Hi everyone! In this review I take a look at the Armour Pro 100W TC Kit with Cascade Baby from Vaporesso. The Armour Pro 100W TC Kit with Cascade Baby was supplied for the purpose of this review by Healthcabin.
Introduction
Many people like Vaporesso devices, but for a while now people have been saying it’s about time they moved to a colour screen. So here we are: The Armour Pro, which is Vaporesso’s first colour screen device. A single battery 100w device which can be powered by a 21700, 20700 or 18650 battery which is packed to the brim with features, so lets take a look.
In the Box
Contents:
1 x Armour Pro Mod
1 x CASCADE Baby Tank(2ml TPD Version)/5ml(Standard Version)
1 x GT Mesh Coil (0.18Ω) -Pre-installed
1 x GT CCELL2 Coil (0.3Ω)
1 x USB Charging Cable
1 x User Guide
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Armour Pro Kit comes in cardboard box packaging with everything neatly packed in it’s own section. The Armour Pro is a gorgeous looking device I believe will appeal to both male and female. It’s as much it’s curvy shape as anything that dare I say makes it look very sexy. The front panel that houses the screen is also the curvy fire bar and when firing the device with a squeeze action it possibly has the best ergonomics I have come across. Aesthetically it isn’t packed with features which adds to it’s classy looks. I received the Green colour that comes with a Black Cascade Baby tank. All versions (apart from the white which comes with a silver tank) come with a Black tank. The other colours available are Black, Midnight Blue, White, Silver, and Red/Blue. The Red/Blue from the pictures I have seen would be my pick. Both sides and the spine of the device have a black band that goes around the device towards the top which nicely breaks the colour up. Above this band on both sides we have “ARMOUR PRO” printed, the “ARMOUR” in gold and the “PRO” in silver. One side at the bottom towards the front we have a vertical micro USB port, the spine has “VAPORESSO” printed on the vertical (this is printed in green just one shade darker than the device so it’s barely visible). At the bottom of the front of the device we have the navigation and select buttons. These three buttons are place together to almost form a circle, while the rest of the front is a black tinted panel which is the fire bar underneath. This houses the 0.96″ colour screen. The base of the device is the battery door which has safety stamps and venting. Moving to the top we have a nice Stainless Steel 510 plate with gold plated, spring loaded 510. The device both feels and looks very good quality.
Cascade Baby Specs and Features:
Size: 24.5mm(D) x 58mm(H)
Capacity: 2ml(TPD Version)/5ml(Standard Version)
Innovative Isolation Structure to Reduce Potential Dry Hit
Revolutionary Triangular Airflow to Produce Denser Cloud
Convenient Top Fill System with Safe Lock Mechanism
GT Mesh Coil to Enlarge Heating Area and Offer Great Flavor
Optional 5ml and 2ml E-juice Capacity
Compatible with All GT cores
Thread: 510 thread
Colours: Silver, Blue, Rainbow, Black, Gold, Shiny Gold
Cascade Baby Overview:
I reviewed the Cascade tank a while back which had new drop in coils and a drop in hollow casing which you could screw in GT coils (used in the NRG series of tanks) into and use them. This version of the Cascade tank I have also reviewed using the exact same coils with the Cascade One Plus Kit. It only uses the GT coils which get screwed straight into the base. The drip tip is a standard 510 fitting so you can use a favourite 510 if you wish and it employs a top-fill system with lock mechanism. On the top of the tank just underneath the top-cap there is an indicator letting you know where to open the tank for filling. The top section is spring loaded and you need to lift first then the top swivels to one side to reveal a very generous fill slot. When you put it back in place the top-cap locks. The Cascade Baby holds 5ml (2ml with TPD version). The tank uses a cascade method of feeding the coil juice and has a tri airflow. The kit comes with 2 different GT coils the 0.3 ceramic coil which is best at between 35w-40w and a 0.18 mesh coil which is supposed to be best at 65w – 75W.
Armour Pro Specs and Features:
Size: 86 x 38.5 x 27mm
Material: Zinc Alloy
Battery: Single 21700/20700/18650 battery(NOT included)
Wattage Range: 1 – 220W
Output Modes: VW(H/N/S)/ VT(SS, Ni, Ti)/ TCR(M1, M2)/ BYPASS/ CCT/ CCW/ VV/ CCV
Screen: 0.96-inch color screen
Resistance Range: 0.03-5.0ohm
Charging Current: 2A
Output Wattage: 5-100W
Unique Omni Board 4.0 chipset
Quick firing speed of 0.002s
Colours: Black, Midnight Blue, White, Silver, Green, Red Blue
Fitting the Battery
The Armour Pro is powered by a single 21700, 20700 or 18650 (with supplied adapter). Even when trying a 20700 battery I noticed no battery rattle which I was expecting. The battery door has a lot of movement when opened and doesn’t seem the best but once secured in place with a battery fitted it’s fine and I can’t see it causing issues. The orientation is clearly marked inside the device but yet again black on black on the battery door. Why do manufacturers have an issue with using white so the orientation can be easily seen?
