Introduction
My Pulse 2 is one of my most reliable, most used and most loved mods, so the Pulse 3 has some pretty big shoes to fill.
This review will be as much about comparing the Pulse 3 to the Pulse 2 as anything else.
Product overview
The Pulse 3 is a 95w, 21700/18650 squonk mod, with a 7.8ml juice bottle, and a few customization options.
What do you get?
- Pulse 3 squonk mod
- 2×7.8ml squonk bottles
- 18650 battery adapter
- USB type-C cable
First impressions
One of the things that I love about the Pulse 2 is that for a 21700 squonk mod, it’s tiny; however, the Pulse 3 is noticeably taller than the Pulse 2 (92.5mm vs 82.3mm) despite lacking the bottom-fill system of the Pulse 2.
Unlike the Pulse 2 that has a conventional 510 connector, the Pulse 3 has a large silver metal plate covering the top of the mod, while this probably makes it very durable, it does nothing for the aesthetics. Pictures of the black and frosted black versions show the plate in black which looks a little nicer.
While Vandy Vape are claiming 26.2mm width (and therefore max RDA size without overhang) in reality, the top of the mod tapers down from the top plate and any RDAs over 22mm will have a slightly noticeable overhang.
The overall design is a little more angular in the Pulse 3, compared to the very smooth and rounded style of the Pulse 2.
The quality and fit are nice, there is no panel movement and the quality of the plastics feels just as good as on the Pulse 2.
Bottles
The Pulse 3 has done away with the bottom-fill system of the Pulse 2, replacing it with square bottles with a rubber tab similar to many pod systems While this doesn’t seem as high-tech as bottom-fill, it is easier/cleaner to fill and probably more reliable in the long term.
The bottles are 7.8ml capacity, compared to 7ml in the Pulse 2, have a very nice feel to them and can be disassembled for cleaning.
Overall, the bottles seem to be a worthwhile improvement over those in the Pulse 2.
Chipset
The Pulse 3 has what appears to be the same chipset as in every recent Vandy Vape mod, this is no bad thing, as it’s a great chipset.
Five clicks on/off, three clicks to change mod, up/down to enter settings. As standard only the wattage mode is enabled, but from settings you can enable TC, voltage, and bypass modes.
The one thing that could have been done a little better, is that changing the UI color scheme, doesn’t change much, unlike in other Vandy Vape mods using the same chipset.
Customization
Being able to swap out side panels is nothing new, however the front panel of the Pulse 3 is held on magnetically and easily removed.
Custom side/front panels and button sets are showing on pre-order on some sites now, but I would have loved to have seen one spare panel set in the box, as you do with the Pulse AIO.5 kit.
Conclusion
When comparing the Pulse 3 to the Pulse 2, the only real complaints I have with the Pulse 3 are related to its dimensions, it’s not as cute and compact as the Pulse 2, and you have to choose your RDA carefully to avoid overhang.
If I wasn’t comparing the Pulse 3 to its predecessor, then this review would be nothing but positive – it’s a well built squonk mod, with a good filling system and excellent chipset.
Disclaimer
The Vandy Vape Pulse 3 was provided for the purposes of this review by Healthcabin.
