VandyVape Jackaroo Waterproof 100W Kit

[timwis]

Hi Vaping Underground members, In this review i take a look at the Jackaroo Kit from Vandyvape. The Jackaroo Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Ariel from Vandyvape.

http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Jackaroo-kit/



Introduction

The Aegis like Jackaroo boasts the same IP67 water resistance, shockproof and dustproof rating as the 2017 release by Geekvape that was greeted with great enthusiasm by the Vaping Community. The Jackaroo has semi-pistol grip ergonomics and changeable side panels that come in a host of G10 and Resin finishes. The Jackeroo allows you to turn features and modes on and off in the menu to make the device as simple or feature packed as you like, it also has a full colour display which allows for customisation. The mod comes paired with the 3.5ml Jackeroo sub-ohm tank which is supplied with 2 different mesh coils and 5ml bubble glass. The Jackeroo has a top wattage of 100w and will run off a 21700, 20700 or 18650 with supplied adaptor, so let's give the Jackeroo a good look!

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In The Box



Contents:

1pc JACKAROO Mod(no cell)
1pc JACKAROO Tank
1pc 0.15ohm Mesh Coil
1pc 0.3ohm Mesh Coil
1pc 18650 Battery Adaptor
1pc Spare Bulb Glass Tube
1pc Accessory Bag
1pc Instructional Manual

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Aesthetics and Ergonomics

The Jackaroo Kit came in the usual plain Blue cardboard packaging that Vandyvape samples come in. On opening the box i actually thought wow! this looks nice!, I received the Red Ridge version that has Red G10 panels with ridge effect and i thought it was Christmas Day all over again. It's available with either G10 or Resin panels, the G10 options are Red Ridge, American Eagle, Obsidian Black, Blue Python, Orange Viper and Green Anaconda, the Resin options are Red Pomegranate, Green Jade, Gold Agate or Blue Porcelain. I had not seen the device before receiving it and looking at the pictures i actually feel i got my least favourite yet i still thought Wow! this is a damn fine looking device in my opinion. The material is Zinc Alloy but has a very thick rubber covering making it large and heavy for a single battery device, it's shape is semi-pistol handle and the spine is shaped to feel comfortable in the hand. The panels are parallelogram shaped and can be removed (all panel options can be bought separately). The face of the device has a very nice protruding Black fire button, towards the bottom are the - and + buttons, placed in the centre of the face we have the colour screen. The spine of the device has cutout grooves for grip and moving to the base we have the battery plate with fold in lever. Up top we have a spring loaded 510 to one side and venting holes with membrane seal the other, central we have branding. The ergonomics of the Jackaroo are spot on although it's weight might not be to everyone's liking. The build quality is excellent and aesthetically i find it one of the most pleasing to the eye device's available.




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Jackaroo Tank Specs and Features:

24mm Diameter (26mm widest point)
3.5mL Standard Juice Capacity
Included 5ml bubble glass
Pyrex Glass Reinforcement
Stainless Steel Construction
Threaded Top Fill System
Vandy Vape JACKAROO Coil System
0.15ohm Mesh Coil - Rated for 50-90W
0.3ohm Mesh Coil - Rated for 40-60W
Dual Slotted Bottom Airflow Control
Thread: 510
Colour: Black



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Jackaroo Tank Overview

The Jackeroo is a nice looking subohm tank which comes pre-installed with a 3.5ml straight glass which is indented from the top and bottom of the tank so if it's dropped the glass won't hit the surface the tank falls on so very unlikely to break. It's pretty standard comprising of top-cap, juice port ring with attached chimney and the base section with airflow control ring. The coil gets screwed into the base and the top of the coil screws to the chimney when the tank is screwed together. The glass is secured in place top and bottom with o-rings and can easily be removed for cleaning or swapping for the included 5ml bubble glass. The Jackaroo comes with a 510 wide bore Resin drip tip that is a colour to match the panels on the device, the o-rings are fitted to the socket of the tank rather than the drip tip itself but other 510's will fit. The top of the tank has a stepped look and has an easy screw off top-fill method, just half a turn and the top is off to reveal a generous filling port. The airflow is large dual cyclops, the control ring has texturing and moves with a nice tolerance. The finish feels like a rubber paint in keeping with the look of the device and we have a protruding, Gold plated 510.



