Pulse AIO by Vandy Vape & Tony B Project

A review today for something that was much anticipated and so far proving popular within the vape scene, this is the Pulse AIO by Vandy Vape & Tony B Project. This was supplied by our friends over at Sourcemore. On their store website, you will find a ton of the latest and greatest in vape gear, as well as clearance sales and a free shipping selection of items.

If you are in the market for one of these Pulse AIO‘s or if I sway your decision at the end of the review, get over to Sourcemore and enter the code PAIOK at checkout to pick one up currently for $56.99 (at time of writing £41.75).

The Pulse AIO is quite an in-depth kit so I’m going to try and keep it as short and to the point as possible before we all start getting confused at what is what. There is also some growing aftermarket accessories and bridge’s that work with the Pulse AIO, but I am going to concentrate on what actually comes in the kit as-is! So let’s jump straight in!

The Packaging & Contents

The Pulse AIO comes sealed in a Black Cardboard box. The top of the box has the title and branding printed in Gold with a simple graphic of the Pulse AIO in the middle. The top and bottom side of the box has Gold printed branding and on the right side of the box has printed contact info for Vandy Vape, Scratch-&-verify panel, bar-code, batch and the serial number. The colour of the device is also printed here on the label.

The bottom of the box has the Gold printed title above 4 key features of the device, box contents and warnings. The box slides apart and the kit contents are packed in foam padding.

The contents inside the box are:

• Pulse AIO Device.
• Pulse Vessel RBA Tank.
• Pulse Vessel Pre-built Tank.
• 2 x Vandy Vape VVC Coils (1 x 0.3Ω pre-installed and 1 x 0.6Ω).
• Wrench tool.
• 2 x 24ga NI-80 Coils 0.4Ω.
• Accessory bag with spare O-rings, Screws and small Screwdriver.
• Coil lead guide tool.
• Type-C USB Cable.
• Drip Tip.
• Certificate card.
• Instruction Manual.
• 18650 Battery adaptor.

The box is well presented with a lot of accessories to get you running with the AIO.

Pulse AIO Design & Spec.

The Pulse AIO is a rectangular all in one device. It measures 97.5mm high, a width of 55.6mm and a depth of 28.2mm. It is lightweight even with a battery installed and the unit is made with thick plastic.

A removable magnetic door panel is on each side of the device. Behind the panel on one side has the battery compartment, the space for the tank and an etched title and branding below. Inside the other removable panel is a juice level window at the top, the circular main power/fire button underneath and at the bottom is the display screen and the up/+ and down/- buttons. Below is the USB-C charge port. On the right side is the other side of the battery compartment which is just a designed cut-out. That side’s panel features a cut-out for the power/fire button.

Situated at the bottom where the tank slots into the Pulse AIO is a gold 510 pin connection. This obviously powers the vape from the chipset. This gold 510 pin can actually be adjusted by height via a flathead screw. This is for different bridges or tanks to cater for slightly different sizes while still being able to adjust the positive pin to achieve connection.

The tank side of the device has five slots cut into the side frame for airflow. On the top of the Pulse AIO has the drip tip situated on one side that is removable.

The Pulse AIO runs either on a 21700, 20700 or 18650 battery with the supplied Battery adapter. The device powers from 5W-80W. The wattage is simply selected by the up/+ and down/- buttons on the unit. There are also other modes that can be run, these are SS TC, TI, NI, Bypass, Smart Mode (when using VVC Coils) and Voltage. To select between modes, simply press the fire button fast 3 times and then use the up/+ or down/- buttons to work through to the desired mode, then press the fire button again to lock in.

Other button functions are:

• To power the Pulse AIO on or off, press the fire button fast 5 times.
• Press the fire button and up/+ simultaneously to lock the device.
• Press the fire button and down/- simultaneously to flip the display screen rotation.
• Press the up/+ and down/- simultaneously to enter the Functions menu (reset puff counter, show version, change mode) Long press of the fire button return to the main interface.
• Press the up/+ and down/- simultaneously TWICE to re-read the resistance (New coil/old coil).
• Press the fire button, up/+ button and down/- button simultaneously to turn off/on the display screen.

