Vapaneezer Scrooge
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- Joined
- Dec 23, 2017
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There's a bit of a backlog for front end reviews going live due to a surge in new stuff so I'm going to do a few 'skinny' reviews of items already reviewed and waiting to publish.
Starting with the Vaporesso GEN Nano Kit REVIEW
Supplied by Vaporesso for review purposes.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/gen-nano
RRP = $61.90 USD (Around £54)
The all new GEN NANO is modelled on the original GEN mod but with an inbuilt battery packed into a compact version, I was already liking that but the exciting part was that the new tank takes GTX coils, I am already very familiar with these coils as they are the only stock coils I buy these days, for the PM80 & the GTX ONE, now I have the option of a DTL mod & tank, to be honest I’m fully expecting it to vape the same as the PM80 which leaves me with high expectations.
Features
The Gen Nano comes in the contemporary designed box which is colour matched to the mod & tanks colour, the box is sturdy and will take pretty much a grumpy postman can throw at it, still no notches in the lid still so you have to shake it to open, once you’ve got the lid off you are greeted to the top layer; the Gen Nano, the GTX 22 tank and a spare straight glass.
Underneath a cardboard divider is a spare coil, Micro USB cable sadly it’s still not USB-C but superb quality, some spare seals, GTX coil specs, warranty & QC documents and a multi-language manual.
After inspecting the contents I grabbed hold of the mod & tank for my first look and feel, the first thing that struck me was just how compact and comfortable it was, it really sits in your hand perfectly, grippy with smooth ergonomics, similar to the original GEN but obviously much smaller & lighter, the mod size is 115.0mm x 40.3mm x 24.2mm and the weight is 140g including juice, the 22mm tank is actually closer to 23mm with the knurling, the base is 22mm though, the bubble glass option is 26.8mm wide, the height of the tank is 45mm with the drip tip.
Kit includes:
Obviously looks are subjective, as a fan of the original GEN the Nano was an instant like for me, I love the 2 tone (The Specials, The Selector?) gradient colouring which matches the tank perfectly, the photos don’t do it justice as it has an almost iridescent look to it as you rotate it to the light, the branding is minimal and stylish and has details printed on the base which has battery vents, there’s no hard edges anywhere as every edges has been smoothed or bevelled, the buttons are slightly raised and well positioned.
If you own the original (big) GEN then you will be pleased just how much it matches, unfortunately the colour I was sent didn’t match my Blue Gen but they still looked good side by side.
GTX TANK 22
On its own the tank looks very generic and not one I would buy separately as it would look a little odd on other mods, but paired with the GEN Nano or indeed the original GEN it is a perfect match, the contemporary styling makes sense then, it’s a good looking tank which is only let down by the bland and cheap looking 510 drip tip, on the plus side the drip tip is wide bore and comfortable.
The plug-n-play coil fitting is simple enough though you still need to have most of the tank empty before swapping coils, everything strips down easily and all makes sense to put back together, strangely Vaporesso have gone for a screw top fill, it would have been nice to see a slide to fill (like the Innokin Zlide) as filling on the go means you have to remove the topcap fully before filling and can be messy.
Would you like a happy ending with that sir?
So the cherry on the icing with the GTX Tank 22 (as the name suggests) is the GTX coil compatibility, this tank takes the full range of coils, from DTL to MTL and the RBA.
This above all was what got me excited about this kit, I already loved them in the Target PM80, PM30 and the new GTX ONE kit and now I had the option to use them in a DL (Direct Lung) tank and as it happens they included my favourite coil in the PM80, the GTX 0.2Ω Mesh, for those that haven’t tried these coils then you are in for a treat, great flavour, vapour production and they last a long time, I reviewed the GTX coil range recently and there’s a coil to suit most preferences from DL to MTL.
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/reviews/accessory/vaporesso-gtx-coil-selection-and-rba.html
Menu & Features
I will go more in depth with the full review but if you're familiar with the GEN mod then you should know what to expect, there really are some superb functions as you investigate them in the manual, for me personally I find PULSE MODE, SMART VW and occasionally POWER ECO the most useful, the rest of the options are more for DIY RTA’s or RDA’s and of no use for GTX coils, most users won’t need to stray into the menus at all.
