Hello fellow ECFers and possibly non-ECFers! We're going to be taking a look at the Pulse V3 Regulated Squonk Mod today, made by Vandy Vape in collaboration with yet again Tony B, and is their latest release in the Pulse squonk mod lineup. The original regulated Pulse mod as well as the Pulse V2 carried some great features in the small world of squonk mods at a very affordable price, namely the bottom filling method featured in the Pulse V2 which garnered a lot of positive feedback. Things have switched around a bit in the V3, but you can expect much of the same qualities you'll find in the V2, with more or less different aesthetics. I'll try to cover all of these things in this review.
For those that are new to squonk devices, I may use some terminology that you're unfamiliar with, so I'll try to clarify those now and throughout the review. "Squonk" is another term for "BF" (bottom-feeding) where there is a silicone reservoir containing juice situated inside or on the mod either internally or externally. The 510 pin used on squonk mods is hollow, allowing juice from the reservoir to be squeezed or pumped up through the 510 pins and into a BF-capable atomizer usually in the form of an RDA or RDTA. Most RDA's being released today come with a hollowed out 510 pin for squonking, but don't assume that they all do. The 510 pin in the atomizer package must have a hollowed out 510 pin pre-installed or included in the kit to be able to squonk. There are some exceptions to this, but I'm not going to get into that right now. So, anytime you see a product advertising "squonk", "BF", or mentions a "BF pin" or "BF 510", it is capable of being used for the purposes described in this paragraph.
Before we get too far, I want to give a shoutout to Joyi over at Sourcemore for supplying the Pulse V3 for this write-up. They provide me with a ton of flexibility in testing time which I cannot thank them enough for. It's very easy to pop something out of the box and write "Yep, it works!" - I'm more interested in how products perform at least a few weeks into their use, but preferably more like a month so I'm able to pass that information along to you, the reader. As always, this review will be conducted in a fair and honest manner.
Alrighty, let's do it!
(photos can be clicked on for better viewing)
For those that are new to squonk devices, I may use some terminology that you're unfamiliar with, so I'll try to clarify those now and throughout the review. "Squonk" is another term for "BF" (bottom-feeding) where there is a silicone reservoir containing juice situated inside or on the mod either internally or externally. The 510 pin used on squonk mods is hollow, allowing juice from the reservoir to be squeezed or pumped up through the 510 pins and into a BF-capable atomizer usually in the form of an RDA or RDTA. Most RDA's being released today come with a hollowed out 510 pin for squonking, but don't assume that they all do. The 510 pin in the atomizer package must have a hollowed out 510 pin pre-installed or included in the kit to be able to squonk. There are some exceptions to this, but I'm not going to get into that right now. So, anytime you see a product advertising "squonk", "BF", or mentions a "BF pin" or "BF 510", it is capable of being used for the purposes described in this paragraph.
Before we get too far, I want to give a shoutout to Joyi over at Sourcemore for supplying the Pulse V3 for this write-up. They provide me with a ton of flexibility in testing time which I cannot thank them enough for. It's very easy to pop something out of the box and write "Yep, it works!" - I'm more interested in how products perform at least a few weeks into their use, but preferably more like a month so I'm able to pass that information along to you, the reader. As always, this review will be conducted in a fair and honest manner.
Alrighty, let's do it!
