Intro
VOOPOO just released a new mod kit to expand its well-recognized Argus line—VOOPOO Argus GT II mod kit. It’s a rugged and solid mod firing up to 200W. The box mod runs on dual 18650 batteries and gets paired with VOOPOO’s latest MAAT Tank. Compared to the original Argus GT mod kit, this one has a bigger e-juice capacity and a more advanced mesh coil and chipset packed in.
This review covers all the pros and cons of VOOPOO Argus GT II based on our days of testing on the kit. Read further down the page to see whether the Argus GT II mod kit is your go-to!
Design & Build Quality
Box Mod
VOOPOO Argus GT II mod left on us an impression of formidable construction even before we unboxed it. The kit is packed in a silver-grey metal box, engraved with the product name and slogan right on the top. It looks just premium and unique.
The box mod itself doesn’t let us down. It sports a metallic shell from head to toe, except for a faux leather patch covering the heel, the section right where we hold the device. That’s great “teamwork” – metal creates adequate visual pops, while leather makes up for the hand feel. A really big pro.
The device feels stout in hands even though without the two 18650 batteries and tank. It should have something to do with the materials used. VOOPOO Argus GT II uses IP68 certificated materials to ensure it stands proof against water, dust, and severe shocks. We like this box mod and its quality manufacturing.
MAAT Tank
MAAT Tank is VOOPOO’s latest tank offering, consisting of a metal base and top cap, and a glass tank. Compared to any previous tank models from VOOPOO, this one is bigger at 6.5ml. It’s worth noting the tank has two more e-juice capacity options of 5ml and 2ml, in case of regulations in some countries and regions.
Another part where VOOPOO makes it larger is the airflow inlet. It’s as high as half of a thumbnail, looking more like an air window in contrast with those traditional slots. We found the enlarged inlet is indeed helpful for better vapor production, as the testing tells us VOOPOO Argus II is a cloud chucker. Maybe the AFC system is the key.
We adjust the air allowed in by sliding a toggle. On the toggle, VOOPOO marks 7 vertical lines (from short to long) to indicate different airflow levels. So it’s clear-cut to know how much air has been sent in, and have accurate control over it. The air window lies at the lower part of the tank. That does put the device at a scary risk of leaking. Why do I say so? You’ll find out.
Taking apart MAAT Tank and putting every piece back together is easy and breezy. We love the top cap section especially. To install the cap, you just spin a bit and will hear a snap indicating the two sections have interlocked, then the two have a tight sealing. It’s the same when we need to take that off. Some condensate cropped up all over the drip tip and top cap interior after we vaped for a while. It’s not too much but bothering still. The good part is the tank is very easy to clean.
After we disassembled the drip tip from the tank a couple of times, the two’s connections appeared to start getting loose. The loose fit is quite obvious and we’re afraid it might drop if we continue to vape it longer. But we have yet to run into this issue, to make it clear.
MAAT Tank utilizes a top fill system. It offers two fill ports, which rest on opposite sides and get covered by a silicone pad with a tiny fill hole at the center. We have no complaints about the pad, as it locks in the e-liquid very well.
However, this tank still leaks badly. We think the bottom AFC system should be responsible for this. In addition, the coil and tank have no tight sealing. Every time we remove the base to check the coil, some e-juice is escaping from the tank and drips down from the low end of the coil. When we reexamined the tank after putting it aside for one day, it was just resting in a messy puddle.
Battery & Charging
VOOPOO Argus GT II places a charging port at the top of the mod, right next to its 510 connectors. There’s a slide-open cap covering it. We suppose it’s either for dustproof use or as an adornment to make the overall look more harmoniously stylish. Or both perhaps. It’s a good-looking addition, but too tight to slide, especially when we close it off. The mod supports fast 3A charging.
Closing the mod’s battery door is another bummer. Generally, the door should close when we press it down, regardless of where the force is applied. However, we found once we apply forces from the door’s front end, high chance the buckle will refuse to latch. Not sure why this happened, but the issue exists in both samples we get. We didn’t run into other issues in the battery system.
The battery holder is cavernous for dual 18650 batteries. That allows Argus GT II to not only last longer and top out high.
Function
VOOPOO Argus GT II has only four modes: Smart, RBA, Turbo, and Temp Control. It’s not a device coming complete with a fully-featured suite and wowing us with various bells and whistles. It doesn’t even include the ubiquitous bypass mode which claims to turn a regulated mod into a mechanical one. While to be fair, these four are enough for daily vaping. They can cover the most basic needs of mod beginners and regular RBA hobbyists. And the mod’s chipset is capable of providing adequate built-in protections to get itself well working all the time.
We love the user interface embedded in Argus GT II’s menu system, and several friendly settings it allows, like the screen timeout. When we left the mod idle for a while, it would turn the screen light off and enter the sleep mode. It’s seriously a sleep mode. Next time we want to reactivate the device taking drags, the device needs us to press a button and wake it up first. By the way, timeout is adjustable in the settings menu, so we could choose how long the screen will stay on. This is brilliant—it’s customizable and saves lots of battery life.
