Voopoo Argus GT
Big thanks to Voopoo for the opportunity to review the latest offering, the Argus GT. Having recently reviewed the Drag X this gave me the chance to test the PnP Adapt 510 base as well as the Argus mod.
In the box & specs
First thing that strikes you is this isn’t the normal mass produced cardboard box presentation. Instead you have a rugged looking case, which when opened presents you with an Argus GT, Adapt PnP & pod, 2 coils, USB C charge lead & manual. The mod & pod are secured in the foam cut outs & with foam in the lid it makes for a secure package. So no need to chuck the packaging in the bin/drawer as this is designed to be popped in a pack pack/bag or jacket pocket to carry spare coils, pod, juice & batteries in a protective case or sleeves. Coils are the 0.15ohm & 0.2ohm PnP coils & pod capacity is 4.5ml (2ml TPD).
The Argus GT is a dual cell, 160w mod with Ni, Ti, SS, Smart & RBA modes all controlled by the GENE.TT chip. Safety protection includes Overtime, Output over-current, Short circuit, Overcharge/Discharge, Over temp & Battery polarity as well as Balance charge. Onboard charging & firmware upgrades via the USB C socket. There are 5 finishes available, Carbon Fibre, Vintage Grey, Dark Blue (review model), Black & Red & Black & Blue.
Material: Leather + Zinc Alloy
Output Power: 5-160W
Output Voltage: 6.4-8.4V
Resistance: 0.1-3.0Ω
Battery Capacity: Dual 18650 (Excluding battery)
The Adapt PnP pod is a 510 threaded base with the ability to swap pods at will given they are secured in place by 3 powerful magnets in the same way as using the pod section on the Drag S/X series. Fully adjustable airflow allow for full control over the vape. The pods are compatible with all Voopoos PnP coil range.
Capacity: 4.5ml (TPD: 2ml)
Material: Stainless Steel + PCTG
Resistance: 0.2Ω (PnP-VM5) 0.15Ω (PnP-VM6)
The mod is a zinc alloy body with a leather cushioned grip. The detailing on the grip includes an embossed ARGUS, pseudo stitching & Voopoo name in a mustard colour. Accent frame is silver graduating to black at the base with the rest of the body in matt black with a splatter finish. On top is a spring loaded 510 capable of taking a 25mm tank with no overhang. Screen is a colour 0.96” with a slightly protruding fire button above & +/- buttons below. The screen is easy to read with twin battery indicators at the top, moving down to power, mode, ohm, volts, graphic presentation of vape time, vape time & puff count. The GENE.TT chip boast a Smart function that detects the resistance of the coil & sets the power within the power range of the coil. The Smart feature also prevents you from upping the power above the max setting for the coil, great to prevent burning coils. Two other modes are available, RBA & TC. RBA mode is ideal when using a standard RDA/RTA or Sub ohm tank & allows for full 160w power if required. To start the device, it’s the usual 5 clicks & is running within 3 secs. To swap between modes it’s 3 clicks on the fire button. Power is adjusted by the +/- buttons. Clicking fire & + locks/unlocks the fire/adjust buttons. Fire & - together clear the puff counter. Selecting TC mode & the first screen has the 3 material options, select using +/- button & either press fire or wait a couple of seconds & it shows the main screen. Hold down +/- together to enter the settings, TCR, watts & ohms, navigating between each one using the fire button & changing values with the +/- buttons. Battery door on the bottom is a push & slide style with pos & neg contacts. The hinge has some sideways play but hasn’t caused any problems to date & shut securely.
The Adapt PnP pod tank consists of a 510 threaded base with adjustable bottom airflow topped with the PNP tank that is held securely by 3 powerful magnets. The tank itself is smoked PCTG with a fixed drip tip & bottom fill via a well proportioned fill hole covered by a silicone plug. It would be nice to see a tank with a 510/810 fitting to enable the use of your own tips but the tip itself isn’t uncomfortable to use & has a good bore size for restricted to open DTL. Juice level is easy to see & the coils sit low enough to keep wicking.
In the hand
There is a good range of PnP coils that can be used and as I hadn’t tried the 0.15ohm coil, that was the one to start with. The coil is a simple push fit after a quick prime with juice & then fill up via the bottom fill. Pop the tank onto the base & give it a few minutes to absorb juice & it’s ready to go. This coil is rated at 60-80w & the mod self-set to 65w. After a few pulls to bed in this turned out to be my sweet spot as going as high as 80w felt on the verge of burning or dry hitting. With the airflow wide open it wasn’t any better to me & actually too hot for my taste. Between 60 & 65w was, to me, the most enjoyable. Vape was warm & moist, just how I like it and flavours from the juice were all present. A really satisfying vape from these coils. Fortunately, I had another pod free so popped the 0.2ohm coil in & juiced up. Swapping the pods over is a breeze, pull the old one off & pop the new one on the Adapt base. The Smart system recognised the new coil straight away & set the power to 45w (40-60w range). Again, this was a good selection & I vaped quite happily at this setting. Moving up the power range again, for me, got too hot to be enjoyable so I kept it at 45w. Airflow on the Adapt is not quite as smooth as using the pods on the Drag X but this maybe down to the airflow through the base isn’t as direct as it is on the Drag. Airflow adjustment is easy with the knurled ring but, Like the Drag S/X I only really noticed a change from half closed to almost shut. All in all a satisfying vape on both coils.
As the mod has a standard 510 thread, I tried an OFRF Gear with my usual single coil build in RBA mode & worked as well as expected for a dual cell mod & quick firing to boot.
Couple of negatives to note though. Although these newer coils have a different sealing O ring, black instead of beige, I did have a little bit of weeping which has been an issue since the Vinci release. It only happens when the unit is left standing & having learnt from the Vinci, I remove the pods if it’s not going to be used for a day or so. The other puzzling issue is the TCR settings for the tamp control. On the mod SS is set to 1300. TCR for SS is around 088-092 but changing to these made no difference compared to the default. I tried 0880 – 0920 as well as 0088-0092 but couldn’t get a satisfying TC vape. This was tested using my usual SS TC build on a Supreme. I would also like to see the battery cut off lowered from 3.5v (ave) to around 3.2v as runtime is somewhat disappointing. Hopefully, this can be sorted with a firmware upgrade.
Apart from those niggles this is a very capable mod, feels good in the hand & isn’t heavy. Reminiscent of the LV Paranormal series in shape & design but less than a third of the price, the Argus GT will find many admirers. I tip my hat also to the Adapt PnP tank pod. The ability to integrate between this mod & the Drag X/S makes it a very good system. The introduction of the soon to be release RTA pod/tank can only be a plus.
Thanks again to Voopoo for the opportunity to review the Argus GT.