The screen holds all the information you should need depending on which mode you are in, but by default it displays:
I pretty much knew what to expect and demand, I went straight in with the 0.2Ω GTX Coil as it was my favourite in the PM80 and I could directly compare the 2 as I had the same Rachael Rabbit 3mg 70VG/30PG juice in both, I wasn’t expecting a lot of difference but the GEN NANO managed to squeeze even more flavour out of the same coil, I put this down to 2 factors; PULSE MODE and Airflow Control (AFC), PULSE Mode is tricky to describe but it delivers a very consistent vape, especially at higher wattage where it pushes the battery’s voltage capacity, I vaped at the suggested wattage sweet spot 55 Watts and after adjusting up and down I was more than happy going back to 55 Watts, 60 Watts gave me a warmer vape but shortens the coil lifespan, for me the trade-off wasn’t worth it, 55 Watts gave a nice warm vape, large vapour production and plenty of flavour.
After a few tanks I switched over to the GTX 0.6Ω MESH coil, same juice and SMART VW set the wattage to 28 Watts, this coil clearly suits a more restrictive DL (Direct Lung) vape so closed off the airflow until I found my suited draw, the vape wasn’t quite as intense as the 0.2Ω but I really enjoyed using this coil, more than I did when reviewing the coil range in the PM80, the PULSE wasn’t as evident but adjusting the airflow really helped deliver the best from this coil.
Out of the 2 I think I will stick with my favourite 0.2Ω but I like having the option of the 0.6Ω for when I am out and about all day as the battery life should last a lot longer.
Is it much kop for MTL (Mouth To Lung)?
Erm… not really, I did try a 1.2Ω GTX coil in it, the airflow closed down fairly well but the 3 sided intake was a bit too much and the drip tip is too large so it just didn’t feel right for a tight MTL draw, however it did work well if you prefer a loose MTL draw, for me, my fix for this was shoving on the GTX ONE tank onto the GEN NANO mod but it kind of defeated the purpose, the GEN NANO is a superb compact DL (Direct Lung) kit and should be an alternate setup to a MTL tank
Conclusion
If you are after a pocket friendly setup for DL/DTL (Direct Lung) and a flavour chaser (like me) then I highly recommend the GEN NANO, surprisingly it has mostly replaced my much loved PM80 for DL vaping, the flavour & vapour production is staggering, a traditional Mod & Tank setup that should satisfy most DL users that prefer stock coils, in fact as an avid DIY user I’m being swayed away back to stock coils, especially the GTX range, I’m kind of gutted that I cannot match any of my own builds to the flavour I get from a GTX coil at such low wattage, perhaps it says something about my build skills but I believe it is down to Vaporesso’s wicking development.
I wasn’t overly impressed with earlier Vaporesso coils, I preferred Freemax Mesh or Smok Mesh V2’s but they required a much higher wattage which drains you battery, juice and money faster, I can now get a better taste, vape and lifespan at a much lower wattage, that’s a winner in my book.
Simply put, the GEN Nano kit punches well above its lightweight in most areas, performance, flavour and vapour production.
Pros
Cons
None of the cons are a deal breaker, more of a shame in the current market.
Final Thoughts & Score
The GEN Nano & Tank 22 is the best DL release since the Target PM80, not only has it got all the functionality of its larger brother it also has a tank & coils that really make this kit a strong contender for mod/tank of the year for me, you would be hard pushed to find a better traditional pocket mod/tank option.
Score: 9/10 – The best traditional Mod / DTL Tank combo of 2020 (so far).
I will go into a bit more detail in the full review but most of the important stuff should be covered for now.
Starting with the Vaporesso GEN Nano Kit REVIEW
Supplied by Vaporesso for review purposes.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/gen-nano
RRP = $61.90 USD (Around £54)
The all new GEN NANO is modelled on the original GEN mod but with an inbuilt battery packed into a compact version, I was already liking that but the exciting part was that the new tank takes GTX coils, I am already very familiar with these coils as they are the only stock coils I buy these days, for the PM80 & the GTX ONE, now I have the option of a DTL mod & tank, to be honest I’m fully expecting it to vape the same as the PM80 which leaves me with high expectations.