The display screen on the Pulse AIO is a small 0.49inch OLED screen and shows power, resistance, 3-digit puff counter/puff time and current battery when in default wattage mode. The chip has 7 key safety features built-in including Overtime protection, Overload protection and short circuit protection. You can charge the device by connecting to 5V power via the Type-C cable, but as always, I recommend removing the battery and using a certified decent external battery charger.

I am reviewing the Black Pulse AIO but you can also currently buy the kit in Frosted Black, Frosted White, Frosted Green, Frosted Red and Frosted Blue.

Pimp The Pulse AIO

Some of the appeal towards the Pulse AIO is the ability to customise it, like what some vapers are used to with devices such as the Billet Box. In fact, the Boro tanks with bridges used in the Billet Box can be used in the Pulse AIO, and vice versa. This alone holds a very large key from the offset to the world of bridges and adaptors for Pulse AIO owners.

The door panels can be changed (though these are differently sized to Billet Box doors) and there are currently the standard Vandy Vape coloured door panels available to buy separately (HERE at Sourcemore) if you wanted to mix up the colours on the device a bit. You can also buy from aftermarket 3D printing designers but these will get pricey.

Further to door panels, you can also customise the ring around the fire button that shows through the door panel cut-out too (also available at Sourcemore HERE in various colours). Changing is easy by using the included Wrench tool that comes with the Pulse AIO. Simply twist off the ring and screw back the new one.

You can also customise the section where the display screen sits in front of the chipset. It’s a small panel available in colours that surround the screen along with coloured screws and a fire button included. These are again available from Sourcemore HERE. Again, this is an easy job of carefully removing the surrounding screws and changing the panel and button and replacing with coloured screws if you wish.

At the time of writing, the Pulse AIO has only been out a matter of weeks on the market so if you are reading this way down the line, expect the number of customisation accessories to have really grown. I expect many door panels and other customisations to be readily available over time, as well as bridges, tanks and adaptors made exclusively for the device.

That’s currently the aftermarket, let’s get on and see the Vessel tanks that come default with the Pulse AIO.

Vessel Pre-Built Tank

One of the tanks supplied with the Pulse AIO is the Vessel Pre-Built tank. This is set up to use the mesh Vandy Vape VVC Coils and there is a 0.3Ω pre-installed. Also in the box is a 0.6Ω VVC coil to run in that tank. You can also buy replacement VVC coils at both these resistances and in 0.15Ω, 0.9Ω and 1.2Ω so a few higher resistance for MTL vaping too.

The tank is in moulded thick clear plastic with a stainless chimney running 2/3’s to the top. The coil slots into the chimney from the bottom pushing into a port. There is also an airflow control ring that pushes onto the bottom of the coil up to that port to secure. To replace the coil, simply remove the airflow ring, and pull out the coil with the wrench tool supplied in the Pulse AIO box.

The juice capacity of the Vessel Pre-built tank is 5ml and can be re-filled by pulling out the clear rubber bung on the front top of the tank.

To switch tanks in the Pulse AIO

To switch out the Vessel tanks on the Pulse AIO (or any aftermarket tank/bridge) simply pull out the drip tip and use the Wrench tool to unscrew the 510 screw from the frame. Pull out the tank from inside and simply replace the tank, re-screw in the 510 screw from the top and replace the drip tip.

Vessel RBA

Also included with the Pulse AIO is the Vessel RBA. Again, in moulded thick clear plastic with a thick stainless chimney from the top inside, running to a large base where the RBA deck slots into. The juice capacity of this Vessel tank is 3.7ml as the large base takes up some of the tank compared to the pre-built Vessel tank. Again, E-liquid is filled by pulling out the clear rubber bung at the top front of the tank.

The Vessel RBA deck is a single coil setup with honeycomb airflow on each side and bottom where the coil will sit. On each side of the deck are juice wells and juice is fed onto the deck via 4 small holes on the stainless base inside the Vessel RBA tank. Small flathead screws secure the coil and there is a coil leg guide tool in the box, so you can cut the legs to the perfect size before screwing in. The deck is small but not too tiny to get a decent-sized coil in there for either Direct lung or Mouth to lung configuration.

