Hello again folks! Today I'm going to share with you my experience testing one of VooPoo's newest products, the Argus Pro 2 pod kit. This is an internal battery device and unlike many of their recent releases, does not seem to have an external battery counterpart - at least not as of the date of this posting. This kit also features their newest coil platform, the PnP X series which has shown a vast improvement over their original PnP series coils. We'll go through all of it pretty thoroughly, so sit back and enjoy the read.
I want to thank VooPoo for sending this product out for review. As per norm, this critique will be conducted in a fair and honest manner. I encourage you to visit their site here, to experience a better visual representation of the Argus Pro 2 (and you'll need to since I left out some stuff due to space constraints). Without further adieu, lehgo!
I want to thank VooPoo for sending this product out for review. As per norm, this critique will be conducted in a fair and honest manner. I encourage you to visit their site here, to experience a better visual representation of the Argus Pro 2 (and you'll need to since I left out some stuff due to space constraints). Without further adieu, lehgo!
⇒ QUICK SITE OVERVIEW ⇐
Color Options (you'll have to visit the link I provided above to see the different colors):
> Pearl White
> Sky Purple
> Cocoa Brown
> Modern Red
> Space Gray
> Lake Blue
> Spray Black
Features:
Specs & Package Details:
⇒ TEST RESULTS & OBSERVATIONS ⇐
Intro:
The Argus Pro 2 is packaged nicely with not a lot of extras, but certainly enough to get you up and running; especially with a spare coil. The USB Type-C charging cable is a USB-A adapter and is a nice touch, but hardly needed in 2024. It's about a foot long. However, it's convenient that they send one as a spare backup that you can leave in your car, purse, or computer bag if you don't already have a few stowed away. I've certainly found myself using one in a pinch on a few occasions. There's also a nice PnP X coil compatibility card that comes with the User Manual that shows which PnP X coils are currently available and how they're meant to be used. This is actually nice being that VooPoo has a ton of different coils, and helps to clarify what this kit specifically uses so you know what you're looking for when it comes time to purchase new ones. A better view of this card is shown when I go over the coils.
The Argus Pro 2 Mod:
The Argus Pro 2 Mod:
The Argus Pro 2 sort of reminds me of the Argus MT, but reduced to the size of the Drag S2. For a 2000 mAh and above internal battery capacity device, this is about as small as they get. They tend to be a tad bit smaller than even the smallest external 18650 devices. The colorway I received is Lake Blue, and is fairly accurate to what they show on their site. The transition between the blue and green is very smooth and is pleasing to the eye.
On the front-facing portion of the device from top to bottom, there's a lanyard loop, a clicky rectangular fire button, a 0.96" TFT LCD display, a physical locking switch, the down and up adjustment buttons, and a dust-protected USB Type-C charging port.
On the back, is the typical faux-leather stick that has stitching running along the upper and lower portions of the X design. This lays in well along the zinc-alloy external frame that encases the Argus Pro 2 and has a cushy but yet plasticy feel to it.
The bottom of the device has a rubber bumper that adds a bit of cushion when setting the mod down and also offers anti-slip characteristics. As I've stated in previous reviews, this can be both a pro and a con, being that an anti-slip bottom usually means it's easier to tip over.
On the top of the device are the standard spring-loaded gold/brass-plated pins. What you don't see here are any airflow vents which is fantastic to me. Bottom airflow pod tanks require an airflow inlet somewhere in this pod well region, and that is often the area that leaks e-liquid when there are leaks in the bottom of the pod tank. Being that the new PnP X pod tank is top airflow, this area can stay nice and sealed, making any cleanup (if you encounter it at all) very easy to do. You can simply stuff a paper towel down in this area and spin it without having to clean out any vents. This is a big A+ from me in this design change.
As I mentioned before, the external frame of the Argus Pro 2 is made of zinc-alloy which is becoming somewhat rare. Yes, it's slightly heavier than aluminum, but much stronger. I'm happy to see that VooPoo opted to stick with zinc-alloy here. I've already dropped this device probably a half a dozen times, and she's still ticking!
