Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the PULSE X SQUONK KIT WITH PULSE X BF RDA from VandyVape. The PULSE X SQUONK KIT WITH PULSE X BF RDA was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ariel from VandyVape.
http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Pulse_X_BF_kit/
Introduction
The Pulse X 90W is like the original Pulse and the Pulse 80 a collaboration between VandyVape and Tony B. Now allowing for the use of a 21700 battery as well as being able to use a 20700 and 18650 like the Pulse 80 and having an extra 10W in it's locker, so is it a better option than the Pulse 80 and if so is it enough of an improvement to upgrade if you already have the pulse 80? In this kit the Pulse X comes paired with it's namesake the Pulse X BF RDA which as been designed to be ideal for squonking with a waterfall system when pressing your squonk bottle, it also allows for horizontal or vertical dual builds, enough said let's give the kit a look!
In the Box
Contents:
1 x Pulse X BF Mod
1 x Pulse X BF RDA
1 x 8mL Squonk Bottle
1 x 18650 Adaptor
1 x USB Charging Cable
1 x 30mL Refill Bottle (Optional)
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Coil Lead Guide
1 x Trimming Device
2 x Coils
1 x Accessory bag
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
All be it the majority are mechanical or semi mechanical but i have loads of squonk devices made with plastic but when taking the Pulse X BF 90W Box Mod out of the typical Vandyvape sample packaging this device does not feel cheap at all, as plastic devices go the Pulse X is very good quality. I received the Red frosted version, the version colour refers to the colour panels with the rest of the device being Black, it is also available G10 Black, G10 Red, Frosted Green, Frosted Cyan, Frosted Amber and Frosted Black. Both panels are removable and have interlocking sections top, bottom and side (it's also worth mentioning the panels are interchangeable with the previous Pulse devices), one panel is Solid Black plastic with raised diagonal strips and a Red Frosted section where your battery sits the other is all Red Frosted with a cutout section to allow the bottle to be pressed and a "PULSE X" Black badge top left. The front of the device has a round clicky fire button top and towards the button round up and down buttons plus a micro USB port at the very bottom, the 0.91" screen is housed centrally on the front. The spine of the device has "VANDYVAPE" etched in large font, the bottom of the device has etched safety stamps and venting, finally moving to the top we have a 510 plate with gold plated, spring loaded BF 510. The build quality is excellent with no button rattle and the panels fit securely without any movement. When it comes to ergonomics i am finding the device very comfortable when firing but my small hands are not wrapping far enough around the boxed shape to also press the bottle without adjusting my hand position.
Pulse X BF RDA Specs and Features:
Size: 25.5mm (H) x 24mm (D)
Weight: 122g
Material: Stainless Steel
Adjustable Airflow – 6 Holes on Each Side, 12 Total
Top squonk feed and bottom juice return
Support vertical and horizontal build
Contains stainless cap and frosted cap
Colours: Matte Black, Stainless Steel, Gold, Gunmetal, Rainbow
Pulse X BF RDA Overview
The Airflow
The outer sleeve has 6 holes either side (2 rows of 3) which is your airflow, when you take the inner sleeve out it is stepped with tapered edging to angle the air down the sides of the coils. There are 4 slots half the length of the stepped areas above evenly spaced around the inner sleeve (4 in total), these slots also have the bottom edges tapered. when turning the top-cap which turns the inner sleeve these series of stepped areas and slots allows for the airflow to be fully open, just the top rows open or just the bottom rows open.
The BF Pin
The installed BF pin (a standard pin is included) feeds up into the centre of the X post structure and is sealed within. On either side of the top of the posts there are chutes, the e-liquid goes up the BF pin and then out these chutes like waterfalls flowing over the top of the coils with any access finding it's way down to the nice sized well to be used for normal wicking. On either side of the bottom of the X post structure we have holes (one each side) that line up with holes in the BF pin which allows for any over-spill to be sucked back into the squonk bottle.
The Deck
The Deck has a raised central section which is in 2 parts, top and bottom with peek insulator between, all together it gives us 4 post holes with screws coming in from the sides at an angle, the overall shape is almost an X which suits it's name well. When fitting your coils whether fitting horizontally or vertically one leg goes in one of the top post holes and the other in one of the bottom holes. The build i did was a usual horizontal build as looking at the RDA this build maximises the airflow design and waterfall squonk system. I found the post holes are quite a distance apart so did need slightly longer legs than usual, also with the screws coming in at an angle your coils do get slightly twisted so after securing a bit of manipulation is needed with a coiling rod or similar fit for purpose tool. After saying that there was nothing difficult about the build in fact it was quite easy to build on, at some point i will possibly try a vertical build, also a quad build is perfectly possible on this deck. I just wicked as normal making sure not to suffocate the juice well and job done.
