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Pizza Dave Delivers - A Kit Review - The Swell by Vandy Vape

pizzadave80

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
INTRODUCTION

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Hello Everyone and welcome to Pizza Dave’s Vape Reviews. Today I have a real Swell review for ya’ll. That’s right, it’s the Swell kit by Vandy Vape and Tony B. This is a dual 18650, 188w device, which comes with resin panels, a vibrant color display, Bluetooth connectivity, and is available in a ton of colors all housed in a lightweight plastic body. There is quite a bit of features jammed into this, so I am going to try and keep this informative, but not too long and droning. Let’s get right to it eh?


Disclaimer: This device was sent to me by Vandy Vape for review.


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WHAT YOU GET



  • 1 Vandy Vape Swell 188w mod
  • 1 Swell Tank
  • 1 3ml straight glass
  • 1 4.5ml bubble glass
  • 1 .15-ohm single mesh coil
  • 1 .15-ohm triple mesh coil
  • 1 Spare parts bag
  • 1 Micro usb cable
  • Paperwork


- Available in black frames with resin and G10 replaceable panels. There are a lot of colors, too many to list, so take a peek on their site for all color options.


STOCK SHOT
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PACKAGING
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UNBOXED
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MOD OVERVIEW

The Swell kit is another designed by Tony B. This time, he strays away from squonking and goes for a two-battery regulated mod. I listed many of the features in the into but here is a list.


  • Plastic Frame
  • Waterproof PCBA board – entire device isn’t waterproof, but if the board gets wet, they claim it won’t die
  • Resin and G10 panel options
  • Bright, colorful screen
  • 188w max power, and scrolls in 1-watt increments
  • Bluetooth connectivity to the Vandy Vape app which houses several features



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OPERATION

This is a relatively simple device, with button combinations similar to what we have seen in the Jackaroo and Pulse regulated squonkers. I was able to pick this up and get to using it out of the gate without looking at a manual, so I consider that a plus. Out of the box, it comes ready for wattage mode only, with all other modes de-selected and out of the way.


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BUTTON COMBOS

  • 5 clicks of the fire button will turn the device on and off.
  • 3 clicks of the fire button will highlight the mode (shown under the power or temp setting). These options can be turned on and off in the menu system to only show what modes you want.
  • Pressing the fire and up button together will lock out the adjustment buttons, but the device will still fire.
  • Pressing the up and down buttons together will access the menu system.


MENU SYSTEM

The menu system is similar to previous Vandy Chip devices, but with a lot more color and detail tanks to the bright and colorful display. I could spend a lot of time on the chip, but I am going to try and summarize it.


FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

  • Settings. This is the display where you can turn on and off features as follows:
  • TC
  • Voltage mode
  • Bypass mode
  • FIR – if on, the device will fire when locked. If off, only the adjustment buttons are locked when locked
  • ARR – auto resistor renew. Will detect resistance and set to that automatically. If off, it asks if the coil is new or old when resistance changes
  • APP – turn on Bluetooth connectivity


  • Hibernate – set the time where the device will go into hibernate mode. I don’t really think this does anything. Mine is set to 10 minutes factory, but the screen goes out after a few minutes.
  • Brightness – yep…. brightness adjustment. I run mine at ¾ because the screen is super bright even at that point
  • Reset puff – reset the puff counter
  • UI – adjust the color pattern of the display. They are all fades of different bright colors. No solid colors, which I think would have been nice.
  • Version – which shows chip and mod information
  • Reset – reset to factor
  • Exit



The menu system is labeled well and easy to scroll through. I never had issues fumbling around with the menu. I like how VV allows you to turn off and on what modes it can be in. It keeps it simple for those who just want one, a few, or all settings at their fingertips. The screen isn’t huge, but it makes up for this with clarity and a well broken-down menu system.


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HOW IT VAPES

This is really what we are all here for. I will be honest, I used this strictly in wattage mode. I figured I would leave TC operation for the guys who test it with instrumentation. I didn’t have great luck with the TC of the Vandy Chips in the past, and kind of thinking I would get a similar result. So, call me lazy, but this is a wattage mode only review. In short, it does what you want it to do. It ramps up quickly and produces wattage that feels true to what the setting is. The mod is comfortable in hand, the buttons have a great, clicky feel, and the battery doors are secured in place. The fire button rocks around a bit, but it doesn’t feel overly sloppy and it isn’t very noticeable when vaping on it, only when nitpicking. Batteries are inserted and removed with ease; however, you must take the back door off and push the batteries out, which is an extra step. I don’t mind this method at all, so I can’t gripe too much about it. The resin feels nice in hand as well, and the plastic body has a nice curvature for optimal ergonomics. Even though it has a lightweight plastic body, with batteries installed it doesn’t have a cheap feel. I would almost call it the perfect weight for a box mod. Since this is a kit review, I am going to touch on the included Swell tank.


