Pulse V2 Squonk by Vandy Vape

Pulse V2 by Vandy Vape

Review by Jen_Turista

Vandy Vape Pulse II Squonk Mod: Aye, Squonk-heaven!

Hello folks! I am back, and have another hardware review for you!

This time, we will be taking a look at the Vandy Vape Pulse II Squonk Mod, made by one of the vape giants in the game, Vandy Vape, in collaboration with arguably one of the biggest reviewers out there, Tony B.!

Now you might think that this review is sort of a retro one. However, at least from what I can see, there is not a massive amount of new regulated squonk mods/kits being produced of late. It is definitely not as plentiful as the plethora of pod devices out there! I can understand why, as not every vaper will go into squonking. You really cannot fault the rapid rate of innovation that has come to the pods ecosystem; hence they experience more progression over squonk mods. But, I also think that this is why we who go into squonking will find mods or kits that have withstood the test of time. The Vandy Vape Pulse II is one of those squonk mods.

This mod was sent to me for review purposes from Fasttech.com. Fasttech stock a massive amount of vaping gear and supplies- if you can think it, they will (most probably) have it! And best of all, their items are priced very well as compared to similar websites, so do check them out for your vaping needs. Most ship for free or at low cost too.

Packaging and Contents

I was sent the retail version of the Vandy Vape Pulse II Mod containing:

The mod with the darker-coloured squonk bottled pre-installed. There’s also an extra bottle inside the kit, albeit of a lighter colour.
An 18650 adaptor. It takes 21700 batteries too (and 20700, yay!).
Two instruction manuals: one for the mod, and another for the Vandy Vape App (Android only at the moment, sorry folks!).
A USB-C charging cable.
A few other bits of paperwork for warranty, proper use guidance, etc.
And, this weird-looking metal tool that has a curled/hooked end, which to be honest, I wasn’t able to see its clear purpose.

Salient Features include:

Goes up from 5W to 95W.
It is extremely (and I mean, EXTREMELY!) lightweight! This was a pleasant surprise for me as every 21700 mod I have has some weight to it. You know, the kind of weight that can drag your jeans pocket towards gravity.
Has the Vandy Vape chipset, which is waterproof.
It is a bottom-fill squonker.
Can accommodate most attys out there up to 25mm without any noticeable overhang.
Different output modes include power with preheat, voltage, bypass, TC for Ni200, Ti and SS.
Bright, coloured, crisp screen. I really dug the screen on this mod!
Usage of the excellent Vandy Vape App, more about that below.

Vandy Vape Pulse V2 Box Contents

Impressions and Experience

The kit is boxed nicely, and I would say rather with simplicity in mind- I love it! The information about the device is clearly on the box as well as noting that it’s a Tony B. project. The box contents are mentioned as well as the features one should expect in getting the mod.

A. Mod/Device

Pulse V2 Squonker The mod is made of ABS Nylon, which according to Vandy Vape, makes it durable. It also makes the device so lightweight. Along with the (lack of) weight, the size of the mod surprised me too! There are 18650 mods out there that are bigger than this mod in every way, let alone 21700 mods! I am very impressed with these features of the mod at the outset. The mod materials feel very nice to the touch too, even the resin finish.

Now, the mod may look simple too: a black-boxed body with removable and interchangeable resin panels, but the way they all come together puts everything quite nicely in my opinion. It’s not garish and it does the job.

Squonk performance: the mod performed very well. Although part of the squonking will depend on the atomiser used, I didn’t find that it squonked too much liquid or that it fills up my RDA too slowly. There’s also hardly any leaking that can be found inside the 510 connection of the mod that does sometimes happen with squonkers. The bottles that came with the kit are also just right for me in terms of the applied pressure needed to get my liquid into my atty.

Thankfully, these are not as hard as water bottles as some other squonk bottles can be. Pushing the squonk bottle wasn’t such a chore either. The position of where the squonk bottle can be squeezed was OK, although I do have short thumbs. It just meant that I needed to slightly rotate the mod in my hand to get to the bottle, from a position of firing the mod.