(photos can be clicked on for better viewing)
•OVERVIEW•
Colors:
From top left to bottom right, we have:
> Black
> Frosted Blue
> Jelly Yellow
> Frosted Black
> Frosted Purple
> Mint Green
Key Features:
Vandy Vape Pulse V3 Box Mod Details:
> New easy fill bottle
> 95W with Watts, TC (Ni, Ti, SS), VV, Bypass
> Powered by 21700 battery, or 18650 battery with adapter
> Replaceable panels
> Waterproof chip/PCB
> Provide the panel DIY blueprints for users
> Various panels are customized for you
> Type-C fast charging
> Safety protection: Open Circuit/Over-current/10 S Cut-off/Short Circuit/Over-temperature/Low-battery Warning Protection
Package & Specs:
The Vandy Vape Pulse 3 Mod Package Comes With:
1* Pulse III Mod
1* 18650 Battery Adaptor
1* Instruction Manual
1* QC Type-C USB Cable
2* Squeeze Bottle (Black and White in Two Colors)
Vandy Vape Pulse V3 BF Mod Parameters:
| Brand | Vandy Vape |
| Product Name | Pulse V3 Mod |
| Size | Length: 52.5mm, Height: 92.5mm, Width: 26.2mm |
| Vaping Time | 10S |
| Battery | 21700 battery, or 18650 battery with (18650 adapter), battery is not included |
| Output Power | 5W-95W |
| Output Voltage | 0.5-6.0V |
| Quiescent Current | ＜20UA |
| Working Mode | VW/TC(SS,Ni,Ti)/TCR/VV/Bypass |
| TC Control | 200-600℉ 100-315℃ |
| Charging Input Voltage | 5+0.25V |
| Atomizer Resistance | 0.05-3.0Q(+5%) |
| Charging Input Current | 1000MA(+5%) |
| Maximum Output Current Protection | 34A |
| Color | Black, Frosted Blue, Jelly Yellow, Frosted Black, Frosted Purple, Mint Green |
I encourage you to stop over at Sourcemore for more info.
•REVIEW TESTING & OBSERVATIONS•
Intro:
The box presentation is pretty standard and will handle any bumps and bruises it might experience on the ride in with ease. The color of the device is written on the S/N tag on the side of the box, in case you've ordered more than one and are intested in opening a particular one, first. I received the "Frosted Purple" colorway which I'll talk more about in a bit. Right off the bat you get a glimpse of the BF (bottom-feeding) squonk mod as well as the new rectangular squonk bottles featured in the V3. For those that have the Pulse V2, know it comes with round bottles. The rectangular bottles allow a slight bit more volume for more or less the same occupied space, which would normally squeeze out a mL or two increase in volume. However, with the new bottle design, they implemented a turn-style cap as well as a built-in refill plug to make refilling and cleaning a much easier process which I think is a plus, assuming the new design is in fact easier. For the most part it is easier, but I'll talk about some things you may want to take into consideration when it comes to refilling further below.
The USB Type-C cable included with the kit is about a foot long. I do wish they'd make these longer, but this is the market standard. I also tested the charging speed the USB-C port is capable of and it's around 0.8A. So, there's no quick charging capabilities with this chip, however a 3.0 QC (quick charging) cable can be used to charge the device, but still only at 0.8A. Regardless of this information, I would NOT recommend charging batteries internally for any mod that uses external batteries. Buy a reliably cheap external charger and please charge your batteries externally.
The kit also comes with an 18650 battery adapter in case anyone needs to use an 18650 battery, but there are other squonkers out there that strictly utilize an 18650 for the purposes of a smaller and lighter device if you were to go that route. To me, a 21700 is ideal and that this adapter is more of a nice convenience.
The USB Type-C cable included with the kit is about a foot long. I do wish they'd make these longer, but this is the market standard. I also tested the charging speed the USB-C port is capable of and it's around 0.8A. So, there's no quick charging capabilities with this chip, however a 3.0 QC (quick charging) cable can be used to charge the device, but still only at 0.8A. Regardless of this information, I would NOT recommend charging batteries internally for any mod that uses external batteries. Buy a reliably cheap external charger and please charge your batteries externally.
The kit also comes with an 18650 battery adapter in case anyone needs to use an 18650 battery, but there are other squonkers out there that strictly utilize an 18650 for the purposes of a smaller and lighter device if you were to go that route. To me, a 21700 is ideal and that this adapter is more of a nice convenience.
The Pulse V3 Exterior:
The first thing you might notice is that the color of the mod is kind of a fuchsia color. The colorway is called "Frosted Purple" which I'm kind of torn between with agreeing, and also disagreeing, lol. Fuchsia is itself a mixture of purple and pink, but apparently it's "officially" a shade of pink. I don't know, it doesn't really bother me all that much, it's just something to keep in mind if you go with this colorway.
The front-facing panel from top down has more or less the standard layout when it comes to functionality. At the top you have a slightly protruding, rounded fire button that has a nice tactile feel and click when pressed on. Just below that, you can see the 0.96 inch UI (more on that later). And at the bottom are the up and down buttons with the USB-C port being at the very bottom.
