Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the Orca Solo Plus Starter Kit from Vaporesso. The Orca Solo Plus Starter Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Jessica from Vaporesso.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/orca-solo-plus
Introduction
Searching the Interweb for information brings up UK sites as due to the popularity of the Orca Solo in the UK the Orca Solo Plus is primarily aimed at the UK market as an upgrade to the previous popular version. So how much can be improved with just a simple pen style AIO device? well quite a bit as Vaporesso demonstrates with the Plus version!
The Orca Solo Plus is a pen style AIO device just like it's previous version but now we have a substantially improved battery capacity, the introduction of a 0.6ohm Mesh coil to accompany the ever popular Vaporesso 1.3ohm CCELL, larger e-liquid capacity and 3 constant output settings, so let's give this little Beaut a good look!
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In The Box
Contents:
1 x ORCA SOLO PLUS Kit
1 x 0.6ohm OC MESHED Coil
1 x 1.3ohm OC CCELL Coil
1 x Extra Glass Tube
1 × USB Cable
1 × User Manual
1 × Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Orca Solo Plus comes neatly packed in simple cardboard packaging and on opening the AIO style pen is in it's separate parts along with it's spare parts, paperwork and USB cable. I received the Black version but the options are Rainbow, Silver, Blue and Black. With the AIO Pen assembled it looks pretty much identical to the Orca Solo but is just slightly taller and 2mm wider in diameter making it feel a much more substantial device. We have the same domed top sleeve with cutouts so your liquid can be viewed which protects the glass that fits onto the battery section. Up top we have a comfortable delrin MTL style 510 drip tip so your own will fit which is always a pro.
On the front of the battery tube we have towards the top a protruding tactile square fire button with translucent surround to allow for LED indications, to the side at the same level we have a micro USB port. On the base we have the usual safety markings plus central venting hole but apart from some quite low key branding the battery section is relatively plain aesthetically which will please many.
The 18mm diameter and 123mm height of the Orca Solo Plus in my opinion gets the balance right between being a portable stealthy device while still having a nice ergonomic substantial feel, the construction is metal and seems durable but i'm not certain exactly what metal has been used!
___________________________________________________________________
Orca Solo Plus Specs and Features:
Size: 18(D) x 123(H)mm
Capacity: 2ml
Battery: Built-in 1200mAh battery
Charging 5V/1A
Coil: 0.6ohm OC Meshed coil and 1.3ohm OC CCELL coil
Adjustable Mode
Optimal Flavor Production
CCELL Coil for High Nicotine Satisfaction
3 Color light indicator for battery levels and power modes
Colours: Rainbow, Silver, Blue, Black
___________________________________________________________________
What You Receive?
You receive all the parts of the AIO pen which is the cylindrical battery section, glass, protective sleeve and 510 drip tip.
You also receive a spare glass, both a CCELL and Mesh coil, spare o-rings, braided USB cable and all the usual paperwork.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Device Together
The Orca Solo Plus is a pen style AIO device so the airflow control is on the top of the battery and your coil head gets screwed also straight into the battery section.
The glass gets pushed onto the top of the battery where it is secured and given a very good seal by a thick silicone casket. The top-cap/protective sleeve screws onto the top of the coil head to secure in place and the drip tip as mentioned is a standard 510 so you can fit your own if you wish.
___________________________________________________________________
Filling
Filling is easy enough but it's method also brings for me the only main con of the device as it does mean discarding e-liquid if you need to change coil head and still have liquid in the device!
To Fill you unscrew the top sleeve off the top of the coil head and it pulls free leaving the open glass and coil in place. The coil is secured very well into the top of the battery so it stays 100% secured when unscrewing the top sleeve so had no issues whatsoever. This leaves plenty of room to fill the glass section between the edge of the glass and coil so even glass dropper bottles can be used. As mentioned the only issue is if the coil head needs replacing you need to discard any remaining liquid before removing the glass so you can unscrew the coil head.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coils
You get two different coil heads provided which are the 1.3ohm CCELL coil head which is recommended at between 7-12W and is optimised for high mg freebase and Nic Salts. The wicking holes on this are very small and we have a narrow central bore so very much for MTL and i would be looking at using 50/50 ratio e-liquid.
The other included coil has a wider central bore and large wicking holes and is the 0.6ohm Mesh coil head which is rated between 16-22W. This coil head is much more versatile and wicks fine even with high VG liquids.
___________________________________________________________________
The Airflow
The airflow rather than just an open slot as on the Orca Solo the Plus version has a slot on the control ring but then it lines up with a series of small holes for much more micro management.