Features
- · Sub Ohm Vape Kit
- · Compact & Ergonomic
- · 5 - 80W Output Range
- · 2000mAh Built-In Battery
- · Intelligent AXON Chipset
- · 3.5ml (2ml TPD) Tank
- · Compatible with Sub Ohm GTX Coils
- · Top Filling
- · Adjustable Airflow
- · Compatible with High VG E-Liquid
The Gen Nano comes in the contemporary designed box which is colour matched to the mod & tanks colour, the box is sturdy and will take pretty much a grumpy postman can throw at it, still no notches in the lid still so you have to shake it to open, once you’ve got the lid off you are greeted to the top layer; the Gen Nano, the GTX 22 tank and a spare straight glass.
Underneath a cardboard divider is a spare coil, Micro USB cable sadly it’s still not USB-C but superb quality, some spare seals, GTX coil specs, warranty & QC documents and a multi-language manual.
After inspecting the contents I grabbed hold of the mod & tank for my first look and feel, the first thing that struck me was just how compact and comfortable it was, it really sits in your hand perfectly, grippy with smooth ergonomics, similar to the original GEN but obviously much smaller & lighter, the mod size is 115.0mm x 40.3mm x 24.2mm and the weight is 140g including juice, the 22mm tank is actually closer to 23mm with the knurling, the base is 22mm though, the bubble glass option is 26.8mm wide, the height of the tank is 45mm with the drip tip.
Kit includes:
- 1 x Gen Nano Mod
- 1 × GTX Tank 22 (3.5ml or 2ml TPD)
- 1 × GTX 0.2Ω MESH coil
- 1 × GTX 0.6Ω MESH coil
- 1 × Glass tube (2ml)
- 3 x O-rings
- 1 × Micro-USB cable
- 1 × GTX coil reminder card
- 1 x User manual
- 1 x Warranty card
Obviously looks are subjective, as a fan of the original GEN the Nano was an instant like for me, I love the 2 tone (The Specials, The Selector?) gradient colouring which matches the tank perfectly, the photos don’t do it justice as it has an almost iridescent look to it as you rotate it to the light, the branding is minimal and stylish and has details printed on the base which has battery vents, there’s no hard edges anywhere as every edges has been smoothed or bevelled, the buttons are slightly raised and well positioned.
If you own the original (big) GEN then you will be pleased just how much it matches, unfortunately the colour I was sent didn’t match my Blue Gen but they still looked good side by side.
GTX TANK 22
On its own the tank looks very generic and not one I would buy separately as it would look a little odd on other mods, but paired with the GEN Nano or indeed the original GEN it is a perfect match, the contemporary styling makes sense then, it’s a good looking tank which is only let down by the bland and cheap looking 510 drip tip, on the plus side the drip tip is wide bore and comfortable.
The plug-n-play coil fitting is simple enough though you still need to have most of the tank empty before swapping coils, everything strips down easily and all makes sense to put back together, strangely Vaporesso have gone for a screw top fill, it would have been nice to see a slide to fill (like the Innokin Zlide) as filling on the go means you have to remove the topcap fully before filling and can be messy.
Would you like a happy ending with that sir?
So the cherry on the icing with the GTX Tank 22 (as the name suggests) is the GTX coil compatibility, this tank takes the full range of coils, from DTL to MTL and the RBA.
This above all was what got me excited about this kit, I already loved them in the Target PM80, PM30 and the new GTX ONE kit and now I had the option to use them in a DL (Direct Lung) tank and as it happens they included my favourite coil in the PM80, the GTX 0.2Ω Mesh, for those that haven’t tried these coils then you are in for a treat, great flavour, vapour production and they last a long time, I reviewed the GTX coil range recently and there’s a coil to suit most preferences from DL to MTL.
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/reviews/accessory/vaporesso-gtx-coil-selection-and-rba.html
Menu & Features
I will go more in depth with the full review but if you're familiar with the GEN mod then you should know what to expect, there really are some superb functions as you investigate them in the manual, for me personally I find PULSE MODE, SMART VW and occasionally POWER ECO the most useful, the rest of the options are more for DIY RTA’s or RDA’s and of no use for GTX coils, most users won’t need to stray into the menus at all.