I didn't take a very good picture of the back of the mod, but if you look closely, you can see a hint of the "-" and "+" battery orientation indicators which are much easier to see from the inside.
I think Vandy Vape learned their lesson with the Pulse AIO which has a very similar style shell as the V3. The top of the mod has a full-metal 510 plate extending almost the entirety the length of the device held in by 4x #5 Torx screws. The widest part of this metal plate is only 20mm, and with the included beveled plastic that butts up against it on each side, really only allows a 21mm atomizer with zero overhang. I'm currently using a 22mm Damn Vape Nitrous RDA with no beauty ring, and it overhangs ever so slightly. This doesn't effect the overall rating for me, but is something to consider if overhang bothers you. I don't know why they didn't just make the exterior frame straight and flush with the top. I think this was probably one of the biggest oversights they made in this otherwise wonderful squonk mod. From my short experience using the Nitrous RDA on the V3, I was impressed by how well the BF 510 seals with the BF pin on the Nitrous RDA. I've removed it a few times and there's been very little residual juice sitting on top of the pin which is good to see. I would advise heavily against using an RDA that has an open flat-headed 510 BF pin, lest you enjoy cleaning out lots of juice down in this area.
Like the brass/gold-plated spring-loaded BF 510, the throw on negative battery connector isn't rigid, but remains stearn. I've not had any connectivity issues with the battery or the 510.
There are 3 removeable magnetic panels on the V3 BF squonk mod; one on the right side, one on the left side, and very new to me - one on the front-facing panel as well. The panel on the right when removed exposes the squonk bottle and battery. The panel on the left needs to be removed to allow you to poke the battery out with your fingers on the right. The removeable front-facing panel leaves tons of options for interchangeability being that buttons themselves are also removeable from this panel. Also, Vandy Vape provides the DIY blueprints to be able to customize your own panels which I think is really cool to see, even though I have no current interest or knowledge on how to do any of that.
Also, I wanted to make clear the "waterproof" aspect of the Pulse V3, as well as the Gaur-21, Gaur-18, Pulse V2, and Pulse AIO/AIO.5. The device itself is not "waterproof"; the chip you see under the panel in the bottom right picture above shows you a glimpse of the PCB which is in itself, waterproof. If this device does end up submerged in water, you may have to recycle the battery and the rest of the device will need to be completely and thoroughly dried out before you should attempt to use it again. This includes the USB-C port. I see lots of sites and reviews claiming this device to be waterproof, but that isn't the case. The chip/PCB is the only part that's waterproof, and I wanted to make sure that was made clear.
The Squonk Bottle:
Following the Pulse V2, the V3 has some pretty high expectations coming in. The convenience of being able to refill by simply unscrewing a cap externally is what made the Dovpo Topside and Topside Dual mods so very popular, and for the Pulse V2 it was half the price. Now I realize it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, because having the cap situated on the bottom of the mod makes it very easy to see how messy that can become. However, with the V3 you can see they implemented a new rubber plug refill tab that we're very accustomed to seeing in pod kits.
The mod comes with a black bottle pre-installed and the white one you saw way above is a backup which is a nice convenience. Way too many kits these days come "bare bones" to reduce the prices, and I will always advocate for backup items to be included in kits. The squonk bottles are made out of food-grade silicone and are very easy to squeeze while also retracting back to their normal shape quite easily. Side by side with the battery, there is not enough room inside the mod for these bottles to twist, therefore you'll never need to worry about the cap twisting itself off while inside the mod.
Now, the tightness of how everything is kind of packed inside the mod is one of my gripes. Above, in the second row, you'll see a picture of when I was attempting to refill the squonk bottle while it was inside the mod. For whatever reason, it regurgitated like refilling often does and ended up spitting juice out onto the bottle which dripped all the way to the bottom and ended up causing quite a mess. If/when juice gets to the bottom exterior of the bottle while it is still inside the mod, it will end up all over your battery, the left panel, the positive connector, and little nooks and crannies that are very difficult to clean without Swiss tweazers or something with a sharp point. To me, this kind of defeats the purpose of something being made "easy" if it just as easily becomes "difficult". I feel like a very thin divider between the battery and the squonk bottle would have more or less completely avoided the spread of the mess. I realize we'd end up losing a micro-mL of juice, but to me would be completely worth it. So, my solution to this would be to just remove the bottle when refilling. If you do end up getting regurgitation and juice on the bottle, it can very easily just be wiped off and you can continue to vape happily.
