourite atomiser on top if you do not wish to use the provided Pod Tank.

That’s not to say that Voopoo have done away with Pods, instead, they’ve provided a new Pod Tank and new Pod design in the kit instead of a sub-ohm tank. This Pod tank is an upgraded version of the original that shipped with the Argus GT. This time around though, they’ve debuted some new coils and modified Pod to fit them. No longer using the popular PnP coils, the “TPP” Pod is slightly taller, with a much larger coil recess, and a few other improvements over the original. Don’t fret that the PnP coils and pods are done for though, this new Pod tank will still be able to be used with your PnP Pod and coils due to it’s plug and play nature. Both types of Pod can be used with the new Pod Tank base.

Sporting a maximum output of 177 Watts, this twin 18650 powered device, holds onto all of the greatness of the original Drag, while providing some of the more modern comforts. The interface of the Drag 3 has been adopted from the Drag S/X series, with a vibrant screen, easy to use controls, and intuitive design.

Shining through the 1.08in colour TFT screen, you’ll have 3 different user modes, Variable Wattage, RBA mode, and Smart Mode, with a ‘Super’ mode kicking in once you’re over the 80Watt mark. Temperature control has been left out of the stock standard chip, but not to fear, it’s still available from a software upgrade from the Voopoo website.

The Body

Coming in at approximately 86 x 52 x 25mm the Drag 3 Mod, is stylish and modern, made from a lightweight Zinc Alloy with leather insert in the heal. You’ll recognise the styling as a bit of a hybrid of the previous Drags, with it’s chamfered edges, and very familiar front display panel.

Up top you’ve got a 510, which is spring loaded to ensure you can put most any tank on top. It seems a little raised, maybe by about 1/2 mm, so it’s not noticeable, but just enough to help with not getting those tanks stuck on top. For me it’s not a big deal, as I don’t notice it, but for those who suffer from a bit of OCD, it might just be an issue.

On the front edge, the display panel, there is a large round fire button, 1.08in colour TFT screen, two smaller up/down buttons, and a USB Type-C charging and upgrade port.
The sides of the device are bare of buttons etc.. but continues the Drag styling with moulded Zinc Alloy toward the front with the Leather insert beginning about halfway and following on through around the back heel. This leather insert is padded and is a little cushiony with a lovely hand feel to it.

Underneath, you’ll find your battery tray, a simple slide and open affair, where you’re two 18650 batteries will reside.

The POD Tank & Coils

If you’ve seen most of Voopoo’s products over the last year, you’ll remember the Argus GT, like this Drag 3, it too came out with a Pod Tank, instead of having the POD sitting directly on the device, it sat in it’s own little tank base, that then threads into the standard 510 of the Mod. This is a great idea, as it gives you the best of both worlds, the ability to use any tank you want on top of the device, but also the option of running Voopoo’s awesome Pods on top.

The Pod mod on the Drag 3 is an upgraded version of that original on the Argus GT and is called the TPP Pod Tank taking TPP Pods and coils. This time around Voopoo are offering up a larger e-liquid capacity coming in at about 5.5mls, as well as new coils and Pods to suit.
The new Pods are built to use the new TPP coil range, which are slightly larger than the PnP coils, and the new Pods have a removable 810 drip tip, so you can fit your very own 810 drip tips! (As long as they are tips with the orings on the outside, friction fit 810’s won’t fit.
The connection to the base of the Pod Tank is still using magnets, so you can easily pop the Pod on and off as you please, swapping different flavours in separate Pods as much as you like.

The base of the Pods have a slightly different design than the original PnP pods but they’re not completely dissimilar. They feature tinted PCTG plastic, and push in coils, as well as bottom fill via the silicone plug underneath.

The new TPP coils that come with the Drag 3 are monsters, as you can see in the photos, they have massive wicking ports or openings in the side, making sure you’ll never get a dry hit, and carry mesh coils just like the original PnP coils so you’ll always get maximum flavour.

• TPP-DM1 : 0.15 Ohms (Power range: 60 – 80W)
• TPP-DM2 : 0.20 Ohms (Power range: 40 – 60W)

Normally I would have put a description and how I’d faired with both of the coils, but to be honest, the vape is quite similar. Both coils pump out some excellent flavour, a nice wet dense flavour. Both work perfectly in their recommended power ranges, if anything, you can push them a little harder. I found that I needed to turn my wattage up close to the maximum power range of the coils to get the best vape, or it was actually too wet.