There is 5 holes in total so 5 holes is fully open but also the option to have 4, 3, 2 or just one hole.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Device
The Orca Solo Plus offers 3 constant output settings but is still a simple device to use. The 3 settings give different wattage outputs dependant on the coil used so are obviously constant voltage settings but the equivalent (dependant on resistance) wattage output is given.
The device is the standard 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and both actions are confirmed by the fire button surround cycling through Green, red and Blue. When first used the device will be on the highest setting by default indicated by Green but from then on it does remember your last setting so if you were on the Blue setting for example and turned the device off and then back on you would still be on the Blue setting.
To change setting is 3 quick clicks of the fire button to take you to the next setting and the fire button surround will flash 3 times in the new setting indication colour, the settings are as below:
0.6ohm Mesh Coil Head
Red = 16W
Blue = 18W
Green = 22W
1.3ohm CCELL Coil Head
Red = 7W
Blue = 10W
Green = 12W
When vaping the surround of the fire button lights up solid to show battery status indication which isn't the 4 or 5 tier indications that i prefer but just 3, they are nicely spread out and fit for purpose, so pretty happy!
Green = 70% - 100%
Blue = 30% - 69%
Red = 0% - 29%
The device of course has all the usual safety protections you would expect which are indicated by various amounts of flashes in different colours!
___________________________________________________________________
The Battery
One of the improvements over the previous version is the increased battery capacity from 800mAh to 1200mAh which is needed to give good life with the 0.6ohm coil but this can be controlled further by which setting you use. When using the CCELL 1.3ohm coil head then the device gives great battery life compared to similar devices.
The charge rate is the same 1A as with the Orca Solo but obviously takes longer to charge because of the increased capacity. The device took 1 hour 15 minutes approximately to charge each time which is acceptable for the size of battery and also supports pass-through. Still in 2020 i believe even a pen style device should have type C USB but not sure if it would actually be safe to charge this type of device at a higher rate than 1A so being quite petty!
___________________________________________________________________
My Experience And Thoughts!
Really not a lot to moan about with this and yes it would be a great kit for a new vaper but will have a much broader appeal than that. The different setting options in conjunction with good airflow adjustability makes this a really nice versatile little AIO Pen device which allows you to home in on the vape you want.
The CCELL was no surprise but be careful to give it plenty of time to saturate thoroughly as they can get a burn't taste from the off if impatient. A bit of patience shown though and you will benefit from one of the most flavoursome MTL vapes you have had as Vaporesso are in a league of their own when it comes to ceramic coil heads. The range with this coil is what i would describe as a cigarette draw with 2 holes right up to a loose MTL fully open, just one hole gives an even tighter draw than a cigarette (more a tightly rolled roll-up). I used 50/50 12mg nic salts, 50/50 ratio on the Blue setting with 4 holes open for a mid to loose MTL.
I love the 0.6ohm Mesh coil head which is lucky because a spare box was sent, flavour is on point and i was able to get 8 tank fills before the flavour just slightly started to drop off (still too good to swap out yet in my opinion) which is above average for longevity. This coil is so versatile allowing for a loose MTL or restrictive lung vape with 4 or 5 holes open but it actually gives a satisfying more authentic MTL with the airflow closed down including a cigarette type draw although for this just one hole is needed rather than two with the CCELL coil head. This coil head also allowed for much more versatility when it came to e-liquid ratios and it handled 70VG no problem whatsoever. I kept swapping vaping styles with this coil from a mid MTL with 3 holes on setting Blue and fully open on the Green setting for a restrictive lung hit.
The battery status indication worked well and charging wasn't too long while also supporting pass-through. Battery life is not bad at all with the 0.6ohm coil but is fantastic for this type of device when using the 1.3ohm ceramic coil easily lasting a day! This simple pen style AIO offering shows you can have a good device and get a cracking vape without all the bells and whistles!
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made durable AIO device
Metal construction
Perfect balance between substantial feel and portability
Ergonomic
Protective top sleeve
Easy to fill (even glass droppers can be used)
2ml capacity (increase over previous version)
Spare Glass
Standard comfortable 510 drip tip
Can use own 510 drip tip
Comes with both Mesh and CCELL coil heads
MTL and even restrictive DL (versatile device)
Good flavour and longevity with coil heads
Good airflow adjustability
1200mAh battery capacity
1A charging rate
3 constant output settings
Settings indications
Battery status indications
Supports pass-through
Cons
Need to discard e-liquid when changing coils
Would prefer Type C USB
Can't use battery and tank independently (obvious AIO device)
More colour options would be nice
I would once again like to thank Jessica from Vaporesso for supplying the Orca Solo Plus Starter Kit for the purpose of this review.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/orca-solo-plus
___________________________________________________________________
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/orca-solo-plus
Introduction
Searching the Interweb for information brings up UK sites as due to the popularity of the Orca Solo in the UK the Orca Solo Plus is primarily aimed at the UK market as an upgrade to the previous popular version. So how much can be improved with just a simple pen style AIO device? well quite a bit as Vaporesso demonstrates with the Plus version!