Pulse X 90W Mod Specs and Features:
Dimensions - 82mm by 56mm by 28mm
8mL Chubby Squonk Bottle
Single High-Amp 20700/21700 Battery - Not Included
Optional Single High-Amp 18650 Battery - Included Battery Sleeve
Wattage Output Range: 5-90W
Voltage Output Range: 0.5-8.5V
Resistance Range - Temperature Control: 0.05-1.5ohm
Resistance Range - Variable Wattage: 0.05-3.0ohm
Temperature Range: 200°-600°F/100°-315°C
Supports Ni200, Titanium, and Stainless Steel
Temperature Control Mode
Voltage Mode
BYPASS Mode
Intuitive Display Screen
Interchangeable Panels
Magnetised Battery Doors
Intuitive Firing Button
Two Adjustment Buttons
Overheating Protection
Open Circuit Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Over current Protection
Overtime Protection
Low-Battery Warning
Micro USB Port
Spring-Loaded 510 Connection
Colours: G10 Black, G10 Red, Frosted Red, Frosted Green, Frosted Cyan, Frosted Amber, Frosted Black
The Panels and Internals
The Panels are extremely well fitted and stay very securely in place without any movement due to both precision fitting and magnets. Inside is very clean and tidy and all the internal wiring and PCB is boxed in, this along with the leak free 510 design means there should be no issues with liquid getting into the internals. The device runs off a single 21700, 20700 or 18650 battery with supplied adaptor and all fit perfectly secure but you don't feel your risking tearing your wraps when inserting or taking out, The previous Pulse 80 only accommodated a 20700 or 18650 battery so a big pro that you can now enjoy an extra 1000mAh of battery life. having both side panels removable makes removing the battery very easy, finally battery orientation is marked using large White symbols on a Black background which is great to see. I have loads of Squonk devices and one of the biggest cons to a lot of them is to do with the bottle itself, although people do prefer different pliability with the bottle in my opinion Tony and Vandyvape have nailed it here, perfect pliability for me (but some might find it too soft, but perfect for me). The bottle has quite a large top solid section that can be gripped when removing or fitting to the device so you are not going to be squeezing the bottle at all and getting liquid everywhere. The bottle pulls straight off the pipe no problem and then simply unscrew the very top of the bottle and pull out the plastic pipe to reveal a very generous sized filling opening.
Using the Pulse X BF 90W Box Mod
The Pulse is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on i noticed how vibrant the screen is and that only the information you really need is displayed making the display uncluttered and easy to read. We have your current mode on the left of the screen next to this is the wattage (temperature when in temp control). On the right side of the screen we have the resistance and voltage (wattage when in temp control), below this is a large battery status bar. The device is very easy to use and changing modes can be done without having to enter a menu system, 3 clicks of the fire button causes the mode icon to flash which can now be altered with the up and down buttons, the options are Power, Voltage, Bypass, NI, SS, TI and back to power. When using temp control pressing the fire button 4 times allows you to set wattage for temp control. There are other features in fact the Pulse is packed with them, holding the + and - buttons together brings up a row of icons which are, back (takes you back to the main screen), DIY settings (5 slots where you can set custom curves), Voltage mode (allowing you to run in variable voltage mode) and finally information about hardware and software versions, there is also another icon which is tools which allows you to set other things including screen timeout and brightness. There are some combination key press features which are down and fire together flips the screen, up and fire together locks the device and finally up, down and fire together is stealth mode.
Refill Bottle
You do have the option of purchasing the kit with a refill bottle, the kit i received did include the bottle which is basically a giant 30ml squonk bottle with a protective casing which has a cutout section to allow you to press the bottle. The outside casing is in the same finish as the device so mine had Frosted Red casing. The bottle has a cap with a very strong magnet which stays very securely in place, when you pull this cap off it reveals a nozzle small enough to be fit for purpose for filling up any tanks, pod systems or used for dripping, i am finding it very useful independently of the Pulse X Kit. The top which houses the nozzle can be unscrewed which now reveals central 510 threading with a silicone bung tightly fitted inside with a small central hole. To fill your squonk bottle without removing it screw the refill bottle into the BF 510 and press the bottle to fill. Finally the section the 510 threading is fitted to can be unscrewed to reveal the open top of the bottle allowing you to fill up to 30ml.