We’re also allowed to set a key lock in VOOPOO Argus GT II mod. We just slide a toggle switch resting under the watt adjustment buttons, and then locking or unlocking is done. No need to use a key combination as usual. Love it for sure. Key lock disables all operations aside from switching on and off the device. So we can rest assured even though the mod is packed into a bag or there’re kids around.
Performance
For your information, most of the time we used the 0.2Ω coil in the testing, paired with the blue razz e-liquid. Argus GT II mod can chuck out surprisingly enormous clouds, even if it’s set at as low as 60W. We have to say we’re more than satisfied with this vapor amount and the vivid flavor the vapor carries. Let’s go into details on how different modes perform.
Smart Mode
Smart mode is entirely foolproof. It doesn’t need us to choose a watt from the 5-200 power range. Instead, the mod’s Gene chip will identify your coil resistance and automatically sets the power at an optimal wattage. It’s meant for beginners who have little knowledge about Ohm’s law but are afraid of burning out their coils.
According to VOOPOO, they make some tweaks to the two TPP coils included in the Argus GT II kit to outperform their earlier generations. One is the newly-developed Dual In One Tech 2.0 which makes a mesh coil produce mellower vapors, through more even heating I guess. The other update is they improve the coils’ life span. I can’t speak to this update as we didn’t use a previous TPP for a side-by-side comparison. But these two, the TPP-DM2 and TPP-DM3, still hold up after seven days’ use. From this point of view, they’re well-crafted and long-lasting enough.
The 0.2Ω TPP-DM2 coil is rated between 40W and 60W. That’s also the recommended watt range in the smart mode. Within the range, the device spills smooth, moist clouds. Its flavor delivery reaches its pinnacle at 60W, featuring full-bodied sweetness and stunning e-liquid representation. The 0.15Ω coil is rated for at most 100W, and the vapor produced by it is evidently denser.
Aside from two coils included in the kit, VOOPOO Argus GT II has got another 2 TPP coils compatible with it for more versatile fun. Here’re the details of the total four:
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TPP-DM1: 0.15Ω rated for 60-80W(DTL)
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TPP-DM2: 0.2Ω rated for 40-60W(DTL)
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TPP-DM3: 0.15Ω rated for 80-100W(DTL)
l TPP-DM4: 0.3Ω rated for 32-40W(Half DTL)
Turbo mode
In the Turbo mode, the mod would start off from a higher wattage than the set value for a couple of seconds to preheat a coil. The mode is intended for quickly warming up a coil and thus putting out at the set watt as soon as possible.
This mode sets no limits to the output power. We tried to get higher a tad with the 0.2Ω coil at 70W (not recommending you to do so), and the coil could still do great. The special pre-heating procedure of Turbo mode made the vapor come out much warmer than in the RBA and Smart modes. Sweetness delivery rises up a lot as well.
Ease of Use
Overall VOOPOO Argus GT II mod doesn’t take many efforts to hit our stride. Its manual gives explicit explanations about everything from coil installation to mode setups. The buttons are of great quality, not wobbling and letting out clear clicks when pressed down. Only the fire key is a bit troublesome. It only works when we press on its center hollow; otherwise, like if we press it on each corner, the key just gets stuck halfway there.
The mod kit offers four modes only, so arguably it’s easier to navigate than plenty of mod kits. While we don’t like the way we enter the setting menu in the Argus GT II. It requires us to hold the “+” and “-” at the same time, which get our thumb really uncomfortable. They're easier and better ways to do this like pressing a button 3 three times or else. It’s not a too big deal though.
We’re trying to play fairly finicky reviewers, so here’re some more complaints. In terms of the user interaction, sometimes Argus GT II is really up to par, like its serious sleep mode; sometimes, not really. We’re not allowed to go back to the previous menu when entering the mode selection menu. When we ramp up to the maximum watt, the machine will say “max power,” which is great, but we cannot return to the lowest 5W with one quick click on the “+” button (the vape turns up or down in increments of one watt).
Final Review Verdict
We think we’ve got a love-hate relationship with VOOPOO Argus GT II mod kit after days of testing. In terms of the box mod, it’s up to par with the quality manufacturing, well-put-together design, and decent chipset to allow for a satisfying feature set. The screen UI is friendly but just needs to take a step forward. We’re not really satisfied with the MAAT Tank, largely due to the leakage and condensate build-up. The tank would be an impressive one if VOOPOO can fix the two issues. After all, it’s honestly a cloud chucker spilling hell-a-lot-of flavorful vapor.
Fortunately, the 510 connector allows us to install the box mod with any other tanks we love. If anyone is afraid that leakage might get in the way of hassle-free vaping, changing a tank can be the right way to go.
Source: https://myvapereview.com/