The Orca Solo Plus is a pen style AIO device just like it's previous version but now we have a substantially improved battery capacity, the introduction of a 0.6ohm Mesh coil to accompany the ever popular Vaporesso 1.3ohm CCELL, larger e-liquid capacity and 3 constant output settings, so let's give this little Beaut a good look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 x ORCA SOLO PLUS Kit
1 x 0.6ohm OC MESHED Coil
1 x 1.3ohm OC CCELL Coil
1 x Extra Glass Tube
1 × USB Cable
1 × User Manual
1 × Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Orca Solo Plus comes neatly packed in simple cardboard packaging and on opening the AIO style pen is in it's separate parts along with it's spare parts, paperwork and USB cable. I received the Black version but the options are Rainbow, Silver, Blue and Black. With the AIO Pen assembled it looks pretty much identical to the Orca Solo but is just slightly taller and 2mm wider in diameter making it feel a much more substantial device. We have the same domed top sleeve with cutouts so your liquid can be viewed which protects the glass that fits onto the battery section. Up top we have a comfortable delrin MTL style 510 drip tip so your own will fit which is always a pro.
On the front of the battery tube we have towards the top a protruding tactile square fire button with translucent surround to allow for LED indications, to the side at the same level we have a micro USB port. On the base we have the usual safety markings plus central venting hole but apart from some quite low key branding the battery section is relatively plain aesthetically which will please many.
The 18mm diameter and 123mm height of the Orca Solo Plus in my opinion gets the balance right between being a portable stealthy device while still having a nice ergonomic substantial feel, the construction is metal and seems durable but i'm not certain exactly what metal has been used!
___________________________________________________________________
Orca Solo Plus Specs and Features:
Size: 18(D) x 123(H)mm
Capacity: 2ml
Battery: Built-in 1200mAh battery
Charging 5V/1A
Coil: 0.6ohm OC Meshed coil and 1.3ohm OC CCELL coil
Adjustable Mode
Optimal Flavor Production
CCELL Coil for High Nicotine Satisfaction
3 Color light indicator for battery levels and power modes
Colours: Rainbow, Silver, Blue, Black
___________________________________________________________________
What You Receive?
You receive all the parts of the AIO pen which is the cylindrical battery section, glass, protective sleeve and 510 drip tip.
You also receive a spare glass, both a CCELL and Mesh coil, spare o-rings, braided USB cable and all the usual paperwork.
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Device Together
The Orca Solo Plus is a pen style AIO device so the airflow control is on the top of the battery and your coil head gets screwed also straight into the battery section.
The glass gets pushed onto the top of the battery where it is secured and given a very good seal by a thick silicone casket. The top-cap/protective sleeve screws onto the top of the coil head to secure in place and the drip tip as mentioned is a standard 510 so you can fit your own if you wish.
___________________________________________________________________
Filling
Filling is easy enough but it's method also brings for me the only main con of the device as it does mean discarding e-liquid if you need to change coil head and still have liquid in the device!
To Fill you unscrew the top sleeve off the top of the coil head and it pulls free leaving the open glass and coil in place. The coil is secured very well into the top of the battery so it stays 100% secured when unscrewing the top sleeve so had no issues whatsoever. This leaves plenty of room to fill the glass section between the edge of the glass and coil so even glass dropper bottles can be used. As mentioned the only issue is if the coil head needs replacing you need to discard any remaining liquid before removing the glass so you can unscrew the coil head.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coils
You get two different coil heads provided which are the 1.3ohm CCELL coil head which is recommended at between 7-12W and is optimised for high mg freebase and Nic Salts. The wicking holes on this are very small and we have a narrow central bore so very much for MTL and i would be looking at using 50/50 ratio e-liquid.
The other included coil has a wider central bore and large wicking holes and is the 0.6ohm Mesh coil head which is rated between 16-22W. This coil head is much more versatile and wicks fine even with high VG liquids.
___________________________________________________________________
The Airflow
The airflow rather than just an open slot as on the Orca Solo the Plus version has a slot on the control ring but then it lines up with a series of small holes for much more micro management.
There is 5 holes in total so 5 holes is fully open but also the option to have 4, 3, 2 or just one hole.
