Vandy Vape Swell kit
Jealousy…’tis but a cruel mistress, and a real man would not let such a childish and irrational emotion take him over. A real man would be thankful for what he has, he would see his life as perfect for him, and count his blessings on a daily basis for what he has, indeed, been blessed with. He would go so far as to sit alone, quietly, deep in thought, contemplating the complexities of his own personal life, marvelling at the incredible and fortunate series of ‘pot luck’ events which have led him to a place which makes him feel like he has somehow been ‘chosen’ to live a life so abundant with happiness and joy…so much so in fact… that he would almost feel guilty for living it…and would be incredibly thankful for the opportunity to do so…
Am I a real man?..Would I allow the spindly fingers of dark thoughts to creep inside my manly brain and tickle the scrotum of the infamous green eyed monster as I start my daily routine of making a fresh coffee, sitting at the window gazing outside upon my own Mancunian concrete suburbia, perusing social media to see what’s going on in the world of people…most of whom…I’ve never met…as they post pictures of their breakfast, or their dogs wearing baby Yoda outfits…or indeed…pictures of their own early morning suburban view, with captions such as ‘Nice view of a dog turd on a brick wall this morning’…or …‘Beautiful cloudy grey sky above my overgrown back yard on a wet Wednesday morning before I drag myself out for my mundane daily grind of sitting in traffic for 2 hours to drive a mile and a half’? No…such beautiful compositions would not taint my usual joyous outlook on life first thing in the morning, nor would it have me doubting my own life choices regarding the location I have chosen to spend the entirety of my life…
But then there’s Tony…Tony likes photography and he’s also quite partial to taking pictures of his own miserable existence, whilst stuck in a particularly mundane and uninspiring part of the world …
Just awful…all that sand getting in places where it has no business being, nothing to look at other than open seas, sandy beaches and blue skies…how someone could actually live in such squalor is utterly beyond me. Give me the dulcet red tones of clay bricks and the pure white monotony of the skies of Manchester any day…now that’s heaven right there…damp air and ‘nothingy’ bland weather.
So…it really is quite remarkable that Tony actually managed to draw inspiration from this unfortunate lacklustre location of his when designing his latest vape kit, and until I spoke to him about it recently I just presumed he’d named it sarcastically as he looked out of his own window and gazed upon the eye torturing shit-hole that he was forced to reside in…
But no…apparently…this isn’t the case (shrugs)…who knew?
Shall we?
…
Welcome back my colossally cloudy cretinous crew, back again with…thankfully…something a little more familiar. I have to admit, I have been more impressed than I thought I was going to be with the little kits I’ve been reviewing lately, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little relieved to jump back on the high power, dual battery train again…so much so in fact, that today’s offering isn’t even new. It was actually released last summer, but it’s one of those kits which has sat in the back of my mind, as I pondered over whether I’d dig it or not…and why?..Well…because I’m really not a fan of plastic mods, never have been - and that’s exactly what this is.
However, plastic or not…there’s a little more going on with the kit I am reviewing today than meets the eye, and when the ‘Tony’ in question is none other than that lovable vaping Ewok, ‘Mr Vapor trail’ himself, Tony Brittan, AKA ‘Tony B’ …you can’t not be intrigued …because if you have ever wondered what happened to all the Ewoks after Return of the Jedi…well…one of them moved to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and became one of the most influential vape video reviewers on the planet…so…‘Tony’…is as knowledgeable about vaping, as he used be about throwing rocks at Storm Troopers…
Hmm…that may well be a poor analogy…
Anyhoo…maybe it’s high time I simply shut my whore mouth and cracked on with the job at hand…so…courtesy of my long standing/suffering friends over at Sourcemore , it gives me great pleasure to show you all my Swell…
Wait…that doesn’t sound right at all…
From the mystical mind of Tony B, coupled with the witchcraft and fuckery of Vandy Vape, I present to you the Vandy Vape Swell Kit
Much better…
The Lowdown
The Vandy Vape Swell kit consists of the Swell mod which is dual 18650, can deliver a quite random - yet still more than acceptable 188w of power, has all the bells and whistles you can expect from an up to date device, and is paired with the Swell tank- a 24mm, relatively bog standard mesh sub ohm tank that houses 3.5ml of liquid in it’s little belly, jumping to 4.5ml with the included bubble glass.
On the surface…that’s what you get. You could pick this thing up straight out of the box, pop your batteries in, fill the tank, and be on your very merry vapey way instantly…easy peasy lemon tart…squeezy.
But…
Believe me when I tell you…that yes…this may be very much a ‘plug and play’ kit which looks and performs similarly to a thousand kits before it…
But you’d be very much mistaken if you thought for a second…that there was anything indeed…‘basic’…about the Swell Kit, and for all you lucky readers out there…I’m about to tell you why…excited?
