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Voopoo Argus XT with Uforce-L tank review by Antony lord
Back in September last year (2022) Voopoo released the Argus XT/MT series of mods paired with the MAAT sub ohm tank which Simon took a look at here. Unfortunately this was mere weeks before they asked me if I’d be interested in looking at their products but now they’re reissuing the Argus XT/MT paired with the newer UForce-L tank, which uses the ever popular PnP platform coils, and that means I get to have a play as well this time around.
As these were pre release items the Argus XT mod and the UForce-L tank came packaged separately but I’m sure in the fullness of time you’ll start seeing full kits with the two items bundled in the same box making an appearance as well. I was particularly impressed by the large metal presentation tin that the Argus XT mod came in as this really stood out from the standard cardboard box.
The Argus XT utilizes an external 21700 battery whereas the Argus MT sports an internal 3000mah battery, the XT also has a useful “QS lock” feature absent from the MT. Other than that they are the same with identical sizing and features which includes a full iP68 rating (water, drop and dust resistance) for that reassuring ruggedness that you want from a daily driver mod particularly if you’re a bit rough with your gear or tend to drop things a lot.
I was sent the Argus XT (external 21700 battery) for the review in “Carbon fibre” which has black zinc alloy chassis with a “leather” pad running down its spine for added grip and comfort. This is quite hefty at 144 grams, add in a battery and the UForce-L tank and you’re up to 306 grams which is hitting dual battery territory so you’re definitely going to notice this in a pocket, this is probably due to the combination of materials used along with any extra weight needed to hit that iP68 rating.
Size wise things are much better at 94 x 41.8 x 31.7 mm making it fairly compact for an iP68 rated 21700 mod and in use whilst you’re aware of the weight it’s comfortable to hold and feels nicely balanced in your hand. There are a few nice aesthetic curves and cutouts in the chassis to add a little visual interest and all the controls fall nicely into place with your fingers. On my review unit there is a teeny bit of excess movement on the power button but other than that it’s fine and the large colour screen with its bold wattage display is a joy to use.
The 510 platform has a slightly raised 510 connector to prevent atty rash but you will notice some gapping as a result especially if you hold this up to the light. The platform is plenty big enough though and anything up to 30mm diameter will fit here without any issue.
You may have noticed the intriguing switch at the top of the XT. This has three positions:
I’ve been tending to use this locked in the left position when this has been in pockets and then switching it to the left position whilst in use which is a great feature. Be warned though if you’re the type that tends to fidget with things then this is a primary target and I’ve found myself sat absentmindedly flicking the switch back and forth on more than one occasion.
The battery compartment is at the base and secured by a spring loaded latch mechanism. This has been very robust in use with no accidental opening in pockets, you can also see some of the extra rubber seals needed for the iP68 rating. One thing that could be improved is polarity marking, there’s a small negative sign on the terminal inside the door and that’s it. As always there’s USB-C charging on board should you need it and this is hidden behind a small door on the base of the control panel.
This is all backed up by the Voopoo Gene TT chipset which is very mature at this stage with smart, RBA (wattage), turbo (boost), and temperature control modes. I’ve been using this purely in RBA (wattage) mode as I’m sure most others will and it hasn’t skipped a beat apart from the two issues I’ve highlighted on previous boards namely a noticeable drop off in performance when your battery drops below about 15% and the always annoying deep sleep mode after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The Argus XT/MT will now come packaged with the UForce-L tank and two PnP platform coils featuring dual heating zones and I took a look at this not too long ago with the Drag 4 kit. It’s quite a tall sub ohm tank but it’s nice to see this offered in a traditional metal and glass tank design with top airflow, a removable drip tip and convenient top fill rather than some flimsy plastic pod posing as a sub-ohm tank.
A word of warning on the top fill though, be sure to hold this bolt upright when filling as it seems to back up otherwise and you’ll end up with e-liquid everywhere. This doesn’t seem to have been resolved since the last time I took the UForce-L and I’ve found myself and the Argus XT covered I eliquid more than once, thank goodness for that ip68 rating!
Unscrew the base of the tank and the pod origins of the UForce-L become more apparent. The two coils included in the kit are both new to me and feature mesh heads with dual heating zones, Voopoo were kind enough to let me know that they’re kanthal coils as well. These have been stellar, I normally struggle to pick out strawberry flavours but these seemed to make this pop, perhaps due to those dual heating zones, so they get a big thumbs up from me although they can be a bit thirsty which might be an issue with 2ml TPD compliant kits. You can of course still use all the standard Voopoo PnP coils, yes that’s right the same ones we’ve been using in their pod systems for the past few years, but I’d highly recommend trying these updated coils out as they just bump the performance up to the next level.
Conclusion:
I’ve been really happy with the Argus XT, I’m a big fan of single 21700 mods as they strike a nice balance between size and battery life particularly if you have smaller hands. The iP68 rating on offer is the icing on the cake here and means that this should hold up to the rough and tumble of daily use. One thing that did surprise me here was that I would occasionally feel something shifting around in use and it turns out it was the battery, I was using a newer Molicell 21700 battery which is the correct size and if I shifted to older oversized batteries this behavior disappeared. It didn’t affect the performance in any way but it is worth bearing in mind if this is the sort of thing that is likely to drive you to distraction.
The UForce-L and those PnP platform coils featuring dual heating zones are the real stars here though. I’ve long been a fan of the PnP coils but these are even better and this has rapidly become one of my favorite sub ohm tanks.
Many thanks to Voopoo for sending the Argus XT and the UForce-L out for review.