A few of the features that sets the Argus Pro 2 apart from most other large pod devices, are the physical locking switch, the dust-covered USB Type-C port, and the lanyard loop. Disregard the scratching you see on the screen, I've left the screen protector film on as I do with most devices. The screen itself, looks crystal clear.
The physical locking switch is a very nice feature that I'm super happy to see being implemented in more and more devices that are being released. This is just a nice and convenient way to disable the device from being fired or to prevent any accidental changes in wattage. Without this locking switch, you'd normally hit the fire button 3 times quickly to lock it, or 5 times to turn the device off for stowing away. This can be rather annoying if one of the clicks isn't registered, and seems to add unneeded wear on the fire button as well as on the battery and coil. Even better, you can do it without having to look at the device at all. When the lock switch is flipped up, you'll notice on the display a little red lock symbol. When the switch is flipped down, this icon disappears.
The Argus Pro 2 UI is super easy to understand and operate. The wattage ranges from 5 to 80W in full watt increments. To turn the device on or off, quickly press the fire button 5 times. To access the menu, hold the down [-] and up [+] buttons together for ~2 seconds. While in the menu, you'll see MODES which allows you to select the 3 fire modes shown above, SETTINGS which only allows you to reset the puff counter, and ABOUT DEVICE which shows the firmware running the UI and some 8-digit LEVEL CODE that I'm not exactly sure about.
Smart Mode automatically detects the coil resistance and will adjust the mod to what power it thinks you should be vaping at. I'd back it down 10-20 watts and work your way up. When you drop in a 0.15 coil, it will default to 65W. I'm currently vaping the 0.15 ohm coil at 45W and that's plenty. Find what suits you best.
RBA Mode gives you full control on what wattage you'd like to use. I think it defaults to the same setting as Smart Mode initially, so again, I'd recommend that you back it down to start and work your wattage up to your preference.
Turbo Mode is a new VooPoo feature, and offers a "boost" to get the coil heated faster. In doing so, it uses a slight bit more battery power but you'll notice the onset of flavor and cloud plumage quicker. It's a nice feature if you're not a fan of the normal ramp up or "swelling".
VooPoo chips have an auto-shutoff timer at around 5 or 10 minutes, that requires you to press fire to wake it up, before firing to vape. This can be rather annoying, but it would seem that VooPoo does not intend to get rid of this anytime soon.
The mod performs very well down to about 35-40% battery remaining. Below that, there's a noticeable reduction in power output. The device stops working due to "Low Battery" between 18% and upwards of 25% at 45 watts which is premature on any scale. If you're using a lower power setting, you can squeeze out a few more battery percentages before you'll experience the same thing. For a 3000 mAh internal battery, we're really only able to utilize about 2200 mAh capacity which is a shame.
When plugged in, the Argus Pro 2 charges at 1.4A and takes a little over an hour to fully charge from 25%. And as with all VooPoo devices, there is no pass-through vaping capability.
The PnP X Platform:
The PnP X pod cartridge is probably the most important part of this pod kit. This isn't to demote the importance or the performance of the Argus Pro 2 pod mod, but it does what it needs to do, and quite well. The PnP X series coils were recently released as an upgrade from the original PnP coils, and that's likely due to the original PnP coils being plagued with leakage problems. I, along with many people on reddit and even here on ECF, noticed this from the get-go. With the exception of the newest PnP-TW coils, the X are some of VooPoo's better coils in terms of leak prevention, which to me is the crux of a pod device being a go or no-go. Nobody likes a mess, and what would be the point of a device being pocket or purse-friendly, if it's prone to leaking? The top airflow of the PnP X pod cartridge is a huge bonus for those that fear e-liquid messes. That is, as long as you keep the device standing upright. This device fell over in my lunch bag while at work, and it did leak some which is pretty much the only downfall of a top airflow system. Keep it upright, and you should be leak-free.
