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Voopoo Vinci Review: A Gene.AI Powered AIO
Product intro and specs
The Voopoo Vinci is a pod style AIO or, as Voopoo calls it, a pod mod. AIOs are all the rage lately, and companies seem to be favoring innovation in this product category instead of traditional pod systems. The Vinci comes in a design that was very recently introduced by SMOK with their RPM device—and something tells me we will be seeing many more companies following suit soon. It is a rectangular AIO with wattage adjustability, a large color screen, and a set of useful features courtesy of the always reliable GENE.AI chip.
I unfortunately haven’t tried the RPM, so this review will not include direct comparisons between the two. But keep reading to find out if the Voopoo Vinci is worthy of a recommendation.
I unfortunately haven’t tried the RPM, so this review will not include direct comparisons between the two. But keep reading to find out if the Voopoo Vinci is worthy of a recommendation.
Price: $31.95 (Here)
Colors: Aurora, dazzling green, space grey, carbon fiber, peacock, scarlet, ink, opal, hill yellow, jade green
Colors: Aurora, dazzling green, space grey, carbon fiber, peacock, scarlet, ink, opal, hill yellow, jade green
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 104 mm x 25.3 mm x 25.3 mm
- Weight: 114 grams
- Mod material: Zinc alloy
- Output: 5-40 watts
- Output voltage: 3.2-4.2 volts
- Resistance: 0.1-3.0 ohms
- Battery capacity: 1500 mAh
- Pod capacity: 5.5 mL (TPD 2 mL)
- Pod material: PCTG
Kit Contents:
- 1 x Vinci device
- 1 x Vinci replacement pod (5.5 mL)
- 1 x PnP-VM1 coil (0.3 ohm)
- 1 x PnP-R1 coil (0.8 ohm)
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x User manual
- 1 x Warranty card
- 1 x Chip card
- 1 x Gift card
Build quality and design
I measured the Vinci at 104 mm by 25 mm by 25 mm, a great size to hold in the hand but not a super-portable vape by any means. Considering its size, I expected it to weigh more than it does. Weighing in at around 114 grams it is a bit heavier than the Lost Vape Orion, but lighter than the IPV V3 mini and much lighter than the Innokin Z-Biip.
I received the carbon fiber edition and, looking at the other colors, it’s probably the first time I was disappointed I got a plain device; the colorful ones look amazing! The build quality of the battery is top notch and the carbon fiber may be a sticker, but it looks and feels like the real thing. The buttons are clicky and there’s no rattle at all. And the highlight is the bright, large color screen which looks awesome and its font is very easy to read.
The pod is made out of plastic and features a very ergonomic mouthpiece, but also comes with one of the biggest problems with this device. The filling port is covered by a silicon plug, and the gripping point of the plug is too thin. The result: I tore the plugs on two pods, and now I need to use tweezers every time I want to refill. Bear in mind that I’ve never broken a plug before on a device (let alone two of them), so that’s not user error. There are no replacements in the box, so I am stuck with what I have until I buy a new pod. That’s a bummer, but it can easily be fixed if Voopoo takes notice and redesigns the plugs.
Getting started
To get started, take a coil out of the box, drip around five drops of juice in it, and insert it at the bottom of the pod. The PnP coils are, as their name suggests, plug n’ play, so you just need to push them in. Then pull the silicon plug (carefully!) and fill the pod with e-liquid.
The next step is to pick the side you are going to connect the pod to the battery. Airflow changes depending on the orientation of the pod, and you can check the cutouts on both sides to pick the one you prefer. Then let the device aside for at least five minutes to allow the coil to saturate. Turn the device on and you are ready to go. The Vinci will automatically set the wattage depending on the coil you are using.
The GENE.AI chip is giving the Vinci a set of functions, but operation is pretty straightforward.
- Five clicks of the power button turn the device on and off.
- Three clicks of the power button scroll between the three firing modes (P for manual, AUTO for draw-activated and P&A for both).
- Press + or – to adjust the wattage.
- Pressing + and – together enters the PUFF interface.
- Pressing fire and – together resets your daily puff number.
- Pressing fire and + together locks the device (you can’t fire it or change wattage when locked).
- Pressing all three buttons at the same time enters the clock interface (you can change the time using + and -).
The PUFF interface is an interesting feature as it allows you to keep track of your puff number for the last 14 days; the puff counter is displayed on the home screen and resets every day. The device goes to sleep if left unused for a while, and you’ll need to press the fire button to wake it up. It also sets the wattage back to the default after a long wait—which is a bit annoying to be honest.
Finally, the GENE.AI chip can be updated by using Voopoo’s software and downloading the latest firmware. There are no updates available yet, but as you will read further down the review, I do hope we will get one soon.
PnP coil heads
The Vinci comes with two coils in the box:
- The PnP-VM1 mesh coil (0.3 ohm)
- The PnP-R1 Kanthal coil (0.8 ohm)
Voopoo lists the R1 as also being mesh in their Vinci page, but after closer inspection and a bit of digging I am pretty sure that it’s either a parallel or a single-wire Kanthal coil. It is worth noting that the device is compatible with all of Voopoo’s PnP coils, the same coils that the Drag Baby and the Find S Trio use.
Both included coils are made for direct lung inhales. When it comes to picking nic strength, you can consider the 0.3-ohm coil similar to a restricted lung sub ohm tank coil, and the 0.8-ohm coil a bit more powerful than your average MTL tank coil.
An important thing to note is that both devices I received came with bad 0.3-ohm coils. And by bad, I mean dry hit after dry hit regardless of puff duration and PG/VG ratio. Thankfully, Voopoo sent me an extra box of these coils, which I tested extensively and work perfectly fine—even with long 4-second pulls at 35 watts. I haven’t found anyone else complaining online, so I guess my coils came from a bad batch. But keep that in mind in case your coil is giving you a hard time.