@VOOPOO @Voopoo UK
Back in September last year (2022) Voopoo released the Argus XT/MT series of mods paired with the MAAT sub ohm tank which Simon took a look at here. Unfortunately this was mere weeks before they asked me if I’d be interested in looking at their products but now they’re reissuing the Argus XT/MT paired with the newer UForce-L tank, which uses the ever popular PnP platform coils, and that means I get to have a play as well this time around.
As these were pre release items the Argus XT mod and the UForce-L tank came packaged separately but I’m sure in the fullness of time you’ll start seeing full kits with the two items bundled in the same box making an appearance as well. I was particularly impressed by the large metal presentation tin that the Argus XT mod came in as this really stood out from the standard cardboard box.
The Argus XT utilizes an external 21700 battery whereas the Argus MT sports an internal 3000mah battery, the XT also has a useful “QS lock” feature absent from the MT. Other than that they are the same with identical sizing and features which includes a full iP68 rating (water, drop and dust resistance) for that reassuring ruggedness that you want from a daily driver mod particularly if you’re a bit rough with your gear or tend to drop things a lot.
I was sent the Argus XT (external 21700 battery) for the review in “Carbon fibre” which has black zinc alloy chassis with a “leather” pad running down its spine for added grip and comfort. This is quite hefty at 144 grams, add in a battery and the UForce-L tank and you’re up to 306 grams which is hitting dual battery territory so you’re definitely going to notice this in a pocket, this is probably due to the combination of materials used along with any extra weight needed to hit that iP68 rating.
Size wise things are much better at 94 x 41.8 x 31.7 mm making it fairly compact for an iP68 rated 21700 mod and in use whilst you’re aware of the weight it’s comfortable to hold and feels nicely balanced in your hand. There are a few nice aesthetic curves and cutouts in the chassis to add a little visual interest and all the controls fall nicely into place with your fingers. On my review unit there is a teeny bit of excess movement on the power button but other than that it’s fine and the large colour screen with its bold wattage display is a joy to use.
The 510 platform has a slightly raised 510 connector to prevent atty rash but you will notice some gapping as a result especially if you hold this up to the light. The platform is plenty big enough though and anything up to 30mm diameter will fit here without any issue.
You may have noticed the intriguing switch at the top of the XT. This has three positions:
- All the way to the left locks all the buttons
- The center position unlocks all the buttons
- All the way to the right locks the up/down buttons.
I’ve been tending to use this locked in the left position when this has been in pockets and then switching it to the left position whilst in use which is a great feature. Be warned though if you’re the type that tends to fidget with things then this is a primary target and I’ve found myself sat absentmindedly flicking the switch back and forth on more than one occasion.
The battery compartment is at the base and secured by a spring loaded latch mechanism. This has been very robust in use with no accidental opening in pockets, you can also see some of the extra rubber seals needed for the iP68 rating. One thing that could be improved is polarity marking, there’s a small negative sign on the terminal inside the door and that’s it. As always there’s USB-C charging on board should you need it and this is hidden behind a small door on the base of the control panel.
This is all backed up by the Voopoo Gene TT chipset which is very mature at this stage with smart, RBA (wattage), turbo (boost), and temperature control modes. I’ve been using this purely in RBA (wattage) mode as I’m sure most others will and it hasn’t skipped a beat apart from the two issues I’ve highlighted on previous boards namely a noticeable drop off in performance when your battery drops below about 15% and the always annoying deep sleep mode after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The Argus XT/MT will now come packaged with the UForce-L tank and two PnP platform coils featuring dual heating zones and I took a look at this not too long ago with the Drag 4 kit. It’s quite a tall sub ohm tank but it’s nice to see this offered in a traditional metal and glass tank design with top airflow, a removable drip tip and convenient top fill rather than some flimsy plastic pod posing as a sub-ohm tank.
A word of warning on the top fill though, be sure to hold this bolt upright when filling as it seems to back up otherwise and you’ll end up with e-liquid everywhere. This doesn’t seem to have been resolved since the last time I took the UForce-L and I’ve found myself and the Argus XT covered I eliquid more than once, thank goodness for that ip68 rating!
Unscrew the base of the tank and the pod origins of the UForce-L become more apparent. The two coils included in the kit are both new to me and feature mesh heads with dual heating zones, Voopoo were kind enough to let me know that they’re kanthal coils as well. These have been stellar, I normally struggle to pick out strawberry flavours but these seemed to make this pop, perhaps due to those dual heating zones, so they get a big thumbs up from me although they can be a bit thirsty which might be an issue with 2ml TPD compliant kits. You can of course still use all the standard Voopoo PnP coils, yes that’s right the same ones we’ve been using in their pod systems for the past few years, but I’d highly recommend trying these updated coils out as they just bump the performance up to the next level.
Conclusion:
I’ve been really happy with the Argus XT, I’m a big fan of single 21700 mods as they strike a nice balance between size and battery life particularly if you have smaller hands. The iP68 rating on offer is the icing on the cake here and means that this should hold up to the rough and tumble of daily use. One thing that did surprise me here was that I would occasionally feel something shifting around in use and it turns out it was the battery, I was using a newer Molicell 21700 battery which is the correct size and if I shifted to older oversized batteries this behavior disappeared. It didn’t affect the performance in any way but it is worth bearing in mind if this is the sort of thing that is likely to drive you to distraction.
The UForce-L and those PnP platform coils featuring dual heating zones are the real stars here though. I’ve long been a fan of the PnP coils but these are even better and this has rapidly become one of my favorite sub ohm tanks.
Many thanks to Voopoo for sending the Argus XT and the UForce-L out for review.
@VOOPOO @Voopoo UK