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The Coils

You get supplied with 2 different coils which to my knowledge are the only 2 options for the tank as they are not a mainstream fit so availability could be an issue. It comes pre-installed with a 0.15ohm mesh coil with a rating between 50-90w, the other included coil which i used is a net style 0.3ohm mesh coil rated between 40-60w.



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Jackaroo Mod Specs and Features:

Dimensions - 91mm x 48mm x 29mm
Single 20700 / 21700 / 18650 (with adaptor)
Wattage Output Range: 5-100W
Voltage Output Range: 0.5-8.0V
Max Output Current: 40A
Coil Resistance Range: 0.5-3.0ohm
Temperature Control Range: 200-600F
Power Mode
Voltage Mode
Bypass Mode
DIY Mode
Shockproof Material Chassis Construction
IP67 Water Resistant
Intuitive 0.91 Inch TFT OLED Screen
Intuitive Firing Button
Two Adjustment Buttons
Bottom-Loaded Threaded Battery Cap Design
Overtime Protection
Atomizer Protection
Low Power Warning
Short Circuit Protection
Over-Heat Protection
510 Connection
Colours G10: Red Ridge, American Eagle, Obsidian Black, Blue Python, Orange Viper, Green Anaconda
Colours Resin: Red Pomegranate, Green Jade, Gold Agate, Blue Porcelain



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Fitting The Battery

The battery gets fitted via the bottom of the device, which has a removable plate with lift up lever like we have seen before on the original Aegis and Sigelei Evaya to name two devices. Unscrewing the plate and screwing back on does take a bit of time that impatient people might not like but i like this method of fitting batteries as it's very secure and no risk of damaging your battery wrap. The plate has a fitted o-ring to complete the watertight seal and threading isn't the greatest, but I've known far worse. The device will accommodate a 21700, 20700 or 18650 battery with the supplied adaptor and can confirm you get no battery rattle with whichever option you choose.



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Review Continued Below:

 

[timwis]

Review Continued:

Waterproof, Dustproof, Shockproof and the USB Port

The Jackaroo has a rating regarding Water, Shock and Dust protection of IP67 which means the device isn't going to be damaged by normal drops, dropping in a bath or using in heavy rain, in fact the IP rating is impressive and this device can take a beating and live to see another day. One weak point with making a device watertight is the USB port as it can be sealed with a silicone bung or plate sealed with a membrane but constant removal is going to weaken the seal in time. What Vanyvape have done to solve this problem is a massive con if you rely on charging the device via a USB as you will have to give the Jackaroo a miss or invest in an external charger because the device's USB is for firmware upgrades only. The USB port is completely out of sight underneath the face plate so to update the firmware the face plate needs removing. The production version will include a tool for doing this and to be honest as someone who chargers externally and bearing in mind firmware updates are not something you will be doing often, if at all i think Vandyvape have done a good job here but i do feel for those that rely on charging in the device.



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The Display

The Jackaroo has a full colour display that can be customised in the menu, it's bright and sharp and set out well. Top left we have the Voltage that changes to wattage when in temp control, top right we have the resistance. We have a circle in the centre of the display that accommodates the mode and wattage/temperature etc. Further down we have the puffs followed by real time vape time. The bottom of the display has the battery status bar central, to the left of this is the battery status given as a percentage and to the right we have a padlock to indicate if the device is locked or unlocked.