Vaping performance: it fires lightning-quick, as expected with the chip installed. In power mode (which I would imagine, the mode most of us will use anyway), the wattage is regulated by up and down buttons found at the bottom of the screen. Power is adjusted in one-watt increments and the mod is a fast scroller. There are options to modify the power curve to your liking, which will require the use of the app.

Refilling and maintenance: with the mod being bottom-fill, I was dubious as to whether I will experience any difficulty filling or leaking. I am happy to report that neither happened! I had absolutely no leaks, whatsoever, and for this, I need to applaud Vandy Vape and Tony B. for that expert engineering and implementation of the design. The fill cover screws off from the mod to fill. It has a latch for turning the cover, and this handle even has a tiny magnet to keep it in place when not in use (how neat is that?!).

Once the fill cover is placed back onto the mod after refilling via its very smooth threads, the mod is ready for the next vape session! At this point, I should mention that maybe, the weird tool I mentioned in the package contents section, can be used to lift the latch if need be? I’m not really sure, but that’s the closest use I can think of for that tool.

Pulse V2 Display Screen I also found replacing the bottle to be easy and leak-free. In addition, since the PCB is waterproof, I was able to clean the mod with a quick wash with water that I dried off right after. Good as new!

The mod doors are held in place by strong and secure magnets with no discernible play. Another quality I really liked was how clearly the battery orientation was marked at the side of the mod. The markers are huge! You won’t miss it. Placing the battery inside and removing the battery when not in use is also a breeze. Some mods’ battery removal system can be battery wrap-shredders, but definitely not the one employed in this Vandy Vape Pulse II Mod. Your wraps will be safe and sound, as they should be!

The screen and its UI is probably one of the best I have seen out there, even at the time of this review. Screen brightness can be adjusted, and even if not in full, the screen is easily visible even in low light conditions or bright sunlight. It displays the usual but useful vaping data like battery level (although not as a numerical percentage), resistance, puff timer and counter, and an icon indicating that it is linked to your phone once you have paired the mod (more on that below!). Other customisations include the UI colour and time to hibernate when the mod is not in use.

B. The Vandy Vape App

Vandy Vape has had the Vandy Vape App since the Swell Mod, if I am not mistaken, although this is the first time I am using this app. Unfortunately, it is only available via the Google Play Store (Android) at the moment due to the various oddities going on with vape apps in other app environments like iOS.

Vandy Vape Pulse V2 App Setting up the app is fuss-free, like the mod! I needed to set up an account, as expected, and then I was able to pair my device with the app. This part was where I actually expected there to be hiccups, but to my delight there was none and it was very easy. It is pretty much like how you would pair most Bluetooth devices to your phone.

The app has different sections for your profile and your devices. It is in the devices section where you can make modifications to your device like updating the firmware version or customising your power curve. There are also options to customise for TC (temperature and wattage) and Voltage users.

It is also in the devices section where you can use the Find Device feature. Basically, when you activate it (a big red button!), it locates your device, which then gets the mod to emit beeping sounds, just in case you can’t remember which room you left your mod in.

Overall : Yay or Nay?

Ooohh no question, a solid YAY for me! As I said in my intro, there are only a few tried and tested regulated squonk mods in the market, and my experience of using the Pulse II has just re-affirmed why this is one of those trusted devices.

Everything about it just screams quality along with intelligent design. From the mod appearance, weight, finish, ease of use, and usability of an app (that actually works!) – it feels like almost everything was considered and thought out in the development of this mod. I highly, highly recommend this to vapers who would like to get into squonking, or even to seasoned vapers who are looking for a less chunky squonker for being out-and-about. For the price of this mod compared to competitors plus what the mod offers the vaper, the choice of this as a starter squonker is a no-brainer!

I can tell you that this mod has definitely made its way into my daily rotation. It is a joy to use, and I will not bat an eyelid recommending this mod for anyone looking for a quality squonker.

You can pick up the Pulse V2 by Vandy Vape over on the Fasttech Website with the price currently $45.99. A very good price for a great squonk mod!

This review was written by jen_turista who is very active within the vape scene. You can go give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter.