Chris 'majorvapes' SissonHere’s a look at something that arrived right before the holidays that I’ve been quite keen on. It’s a sleek new pod system from Vaporesso that I picked up from our good friends at Carrack Vape. It’s got some pretty advanced features packed into it and it comes in a rather attractive little package. Here’s a close look at the Degree from Vaporesso.
Package contents:
| 1 x | Vaporesso Degree with CCELL Pod(2ml, 1.3ohm) |
|---|---|
| 1 x | Vaporesso Degree Meshed Pod (2ml, 0.6ohm) |
| 1 x | E-Juice filling bottle |
| 1 x | Micro USB cable |
| 1 x | User guide |
| 1 x | Warranty guide |
| 1 x | Reminder card |
Listed features and specs:
| Display: | 0.69" OLED |
|---|---|
| Battery: | Built-in 950mAhq |
| Power range: | 5-30W |
| Charge current: | 5V/2A |
| Refill method: | PTF ™(Push to Fill) |
| Liquid Capacity: | 2ml |
| Pods: | Vaporesso Degree Meshed Pod 0.6ohm, Vaporesso Degree CCELL Pod 1.3ohm |
Packaging and contents:
The Vaporesso Degree kit comes packed in a sturdy cardboard box with an image of the kit on the front and a listing of the contents and specs on the back. In the Vaporesso Degree kit you get the Vaporesso Degree device already equipped with a 0.6ohm MESHED pod pre-installed as well as a 1.3ohm CCELL pod in the box. You also get a 10ml needle tipped bottle to help with filling, a micro USB cable for charging, a user manual, warranty card and a reminder card. No real extras in the box aside from the bottle but you do get an extra pod.
The Vaporesso Degree:
The Vaporesso Degree is quite possibly the best looking boxpod device I’ve held in my hands yet. Weighing in at roughly 130g it’s mostly made of metal though they don’t specify what kind on their site or in the manual. I imagine it’s a zinc alloy as it has a very solid feel to it but doesn’t feel too heavy in the hand. On one side it’s got a swirly resin panel inlay while on the other there’s a removable metal cover to access the pod that’s held within. Starting at the top it comes equipped with a matching swirly resin drip tip sleeve which sits above a pretty standard looking airflow adjustment ring that has dual air slots cut into it. You can adjust the airflow from a fairly loose mouth to lung up to a fairly restricted direct lung hit. Because it’s dual airflow however even when closed nearly all the way it still has a fairly loose draw for my standards but to be fair it’s pretty much on par with a lot of other devices out there.
Right next to the drip tip is the trademarked PTF ™ or push to fill system. It’s accessible from the outside without taking off the side panel to make top ups all the more convenient. To use it you just push the tip of your bottle into the little hole and squeeze. It works well with needle tips but blunt tips will definitely have issues, at least they included a fill bottle to help with that. One thing to note with this fill method however convenient it is, it often seems to leave a tiny drop of liquid sitting on the top. Sometimes I can suck it up with the negative vacuum created by squeezing the bottle but often it means I have to dab it with a tissue before pocketing it. It’s a minor issue but an inconvenience none the less. To access the pod you pop off the side panel where the pods are held in place with a bit of friction. A ribbon was added to help remove the pods which is helpful.
On the working face of the device there’s a fire button, a small black and white OLED screen, two adjustment buttons and a micro USB port for charging. It’s got an internal 950mAh battery which is on par with some of the leading pod systems but considering others are coming out with 1050mAh or higher it may feel a bit small. The internal battery however can be charged at a rate of 5V/2A so it’s quick to charge and normally it takes about half an hour to top it up. The fire button is made of metal, nice and firm and doesn’t have any sort of rattle to it but the little metal adjustment buttons if shaken will make a tiny bit of noise. It doesn’t bother me but people like it to be called out. Aside from some embellishments on the sides it’s also got a robust looking lanyard ring in the top corner and some vent holes on the bottom should anything go awry with the battery.
The Vaporesso Degree feels very well constructed and operating it is also very straightforward with the Degree running on Vaporessos AXON chip. It uses the usual five clicks to turn it on and off and three clicks to lock the device but aside from basic variable wattage it doesn’t really have any other modes. Pressing fire and up inverts the screen while pressing both adjustment buttons clears the puff count. It’s a smart chip that takes a lot of the thinking out of operating it by limiting the wattage output based on the coil you have inserted. When you pop in a new pod the screen shows a little scanning animation as it decides what wattage to set. A very handy feature for new users but for seasoned users having hard limits like this may feel a bit,, limiting. I’ve been running both coils at their allowed max but wouldn’t mind bumping it up a tiny bit more for a slightly warmer vape.
Two other smart features of the Degree are the dry-hit prevention and low liquid detection. If the liquid in the pod reaches a certain level it will alert that the liquid is low. For the dry hit prevention pressing fire and down brings up a sensitivity screen with a scale from 0-10. Setting the sensitivity to 0 turns the feature off but selecting any number from 1-10 will set the sensitivity of the dry hit prevention. Basically it’s a user friendly version of temp control which for the most part seems to work fairly well and has more than once alerted me that my liquid level is low, helping to avoid a burnt coil. On their site they also mention that the Degree uses what they call a pulse mode which basically uses pulses of power every 0.02s so it ramps up and stays up throughout the hit.
The Degree Pods:
The kit comes packed with two types of pods with built-in coils. They’re made of plastic and hold 2ml of liquid but again no mention of the material used. One of the pods is a 1.2ohm CCELL coil based pod while the other is a 0.6ohm Meshed coil pod. Essentially one is meant for mouth to lung while the other is better suited to direct lung. Also because the device has that AXON smart chip that limits the wattage, with the 1.2ohm CCELL pod inserted it sets the default output to 10W and limits the overall to 12.5W. With the 0.6ohm Meshed pod it sets the output to 20W with the hard limit being set to 22W. Again very handy for newer users but for seasoned vapers it might feel a bit restricted. The pods are marked on the sides with their resistance and rating but because it’s clear plastic it can be a little tough to see it so be mindful when filling your pods that you use the appropriate liquids.
Performance from the pods is on par with the performance of their CCELL and MESHED coils but obviously restricted to the power levels and capacity set by the device. I’ve mainly been using the 1.2ohm with some salt based liquids and have been enjoying it tremendously but do feel a tiny bit limited thanks to the smart chip and the dual airflow. Longevity of the coils will also be on par with most other pod systems but will ultimately depend on the liquids used, personal vaping habits as well as QC on the pods themselves. So far I haven’t had any leaking, any burning or anything really negative to speak of and after more than two weeks of flipping back and forth both pods are still going strong. Personally I’d still prefer replaceable coils over disposable pods but you can’t have it all.
Overall:
The Vaporesso Degree is a solid little device packed with some very handy smart features. Though it almost seems to cater more towards new users I think both new and seasoned vapers alike could appreciate what the Degree brings. It’s well constructed, works pretty much flawlessly and my list of cons is hardly anything to complain about. Considering the handy smart features it includes and it’s overall performance I’d say this one would be well suited to nearly any vaper looking for a smart, compact pod system that’s easy to use and works great!!
