Honest review time: The Barrel vs AMO19 from DaOneTech

Today we’re going to look at two different devices from DaOneTech, the Barrel and the AMO19. Because the two devices are somewhat similar I decided to do a sort of versus style review. Both are compact AIO type devices and if I’m not mistaken it was the Barrel that came out first. Here are my honest thoughts on the Barrel vs AMO19 from DaOneTech.

Package contents:

Listed features and specs:

Packaging and contents:

Both kits come packed in simple cardboard boxes with images of the kits on the front and a listing of the contents and features, some basic company info and some warnings on the back. In either kit you only get the device, a charging cable, a single coil, a user manual and a warranty card. Both kits are quite modestly packed without any extras at all but you do at least get what you need to get started. It would be nice to see at least a second coil in the kit but it is what it is. Where they start to differ, the AMO19 comes with a USB Type C cable whereas the Barrel comes with a standard micro USB cable for charging, it also includes some spare O-rings that aren’t included in the AMO19 kit. Point for the AMO19 for having USB Type-C.

The Barrel vs AMO19 from DaOneTech:

I figured I’ll start at the top and work my way down comparing the differences between them. Right off the top they both come equipped with handy magnetic dust caps that can also be attached to the bottom of the devices when not in use much like their Blade device which I reviewed prior. For a guy who normally tosses the dust caps since they tend to immediately get lost I’ve got to admit these ones are actually handy, easy to use and insanely addictive to play with. Like adding a fidget toy to the bottom of your mod. Just pop it off the top when you want to vape and stick it to the bottom where you can flip it and click it until all your friends are annoyed. Just below the dust cap on both devices they’ve got integrated drip tips, the type that use a sleeve rather than a standard 510 drip tip. I’ll always prefer a 510 tip but at least they’re suited to the devices. Both are the same so no points.

Just below the drip tips are the top fill caps. On the AMO19 it’s childproof and requires a slight push down before unscrewing the cap while on the Barrel it’s just a standard threaded cap. Both devices have a 2ml TPD compliant capacity but the Barrel feels like it holds just a little bit more though I’ve never actually measured it. Another thing that separates the two is the AMO19 uses a glass tank while the Barrel uses an oblong shaped plastic tank but they don’t mention the material it’s made from anywhere. Point to the AMO19 for having a glass tank.

Now jumping down to the body of the device we start to see some bigger differences between them. On the Barrel the device follows the oblong shape of the tank and has a screen on the face of it as well as two buttons. One is the fire button and the other is the variable voltage button allowing you to change between four levels of power from 3.6, 3.8, 4.0 and 4.2V with the click of a button and it’s displayed on the screen as such. Four little bars indicate the battery life and aside from the usual five clicks to turn it on and off that’s about it. On the AMO19 it’s even simpler with a round shape, a single button and just a series of four LEDs to indicate remaining power. Unlike the Barrel it doesn’t appear to have a regulated output and so performance will decline as the battery level drops off. Basically it works like a protected mech with the usual safety features built-in like short circuit, over charge and over discharge. Point to the Barrel for being regulated with a screen.

The AMO19 though it lacks regulated output has a slightly larger battery capacity sporting an 1100mAh internal battery that takes less than an hour to charge using the USB Type C connection. The Barrel on the other hand sports a 900mAh internal battery, it charges via micro USB but still only takes about an hour to charge and it comes with the benefit of a regulated output which for me puts it slightly ahead. Point to the AMO19 for slightly larger capacity and USB Type-C.

Both devices have 2ml(TPD) integrated tanks, meaning you can’t just unscrew them from the device and they can only be used with their respective devices. On the AMO19 it’s a glass tank but on the Barrel it’s plastic. Both devices require you to empty the tank in order to replace the coils as it’s the coils that actually keep the tanks screwed together and attached to the device. So if you’ve got the cap off you’ll want to be extra careful not to knock the tank off as it won’t be secured like a traditional tank. While it’s not always the most convenient being unable to remove a tank from a device it does keep things simple and is essentially how most AIOs operate. Airflow for both tanks is controlled via a sliding ring with dual cyclops style slots that can be opened/closed from a fairly tight MTL hit all the way up to a slightly restricted direct lung hit but also the coil you are using will play a big role. Both are the same so no points.

Now it’s the coils that come with each kit that really make an impact on how it performs. With the AMO19 it comes with a 0.8ohm nichrome based coil rated from 3.6 to 4.2V. It’s more of a direct lung coil with a looser draw and cloudier output. Flavour is actually pretty good as well and though it isn’t a mesh based coil I get quite a bit out of it. One thing I will call out about the 0.8ohm coil is with thicker liquids it sometimes has trouble keeping up with any sort of chain vaping and can lead to some dry burnt tasting hits if you don’t give it a break in between. I suspect it’s getting a bit air locked as I usually see bubbles coming from the coil when I loosen the cap. As for the Barrel, it comes equipped with a 1.6ohm nichrome based coil with a recommended range also between 3.6 and 4.2v. It’s got a much tighter draw and is recommended to be used with 50/50 blends and/or salt based liquids. Using thinner liquids I haven’t once had a burnt/dry hit like I did with the 0.8ohm. Performance from these MTL based coils is actually quite decent with flavour being fairly well defined and the clouds of course being modest but that’s expected. Point to the Barrel for the 1.6ohm coils.

Overall:

For me it’s the AMO that comes out slightly ahead though I do prefer the regulated output of the Barrel. Ultimately, it’s more about the coils and I much preferred the 1.6ohm mtl coils which worked well with salt based liquids while I found the 0.8ohm coil struggled just a bit too much for my liking with fairly standard 70vg liquids. The Barrel by default lends itself a bit better to a lightweight mtl setup while the AMO19 leans more towards a direct lung kit since they ship with an MTL and DL coil respectively. However, the coils are interchangeable and you can actually use either coil with either device so it really leaves very little separating the two. So at the end of the day it’s more about regulated vs unregulated and whether that 200mAh extra capacity is worth it.

I’m running a Canadian giveaway for several DaOneTech kits which you can enter here!