The 510 drip tip does not remove from the PnP X pods. I've either completely lost my grip strength, or these are indeed not meant to be removed. Though I'm a bit confused from VooPoo's site because it shows that the 510 drip tip is removable, but maybe that's a feature exclusive to the MTL kit that's available as a separate purchase.
The magnets at the base of the pod are as strong as they need to be to keep the pod secure under normal operation, but they will not prevent the pod from popping out when dropped. I can pick the device up and even shake it a bit by the pod and it will remain intact.
There's one particular thing to note about the coil installation. With all VooPoo coils, as well as many other brands, there are parallel cutouts along the otherwise circular bottom of the coil. It is important that these cutouts line up with the straight edges on the bottom of the pod so that the coil seats and seals properly. This forced orientation is to ensure that the airflow slots on the coil face the two cutout areas with arrows on each side of the coil so that the airflow remains as least turbulent as possible.
The PnP X coil build design is nothing new, it's just that their dimensions do not fit with other VooPoo coil platforms. What makes the PnP X coils shine, is the pod cartridge. There's a single mesh coil wrapped around the inside of the coil head that meet up and attach on both ends with the positive and negative posts as seen above.
The pre-installed coil that comes with the Argus Pro 2 kit has a resistance of 0.15Ω with a recommended wattage range between 60-80W. The spare 0.3Ω coil has a recommended wattage range between 32-40W. I would take these recommendations with a grain of salt, because they're generally rated at the upper limit of the coil, which will drastically reduce its overall lifespan. As I mentioned above, the 0.15Ω coil used in Smart Mode defaults to 65W. I'd suggest starting at 45W and working your way up.
So far, the 0.15Ω coil is holding up better than in previous reviews. I'm over 800 puffs into it, and it's still vaping like a champ.
From my observation, there really isn't much of a difference in how any of the PnP X coils vape, other than the wattage being used. I have not tested the 0.6Ω coil, so cannot comment on its performance. The flavor output of the 0.15Ω, 0.20Ω, and 0.30Ω coils are all fairly outstanding, so there are no complaints there. If you do notice a slight burnt taste, dial the wattage down 5W and that should go away. Note that the flavor output and vape heat will decrease the lower that you continue to go.
Included in this kit is a PnP X coil compatibility chart which tells you which coil resistances work best in which tank (DTL or MTL) and the PG/VG ratios they're meant for. Another important thing shown on this chart is the recommendation to use freebase, salt nic, or either or. DL/DTL devices should rarely be used for salt nics or freebase nic concentrations higher than probably 12 mg/mL (1.2%) unless you really know what you're doing. This little chart is a great source of information for a beginner vaper.
The PnP X pod uses top airflow which is a great choice for leak prevention. Any tank with the airflow positioned at or below the coil is prone to coil leakage finding its way out through the airflow slots when the tank is positioned upright. With the new PnP X pod cartridge, you won't have to worry about this. However, you do still have to worry about leakage if the tank is lying on its side. So if I were asked if the new PnP X platform was purse-friendly for leaks, if the device finds its way laying sideways, I'd make no guarantees. So far, the pod has had very little leakage at all, and what little leakage I had was from the refill port, oddly enough. The amount of leakage seemed more residual than an actual leaking problem, so it was very quick to wipe up and clean.
The knurling along the top makes turning the airflow quite easy. There is no stop to prevent the airflow ring from continuously spinning, so try to get everything lined up as you like it before it gets dark out. As you can see above, it's fairly difficult with light to distinguish whether the airflow is open or not. I suppose you could always just stick your finger in the airflow opening to see if it's open or not, lol.
Like we've seen many times before with pod devices, the refill port is sealed with a rubber bung which is accessed on the side. The refill hole is large enough to easily fit a 120mL Chubby Gorilla bottle nozzle inside of it, and anything smaller should have absolutely no problem.