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TANK REVIEW

This kit comes complete with the Swell tank. Call it a new name, and it doesn’t change what it is. I feel that this is basically the same tank that came on the Trident and Jackaroo kits. Flavor is in the upper tier of included tanks in kits, as I found that they perform pretty well. Capacity with the bubble glass is decent, but with the triple coil it plows through a tank, even at 4.5ml. Refilling the tank is completed via a quarter-turn twist-off top. It has one fill port, but it is large enough to insert a big gorilla bottle tip or dropper and refill with enough room for air to escape. I don’t like the threading on the top cap, as it is finicky to get it back on. The coils that come with this are the same type that we have seen with the Jackaroo tank, or at least they appear to be so. They have different names and it isn’t clearly stated on their site, but they seem like the exact same thing. Coil life is average amongst the market for mesh-coiled atomizers, with 40-50ml being the point where I tasted the drop off in flavor with sweeter liquids. Overall, it isn’t a bad tank in my opinion, and is a solid match to have on top of the Swell. It doesn’t touch some of the stand-alone mesh tanks on the market (Mesh Pro, Ehpro Raptor, Falcon King), but it is acceptable.



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TANK PROS

  • Good flavor
  • Matches the device well
  • Decent coil options
  • Nice, matchy drip tip


TANK CONS

  • Top cap threading could be better
  • Capacity drains quickly with triple mesh
  • Flavor is not as good as other mesh tanks on the market

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PHOTO GALLERY

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pizzadave80

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
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FINAL THOUGHTS

So, as the end of the day, what do I think of this device? Well, it sure is Swell (had to say it). Overall, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the vape that I was getting, but also enjoying the overall experience. The device is ergonomic, a nice weight, feels solid, and has a ton of options. There is a waterproof board, which is kind of advertised improperly. They say it is a waterproof and dustproof device, but it isn’t REALLY this way. ONLY the board can withstand this stuff, so don’t go dropping it in a lake with batteries in, or you are going to have a bad time. Once neat feature that I didn’t talk about is the Bluetooth option this has, but that’s because I never got to try it as the app isn’t released yet. The app has a mod finder function, allows you to adjust some settings on the mod, update firmware, and has an alert if you leave the mod behind and it disconnects from the phone it is connected to. I think it is a great feature that can be very useful, so I hope others take notice, expand on what it can do, and utilize the technology that we are all used to. I honestly struggled to find cons with this mod. One con is that my OCD doesn’t like the off-center 510 pin. I understand why it is located this way, as it is smack dab between the batteries, which allows them to wire it internally to keep it shorter. If it moves to the middle, it is over battery 1, and would require a few MM in length to make room. Another con might be the 25mm atomizer limit without overhang. Not a big con, but I gotta bring it up. Maybe I could mark a con down for the screen being too bright and colorful. If I had a G10 paneled device, I would think it would look silly with a colorful display and be a little more badass with shades of red. Overall, I have gushed and gushed about this thing. It is well done, so I can’t fault it for much. The included tank isn’t amazing but makes it decent enough for someone’s first kit. Tony B did a great job on this device, and I stand behind it.


OVEN TEST

If I this were to accidentally fall into my pizza oven would I go out and get another? Probably not, as there are a lot of similar mods out there that I like just a hair more.




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PROS


  • Well Designed
  • Bright Display
  • Simple Menu
  • Solid Feel
  • Perfect weight
  • Lots of features




CONS


  • Screen may have too much pizazz for some people
  • 25mm atomizer limit
  • Non-centered 510 pin
  • Fire button wiggles about a little



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Thank you all for reading and thank you to Vandy Vape for sending this my way for review. A quick google search and I am seeing this one listed for about $50-70.


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Pizza Dave – Delivering real reviews, with no extra toppings


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REVIEW CRITERIA: I use each item for about two weeks to ensure I have collected enough data to adequately write a review. I use the same e liquid in tanks or rdas throughout all my reviews to ensure that I am comparing apples to apples between all modern equipment. I do not post reviews until I feel confident that I have used it enough to give an educated review. The reason I started doing reviews was due to poor purchasing decisions in my vaping infancy about two years ago. Back then, I purchased several different pieces of hardware without really enjoying it and I hope my reviews can guide people into spending their hard-earned money more wisely than I did! ****Keep in mind that some items I receive may be pre-release and not in retail packaging. Quality may be less than the finished product and what is in the package may differ from the retail package as well.
 

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