My Experience Using The Pulse X Squonk Kit
I liked the Pulse 80 and to be honest very little has changed on the Pulse X, now of course just giving you an extra 10W and it will allow you to use a 21700. It fires instantly and seemed accurate to me, the device has good functionality and as usual i enjoyed using the curves feature. The star of this kit for me is the Pulse X RDA which i really like and is ideal for squonking. I have noticed this can be purchased separately so for those that already have the Pulse 80 and don't feel the Pulse X is worth upgrading to they do have that option. In my opinion the Pulse X would definitely be the better choice if you didn't have the Pulse 80 but really not enough difference to warrant an upgrade. The RDA gives really good flavour and with the return hole, good sized juice well and slanted airflow i had no leaking whatsoever. Even with the airflow wide open it's a restricted lung hit so it's not for you if you like loads of air but for me wide open it was perfect and could be restricted down further. I just did an horizontal dual build which in my opinion is using the RDA at it's best with the way the airflow is and the way the waterfall works when squonking, but many will be interested in the fact you can do vertical builds and it's even possible to do a quad build. The Pulse X allows for 25mm tanks without overhang so all your 22mm and 24mm RDA's will fit nicely and with the option of using a 21700 battery you can get good battery life, the pulse X is also firmware upgradeable.
Likes
Good quality (relative, it is a plastic device)
Looks good (in my opinion)
Panels fit great
Bottle design excellent
Bottle pliability spot on (in my opinion)
Clear battery orientation
21700, 20700 and 18650 battery with adaptor fit perfectly
Fires instantly
Temp control (not tested)
Curves
Voltage mode
Pulse X RDA perfect for squonking
Good flavour
Build easy enough
Horizontal or vertical builds
Good airflow adjustability
Good battery life
Firmware upgradeable
Dislikes
My small hand couldn't press the squonk bottle when held in the firing position (as a thumb or finger firer) so i needed to adjust to press or use my other hand. Those with bigger hands won't have this issue.
Pulse RDA strictly for restricted lung hit only (perfect if this is your preference but not suitable for those that like a lot of air)
Pulse X is an improvement to the Pulse 80, but not enough in my opinion to make it worth upgrading.
I would once again like to thank Ariel from VandyVape for supplying the PULSE X SQUONK KIT WITH PULSE X BF RDA for the purpose of this review.
http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Pulse_X_BF_kit/
http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Pulse_X_BF_kit/
Introduction
The Pulse X 90W is like the original Pulse and the Pulse 80 a collaboration between VandyVape and Tony B. Now allowing for the use of a 21700 battery as well as being able to use a 20700 and 18650 like the Pulse 80 and having an extra 10W in it's locker, so is it a better option than the Pulse 80 and if so is it enough of an improvement to upgrade if you already have the pulse 80? In this kit the Pulse X comes paired with it's namesake the Pulse X BF RDA which as been designed to be ideal for squonking with a waterfall system when pressing your squonk bottle, it also allows for horizontal or vertical dual builds, enough said let's give the kit a look!
In the Box
Contents:
1 x Pulse X BF Mod
1 x Pulse X BF RDA
1 x 8mL Squonk Bottle
1 x 18650 Adaptor
1 x USB Charging Cable
1 x 30mL Refill Bottle (Optional)
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Coil Lead Guide
1 x Trimming Device
2 x Coils
1 x Accessory bag
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
All be it the majority are mechanical or semi mechanical but i have loads of squonk devices made with plastic but when taking the Pulse X BF 90W Box Mod out of the typical Vandyvape sample packaging this device does not feel cheap at all, as plastic devices go the Pulse X is very good quality. I received the Red frosted version, the version colour refers to the colour panels with the rest of the device being Black, it is also available G10 Black, G10 Red, Frosted Green, Frosted Cyan, Frosted Amber and Frosted Black. Both panels are removable and have interlocking sections top, bottom and side (it's also worth mentioning the panels are interchangeable with the previous Pulse devices), one panel is Solid Black plastic with raised diagonal strips and a Red Frosted section where your battery sits the other is all Red Frosted with a cutout section to allow the bottle to be pressed and a "PULSE X" Black badge top left. The front of the device has a round clicky fire button top and towards the button round up and down buttons plus a micro USB port at the very bottom, the 0.91" screen is housed centrally on the front. The spine of the device has "VANDYVAPE" etched in large font, the bottom of the device has etched safety stamps and venting, finally moving to the top we have a 510 plate with gold plated, spring loaded BF 510. The build quality is excellent with no button rattle and the panels fit securely without any movement. When it comes to ergonomics i am finding the device very comfortable when firing but my small hands are not wrapping far enough around the boxed shape to also press the bottle without adjusting my hand position.