You'll also notice a little plastic tab sitting just underneath the surface of the refill hole. I've been noticing this more on pod tanks recently, but I believe this was done to help prevent bubbling at the hole which often causes overflow from water tension, before the tank fills up. Make sure the tip of the bottle nozzle is resting on this plastic tab so that it guides the juice into the tank, instead of back up into the hole. If this was in fact why a plastic tab was positioned there, this is very thoughtful and a huge convenience.
The 510 drip tip does not remove from the PnP X pods. I've either completely lost my grip strength, or these are indeed not meant to be removed. Though I'm a bit confused from VooPoo's site because it shows that the 510 drip tip is removable, but maybe that's a feature exclusive to the MTL kit that's available as a separate purchase.
The magnets at the base of the pod are as strong as they need to be to keep the pod secure under normal operation, but they will not prevent the pod from popping out when dropped. I can pick the device up and even shake it a bit by the pod and it will remain intact.
There's one particular thing to note about the coil installation. With all VooPoo coils, as well as many other brands, there are parallel cutouts along the otherwise circular bottom of the coil. It is important that these cutouts line up with the straight edges on the bottom of the pod so that the coil seats and seals properly. This forced orientation is to ensure that the airflow slots on the coil face the two cutout areas with arrows on each side of the coil so that the airflow remains as least turbulent as possible.
The PnP X coil build design is nothing new, it's just that their dimensions do not fit with other VooPoo coil platforms. What makes the PnP X coils shine, is the pod cartridge. There's a single mesh coil wrapped around the inside of the coil head that meet up and attach on both ends with the positive and negative posts as seen above.
The pre-installed coil that comes with the Argus Pro 2 kit has a resistance of 0.15Ω with a recommended wattage range between 60-80W. The spare 0.3Ω coil has a recommended wattage range between 32-40W. I would take these recommendations with a grain of salt, because they're generally rated at the upper limit of the coil, which will drastically reduce its overall lifespan. As I mentioned above, the 0.15Ω coil used in Smart Mode defaults to 65W. I'd suggest starting at 45W and working your way up.
So far, the 0.15Ω coil is holding up better than in previous reviews. I'm over 800 puffs into it, and it's still vaping like a champ.
From my observation, there really isn't much of a difference in how any of the PnP X coils vape, other than the wattage being used. I have not tested the 0.6Ω coil, so cannot comment on its performance. The flavor output of the 0.15Ω, 0.20Ω, and 0.30Ω coils are all fairly outstanding, so there are no complaints there. If you do notice a slight burnt taste, dial the wattage down 5W and that should go away. Note that the flavor output and vape heat will decrease the lower that you continue to go.
Included in this kit is a PnP X coil compatibility chart which tells you which coil resistances work best in which tank (DTL or MTL) and the PG/VG ratios they're meant for. Another important thing shown on this chart is the recommendation to use freebase, salt nic, or either or. DL/DTL devices should rarely be used for salt nics or freebase nic concentrations higher than probably 12 mg/mL (1.2%) unless you really know what you're doing. This little chart is a great source of information for a beginner vaper.
The PnP X pod uses top airflow which is a great choice for leak prevention. Any tank with the airflow positioned at or below the coil is prone to coil leakage finding its way out through the airflow slots when the tank is positioned upright. With the new PnP X pod cartridge, you won't have to worry about this. However, you do still have to worry about leakage if the tank is lying on its side. So if I were asked if the new PnP X platform was purse-friendly for leaks, if the device finds its way laying sideways, I'd make no guarantees. So far, the pod has had very little leakage at all, and what little leakage I had was from the refill port, oddly enough. The amount of leakage seemed more residual than an actual leaking problem, so it was very quick to wipe up and clean.
The knurling along the top makes turning the airflow quite easy. There is no stop to prevent the airflow ring from continuously spinning, so try to get everything lined up as you like it before it gets dark out. As you can see above, it's fairly difficult with light to distinguish whether the airflow is open or not. I suppose you could always just stick your finger in the airflow opening to see if it's open or not, lol.