The UI:
I was going to include a visual directory of the UI, but the operation of this Vandy Vape chip is very easy and so I figured I'd save the last picture for performance and comparison pictures. The basic features of the UI are as follows:
> The default UI display shows from top to bottom: 5-bar battery indicator, 6-digit puff counter, wattage setting, coil resistance, active voltage, and length of last puff.
> 1 watt increments from 5W to 95W which is fully capable regardless of an 18650 or 2x700 battery.
> The wattage does not round-robin.
> The chip does support pass-through vaping, so you can vape while it's plugged in (charging internally not advised, however).
> The UI can be flipped upside down by holding the down button and the fire button for 1-2 seconds.
> The up and down buttons can be locked by holding the up button and the fire button for 1-2 seconds.
> Stealth Mode (black screen) can be activated/deactivated by holding down all 3 buttons simultaneously for 1 second.
> Access the main menu by holding down both up and down buttons simultaneously for 1-2 seconds.
> Access firing modes by quickly pressing the fire button 3 times. Two arrows will appear if properly executed. **Firing modes other than Power Mode must be enabled via the main menu before being able to flip between firing modes.
◆ MAIN MENU ◆
Setting: The first sub-menu in the main menu is Settings and it allows you to toggle which modes/options are available for you. This is a nice feature if you have no need for TC, Variable Voltage (VV), or Bypass modes.
> TC - Enables/Disables TC Modes for SS, Ni, Ti. Wattage and resistances cannot be changed or locked.
> VOLT - Variable Voltage Mode. Be careful with this mode - subtle changes in voltage can be large changes in wattage.
> BP - Bypass Mode. Current runs at the highest capacity allowed by the battery's current raw voltage.
> FIR - Not Sure. Fire Button? Cannot tell a difference when activated or deactivated.
> ARR - Not sure. Arrow Buttons? Same as FIR. Maybe they'll be releasing a version with light up buttons in the future?
Hibernate: Can change when the device goes into hibernation. Ranges from 2 min. to 30 min.
Bright: Can change the brightness of the UI. Ranges from 5-10% up to 100%.
RST PUFF: Resets current puff counter.
Replace UI: Color options for the menus and bottom left swirly shown in the default UI display.
VER: Current firmware version of the chip.
Factory Setting: Resets everything back to factory settings.
Exit: Umm...
J/k, j/k... >.>
•FINAL THOUGHTS•
There really isn't a whole lot to say that's negative about Vandy Vape's Pulse V3. It's a solid device for the price and a great intro product for new and veteran squonkers. I figured this would be a perfect time to break open the Damn Vape Nitrous RDA I've had for nearly a year now and have heard so much about. Also, it being 22mm w/out the beauty ring made it an even better choice once I plopped it down on the ole Pulse V3. I've pumped over 1500 puffs through this device as of the posting of this review, and it's performed like a champ in pretty much all aspects of a squonk mod. There is one thing to note which has kind of irked me since I started using Vandy Vape devices back in 2020. The accuracy of the battery indicator is way off. So often I've pulled batteries out with the battery indicator being 5 of 5 bars meaning it should be near fully charged, and the battery will actually be at 60% or so. This has been the same way with all of the Gaur-21's, Pulse V2's, and Pulse AIO.5's that I own. My best guess is that the indicator doesn't start showing any depletion until around 50%. So 4 bars would mean 40%, 3 bars would mean 30%, and so on and so forth. I took pictures to show you what I mean.
The battery inside the V3 showed 4 of 5 bars which usually indicates on most devices that there should be at least 80% battery remaining. I stuck it in the XTAR VP4 Dragon and it showed 39% remaining. I then stuck it in the Miboxer C4-12 and it showed it being at 33%. So it can be pretty safe to say that the battery indicator shows the condition of the last 50% of the battery which isn't mentioned anywhere. To me, I'm not a fan of this because I'd like to know if I have a near full battery if I'm going on a long road trip, versus having 55% battery left and it appearing that I have 100% battery remaining. This doesn't affect the overall rating that I'm going to give the Pulse V3 simply because this is a personal thing that I notice. There are many pods and other devices that operate in a similar fashion so it's just something to be aware of.