Rude…
Firstly, there’s the construction of the Swell mod, yes…it’s plastic, but don’t let yourself think of that as a ‘cheap to make’ cop out, because it’s not just plastic. It’s actually made from a mix of ABS nylon, fibreglass and other materials to keep it light and durable, and it is light too…a real featherweight contender, standing on the scales at a little under 107 grams without batteries and tank.
You do, of course, get Vandy Vape’s signature over branding down one side. Some people have an issue with this kind of thing, but hey…who are we to judge? I personally don’t mind it so much…
And then there’s the side panels…
Not content with making these…of which there are two…out of the same material as the rest of the device, no…these are made out of G10, an incredibly durable material usually reserved for much …MUCH higher end devices, as well a wealth of other uses…trust me, it’s massively overkill but this doesn’t mean it isn’t appreciated…and I gotta add, with the ‘chiseled’ appearance on the one I received, the G10 actually feels like stone…love that.
Both panels are held in place by some very chunky magnets too, which offer absolutely no play whatsoever, no rattle…no movement…no matter how hard I try, and underneath these we have the battery bay…
Clear markings and no ribbon, due to the battery bay being open on both sides, you simply push the batteries out from the back. And once the batteries are out and your tank’s off…you can do something to the Swell mod that is seldom offered on other devices…thanks to it’s waterproof PCBA…you can literally wash your mod under the tap - something that never feels natural.
Debatable…
Now…coming to the outside of the mod itself, everything else is actually…well…basic. Meaning everything is exactly where you would expect it to be - you have a very nice fire button, 2 function buttons, a micro USB socket and a full colour OLED screen…
All buttons feel solid and satisfyingly clicky, the screen is very visibly clear with all the information you will need, and the menu system is both intuitive and comprehensive. You get modes for everything, VW, VV, Bypass and TC, and although I wouldn’t know whether Mr TC is up to par or not, he’s there. So let’s just say he is, and be done with the whole facade…
The VW however…feels bob on, and the VV will definitely please some old skool vapers. One thing I do love about this menu however, is the ability to actually turn modes off. There’s a sub menu for that, so when you’re on the home screen and you click the fire button 3 times to change modes, they don’t even appear as an option. It just keeps things incredibly tidy - never use TC or Bypass?..Click ’em off in the menu and you never have to worry about them showing their ugly faces again…I don’t believe I have ever seen that before.
Now then…the next thing I want to tell you about is actually rather clever and is by far the Swell kits swan song, you see…Tony B, in all his infamous Ewokish wisdom, has created something to accompany the Swell Kit that, although it’s kind of been done before, has a new twist which comes in the form of the Swell kit’s very own app…
It runs off Bluetooth, which is the bit we have seen before, which allows you fiddle with your settings to your hearts desire. But something that this app has that I haven’t seen before is a mod finder…
Simply hit the button on the app, and the Swell mod sings it’s little heart out with an ‘I’m over here on the couch Daddy, please save me from the big nasty dog that just rubbed it’s balls over my drip tip’…actually it just beeps…but you should probably include that Tony…and, you’re welcome.
Regardless, if you’re anything like me and don’t know your arse from your elbow at any point of the day, and tend to leave your shit in places it shouldn’t be…then this will help you find it, providing you’re in Bluetooth range of course…big fan.
As for the included tank, well…it’s a tank alright…
There’s no getting away from that, and you know what…it’s actually not bad. a
As far as included Sub-Ohm tanks go…it’s one of the better ones. There’s nothing ground breaking going on, it’s 25mm (I think) and has a single juice fill hole under the top cap…
Nice to see an air pressure release hole there, as well as the silicone seal under the cap.
It has a standard 510 drip tip, comes with a bubble glass that raises the capacity from 3ml to 4.5ml, and uses mesh coils. Like I said…it’s okay. The flavour’s above average, the airflow from the dual vent AFC ring is more than adequate…and it does the job as intended - it’s not something I would personally choose to use but…I’m a fussy old woman.