Beware, these coils do wick very efficiently, so if you’re leaving your Pod full for more than a few hours without vaping it, make sure you remove the Pod and store it separately or you may find a little bit of e-liquid seepage underneath it. (Not that that is an issue but it’ll save you a cleanup)

Airflow

As always, Voopoo’s airflow is fantastic, the adjustable outer airflow ring on the base of the TPP Pod Tank is a cyclops style airflow, allowing you to adjust from a medium Mouth to Lung draw, right through to a really open Direct to Lung draw. You really can put a lot of air through this.
One thing to look out for, is the air control ring spins all the way around with no stopper, so you’ll need to actually look at how you’re adjusting instead of by feel.

Battery

The Drag 3 is a dual 18650 battery device. Some might argue that 20700 batteries or 21700 batteries should have been used, due to larger capacity, but in reality I think they would have just made this device far too large and heavy.

The battery bay is similar to the Argus GT with a slide and swing motion, exposing the two battery recesses. There isn’t a lot of movement in the door when sliding open, so there might be a risk of the small tabs that hold it wearing in the future, but so far so good, and I’ve had no issues with either the Argus GT nor the Drag Max that both have similar battery bays for as long as I’ve been using them.

On the front panel, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, this is for emergency charging, and any software updates you need to do.
The charging board has a 5V/2A input, so it’s fast charging, also featuring balance charging across the 2 batteries.

Filling

Filling the TPP Pods that come with the Drag 3 is super simple just like the PnP pods. Lift the small silicone plug from the bottom, and fill. I’ve had no issues with blowback at all, and filling has been relatively clean.

Any Leaks?

Yes. But not so much that you’d really complain about, just a little annoyance of some seepage from the base of the Pod. I’m suspecting this is coming from the fill port, or the bottom of the coil. And in all honesty, I’m not surprised that there might be some seepage. Did you see the size of the wicking ports in the coils! They’re huge! And these coils suck up “a lot” of juice.

This isn’t a deal killer however, just a niggly annoyance. No liquid reaches the mod, or in fact even comes out of the airflow in the base of the tank, so it’s a matter of a quick wipe whenever you refill.

Usage

Using the Drag 3 is pretty simple, Voopoo have simplified things a little and left out some of the lesser used features for this build, like temperature control. However, if you still want temp control, they’ve catered for you too, you can get it via the Voopoo website as a software update.
I’m not sure if this is the greatest idea or not, but I suppose those who are savvy enough to want to use temperature control mode, should be savvy enough to do a software update.

You’ll notice two main modes on the Drag 3.

• Smart Variable Wattage
  An obvious title, this is what you’ll use when using the Pod Tank and pre build coils. The smart mode self adjusts the first time you put in a fresh coil to the recommended wattage. You can adjust all you want from there though.
• RBA Mode
  This mode is for when you’re using your own tank, and need a little more control. It won’t set itself according to the resistance of your coil and the wattage cap is not there.
• Bonus Mode (Super Mode)
  This mode opens up once you get above 80 Watts in RBA mode and allows you to go up to 177 Watts.

Everything else on the Drag 3 is similar to previous models. 5x clicking the fire button to turn the device off/on, Fire button + down clears the puff counter, Fire button + Up will put you in wattage lock, 3 clicks of the fire button will change you between Smart Wattage and RBA modes.

Pros:

• Twin battery
• Easy to use
• Quality build
• Great flavour
• Lightweight
• New coils
• Swappable Pods
• 510 connection!

Cons:

• Some e-liquid seepage from bottom of Pods
• Cannot use friction fit 810 drip tips
  

Where to Buy:

You can pick up the Voopoo Drag 3 directly through Voopoo’s online store for about $64 USD, which is quite a good price for a twin battery device. It’s quite an impressive setup for that price range.

Conclusion

I’m really enjoying the Drag 3, it’s a great size, and very comfortable to hold. Above all the build quality is excellent, and seeing Voopoo continually improving their products is great to see.

It’s nice to see that they’ve gone back to the 510 connection on this, as I can see a lot of people wanting to use this lightweight mod with their own tanks, and as a bonus, the Pod Tank allows you to run an unlimited number of Pods with different flavours, instantly swappable.

I don’t have a lot of cons, as this is a pretty tight setup. A little e-liquid seepage, and the fact that I cannot fit my favourite 810 drip tips are the only complaints that I have, otherwise this is a very solid device.

I can see this being one of those kits that people might buy to get a modern dual battery device to use with their existing RTA’s and RDA’s, and of course for those who like Pods, but want a little more battery life!

Great work as always 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.