Some of you may be wondering how the Pulse V3 compares to the Pulse V2. I also took side-by-side pictures of them so you can see the differences.
The front-facing panel from top down has more or less the standard layout when it comes to functionality. At the top you have a slightly protruding, rounded fire button that has a nice tactile feel and click when pressed on. Just below that, you can see the 0.96 inch UI (more on that later). And at the bottom are the up and down buttons with the USB-C port being at the very bottom.
I didn't take a very good picture of the back of the mod, but if you look closely, you can see a hint of the "-" and "+" battery orientation indicators which are much easier to see from the inside.
I think Vandy Vape learned their lesson with the Pulse AIO which has a very similar style shell as the V3. The top of the mod has a full-metal 510 plate extending almost the entirety the length of the device held in by 4x #5 Torx screws. The widest part of this metal plate is only 20mm, and with the included beveled plastic that butts up against it on each side, really only allows a 21mm atomizer with zero overhang. I'm currently using a 22mm Damn Vape Nitrous RDA with no beauty ring, and it overhangs ever so slightly. This doesn't effect the overall rating for me, but is something to consider if overhang bothers you. I don't know why they didn't just make the exterior frame straight and flush with the top. I think this was probably one of the biggest oversights they made in this otherwise wonderful squonk mod. From my short experience using the Nitrous RDA on the V3, I was impressed by how well the BF 510 seals with the BF pin on the Nitrous RDA. I've removed it a few times and there's been very little residual juice sitting on top of the pin which is good to see. I would advise heavily against using an RDA that has an open flat-headed 510 BF pin, lest you enjoy cleaning out lots of juice down in this area.
Like the brass/gold-plated spring-loaded BF 510, the throw on negative battery connector isn't rigid, but remains stearn. I've not had any connectivity issues with the battery or the 510.
There are 3 removeable magnetic panels on the V3 BF squonk mod; one on the right side, one on the left side, and very new to me - one on the front-facing panel as well. The panel on the right when removed exposes the squonk bottle and battery. The panel on the left needs to be removed to allow you to poke the battery out with your fingers on the right. The removeable front-facing panel leaves tons of options for interchangeability being that buttons themselves are also removeable from this panel. Also, Vandy Vape provides the DIY blueprints to be able to customize your own panels which I think is really cool to see, even though I have no current interest or knowledge on how to do any of that.
Also, I wanted to make clear the "waterproof" aspect of the Pulse V3, as well as the Gaur-21, Gaur-18, Pulse V2, and Pulse AIO/AIO.5. The device itself is not "waterproof"; the chip you see under the panel in the bottom right picture above shows you a glimpse of the PCB which is in itself, waterproof. If this device does end up submerged in water, you may have to recycle the battery and the rest of the device will need to be completely and thoroughly dried out before you should attempt to use it again. This includes the USB-C port. I see lots of sites and reviews claiming this device to be waterproof, but that isn't the case. The chip/PCB is the only part that's waterproof, and I wanted to make sure that was made clear.
The Squonk Bottle:
Following the Pulse V2, the V3 has some pretty high expectations coming in. The convenience of being able to refill by simply unscrewing a cap externally is what made the Dovpo Topside and Topside Dual mods so very popular, and for the Pulse V2 it was half the price. Now I realize it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, because having the cap situated on the bottom of the mod makes it very easy to see how messy that can become. However, with the V3 you can see they implemented a new rubber plug refill tab that we're very accustomed to seeing in pod kits.
The mod comes with a black bottle pre-installed and the white one you saw way above is a backup which is a nice convenience. Way too many kits these days come "bare bones" to reduce the prices, and I will always advocate for backup items to be included in kits. The squonk bottles are made out of food-grade silicone and are very easy to squeeze while also retracting back to their normal shape quite easily. Side by side with the battery, there is not enough room inside the mod for these bottles to twist, therefore you'll never need to worry about the cap twisting itself off while inside the mod.
