# VOOPOO DRAG Max 177W TC Kit with PNP Tank - Review



## Timwis (24/11/20)

Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the DRAG Max 177W TC Kit with PNP Tank from Voopoo. The VOOPOO DRAG Max 177W TC Kit with PNP Tank was supplied for the purpose of this review by Tina from 3avape.

https://www.3avape.com/voopoo-drag-max-vape-kit.html





Introduction

Voopoo entered the vape arena after purchasing Woody Vapes which included the Gene Chip (the real prize) leaving Voopoo the job of designing devices to accommodate the prized chipset. As time has gone by Voopoo have become one of the biggest manufacturers who have milked the Pod Mod craze like no other!

What Voopoo have done to their credit throughout the seemingly never ending Pod Mod trend is stuck to the same PnP Pod and PnP range of coil heads giving cross compatibility between devices!

Really the Drag Max is a dual 18650 version of the Drag X giving a top wattage output of 177w and the choice of Smart or RBA modes. The Drag Max offers a choice of two different user interfaces and keeps the same adjustable airflow design introduced on the Drag X. Made from Zinc Alloy and with leather spine and sides lets give the Drag Max a closer look!

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In The Box





Contents:

1 x DRAG Max Device
1 x PnP Pod 4.5ml (TPD 2ml)
1 x PnP-VM5, 0.2Ω
1 x PnP-VM6, 0.15Ω
1 x Type-C Cable
1 x User Manual

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Aesthetics and Ergonomics

The Drag Max came in simple cardboard packaging and on opening we have the device with attached pod in the top layer and accessories below. I received the Classic version which is basically an all Black affair, the options are Classic, Marsala, Galaxy Blue, Vintage Grey or Retro.

The device has a classic C-frame form factor and a Zinc Alloy construction with leather spine which also wraps around two thirds of the sides. The device is solid so not lightweight like the Argus GT but i wouldn't say over heavy but substantial, it just feels so damn well made!

The leather on the Spine section has two vertical rows of stitching central and on one side we have "DRAG" heavily embossed into the leather, there is a lot of other branding on the device which is OTT but luckily on the Classic version i received with it being Black most of it is less noticeable than on some of the other colour/designs. On each side where the leather on the sides finish we have thin elongated inlays which are unique to each colour/design option, on the Classics i received they are Black with a Chrome edging which particularly looks nice as the Chrome edging matches the edging to the buttons on the face of the device.

The face of the device has a protruding concave round fire button with that already mentioned Chrome edging and towards the bottom 2 smaller matching buttons lined up vertically for navigation. Between the fire button and navigational buttons we have a large colour screen then right at the bottom a Type C USB port.

Towards the top on both sides we have the airflow slots and at the top of the spine the lever that opens and closes the slots. Moving to the base we have the battery door with safety marks, grooves and chevrons showing which way to open. Moving up top and to the rear we have a squared raised area which houses the pod bay, when the pod is fitted most protrudes outside the bay giving good e-liquid visibility.

the build quality is as good as on any Voopoo device and the fire button has a particularly nice feel when clicking, the leather has some cushioning making the device very comfortable to hold!





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Drag Max Specs and Features:

Size: 122 x 50.25 x 25mm
Power Range: 5-177W
Capacity: 4.5ml/TPD 2ml
Resistance Range: 0.1-3.0Ω
Output Voltage: 6.4-8.4V
Battery: Dual 18650 external battery (Not Included)
Material: Zinc Alloy +Leather
Standard Coils: PnP-VM6 / PnP-VM5
Compatible Coils: All of PnP coils
Brand New GENE.FAN 2.0 Chip
0.001s Extreme Ignition
Dual UI Theme Interfaces
RBA & SMART Mode
Colours/Designs: Classic, Marsala, Galaxy Blue, Vintage Grey, Retro





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The Pod

The PnP Pod is rounded and one complete, as good as clear moulding including mouthpiece. Most of the pod protrudes out of the device for good visibility of your juice so no issues there.

Looking at it's circular base we have 3 evenly placed strong magnets and a silicone bung kept attached with a metal stud. The bung has a flap which is easy to lift to pull the bung out revealing a very generous fill port plenty big enough for a quick, mess free fill.





The coil head just gets press fitted into the pod as is the case with most of these pod mod pods!





The standard PnP pod has a 4.5ml capacity while there is also a 2ml pod so the EU version is TPD compliant. Also available is a MTL 2ml PnP pod and an RTA pod. Also the Adapt adaptor which came with the Argus GT can be purchased separately allowing the PnP pods to be used on standard devices!





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Fitting The Pod

The Pod Bay on the PnP devices like the Drag Max look quite different to other bays i have seen. The bottom of the bay only has the round central section visible with the rest of the floor which leads to the airflow slots being obscured by the perimeter having an upper metallic shelve for the pod magnets to attract too. Looking at the bottom of the bay we have a raised central positive and outer raised negative spring loaded contacts which look to have a silicone seal.

