Vandy Vape Pulse AIO.5

[I_aint_Joe]

Introduction

I’m going to be conducting this review from two different perspectives:

• Do the upgrades over the original Pulse AIO offer any improvements?
• Is the Pulse AIO.5 a worthwhile purchase?

The original Pulse AIO and Pulse AIO.5 are almost identical in many aspects, so a lot of the content will be a copy/paste from my review of the original.



Product overview

The Pulse AIO.5 is an 80w 21700/20700/18650 AIO device, that is compatible with ‘most’ boro tanks and with Vandy Vape’s range of VVC coils.

What do you get?

• Pulse AIO device (fitted with square button)
• Vessel RBA tank
• Vessel VVC tank
• 2×VVC stock coils
• 2×2.5mm 24g 0.4ohm round wire coils
• Accessories + multi purpose tool
• Round button kit
• Additional front/back panels for the round button.

The only differences between the contents of the original and the .5 kit contents are the addition of an extra button kit and extra front/panels. Buying these separately costs $10, so it’s a nice thing to get included.



First impressions

Apart from the aforementioned panels/button, the other noticeable difference from the original, is the reinforced connection for the 510 nut, my original is still in perfect condition (possibly due to the black version using a different body material?) but there were reports of the body cracking when the 510 nut was tightened. The new connection is teardrop shaped rather than round and is bolted to the frame.



The body is now made of Lexan EXL1414T, which I assumed is an upgrade from the original Pulse AIO’s material.



Button kit and panels

One thing worth noting with the new panels is that they only fit when the round button is installed, this isn’t a huge issue as changing the button is really easy, it’s a three minute job with an allen key.

Everything is compatible with the original Pulse AIO, so if you’re upgrading or replacing, then keep your original buttons and panels, you can swap them around for a little more variety.



What wasn’t fixed

I really had hoped and assumed that Vandy Vape would have done something to secure the base of the Vessel RBA to the tank. They haven’t, it still falls off and you still have to be very careful with it when it’s full of juice. This is especially annoying when you see that the new Pulse AIO Mini comes with the Vessel 2.

None of the above takes away from the actual performance of the Vessel, I really enjoy using it with a borderline very restricted DL to loose MTL setup.

And...the horrible drip-tip; the design is ugly, the color doesn’t match, it’s too short and the bore is too wide. Oh well, stick another 510 drip-tip on it and you’re good to go.



Performance

It performs exactly the same as the original.

Rant

Sometimes it feels as Vandy Vape (and others) treat releases as Beta tests. The body cracking when the nut was tightened should have been pick up on (maybe it was?) and dealt with before the original was released.

There’s far too much urgency to beat other companies to the next exciting release, than to actually test something and make sure it’s perfect before asking people to pay their money for a product.

This .5 version is what should have been released in the first place.



Conclusion

The Pulse AIO with better build quality and more extras – of course that’s a good thing.

Is it worth purchasing if you have the original and it isn’t broken? Probably not.

Is it worth purchasing if you don’t have the original and you want to try AIO/boro tanks without spending a fortune? Absolutely, it’s a better overall package than the original.

Disclaimer

The Vandy Vape Pulse AIO.5 was provided for the purposes of this review by Healthcabin

 

[SnapDragon NY]

Great review!
I bought the original VV Pulse AIO January 2022 and used it daily for many months and by November 2022 the top was cracked so bad I was getting atomizer errors( I swear I was careful) I needed to order another one and went with the upgraded Pulse AIO .5, I bought in January 2023.
Hopefully this lasts more than a year since I really like this device. I like the battery versatility of the Pulse AIO.
The Pulse .5 came with 2 sets of panels and the two different button assemblies(round and square) included was the screwdriver you need to accomplish changing this. Luckily I have Billet Boxes so I have the screwdriver too just in case this was not included. I had to remove the square button assembly because I wanted to use the included decorative panels that are the round hole so need to install the round button assembly. Easy Peasy for me!
I , like you hate that white clunky white drip tip, it is horrible, of course I switched that out, really why VV couldn't upgrade that awful drip tip. I bought my Pulse AIO .5 without the Pulse Vessel RBA since I already have and use that. I love the Pulse Vessel RBA- it is so easy to use and vapes great!

 

[nadalama]

I was accidentally lucky to have waited until the .5 came out to buy one of these. I like it more than I thought I would! I am still using the square button, and ordered some dark royal blue Lucky 13 panels to go on it. Drip tip was the first thing to go, though. That dt from the factory is so awful, and ugly to boot.

The .5 is a device worth buying, imo, but I do think I would stick with the black one. I'm not so sure about the material used for the housings of the other colors.

 

[Frogger]

Is the vessel worth getting? ive seen iffy reviews, i was also looking at that dovpo joby that comes with the hazard

 

[nadalama]

Is the vessel worth getting? ive seen iffy reviews, i was also looking at that dovpo joby that comes with the hazard

If I were to buy another AIO.5, I would probably get the kit that doesn't include the Vessel. It isn't bad, but there are bridges I like so much more.