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Navigating The Jackaroo

The device is the standard 5 clicks of the fire button to turn on and 5 clicks to turn off and once you choose old or new coil (this feature can be tweeked in the menu) it automatically sets at a suitable wattage for the resistance. This auto smart feature is getting very common and i don't mind it, fair enough i always have to alter it to exactly the wattage i want but as it will be in the ball park area it's a quick adjustment, it also avoids new vapers or any of us having a brain freeze day from sizzling our coils. To lock the device is the + and fire together which then still fires depending on which locking option you have selected in the menu. Fire and - together is stealth mode and repeating turns the screen back on. 3 clicks of the fire button causes the mode to flash allowing you to scroll through the different modes on the main screen. Modes and features have to be turned on or off to be active or not on the device and if the production version is the same as the sample the device comes with power mode active only (so when you try to change modes nothing happens as power is the only mode available), also by default the device is set so when locked it will fire. To enter the menu system is the - and + together which gives a column of icons to choose from. The first icon is where you add or remove features on the device, they are listed in a column with an outline dash, pressing the fire button moves to the next feature and the feature can be turned on or off using the - and + buttons, when the feature is active the dash is filled in rather than being an outline. The list consists of Voltage, TC, Bypass, Screen colour (with each press of the + button the colour of the display changes, the choices are Orange, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow or Purple). Next we have the ARR feature which will ask if it's a new coil every time you reattach the tank or turn the device on or off, turning this off means it only asks if it identifies a new coil although even when off it will always ask in temp control. Next we have fire, with this feature off the device will fire when locked, if you turn it on then when the device is locked it also will not fire, the final option is Reset that allows you to go back to factory settings. Going back to the main screen, now with the modes activated when pressing the fire button three times we can now scroll through the different modes which are Power, Voltage, Bypass, TC-SS, TC- Ni and TC-Ti, when in temp control top left we now have wattage displayed instead of voltage, pressing the fire button 4 times allows this to be altered for temp control right up to 100w. Back to the main menu screen and the second icon is your DIY settings there are 5 slots in total, next we have brightness, then screen timeout, followed by the puff counter (can be reset), then finally icons for software and hardware versions.




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My Experience With The Jackaroo Kit

First i must state i do not vape using temp control and have no access to data but simply review the device as a vaper trying it. The Jackaroo has just about the nicest feeling fire button i have come across and is stiff but depresses smoothly and gives a really nice sounding click. As you would expect it fires instantly with no miss-fires and all wattage's seemed accurate and 100w with a 21700 battery felt like 100w to me. The Jackaroo tank is a perfectly decent companion and after less than a tank of liquid to break in the flavour was on point. The tank has a ton of air with slight turbulence that was improved when setting halfway for the restricted hit i like, the net like 0.3ohm coil that i used i found a really flavourful vape at 55w. I don't mind this wide bore style of 510 drip tip but not having an 810 option has to be a con as some people prefer 810 drip tips exclusively. Going back to the device and i have to point out how nice it feels in the hand despite being large for a single battery device, it is equally as comfortable with both a finger or thumb firing action. I like the idea of switching modes and features on and off the device, it's straight forward and allows people not to have the device cluttered with features they don't use, if all you want is to be able to alter wattage and fire using power mode then you can deactivate everything else. Using a 21700 battery gives good battery life and although i like what Vandyvape have done with the micro USB port it has to be a con that people who charge batteries on-board haven't got that option. The Jackaroo will accommodate atty's up to 26mm without overhang which is the vast majority of atty's and after taking the face place off which will be a bit of a pain the device is fully firmware upgradeable. As for the water, shock and dustproof performance there are plenty of videos already showing it's credentials so i have left that to reviewers who receive a box full of samples, mine won't be going in my cabinet but will be a device i will be using on a permanent basis, i like it that much!



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Likes

Excellent build quality
One of the most aesthetically pleasing devices available
Plenty of panel colour options
G10 or Resin panels
Panels can be removed (panels can be bought separately in all options)
Very Ergonomic
IP67 Water, shock and dustproof
Thick Rubber casing
Temp Control (not tested)
Variable voltage as well as variable wattage
Bypass
DIY settings
Activate and deactivate modes and features for the device
Colour screen with customisation
Very nice feeling fire button with satisfying click
Fires instantly
21700, 20700 or 18650 (with supplied adaptor)
With 21700 batteries doesn't seem under-powered
Performed well in power mode
Good battery life
Jackaroo Tank, Flavour on point
Plenty of air with good adjustability for more restriction
Spare 5ml bubble glass
Top-fill, half turn and top is off (very quick)
Firmware upgradeable (but see cons)

Cons

Can't charge battery on-board
Face plate needs removing for firmware upgrades
Heavy and larger than most single battery devices
Jackaroo Tank, coil availability could be an issue
No 810 option
Slight turbulence with airflow fully open

I would once again like to thank Ariel from Vandyvape for supplying the Jackaroo Kit for the purpose of this review.

http://www.vandyvape.com/kit/kit/Jackaroo-kit/

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