The pod snaps into place and fits very securely, the dual negatives and metallic surround shelf design means the pod can be fitted without it needing to be lined up a certain way, good design!





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The Coils

Included is 2 different coil heads none of which are pre-installed and both part of the Voopoo PnP range which are the coils used throughout the Vinci and Drag Pod Mod devices.






The 2 included coil heads are the PnP VM5 0.2ohm mesh coil head rated between 40 - 60w and the other included coil head is the PnP VM6 0.15ohm mesh coil head rated between 60 - 80w.

The PnP Pod Tank is compatible with the entire Voopoo PnP range which is quite extensive!





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The Airflow

The air enters the coil head via it's base and of course the bore of the coil head has some bearing on the draw but the Drag Max has the same neat system which is supposed to control how much air gets to the base of the coil head that we saw on the Drag X/S.

On each side of the device we have airflow slots with metallic plates underneath that can slide to close down the openings. The plates are controlled by also having a slot above the spine with adjustment lever. The lever to the far left of the slot is the airflow fully closed and as it is moved to the right the plates slide open until the lever to the far right is fully open. I love the idea and execution and there is a slight improvement with the lever which is larger and has a flat face so doesn't catch so easily on clothing and isn't as sharp. The downside is on the Drag X/S the airflow slots only seemed to change the air getting to the pod from half open to fully open as there is air leakage so even fully shut loads of air still gets to the pod and on the Max the slots are even shorter so not really fit for purpose!





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Fitting The Batteries

The Drag Max accommodates dual 18650 batteries that get fitted via the hatch door on the base of the device, just slide the door forward (there are grooves to help) and lift up. Not a lot of light get's into the battery compartment and orientation on the underside of the door is just embossed onto the contacts, i would like the orientation to be labelled much more clearly.

When the door is shut we have no movement or battery rattle whatsoever, a really nice solid door which has given me no issues!





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The Display

The Drag Max has a large colour display with plenty of information on show. You also have the choice of two different user interfaces both of which operate the same way and give the same information but have a different visual appearance.





The default display has "DRAG" top left and then top right we have side by side elongated battery status bars, one for each battery. Underneath to the left we have the wattage and to the top right of the wattage the mode which will either be "S" for Smart or "R" for RBA, if the device is locked a closed padlock is displayed instead but you can tell which mode you are in by the colour of accents on the display which are Yellow in Smart Mode and Cyan in RBA Mode. Next we have the puff count then below to the right the resistance. Moving to the left we have the voltage and below puff duration, finally at the bottom of the display we have a curved puff duration progress graphic.





The alternative user interface is read by having the device on it's side. Centre top we have the side by side battery status bars and centre bottom "DRAG". The vape duration progress graphic on this interface forms a circle positioned centrally and within that circle we have the wattage. To the right of the circle we have the mode and to the left either a closed or open padlock. Top left we have the puff count and bottom left the resistance, finally top right is vape duration and bottom right voltage.





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Navigating The Drag Max

The drag max is a simple power only device but does have two modes, Smart Mode and RBA Mode. Smart Mode will give a suitable wattage when a new resistance is detected and will also only allow the wattage to be adjusted up to what the device deems as the suitable upper limit for that resistance, i said resistance rather than coil head because even if using a rebuildable pod it still gives an initial suitable wattage and upper limit. RBA mode really is just normal variable wattage giving no smart wattage and allows wattage adjustment from 5w right up to 177w so no limits!

As normal the device can be turned on and off with 5 clicks of the fire button and once on up and fire locks the whole device so it also will not fire. I just don't get the point of this because if i want the device not to fire i can just turn it off but what i do want is to just be able to lock the navigational buttons which can't be done without locking the whole device.

To change between modes is 3 quick clicks of the fire button and fire and down together resets your puff count. Finally holding down both the up and down buttons gives the choice of two different user interfaces, the default which is called Iron and also Core which is viewed with the screen on it's side. You use one of the navigational buttons to pick which interface you want and then holding down the fire button selects. The wattage adjusts in 1W increments at a decent speed from 5w to 177w (in RBA mode) but doesn't round robin!





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Protections:

10s Overtime Protection
Over-current Protection
Reverse Polarity Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Over Discharge Protection
Balanced Charging
Overcharge Protection
Over-temperature Protection





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Charging

The Drag Max has Type C USB for data transfer and supports balanced charging up to 2A. While charging the percentage of charge on each individual battery is given but no estimated charge time left, overall good feedback!





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Using The Drag Max And Thoughts!

What a solidly built device the Drag Max is and i really hope that Voopoo themselves bring out a 510 adaptor because in my opinion this would make a much better power standard device than the Argus GT. No button rattle, no issues with the battery door and the overall look and build quality of the main chassis apart from the OTT branding reminds me very much of Lost Vape in their prime!