Pulse X BF RDA Specs and Features:
Size: 25.5mm (H) x 24mm (D)
Weight: 122g
Material: Stainless Steel
Adjustable Airflow – 6 Holes on Each Side, 12 Total
Top squonk feed and bottom juice return
Support vertical and horizontal build
Contains stainless cap and frosted cap
Colours: Matte Black, Stainless Steel, Gold, Gunmetal, Rainbow
Pulse X BF RDA Overview
The Airflow
The outer sleeve has 6 holes either side (2 rows of 3) which is your airflow, when you take the inner sleeve out it is stepped with tapered edging to angle the air down the sides of the coils. There are 4 slots half the length of the stepped areas above evenly spaced around the inner sleeve (4 in total), these slots also have the bottom edges tapered. when turning the top-cap which turns the inner sleeve these series of stepped areas and slots allows for the airflow to be fully open, just the top rows open or just the bottom rows open.
The BF Pin
The installed BF pin (a standard pin is included) feeds up into the centre of the X post structure and is sealed within. On either side of the top of the posts there are chutes, the e-liquid goes up the BF pin and then out these chutes like waterfalls flowing over the top of the coils with any access finding it's way down to the nice sized well to be used for normal wicking. On either side of the bottom of the X post structure we have holes (one each side) that line up with holes in the BF pin which allows for any over-spill to be sucked back into the squonk bottle.
The Deck
The Deck has a raised central section which is in 2 parts, top and bottom with peek insulator between, all together it gives us 4 post holes with screws coming in from the sides at an angle, the overall shape is almost an X which suits it's name well. When fitting your coils whether fitting horizontally or vertically one leg goes in one of the top post holes and the other in one of the bottom holes. The build i did was a usual horizontal build as looking at the RDA this build maximises the airflow design and waterfall squonk system. I found the post holes are quite a distance apart so did need slightly longer legs than usual, also with the screws coming in at an angle your coils do get slightly twisted so after securing a bit of manipulation is needed with a coiling rod or similar fit for purpose tool. After saying that there was nothing difficult about the build in fact it was quite easy to build on, at some point i will possibly try a vertical build, also a quad build is perfectly possible on this deck. I just wicked as normal making sure not to suffocate the juice well and job done.
Pulse X 90W Mod Specs and Features:
Dimensions - 82mm by 56mm by 28mm
8mL Chubby Squonk Bottle
Single High-Amp 20700/21700 Battery - Not Included
Optional Single High-Amp 18650 Battery - Included Battery Sleeve
Wattage Output Range: 5-90W
Voltage Output Range: 0.5-8.5V
Resistance Range - Temperature Control: 0.05-1.5ohm
Resistance Range - Variable Wattage: 0.05-3.0ohm
Temperature Range: 200°-600°F/100°-315°C
Supports Ni200, Titanium, and Stainless Steel
Temperature Control Mode
Voltage Mode
BYPASS Mode
Intuitive Display Screen
Interchangeable Panels
Magnetised Battery Doors
Intuitive Firing Button
Two Adjustment Buttons
Overheating Protection
Open Circuit Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Over current Protection
Overtime Protection
Low-Battery Warning
Micro USB Port
Spring-Loaded 510 Connection
Colours: G10 Black, G10 Red, Frosted Red, Frosted Green, Frosted Cyan, Frosted Amber, Frosted Black
The Panels and Internals
The Panels are extremely well fitted and stay very securely in place without any movement due to both precision fitting and magnets. Inside is very clean and tidy and all the internal wiring and PCB is boxed in, this along with the leak free 510 design means there should be no issues with liquid getting into the internals. The device runs off a single 21700, 20700 or 18650 battery with supplied adaptor and all fit perfectly secure but you don't feel your risking tearing your wraps when inserting or taking out, The previous Pulse 80 only accommodated a 20700 or 18650 battery so a big pro that you can now enjoy an extra 1000mAh of battery life. having both side panels removable makes removing the battery very easy, finally battery orientation is marked using large White symbols on a Black background which is great to see. I have loads of Squonk devices and one of the biggest cons to a lot of them is to do with the bottle itself, although people do prefer different pliability with the bottle in my opinion Tony and Vandyvape have nailed it here, perfect pliability for me (but some might find it too soft, but perfect for me). The bottle has quite a large top solid section that can be gripped when removing or fitting to the device so you are not going to be squeezing the bottle at all and getting liquid everywhere. The bottle pulls straight off the pipe no problem and then simply unscrew the very top of the bottle and pull out the plastic pipe to reveal a very generous sized filling opening.
