Vilter S Kit & Vilter-PB by Aspire
Review by Jen_Turista
Aspire Vilter S Kit and Vilter-PB (Power Bank) Review
Hello again, my lovelies! Fresh off my last review of the Aspire Flexus Blok, here is another new starter kit from vaping heavyweights, Aspire!
Huge thanks to Aspire (thanks, Tina!) who have sent these devices to me for the purposes of a review.
So, along with this new kit release, Aspire has also created an accessory for it. These are the Vilter S Kit and Vilter-PB, respectively. The Vilter S seems to be an update to their highly successful Vilter kit that was released last year, and the Vilter-PB is an accessory to extend battery life and/or charge the device that is compatible with both the original Vilter and Vilter S.
Now, I hadn’t used or reviewed the original Vilter (hence, this will not be a comparative review). But from what I can surmise, the original Vilter is THE device for beginners. That is, for those who are literally going to try vaping for the first time to come off smoking. I say that because of the Vilter’s form factor, and the fact that it takes soft tips – all to simulate the feeling of having a cigarette on the lips.
Without further ado, let’s get cracking with this review and see whether these devices are fit for your or your loved ones’ needs!
As always, I will be reviewing this kit as an average vaper, as most in our community are.
Packaging and Contents
I was sent sample packs of the Black Vilter S Kit and Black Vilter-PB that included:
Vilter S Kit:
- The Vilter S device has a 500 mAh battery.
- 1 x 2 mL Vilter pod that has a bottom fill hole and a 1.0 ohm KA mesh coil.
- 1 x Paper Filter Drip Tip (the soft tip that I mentioned in the intro).
- 1 x POM Drip Tip. This one is almost like a standard vaping 510 drip tip but longer.
- USB-C cable.
- User Manual.
Vilter-PB:
- The Vilter power bank has a whopping 1600 mAh capacity.
- USB-C cable.
- User Manual.
Salient Features of the Vilter S Kit include:
- The device has a 0.69” OLED screen.
- 3.7 V of constant output.
- Dimensions include the soft tip at 22.1 x 12.6 x 124 mm.
- Has both button and auto-draw firing.
- 650 mAh charging current, so it will take over an hour to charge the device from a flat battery. I did wish that Aspire include a 1A charging feature at least, but I suppose this is where the power bank comes in. And speaking of…
Salient Features of the Vilter-PB include:
- Measures at 45.3 x 21.2 x 87 mm.
- Charges at 2A (when you recharge the power bank itself).
- Charges the Vilter device at 1A.
- And yes, you can use the device even when charging it using the power bank!
Impressions and Experience
Both devices came in simple but nicely styled white boxes with photos up the top of the hardware contained. Kit contents, features, and manufacturer information are printed around each box. The devices are on a compartmentalised plastic tray with the user manuals underneath. Aspire has gone for simplicity here, and rightly so, as these are starter devices.
The Vilter S Kit looks simple and unassuming, especially in the black colour I received. The power bank in black looked simple enough and yet classy with the leather flap. When used individually or together, they are ergonomic to use and very pocketable. Absolutely no complaints here!
A. Vilter S Kit
Starting with the device, it has just one button to turn it on/off (5 clicks), fire, and select the operating mode of the device via 3 clicks. These modes are:
A = auto-draw only.
B = button activated only.
AB = both auto-draw and button activation are possible.
In all modes, the device worked perfectly, and I have to put a special emphasis on the auto-draw as it engages so quickly – really like smoking a cigarette! I couldn’t also tell any significant difference in warmth between using the button or auto-draw: both methods gave me a satisfying MTL vape.
The fire button is located on the side, opposite the USB-C port. There is an OLED screen in front which displays battery life, the number of puffs, the duration of puffs, and the mode selected. Despite being small, Aspire did maximise the screen area to make this information easy to read.
The device is branded in a simple manner, with Aspire’s new logo on the front alongside the brand name, and the model name on the back. It really looks stealthy in the black finish I received, but I am sure Aspire will bring out more colours to this line when it launches (no available information yet on this at the time of this review).
Being lightweight, the device feels like it is made from aluminium alloy. It is also quite comfortable to hold and easily fits into pockets, or even a cheeky lanyard if you have one.
The Vilter pod slides into and stays in place at the top of the mod that houses the coil contacts and microphone for the auto draw function. The pod can face either direction and it should still work with the device. And, this device will be compatible with original Vilter pods, if you have any.
