Just in time for Halloween Eve, a new, scary papyrus written by me on products that comes out@Sourcemore.com ships to me for free. This month it's the turn of the Vaporesso Armous S, a single battery box whose selling point is shock resistance thanks to a special coating and weight. It comes in this package
with the Armor S inside, USB cable (themed with the box, which seems to be covered in paracord), manuals and manuals kept inside the black matte cardboard with the Vaporesso logo
The Vaporesso Armor S is made of thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU for friends. It is a mix of plastic and rubber resistant to scratches and impacts, often also used for the soles of safety shoes. It is available in the following colors:
In addition to resistance, the TPU section is also repellent to water and all types of liquids, including VG and PG but I imagine also oil. Very careful: this does not mean that the Armor S is impervious to water if submerged. Vaporesso does not promise any degree of protection from water (usually on boxes like this we opt for IP 68 protection, the same offered by iPhones). To the touch, the TPU section is rigid and also quite cold, much closer to the sensation of touching a zinc alloy box than a rubber or plastic box.
All this translates into a weight of 170 grams, which I realize is exaggerated but unfortunately if you NEED (which is different from buying a new toy) a playpen like this because you work in professions where the playpen is perpetually at risk Falls are a burden you have to accept. Usually the competitors with IP 68 protection (which I repeat, is not present here) and shockproof on the market start from 150 grams and above. The dimensions are instead 95 x 42 x 36mm, much more "moderate" but it is still a nice box brick.
We start from the top with the steel cup measuring 20 mm, held firmly by 3 screws which fortunately disappear once mounted on a 22 mm atom. The Armor allows you to mount atoms up to 28 mm without protruding.
On the side there is a large TPU insert with a texture to increase the grip as much as possible. The olive green part has a slightly rougher and more porous texture than the black one, while the dark gray one is for all intents and purposes a zinc alloy.
On the back, the TPU insert continues with in the center, a rougher insert with the Vaporesso logo (tone on tone, not too visible for those who are phobic of logos) with at the end, a square button that allows you to open the battery cap. Despite being positioned in that point, when holding the mod I never happened to press it by accident.
The case back has no vent holes and several logos such as disposal, CE, name of the box and the chip. Placing it on a flat surface makes it very stable. The battery cap is spring-loaded, with the closure entrusted to the thick steel tooth.
The Armous S allows you to use 21700 and 18650 batteries, using the adapter provided in the package. Immediately below, you can see the golden pin that allows the "snap" opening and the very generous size of the tooth. When closing, with the battery inserted, always make sure it is closed to avoid accidental "ejections" of the battery.
Lastly, the "-" sign which indicates the polarity of the battery which unfortunately is barely visible in the photo but I assure you it is there. I always remember that despite the weight, the battery cap is not absolutely airtight and proof against water or dust infiltration.
On the front side the first thing that catches the eye is the giant orange octagonal fire button, present in all colors. It is not known whether they chose orange to follow the Halloween theme or to recall the high visibility vests.
By pushing the button up, it enters a locked state where it is physically impossible to press, with the rest of the buttons and circuitry not locked. I don't know if you can see it but there is also a small padlock, which Vaporesso has unfortunately made in black, which indicates whether the button is locked or not.
At the bottom is the bright 0.96 inch TFT screen with the possibility of adjusting the brightness. Immediately after, the "+" and "-" keys with feedback that some might find a little too loud. Finally, a USB type C port which is absolutely not used for charging the box. Always use external battery chargers to preserve the life of the battery and box, regardless of what the manufacturer recommends or not.
For the Armor S, Vaporesso has opted for the usual Axon chipset, with the difference that here, compared to the Target and Gen, the Axon is much more reminiscent of the one for the Swag since it is decidedly more complete. Interface:
where there is the main information such as wattage (with an increase of 1 watt, without decimals), vaping mode, number of puffs, resistance and those 4 squares correspond to the battery charge.
For Nagivare:
5 clicks of the fire button to turn the box on and off
3 clicks of the fire button to enter the menu
"-" and fire buttons pressed together to activate the smart mode
"+" and "-" buttons to block all buttons, including fire therefore the box does not deliver
Items in the menu:
Settings: settings menu which I will list later
F(t) Mode: boost mode, delivers a few more watts than the one selected
Pulse Mode: delivers a pulsed wattage
Eco Mode: mode which has been missing for a while in the Vaporesso house which allows you to save battery at the cost of a more timid delivery
TC SS, NI, TI: even more fugitive, temperature control returns with 3 preset profiles for ss316, titanium and nickel200
Items present in Settings:
Smart: to activate the smart mode with the wattage set based on the resistance reading
TCR Lock: to block the resistance
Puff Counter: to reset the puffs
Themes: to change the color of the theme
Brightness: to change the brightness
Default: to return the boxes to the factory settings
Version: to check the version of the Axon chip
Temperature control chapter: the TC with steel recalls the same operation as with the Swag 2, which allowed one of the easiest and most basic TCs I had on hand. No additional PC or firmware required, I screw the atom on cold, block the resistance and vape. Navigation AFTER activating TC mode :
"-" and fire key to block the resistance
"+" and fire key to unlock the watts and modify them
to go from celsius to fahrenheit just increase the degrees with the "+" or "-" key: from 200 f° you get to 600 f°, increasing it goes to celsius from 100 c° up to 315 c°, after which it goes back to 200° fahrenheit
Operation, at least with steel, albeit elementary, is acceptable: blocking the resistance with a "cold" atom, without accidental fires, is very simple both with the shortcut and via the settings. Unfortunately, it is not possible to vary the TCR and create customized profiles, keeping them in memory. For those who are just starting out and want to try TC for the first time or for those like me, both in various watts and TC who are inclined to use only and exclusively steel, the Armor is more than fine.
I vape in watts: there is no bypass and there is no various wattage: in this version of the Axon chip the F(t) mode is much more moderate in terms of thrust compared to the Gen and the Target, the same for the pulse. You are therefore forced to use the F(t) as various watts, perhaps adjusting one watt less (for mtl vaping ) or 3-4 if used for flavour.
For the rest, the battery consumption in TC seemed slightly higher than that in various watts, based on the quantity of ml vaped; in various watts and mtl vaping it travels towards 8 ml with a 3000 mah 18650, in TC it is a little tighter.
As a box I liked it a lot, keeping in mind that I don't disdain huge boxes despite the weight which also seemed excessive to me. Seeing the Axon again not only similar to the one used on the Swag 2 but also updated with a color display is perhaps what most influences my appreciation of the Armour, considering that I used two Swag 2s daily for almost two years it was like rediscovering an old friend.