I am torn with the PnP coil heads from Voopoo as without doubt the flavour for stock coils they give is exceptional and although many say they don't get leaking issues more do and i can only go from my own experience. I won't leave the pod attached overnight due to a couple of messes with the Drag X and from how soaked underneath the coil is when i go to insert it back into the device i am making the right decision, anybody who says that is heavy condensation is someone in denial! After saying that many are happy just taking the pod out when not in use and then enjoying the great flavour they deliver when vaping and the pod has other things going for it, a quick mess free fill although i would prefer being able to fill without having to move it from the device, perfect visibility of your e-liquid, decent capacity and the pod fits very securely. The mouthpiece is comfortable enough although i would much prefer being able to attach standard drip tips and of course the pod offers versatility as it can be fitted into the available Adapt adaptor so it can be used on standard devices!

As well as the abundance of Voopoo PnP coil heads available i particularly like the look of the MTL pod which tempts me and Voopoo also do both a RBA coil head and RTA pod. I personally find the coil heads supplied with the Drag Max which are the same ones supplied with the Argus GT Adapt Adaptor Kit don't offer the restriction i like and the airflow control on the Drag Max for it's clever design barely does anything. The PnP pods work much better in the adaptor on a standard device because the airflow control works, the design on the Drag Max just has too much air leakage so even closed shut plenty of air is still getting to the base of the coil so you need to rely much more on the internal bore of the coil head to get the draw you want because i have both the Drag X, Drag S and now the Drag Max and i'm coming to the conclusion the adjustable airflow on these devices might look very clever how they work but barely fit for purpose.

After saying all that i do like this device and with so many third party gadgets around that work well it becomes very versatile. I have mainly been using it with the VXV Soulmate RDTA which offers independent, leak resistant airflow control which allows me to get a much more restrictive draw, with even a mid to loose MTL possible.

The device works flawlessly with no issues and although due to other proprietary chipsets catching up when it comes to instant firing and improved ramp up the Gene Chip might not quite give that Wow factor anymore but it still gives very impressive performance. I like how the device is a simple power only device and offers both Smart Wattage Mode or the option to turn all restrictions off with RBA Mode essentially giving standard variable wattage, personally having the choice between 2 different user interface themes doesn't really do much for me but it gives choice which is never a bad thing!

I really like the feel of the buttons on the Drag Max and it feels quite luxurious in the hand, i also like it adjusts in 1w increments at a decent speed! The improved battery life between the Max and the X due to it accommodating dual batteries is another big pro but i really don't understand why it doesn't allow just the navigational buttons to be locked. If i don't want the device to fire i can just switch it off but what i do want is to be able to lock the wattage but still fire but the Drag Max doesn't give that option which is disappointing!

Finally although i don't recommend charging in the device unless it's your only option if you do the Drag Max has a Type C USB and offers balanced charging up to 2A and is firmware upgradeable, it gives good charging feedback but doesn't support pass-through!







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Likes

Very solidly built device
Performs excellently (Gene chip)
Aesthetically pleasing and luxurious feel
RTA pod and MTL pod also available
Third party adaptors and rebuildable pods available
PnP pod can be used independently in Adapt adaptor
Good visibility of e-liquid
Quick, mess free filling
Bright, colour display
Smart and RBA Modes
Simple power only device
Choice of two user interface themes
Great flavour from all PnP coils i have tried
Really nice buttons
No issues with battery door
Dual 18650 (double the battery life of Drag X)
Adjustable airflow (isn't the best see cons)
Type C USB
2A Charging
Firmware Upgradeable


Cons

The PnP coils can be a bit leaky
Airflow control really doesn't do a lot
Wish pod had top-fill and could fit own drip tips
Poorly marked battery orientation
Can't lock just navigational buttons
Doesn't support pass-through

I would once again like to thank Tina from 3avape for supplying the VOOPOO DRAG Max 177W TC Kit with PNP Tank for the purpose of this review, thanks for reading and stay safe!

https://www.3avape.com/voopoo-drag-max-vape-kit.html

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Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 1 | Informative 2


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## MeirTaitz (24/11/20)

What a brilliant and thorough review. I did find the airflow on the drag x worsened the flavour the more closed it was, hopefully they've resolved that somewhat. If Voopoo would make a proper 510 adapter instead of the Reewape that we have to use, I would buy this for sure!

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 1


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## Ashwis (24/11/20)

Really good informative review. I like an airy vape so the not being able to restrict air flow wouldn't bother me. It looks very smart, but what a wierd maximum wattage 177! Where did they think that random number from? Overall it sounds like a really good podmod

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1


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## Resistance (25/11/20)

Awesome review.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Timwis (25/11/20)

Resistance said:


> Awesome review.


Thanks, much appreciated!

Reactions: Winner 1


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