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Device
The Orca Solo Plus offers 3 constant output settings but is still a simple device to use. The 3 settings give different wattage outputs dependant on the coil used so are obviously constant voltage settings but the equivalent (dependant on resistance) wattage output is given.
The device is the standard 5 clicks to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and both actions are confirmed by the fire button surround cycling through Green, red and Blue. When first used the device will be on the highest setting by default indicated by Green but from then on it does remember your last setting so if you were on the Blue setting for example and turned the device off and then back on you would still be on the Blue setting.
To change setting is 3 quick clicks of the fire button to take you to the next setting and the fire button surround will flash 3 times in the new setting indication colour, the settings are as below:
0.6ohm Mesh Coil Head
Red = 16W
Blue = 18W
Green = 22W
1.3ohm CCELL Coil Head
Red = 7W
Blue = 10W
Green = 12W
When vaping the surround of the fire button lights up solid to show battery status indication which isn't the 4 or 5 tier indications that i prefer but just 3, they are nicely spread out and fit for purpose, so pretty happy!
Green = 70% - 100%
Blue = 30% - 69%
Red = 0% - 29%
The device of course has all the usual safety protections you would expect which are indicated by various amounts of flashes in different colours!
___________________________________________________________________
The Battery
One of the improvements over the previous version is the increased battery capacity from 800mAh to 1200mAh which is needed to give good life with the 0.6ohm coil but this can be controlled further by which setting you use. When using the CCELL 1.3ohm coil head then the device gives great battery life compared to similar devices.
The charge rate is the same 1A as with the Orca Solo but obviously takes longer to charge because of the increased capacity. The device took 1 hour 15 minutes approximately to charge each time which is acceptable for the size of battery and also supports pass-through. Still in 2020 i believe even a pen style device should have type C USB but not sure if it would actually be safe to charge this type of device at a higher rate than 1A so being quite petty!
___________________________________________________________________
My Experience And Thoughts!
Really not a lot to moan about with this and yes it would be a great kit for a new vaper but will have a much broader appeal than that. The different setting options in conjunction with good airflow adjustability makes this a really nice versatile little AIO Pen device which allows you to home in on the vape you want.
The CCELL was no surprise but be careful to give it plenty of time to saturate thoroughly as they can get a burn't taste from the off if impatient. A bit of patience shown though and you will benefit from one of the most flavoursome MTL vapes you have had as Vaporesso are in a league of their own when it comes to ceramic coil heads. The range with this coil is what i would describe as a cigarette draw with 2 holes right up to a loose MTL fully open, just one hole gives an even tighter draw than a cigarette (more a tightly rolled roll-up). I used 50/50 12mg nic salts, 50/50 ratio on the Blue setting with 4 holes open for a mid to loose MTL.
I love the 0.6ohm Mesh coil head which is lucky because a spare box was sent, flavour is on point and i was able to get 8 tank fills before the flavour just slightly started to drop off (still too good to swap out yet in my opinion) which is above average for longevity. This coil is so versatile allowing for a loose MTL or restrictive lung vape with 4 or 5 holes open but it actually gives a satisfying more authentic MTL with the airflow closed down including a cigarette type draw although for this just one hole is needed rather than two with the CCELL coil head. This coil head also allowed for much more versatility when it came to e-liquid ratios and it handled 70VG no problem whatsoever. I kept swapping vaping styles with this coil from a mid MTL with 3 holes on setting Blue and fully open on the Green setting for a restrictive lung hit.
The battery status indication worked well and charging wasn't too long while also supporting pass-through. Battery life is not bad at all with the 0.6ohm coil but is fantastic for this type of device when using the 1.3ohm ceramic coil easily lasting a day! This simple pen style AIO offering shows you can have a good device and get a cracking vape without all the bells and whistles!
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Well made durable AIO device
Metal construction
Perfect balance between substantial feel and portability
Ergonomic
Protective top sleeve
Easy to fill (even glass droppers can be used)
2ml capacity (increase over previous version)
Spare Glass
Standard comfortable 510 drip tip
Can use own 510 drip tip
Comes with both Mesh and CCELL coil heads
MTL and even restrictive DL (versatile device)
Good flavour and longevity with coil heads
Good airflow adjustability
1200mAh battery capacity
1A charging rate
3 constant output settings
Settings indications
Battery status indications
Supports pass-through
Cons
Need to discard e-liquid when changing coils
Would prefer Type C USB
Can't use battery and tank independently (obvious AIO device)
More colour options would be nice
I would once again like to thank Jessica from Vaporesso for supplying the Orca Solo Plus Starter Kit for the purpose of this review.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/orca-solo-plus
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