The screen holds all the information you should need depending on which mode you are in, but by default it displays:
- Battery Percentage
- Resistance (Ω Ohms of the inserted coil)
- Puff Counter (up to 9,999)
- Selected Wattage (In 0.5 Watt Increments)
- Mode (PUL = Pulse by default)
- BEST (The Wattage Range Recommended For The Inserted Coil)
I pretty much knew what to expect and demand, I went straight in with the 0.2Ω GTX Coil as it was my favourite in the PM80 and I could directly compare the 2 as I had the same Rachael Rabbit 3mg 70VG/30PG juice in both, I wasn’t expecting a lot of difference but the GEN NANO managed to squeeze even more flavour out of the same coil, I put this down to 2 factors; PULSE MODE and Airflow Control (AFC), PULSE Mode is tricky to describe but it delivers a very consistent vape, especially at higher wattage where it pushes the battery’s voltage capacity, I vaped at the suggested wattage sweet spot 55 Watts and after adjusting up and down I was more than happy going back to 55 Watts, 60 Watts gave me a warmer vape but shortens the coil lifespan, for me the trade-off wasn’t worth it, 55 Watts gave a nice warm vape, large vapour production and plenty of flavour.
After a few tanks I switched over to the GTX 0.6Ω MESH coil, same juice and SMART VW set the wattage to 28 Watts, this coil clearly suits a more restrictive DL (Direct Lung) vape so closed off the airflow until I found my suited draw, the vape wasn’t quite as intense as the 0.2Ω but I really enjoyed using this coil, more than I did when reviewing the coil range in the PM80, the PULSE wasn’t as evident but adjusting the airflow really helped deliver the best from this coil.
Out of the 2 I think I will stick with my favourite 0.2Ω but I like having the option of the 0.6Ω for when I am out and about all day as the battery life should last a lot longer.
Is it much kop for MTL (Mouth To Lung)?
Erm… not really, I did try a 1.2Ω GTX coil in it, the airflow closed down fairly well but the 3 sided intake was a bit too much and the drip tip is too large so it just didn’t feel right for a tight MTL draw, however it did work well if you prefer a loose MTL draw, for me, my fix for this was shoving on the GTX ONE tank onto the GEN NANO mod but it kind of defeated the purpose, the GEN NANO is a superb compact DL (Direct Lung) kit and should be an alternate setup to a MTL tank
Conclusion
If you are after a pocket friendly setup for DL/DTL (Direct Lung) and a flavour chaser (like me) then I highly recommend the GEN NANO, surprisingly it has mostly replaced my much loved PM80 for DL vaping, the flavour & vapour production is staggering, a traditional Mod & Tank setup that should satisfy most DL users that prefer stock coils, in fact as an avid DIY user I’m being swayed away back to stock coils, especially the GTX range, I’m kind of gutted that I cannot match any of my own builds to the flavour I get from a GTX coil at such low wattage, perhaps it says something about my build skills but I believe it is down to Vaporesso’s wicking development.
I wasn’t overly impressed with earlier Vaporesso coils, I preferred Freemax Mesh or Smok Mesh V2’s but they required a much higher wattage which drains you battery, juice and money faster, I can now get a better taste, vape and lifespan at a much lower wattage, that’s a winner in my book.
Simply put, the GEN Nano kit punches well above its lightweight in most areas, performance, flavour and vapour production.
Pros
- Compact and ergonomic.
- GTX coil compatibility.
- Superb features.
- Good battery life.
- ECO Options.
- Stylish GEN baby brother.
- Pocket friendly.
- 2000mAh inbuilt battery.
Cons
- Ugly drip tip.
- Screw top fill.
- No USB-C
None of the cons are a deal breaker, more of a shame in the current market.
Final Thoughts & Score
The GEN Nano & Tank 22 is the best DL release since the Target PM80, not only has it got all the functionality of its larger brother it also has a tank & coils that really make this kit a strong contender for mod/tank of the year for me, you would be hard pushed to find a better traditional pocket mod/tank option.
Score: 9/10 – The best traditional Mod / DTL Tank combo of 2020 (so far).
I will go into a bit more detail in the full review but most of the important stuff should be covered for now.