The Specs
| Brand | Vandy Vape |
|---|---|
| Swell Box Mod Size | 82mm26mm55mm |
| Battery Type | Dual 18650 Batteries (NOT Included) |
| Power Range | 5-188W |
| Working Voltage | 6.4-8.4V |
| Working Current | <50A |
| Output Voltage | 0.5-7.5V |
| Coil Resistance Range | 0.05-3ohm |
| Swell Tank Size | 26mm*44.65mm |
| Tank Capacity | 3ml/4.5ml |
Features
Vandy Vape Swell 188W Kit Details:
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- Light weight design and pocket size
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- Dual 18650 batteries with 188W max output
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- Waterproof PCBA for durability and protection
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- Multi-functional App control: Firmware upgrade, UI theme optimization, parameter adjustment control
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- Replaceable G10, resin panels with multi-color options
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- Mesh coil for better flavor and smoothing airflow
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- Easy top filling design
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- Multiple protections for safe vaping
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- 12 colors available: US, UK, Obsidian Black, Red Arowana, Brown Alligator Snapper, Green Anaconda, Blue Iguana, Flame Red, Violet, Rock Black, Swamp Green, Wave Blue
Final Thoughts
My final thoughts on the Vandy Vape Swell kit would be thus…The tank I couldn’t care less about, but you come to expect that these days. There’s certainly nothing wrong with it, but it’s unremarkable compared to the mod, it kind of irks me a little bit that no manufacturer supplies kits with really good tanks for more advanced vapers. But it is what it is, and if you’re new to vaping and are looking for a kit to get you going, it’s more than up to the task.
The mod however, for me…is my favourite mod to come from Vandy Vape to date - and I’ve tried a lot of their devices, except for maybe the Jackaroo, which I believe comes with the same tank. But out of everything else? This hits the mark for many reasons. For a start, the build quality is exceptional, it feels so solid for a super-lightweight device, and it feels solid because it actually is. You could drop this thing on a concrete floor and come away totally unscathed with a fully working mod, shit…you could drop this thing in the bath and thanks to its waterproof innards, you’d still be absolutely fine. EVERY mod should have a waterproof PCBA, all of them!..ALL. OF. THEM!..I really can’t say that enough, it’s the failing of almost every dead device I have.
On top of that, if feels really nice to use. It’s really quite compact for a dual powered device, and the material it’s made with gives exceptional hand feel. And then of course we have the chip, I love it. I don’t often get technical chubbies over stuff like this but the menu system is just so damned easy to understand, without reading any manual either - something I only ever do as a last resort, and can guarantee I’ll be swearing under my breath the whole time should I need to. Although the screen is small, it really is super bright and clear AND you can change the colours should you so desire. Finally, there’s the app. The last device I even bothered to use the Bluetooth app for was…I think…the Laismo Touch?..And sure, it worked fine…but it didn’t have a mod finder on it, and that shit is actually very useful, and works…which is always a bonus.
So to summarise, would I recommend this kit?..Yes absolutely, the mod really is outstanding, the tank is meh, but if you’re looking for a complete kit then you’ll be happy with it and it will serve you well. The coils seem to last, the flavour’s there and so is the airflow, but if you’re a more advanced vaper, get the mod on it’s own and put yourself a nice RTA or…seeing as it’s waterproof, the leakiest RDA you own up there…and do your worst.
Also, if you’re all about the ‘matchy matchy’…then Tony has you covered, with a huge selection of G10 and resin panels to choose from…
The Price
Thanks to me being fashionably late to the party and reviewing this thing a good eight or so months after release…the price has tumbled, as they do. So now…this whole kit can be yours for a measly £37.41/$46.59 which is basically half of what it was on release, and for a mod of this quality, coupled with an acceptable Sub-ohm tank…that gives me a swell of my very own in places that would be deemed inappropriate in some cases to most people.
Follow this link to find it…
Now, as you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been on something of a break. This review was actually part written back at the beginning of February, it was actually started late January I think, but…Shenzhen went on full lockdown due to this horrendous pandemic, and the servers that control the app for the Swell actually went down, and because of the lockdown no one could get in to fix it, so I couldn’t actually test it. I spoke to Tony while all this was going on to tell him what was happening and he released a video explaining to all his viewers why the app was currently not working, to his credit I might add, but that’s Tony, ever the professional. After that I lost the use of my studio for a while due to house renovations, then the pandemic began to spread and I just couldn’t bring myself to write. So that’s why I haven’t mentioned it. It’s a fucking weird time right now and I just hope you all stay safe, stay indoors, and all do your very best to ride this thing out. I’ll do my best to clear some of this backlog and who knows…I could actually bring you something that might just resemble a bit of entertainment?..you may even enjoy it!
Weirder things have indeed…happened.
Take care of each other and remember, if you get too bored, the doors over at Steampugs are open 24/7, where you will find a wealth of reviews from me as well as those other reprobates I work with. You’ll also find some of my juice reviews over at the Planet of the Vapes forum too, AND …the best place to alleviate all that vape related intrigue…would most definitely be our own little forum over at Vaping Community, where you will find the welcome warm and in some cases even…moist, and the drama none existent, hope to see you there, find us here…
It’s free to join, has a rather nifty little e-liquid mixing calculator for you to use, and is chock full of some very knowledgeable vape enthusiasts who will gladly answer your every question.
Until next time
Stay safe.
Pugs.
But I’m pretty sure that the Vandy Vape Pulse Dual has this option as well.