Now, the tightness of how everything is kind of packed inside the mod is one of my gripes. Above, in the second row, you'll see a picture of when I was attempting to refill the squonk bottle while it was inside the mod. For whatever reason, it regurgitated like refilling often does and ended up spitting juice out onto the bottle which dripped all the way to the bottom and ended up causing quite a mess. If/when juice gets to the bottom exterior of the bottle while it is still inside the mod, it will end up all over your battery, the left panel, the positive connector, and little nooks and crannies that are very difficult to clean without Swiss tweazers or something with a sharp point. To me, this kind of defeats the purpose of something being made "easy" if it just as easily becomes "difficult". I feel like a very thin divider between the battery and the squonk bottle would have more or less completely avoided the spread of the mess. I realize we'd end up losing a micro-mL of juice, but to me would be completely worth it. So, my solution to this would be to just remove the bottle when refilling. If you do end up getting regurgitation and juice on the bottle, it can very easily just be wiped off and you can continue to vape happily.
The UI:
I was going to include a visual directory of the UI, but the operation of this Vandy Vape chip is very easy and so I figured I'd save the last picture for performance and comparison pictures. The basic features of the UI are as follows:
> The default UI display shows from top to bottom: 5-bar battery indicator, 6-digit puff counter, wattage setting, coil resistance, active voltage, and length of last puff.
> 1 watt increments from 5W to 95W which is fully capable regardless of an 18650 or 2x700 battery.
> The wattage does not round-robin.
> The chip does support pass-through vaping, so you can vape while it's plugged in (charging internally not advised, however).
> The UI can be flipped upside down by holding the down button and the fire button for 1-2 seconds.
> The up and down buttons can be locked by holding the up button and the fire button for 1-2 seconds.
> Stealth Mode (black screen) can be activated/deactivated by holding down all 3 buttons simultaneously for 1 second.
> Access the main menu by holding down both up and down buttons simultaneously for 1-2 seconds.
> Access firing modes by quickly pressing the fire button 3 times. Two arrows will appear if properly executed. **Firing modes other than Power Mode must be enabled via the main menu before being able to flip between firing modes.
◆ MAIN MENU ◆
Setting: The first sub-menu in the main menu is Settings and it allows you to toggle which modes/options are available for you. This is a nice feature if you have no need for TC, Variable Voltage (VV), or Bypass modes.
> TC - Enables/Disables TC Modes for SS, Ni, Ti. Wattage and resistances cannot be changed or locked.
> VOLT - Variable Voltage Mode. Be careful with this mode - subtle changes in voltage can be large changes in wattage.
> BP - Bypass Mode. Current runs at the highest capacity allowed by the battery's current raw voltage.
> FIR - Not Sure. Fire Button? Cannot tell a difference when activated or deactivated.
> ARR - Not sure. Arrow Buttons? Same as FIR. Maybe they'll be releasing a version with light up buttons in the future?
Hibernate: Can change when the device goes into hibernation. Ranges from 2 min. to 30 min.
Bright: Can change the brightness of the UI. Ranges from 5-10% up to 100%.
RST PUFF: Resets current puff counter.
Replace UI: Color options for the menus and bottom left swirly shown in the default UI display.
VER: Current firmware version of the chip.
Factory Setting: Resets everything back to factory settings.
Exit: Umm...
fire! 
•FINAL THOUGHTS•
There really isn't a whole lot to say that's negative about Vandy Vape's Pulse V3. It's a solid device for the price and a great intro product for new and veteran squonkers. I figured this would be a perfect time to break open the Damn Vape Nitrous RDA I've had for nearly a year now and have heard so much about. Also, it being 22mm w/out the beauty ring made it an even better choice once I plopped it down on the ole Pulse V3. I've pumped over 1500 puffs through this device as of the posting of this review, and it's performed like a champ in pretty much all aspects of a squonk mod. There is one thing to note which has kind of irked me since I started using Vandy Vape devices back in 2020. The accuracy of the battery indicator is way off. So often I've pulled batteries out with the battery indicator being 5 of 5 bars meaning it should be near fully charged, and the battery will actually be at 60% or so. This has been the same way with all of the Gaur-21's, Pulse V2's, and Pulse AIO.5's that I own. My best guess is that the indicator doesn't start showing any depletion until around 50%. So 4 bars would mean 40%, 3 bars would mean 30%, and so on and so forth. I took pictures to show you what I mean.