Using the Pulse X BF 90W Box Mod
The Pulse is the usual 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once on i noticed how vibrant the screen is and that only the information you really need is displayed making the display uncluttered and easy to read. We have your current mode on the left of the screen next to this is the wattage (temperature when in temp control). On the right side of the screen we have the resistance and voltage (wattage when in temp control), below this is a large battery status bar. The device is very easy to use and changing modes can be done without having to enter a menu system, 3 clicks of the fire button causes the mode icon to flash which can now be altered with the up and down buttons, the options are Power, Voltage, Bypass, NI, SS, TI and back to power. When using temp control pressing the fire button 4 times allows you to set wattage for temp control. There are other features in fact the Pulse is packed with them, holding the + and - buttons together brings up a row of icons which are, back (takes you back to the main screen), DIY settings (5 slots where you can set custom curves), Voltage mode (allowing you to run in variable voltage mode) and finally information about hardware and software versions, there is also another icon which is tools which allows you to set other things including screen timeout and brightness. There are some combination key press features which are down and fire together flips the screen, up and fire together locks the device and finally up, down and fire together is stealth mode.
Refill Bottle
You do have the option of purchasing the kit with a refill bottle, the kit i received did include the bottle which is basically a giant 30ml squonk bottle with a protective casing which has a cutout section to allow you to press the bottle. The outside casing is in the same finish as the device so mine had Frosted Red casing. The bottle has a cap with a very strong magnet which stays very securely in place, when you pull this cap off it reveals a nozzle small enough to be fit for purpose for filling up any tanks, pod systems or used for dripping, i am finding it very useful independently of the Pulse X Kit. The top which houses the nozzle can be unscrewed which now reveals central 510 threading with a silicone bung tightly fitted inside with a small central hole. To fill your squonk bottle without removing it screw the refill bottle into the BF 510 and press the bottle to fill. Finally the section the 510 threading is fitted to can be unscrewed to reveal the open top of the bottle allowing you to fill up to 30ml.
My Experience Using The Pulse X Squonk Kit
I liked the Pulse 80 and to be honest very little has changed on the Pulse X, now of course just giving you an extra 10W and it will allow you to use a 21700. It fires instantly and seemed accurate to me, the device has good functionality and as usual i enjoyed using the curves feature. The star of this kit for me is the Pulse X RDA which i really like and is ideal for squonking. I have noticed this can be purchased separately so for those that already have the Pulse 80 and don't feel the Pulse X is worth upgrading to they do have that option. In my opinion the Pulse X would definitely be the better choice if you didn't have the Pulse 80 but really not enough difference to warrant an upgrade. The RDA gives really good flavour and with the return hole, good sized juice well and slanted airflow i had no leaking whatsoever. Even with the airflow wide open it's a restricted lung hit so it's not for you if you like loads of air but for me wide open it was perfect and could be restricted down further. I just did an horizontal dual build which in my opinion is using the RDA at it's best with the way the airflow is and the way the waterfall works when squonking, but many will be interested in the fact you can do vertical builds and it's even possible to do a quad build. The Pulse X allows for 25mm tanks without overhang so all your 22mm and 24mm RDA's will fit nicely and with the option of using a 21700 battery you can get good battery life, the pulse X is also firmware upgradeable.
Likes
Good quality (relative, it is a plastic device)
Looks good (in my opinion)
Panels fit great
Bottle design excellent
Bottle pliability spot on (in my opinion)
Clear battery orientation
21700, 20700 and 18650 battery with adaptor fit perfectly
Fires instantly
Temp control (not tested)
Curves
Voltage mode
Pulse X RDA perfect for squonking
Good flavour
Build easy enough
Horizontal or vertical builds
Good airflow adjustability
Good battery life
Firmware upgradeable
Dislikes
My small hand couldn't press the squonk bottle when held in the firing position (as a thumb or finger firer) so i needed to adjust to press or use my other hand. Those with bigger hands won't have this issue.
Pulse RDA strictly for restricted lung hit only (perfect if this is your preference but not suitable for those that like a lot of air)
Pulse X is an improvement to the Pulse 80, but not enough in my opinion to make it worth upgrading.
I would once again like to thank Ariel from VandyVape for supplying the PULSE X SQUONK KIT WITH PULSE X BF RDA for the purpose of this review.
http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Pulse_X_BF_kit/