Using the Armour Pro
The Armour Pro is the standard 5 clicks of the fire bar to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off. Once on, you’re met by a an elegant looking display which is somewhat spoiled by having a very tinted cover. The display actually isn’t bad indoors and the tinted cover gives it a look of class but not very practical as when I took the device outside I couldn’t see the display at all. Three presses of the fire bar locks the buttons but the device will still fire. To enter the menu system is one long press or 3 quick presses of the select button. This brings up two columns of icons with all your various modes, which are: Variable wattage hard, Variable wattage normal, Variable wattage soft, Custom wattage curve, SP (this option allows you to set the device to fire as low as 0.03ohm, I assume the device does), Variable voltage mode, Custom voltage curve, SS, Ni, Ti, M1, M2, Bypass and settings. When choosing any of the temperature control options it gives you the option of entering TCR value, setting wattage, setting curve and locking your resistance. Choosing settings brings up a list of options which are: Time (choose between digital or analogue clock), brightness (however bright you set it you still can’t see the display outside), puff counter (information and reset), Theme (change the colour of certain items on the display), Smart mode, Automatic (can’t see what this does, had a look online and still none the wiser), Screen timeout, Hardware/software versions, default, and exit. There are also some combination button presses: fire and right together brings up the clock, fire and select bring up the hardware and software versions and left and right buttons together is a short cut to custom wattage curve – I really like this shortcut personally as I use curves. As you can see the device is packed with features, yet the menu (with the use of an added select button) is very easy to navigate around although I found the three buttons too close together. Not a big issue at all but it would be for someone with thick fingers.
Performance
The device fires instantly with no delay at all and hits very hard. The device is very ergonomic with it’s curvy nature and I found just squeezing the front the best way of firing. I was instantly impressed with the device so sort out some information from the data from another review to see how it performs in temp control. I don’t fully understand the temp control jargon so if that’s the way you vape you would need more information but from what I understand is the temperature control is very accurate but not too smooth if a MTL vaper. While checking the charts I did find out the reason the device hits so hard (which I do like) is a almost cheating boost which could decrease the life of your coils so something to keep in mind. The fact the device also has variable voltage mode will be a big plus for some and those into the curves feature like me. The Armour Pro has wattage, voltage and temperature curves. The Cascade Baby tank is an excellent tank and I love the 0.3 ceramic coil at 35W which gives above average flavour for a stock coil. On this occasion i didn’t use the mesh coil as I find the best flavour at around the 90W, which is above the recommended best, and the flavour is very good with insane cloud production. The only problem for me I find the vape too warm for what I like even if that’s where the flavour is. I also remember there was same break in time before the flavour started coming through. It is only my opinion but personally I find the rating too low and possibly not really a coil I would have included with a 100W device. The device goes down to 3.1v before cutting off so gives good battery life. If you plan to charge your battery in the device, a 21700 battery takes around 2 hours and it supports pass-through. Finally, the device will accommodate a 25mm tank with a bit to spare and a 26mm will give the slightest of overhang which in my opinion looks fine but some people don’t like any overhang whatsoever.
Conclusion
Despite the device having some cons (it’s not perfect by any means), I still love it finding the pros outweighing the cons easily. Maybe I’m just swayed by it’s looks and features (it’s packed with them).
Pros
Good build quality
Gorgeous looking
Colour display
Frontage fire section
Select button
Variable voltage as well as wattage
Temp control
Wattage, voltage and temperature curves
Great ergonomics
SP mode
Fires instantly
Hits very hard
Cascade Excellent tank
Good battery life (relative to single battery)
Charge in 2 hours
Pass-through
Firmware Upgradeable
Dislikes
Display dim (ok indoors but can’t see outdoors)
Boost set on device might decrease coil life
Automatic setting???? no idea
Battery door loose when open
Battery orientation on battery door Black on Black
Tanks 26mm and above will overhang.
If you have thick fingers, you will find the navigation and select buttons too close together.
I would once again like to thank Healthcabin for supplying the Armour Pro 100W TC Kit with Cascade Baby for the purpose of this review.
Vaporesso Armour Pro 100W Mod Kit Price: $77.90
https://www.healthcabin.net/vaporesso-armour-pro-kit-p/18198.html
Related products:
Vaporesso Cascade Baby SE Tank
Vaporesso Cascade Baby Tank
we want to say thanks to Tim Wiseman writing such a detailed review and vapingannex for the cooperation.