Screwed onto the 510 pin at the bottom is a plastic airflow control ring with two adjacent holes so you can configure airflow to the deck by turning to close off or open the holes. The 510 is threaded so you can check the coil resistance and set up the coil on a regulated device before putting back into the Pulse AIO. The deck only fits one way into the top of the RBA in the tank, so bear that in mind and don’t force it into it.

My Thoughts

I’ve been using the Pulse AIO for around 2 or 3 weeks now and am generally impressed with the kit. At first, I thought being made with plastic would be weak and flimsy, but that isn’t the case, at least in this solid Black colour (I can’t judge the ‘frosted’ versions). The frame is actually very tough. I wouldn’t fancy its chances on a big drop test on a hard surface, but it’s a sturdy device despite being plastic.

It cosmetically looks nice with a large circular clicky fire button and a nicely styled drip tip which is comfortable in use. It fits nicely in an average-sized hand and externally resembles a slightly obese Billet Box. The airflow slots on the side of the frame does what they should, you just need to make sure you get used to vaping without covering that airflow with part of your hand or fingers.

The settings on the Pulse AIO are a breeze to use and the chipset gives a responsive fire. The screen displays brightly what you need to know on the device (albeit removing the door panel to read it). I’m not the biggest fan of a 3 digit puff counter, I can whizz that round to the start again within hours, but appreciate it appears this way on a lot of devices now and not everyone relies on a puff counter. Also, the Pulse AIO does have a little screen so that needed to be taken into account; it could only be set up for a certain amount of digits.

Another little point I found compared to other single battery devices; when using a 18650 in the Pulse AIO, it ran down quite quickly. A fully charged 18650 will give you plenty of hours of use when using the adaptor, but I would recommend getting the benefit of using a 21700 to give that much longer time between charges.

Both Vessel tanks supplied are equally nice to use. It’s great that both are supplied in the kit. The pre-built Vessel on the stock coils is good. Simple to set up in the device and both Vandy Vape VVC coils I used from the kit gave decent flavour across E-liquid profiles and good vapour production. I used the 0.3Ω for complete DTL vaping and the 0.6Ω I used for a non-restrictive MTL vape. When using the stock coils, I had zero leaks from either and not even any condensation on the bottom to write home about.

The Vessel RBA is a decent little RBA in use. Again, decent flavour and clouds but obviously this will depend on your build. I originally used one of the coils supplied in the kit then tested it out with a higher resistance coil for MTL. When using a lower wattage MTL, I had zero leaks again without condensation and on the included coil at DTL, I had some very minor condensation on the bottom of the RBA during a lot of use. Again though, zero leaks which are impressive seeing as it’s quite a regular thing I’ve found with certain bridges on the Billet Box in the past.

Universal use with a boro tank or equivalent is also a big plus point on the Pulse AIO as this means there is a big amount of bridges you can use. Also, the way you can customise its look will appeal to a lot of vapers. It’s also really good to have an AIO boxed device that can also accept a 21700 or a 20700 and not just 18650.

The Vandy Vape & Tony B Pulse AIO is something I’d definitely recommend to vapers. It’s always going to be more appealing to those that are already down or looking to jump into the ‘kit car of vaping’ rabbit hole with its customisation, bridges and tanks. Is it a cheaper Billet Box? Sure, but that isn’t a bad thing. With the SXK DNA60 ‘version’ of the Billet Box coming in at £120 retail, this Pulse AIO is a third of the price currently from Sourcemore and will match its functions, take its boro tanks and you are able to height adjust the 510 pin. You can also throw a 21700 in it which is something no version of this type of box will do.

I did hear the Pulse AIO took Tony B and Vandy Vape 2 years in the making and after using the device, you can see how much thought and time had gone into it. I expect to see a lot more accessories for it released by Vandy Vape in the future.

It’s a great little AIO device and if it ticks your boxes, it’s something to definitely go and buy.

To pick up the Pulse AIO, head over to Soucemore via the links at the start of the review and make sure you add that code at checkout for a discount. Thanks for reading!