The battery inside the V3 showed 4 of 5 bars which usually indicates on most devices that there should be at least 80% battery remaining. I stuck it in the XTAR VP4 Dragon and it showed 39% remaining. I then stuck it in the Miboxer C4-12 and it showed it being at 33%. So it can be pretty safe to say that the battery indicator shows the condition of the last 50% of the battery which isn't mentioned anywhere. To me, I'm not a fan of this because I'd like to know if I have a near full battery if I'm going on a long road trip, versus having 55% battery left and it appearing that I have 100% battery remaining. This doesn't affect the overall rating that I'm going to give the Pulse V3 simply because this is a personal thing that I notice. There are many pods and other devices that operate in a similar fashion so it's just something to be aware of.
Some of you may be wondering how the Pulse V3 compares to the Pulse V2. I also took side-by-side pictures of them so you can see the differences.
Size-wise, the only real differences between the two is that the V3 is 4-5 millimeters taller than the V2. Although the face of the V3 is slightly skinnier, once it tapers back and reaches the doors at it's widest area, both devices end up being around the same width. Again, I do want to point out the top of the V3 mod and how it tapers down to 21mm for those of you who are concerned about overhang.
So you may be asking the question, is it worth purchasing the Pulse V3 if you already have the V2? Performance-wise, by looking at the above testing results I conducted, no. Both chips operate almost 100% exactly the same. 6V cutoff for both, and I'd guess the advertised 34A cap is pretty accurate if the device can indeed read down to 0.05 ohms. I reached just short of 28A with a 0.13 ohm coil. Now, if you're a fan of interchangeability and like the ability to customize and modify the way your Pulse looks, then this is where the V3 excels over the V2. If you're a fan of DIY capabilities, then you may want to look more into the V3. Admittedly, the V3 does feel slightly skinnier in the hand due to it's tapered corners where it has a slightly less "boxy" feel to it. Other than that, they're very, very similar.
So you may be asking the question, is it worth purchasing the Pulse V3 if you already have the V2? Performance-wise, by looking at the above testing results I conducted, no. Both chips operate almost 100% exactly the same. 6V cutoff for both, and I'd guess the advertised 34A cap is pretty accurate if the device can indeed read down to 0.05 ohms. I reached just short of 28A with a 0.13 ohm coil. Now, if you're a fan of interchangeability and like the ability to customize and modify the way your Pulse looks, then this is where the V3 excels over the V2. If you're a fan of DIY capabilities, then you may want to look more into the V3. Admittedly, the V3 does feel slightly skinnier in the hand due to it's tapered corners where it has a slightly less "boxy" feel to it. Other than that, they're very, very similar.
++ PROS ++
> Light weight
> Easy to operate
> Performs as advertised
> Ability to activate/deactivate modes you use via the main menu
> Squonks well
> Innovative squonk bottle design is well done
> Good hand-feel, slighty softer than the V2.
> Interchangeable magnetic panels (including front panel & buttons)
> Panels fit solidly (no wiggle)
> DIY customizable
> Solid 510
> Waterproof chip/PCB
> Pass-through vaping (still don't recommend)
- - CONS - -
> Refill mishaps while the squonk bottle is in the mod can get messy real quick, divider would have been nice
+ - CONSIDERATIONS - +
> Larger than 18650 squonks
> 510 plate tapers down creating overhang for >21mm atomizers
> Battery indicator only indicates last 50% of the battery
> USB-C charges at 0.7 to 0.8A
> Device is fully made of plastic, so there is slight creaking when squeezed
Overall Rating:
9
And that about wraps up this review on the Vandy Vape Pulse V3 Regulated Squonk Mod. I hope I was able to answer any questions you might have regarding the V3. If you do have any questions, feel free to respond or send me a PM. Again, I want to thank Joyi & Sourcemore for providing the Pulse V3 for review. You can find the mod here, and backup squonk bottles here. If you're interested in the DIY aspect of the V3, you can find more on that here.
I appreciate you folks taking a peek at this review, and I'll hopefully continue to see you around. The Vapefly Alberich II MTL RTA will be coming up next.
Thanks again and happy vape hoarding!