Like we've seen many times before with pod devices, the refill port is sealed with a rubber bung which is accessed on the side. The refill hole is large enough to easily fit a 120mL Chubby Gorilla bottle nozzle inside of it, and anything smaller should have absolutely no problem.
You'll also notice a little plastic tab sitting just underneath the surface of the refill hole. I've been noticing this more on pod tanks recently, but I believe this was done to help prevent bubbling at the hole which often causes overflow from water tension, before the tank fills up. Make sure the tip of the bottle nozzle is resting on this plastic tab so that it guides the juice into the tank, instead of back up into the hole. If this was in fact why a plastic tab was positioned there, this is very thoughtful and a huge convenience.
⇒ CONCLUSION ⇐
The results to all of my testing is that the VooPoo Argus Pro 2 is a solid kit. The flavor outputs of the new PnP X coils are quite good and I've experienced no leaking from any of the coils which is outstanding. The new pod mod designs we've seen with the Drag S2, X2, and now the Argus Pro 2 did away with ventilation holes inside the pod well which will certainly help contain messes if you do happen to experience leaking from the bottom of the coil or tank. One thing I wasn't impressed with was the battery % cutoff. Sometimes I see devices stop working due to low battery at 10% or 15% battery remaining at high wattages, but 25% at 45W? I'm sure this was an oversight, but it's hard to make claims of a big 3000 mAh internal battery when a quarter of it isn't able to be used.
In terms of ease of use, it really doesn't get any simpler than this for a pod device that isn't a stick/pen or stick variant. The fire ramp up is fairly quick, especially in Turbo Mode, and fairly consistent assuming you have over 35-40% juice left in the battery. Once the Argus Pro 2 reaches around 40%, the performance starts to drop off fairly drastically from there. It still provides a decent vape, but it's noticeably weaker until it no longer fires.
There are certainly far more pros with this kit than cons, so I'll give the Argus Pro 2 a thumbs up.
In terms of ease of use, it really doesn't get any simpler than this for a pod device that isn't a stick/pen or stick variant. The fire ramp up is fairly quick, especially in Turbo Mode, and fairly consistent assuming you have over 35-40% juice left in the battery. Once the Argus Pro 2 reaches around 40%, the performance starts to drop off fairly drastically from there. It still provides a decent vape, but it's noticeably weaker until it no longer fires.
There are certainly far more pros with this kit than cons, so I'll give the Argus Pro 2 a thumbs up.
Pros:
> Pocket-friendly (purse-friendly if kept upright)
> No leaking whatsoever, so far
> New PnP X coils offer great flavor output
> Argus Pro 2 pod mod is easy to operate
> Zinc-alloy construction (for durability)
> Buttons are nice and clicky
> Plug and play pods
> PnP X pod cartridges are top airflow
> Airflow ring is easy to adjust
> Side refill port is mess-free
> No airflow vents in the pod well (easier cleanup if leaks happen)
Cons:
> Only 2200 mAh of the advertised internal 3000 mAh battery is reliable
> Mod still requires double-firing after auto-shutoff every 10 minutes or so
Considerations:
> Airflow position is somewhat difficult to see without proper lighting
> 510 drip tip is not removable (but looks to be in the MTL kit)
Overall Rating:
8.5
And that concludes this review on the Argus Pro 2 pod kit. I hope my observations helped in any decision-making you may or may not be doing about this product. I encourage you to check out the Argus Pro 2 page at VooPoo's site. You can also find more info on the PnP X Platform here. As of right now, VooPoo does not yet have this or the PnP X refill coils available for purchase on their site. You may be able to find the Argus Pro 2 at other participating vendors, though. If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave feedback or PM me. I appreciate anyone that has painstakingly read through any of my reviews in entirety. I'll be done soon, I promise. XD
Happy vape hoarding!
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