The only comment I have about the device is that the puff counter resets every time you take the pod out, which is a shame because you would indeed need to take the pod out to fill as the pod fills from the bottom. I hope Aspire will update the pod’s refill system in perhaps a future release, to feature a top fill system. This is not just a workaround for the puff counter issue but it’s just better all around for accessibility and avoidance of any possible leaks. But going back to the pod…
The pod features a non-replaceable coil, so the user would have to replace the entire pod (and not just the coil) when the coil reaches its end of life. The bottom fill hole has a rubber plug covering it, and during my testing, I had not experienced any leaks at all from the coil contacts or fill hole, which is pretty impressive! The fill hole is large enough as well to let air escape when refilling, and also to accommodate unicorn bottle tips.
It is tinted but not to the point of obscuring the E-liquid levels – it is very easy to see how much liquid is left in the pod.
I thought that it was also a nice touch from Aspire to include both a soft tip and a normal plastic vaping drip tip, to perhaps get the user more familiar with the sensations that come with vaping. However, I did wish that Aspire included extra soft tips in the packaging as these need to be replaced. Additionally, as I always point out in similar starter kit packaging, a spare pod should always be included in the pack because there is no guarantee that the only pod included is a dud. It may be rare but it does happen!
But the flavour off of this pod is nothing short of amazing, I have to say! Flavour definition is on point (8/10), and it works just as well with nic salts and freebase e-liquids. I tested mine with 50/50 PG-VG e-liquids, and I think this pod would be able to handle thin 70/30 VG-PG e-liquids as well. Something I did notice is that even though I was vaping e-liquids with cooling in them (iced mango), the pod’s coil was able to bring out the fruit flavours more than the cooling, which is not something I could say for a lot of stock MTL coils out in the market. Again, very well done here by Aspire!
One other thing that I happily noticed was that even though the pod/device offers no airflow control, I get that perfect cigarette-like draw with the soft filter tip. The draw and feeling from that tip are so close to the real thing, that I started feeling a little guilty as it was like I was smoking again! It actually made me smile because this is a hundred per cent perfect for a smoker’s first experience of vaping: getting the same experience as to smoking but without the tar!
Time will tell how long this pod will last, but I have already gone through about 20 mL of e-liquid with this pod, changing flavours often too, but it is still going strong!
B. Vilter-PB
The Vilter-PB is a great accessory to have with the Vilter/Vilter S as it greatly extends battery life, especially if you’re travelling or won’t have the ability to charge your device for hours. It also charges the device quicker at 1A, than the 650 mAh with standard charging.
It has just one button with LED light to activate/deactivate the device with 5 clicks, and a USB-C port on the outside to recharge/refill the power bank. The light pulses green when the device is turned on and pulses red as it turns off.
It has a magnetised leather flap to hold and secure the device whilst charging or in use. Open the flap, push the Vilter/Vilter S device into the power bank via its USB-C connection (the one inside the flap) and you would be good to go! A green pulsating light indicates that the power bank is charging the Vilter/Vilter S.
Best of all, you can indeed vape whilst your Vilter/Vilter S is charging with this power bank! This is a great feature because the power bank is also quite lightweight; it kind of feels like a power pack add on to the Vilter/Vilter S as opposed to a typical power bank.
Overall: Yay or Nay?
Colour me impressed with the Vilter S Kit and Vilter-PB! I have to admit that it takes quite a lot now to wow me with pod systems, for mainly 3 reasons: 1) the market is over-saturated with them, 2) even then, I’ve had my fair share of bad pod systems, and 3) but with saturation comes progress and modern pod kits have really improved a lot. The Vilter S Kit gives resembles the smoking experience so closely, that it’s unreal! Couple that with its amazing performance and the flavour from its pod/coil, it definitely receives a Yay from me!
The Vilter-PB is the ideal accessory for the Vilter-S and Vilter Kits as it packs on more battery life without being heavy or bulky. As a combination, the kit and power bank complement each other perfectly. Indeed, as a unit, it looks so classy that I would highly recommend getting both!
The pods also never leaked on me, and there was hardly any condensation build-up. Yes, I did mention a couple of cons but the pros of this system far outweigh them.
As such, I highly recommend the Vilter S Kit to smokers wanting to try vaping but not necessarily sacrificing that familiar feeling from smoking. I also recommend this for long-time MTL vapers, even as a backup kit as it gives a seriously satisfying MTL experience.
To pick up the Vilter S Kit and Vilter-PB, head over to the Aspire website via the links at the start of the review. Once again, my biggest thanks again to Tina and Aspire for sending these devices for my review!
This review was written by jen_turista who is very active within the vape community. You can go give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter.