Outside of these two bum coils, both the 0.3 and the 0.8 seem to wick 70VG great. The 0.3 started struggling and I had to change it after five refills, but don’t forget that the pod takes 5.5 mL of juice. The 0.8-ohm coil is going strong on the third refill, but I stopped using it after that—the 0.3-ohm coil is just a better vape overall.
Performance
I’ll start by saying that the 0.3-ohm coils are quite possibly the most powerful AIO/pod coils I have ever tried. The 3 mg juices I use with sub ohm tanks don’t feel weak at all on this coil and I personally wouldn’t go over 6 mg. I’d go as far as saying that the vape I get out of it is equivalent to some mid-range sub ohm tank coils (think Innokin iSub-B).
With the open airflow option, the vape is a semi-restricted DL that allows for longer, three to four-second pulls and impressive vapor production. Going with the restricted airflow option helps the flavor pop even more, but you may need to lower the wattage from the 35-watt default. I tend to use the open airflow more, but some may appreciate the tighter draw of the restricted airflow option.
The 0.8-ohm coil is not that impressive, but it’s not a bad coil. It is more restricted, but the flavor feels a bit muted when compared to the 0.3-ohm coil. I preferred it on the open airflow setting at around 15 watts, or at the 12-watt default on the restricted airflow setting. Depending on the airflow and power you go with, I suggest starting with something around 6 mg for regular nicotine and not more than 20 mg nic salts. Note that flavors will linger for much longer on this coil, which may be annoying if you like swapping juices throughout the day.
I experienced a bit of spitback and the coil flooded on me once, both of these when the juice was running low. And I did sense a dry hit coming if I was holding the device at an angle for long. But these issues are workable, and the 0.8-ohm coil is alright to use once in a while—especially if you worry about running out of battery when you’re out and about.
Outside of coil performance, the device fires rapidly on manual mode, but the sensor may lag sometimes, especially on A&P mode. It doesn’t feel very consistent and I often experienced interruptions midway through the vape, unless I was inhaling strongly. That didn’t bother me as I have been mostly using the manual mode, but some may find it irritating. And, finally, the Vinci refused to fire a couple of times, but it went back to normal after I wiped a bit of e-liquid that had accumulated between the battery and the pod.
Battery life and charging
The Vinci houses a 1500 mAh battery, which is kind of impressive for a device its size. It charges through a micro USB port that’s placed at the bottom of the device, so you’ll only be able to charge it laying at its side. I timed a full charge at one hour and 15 minutes, which is about average for a battery this size.
Using the 0.3-ohm coil, I went through a bit over one pod (around 6-6.5 mL) before having to charge. On the 0.8-ohm coil, I managed to go through a full pod. I was expecting a bit more, but the higher resistance coil consumes juice at such a lower rate that I had to try hard to go through the full pod in one day. All in all, the battery life of the Vinci is solid, but I’d feel safer leaving my place with the 0.8-ohm coil on if I was unsure I’d be able to charge it at some point during the day.
Usage issues
I had a couple of worrying incidents when charging the Vinci and I felt that a separate section is warranted.
The first time I plugged in the device, and while its charge was very low, I used it to check for pass-thru support. It worked fine so I kept using it for a while, until it kept firing on its own after a puff. I checked to see if the button was stuck, but it wasn’t, so I removed the pod and reinserted it. And it started firing again! I went into panic mode, turned the device off and wiped the contacts, reinserted the pod and the misfiring stopped. Later on, the whole thing happened again one more time.
I can’t pinpoint what went wrong and I haven’t managed to make it happen again. It sure hasn’t auto-fired while sitting on the desk unused but, for now, the two things I can advise is to not use the device while it’s charging, and to generally keep an eye on it while it is plugged in. Hopefully that’s an issue that can be easily fixed with an update.
Pros / Cons
- (+) Great build quality
- (+) Feels great in the hand
- (+) Colorful editions look awesome
- (+) Comfortable mouthpiece
- (+) Two airflow options
- (+) Holds 5.5 mL of juice
- (+) Solid magnets
- (+) Screen is bright and font is easy to read
- (+) Two airflow options depending on the way you insert the pod
- (+) GENE chip is accurate and rapid-firing
- (+) 2-week puff counter may be useful
- (+) Good battery life
- (+) Compatible with five coils
- (+) 0.3-ohm coil is flavorful and packs a punch
- (+) Smooth airflow
- (-) Silicon plug breaks easily
- (-) Goes on stand-by if not used for a while
- (-) Device sets wattage to default after entering stand-by
- (-) Sensor lags in A&P and auto mode
- (-) Included 0.3-ohm coils were bad
- (-) 0.8-ohm coil may flood and spit when low on juice
- (-) A bit of leaking under the pod
- (-) Wouldn’t stop firing when used while plugged in (happened a couple of times)
Verdict
If Voopoo hadn’t sent the extra pack of 0.3-ohm coils, this review would have ended on a very different note. Simply put, the abysmal performance of the included 0.3-ohm coils combined with some glaring flaws listed in the cons would have been enough for me to outright advise staying away from the Vinci at all costs. But after using a couple of good 0.3-ohm coils, I mellowed down a bit—although I still can’t fully recommend it.
The Vinci has a lot going for it. It is very well built, the features of the GENE.AI chip are great, and it holds a whopping 5.5 mL of juice. But the silicon plug’s tendency to break and the misfires while the device was charging are real deal-breakers. The good news is that both of these issues (and a couple more) can be fixed if Voopoo stays on top of their game. As things stand, the Voopoo Vinci is a tiny change on the plug design and a firmware update away from a full recommendation.
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Article Written By: Spyros Papamichail
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