Lost Vape Thelema Quest Kit
If you are looking for a great value, hard hitting, solid performer with an advanced chipset, you could do a lot worse than the Lost Vape Thelema Quest kit. It has to be a clear contender!
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by Lost Vape for review:
https://lostvape.com/product-item/thelema-quest-200w-kit/
No price listed on the site, but I have seen this kit between £40 and £60.
It’s not you, it’s me…………
I always aim for full honesty in my reviews and I will put my hands up that my personal feelings got in the way with this one. For me, colour choice is very important with vape gear (and other stuff for that matter), and Lost Vape sent me my least favourite colour combination, as a result I just couldn’t like this kit which is a shame as the Silver/Carbon or Red/Carbon would have been a totally different story. I’m not being a diva or anything but I feel I should mention it as personal taste are just that, what I dislike, others might like and vice versa.
With that said, I have done my best to ignore feelings on this and try to focus on the positives and, with those aside I can tell you that it is a very good kit indeed, to the point that I will go on to buy myself a kit in the colour and battery door option I want.
Unboxing
Due to a shipping mix-up I was sent the mod and tank separately instead of in kit form so my unboxing will be different (unless of course you buy either one separate).
I always like the clean and classy look with Lost Vape Quest’s packaging, it always feels like you’re getting something of quality, the bundle included with the mod is a little underwhelming but that’s true of most individual mods.
Basically you get the mod, bits of paper, and a USB-C cable, but there was some interesting stickers which are for wrapping around your 18650 batteries to make the visuals better due to the transparent battery cover, I’m not sure if these come with the solid door version though?
The UB Pro Pod Tank is pretty basic too, but you do get some spare O-rings for the pod which may come in handy after prolonged use. There was one pleasant surprise though; there’s a whole new UB Pro P3 coil which is SS906 and suitable for TC mode (Temperature Control) – Nice one Lost Vape!
First Impressions
As you can probably already tell, my first impressions were “yuk! I hate it!”. We did request the stainless and solid door version so it only added to the disappointment, I actually left it 24 hours before I went back to it so I could be more subjective, so here goes….
So….. the positives; since the Thelema is a more affordable version of the Lost Vape Thelema DNA 250c, it obviously replaces the chipset to Quest’s own version, more on the chipset later, but as for the rest, it appears to be the same. I love the c-frame chassis and battery compartment style, and the construction is very high quality.
The weight is quite light without batteries or tank, I guess the plastic door keeps the weight down but overall Lost Vape have designed a superb looking and ergonomic main body.
I really like how the control face has been sculpted, the little inset panels look really good as finishing touches. The four button design is one of my favourite methods for navigating mods that offer a lot of features as it is much quicker to dial in your settings. I will go into that later.
Visually the battery cover’s transparency looks pretty good, especially when you have some nice looking batteries inside (even though I popped my Rick & Morty wrapped batteries in – each to their own).
Though I wasn’t a fan of the transparent battery cover, I did like the opaque internals as you could see the wiring and chipset, it even looks like a DNA at first glance. As I couldn’t see the solid cover versions internals, I don’t know whether those versions feature this, I suspect they are black plastic though.
Fitting the 2 x 18650 batteries is very faff free and the spring loaded top connections hold them in pace securely, and the battery ribbon makes it equally faff free to remove them. The downside is that the ribbon looks a bit wrong through the clear cover, you could cut it off but removing the batteries would be harder.
The battery cover slides over and snaps into place with two strong magnets, it holds in place firmly but there is some noticeable movement at the ends which did get irritating due to the flexing.
Mind The Gap
Whether this is just the plastic version I couldn’t say, but there is a slight gap once fitted. With the tiny gap under the tank, it appears larger than it is but I kept noticing it. Possibly it is only in the plastic version, though there is a slight gap between the tank and the mod. I don’t mind that at all as it prevents ‘atty rash’ (where the tank scratches the mod once screwed down).
UB Pro Pod/Tank
I have already reviewed this tank on the GRUS and very little has changed but that’s a good thing as it was superb, better still they are cross compatible as I tried swapping parts across and there’s no issues at all.
The included coils are proper DL ones and the bore is quite large which adds to the airy draw. The highlight was the new P3 SS906 coil for TC (Temperature Control), you can use it for regular vaping if TC isn’t for you, but stock coils that are TC compatible are pretty rare and it’s very welcome.
She’s Lost(vape) Control Again…. (Joy Division pun)
The chipset and controls are the same as the GRUS which I reviewed recently, I was so impressed with it back then and it works a charm in this dual battery kit, I went into detail further on it here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/reviews/mods/lost-vape-grus-improved.html
DNA Evidence
It does appear that Lost Vape Quest are putting a lot of effort into their chipset and the results are impressive, but oddly they claim:
Without sounding too harsh and as good as it is, it’s no DNA and not even close, at least with the colour version anyway. The level of customisation and control of a DNA board is staggering and hasn’t been rivalled to my knowledge (YiHi maybe but I find it harder work). I can’t really put a DNA chipset in a nutshell but it is far more advanced, especially if you hook it up to a PC or Mac.
The best thing you can do to appreciate this chipset is to forget any DNA comparison and you won’t be disappointed, Lost Vape Quest have done an amazing job on the QUEST 2.0 and they should be proud enough to let it stand on its own merits.
In fact, I actually found the QUEST 2.0 easier to dial in from within the mod and it’s far more user friendly for newer vapers, the DNA had a bit of a learning curve to it and relied on a computer to get the most from it. Personally I love DNA colour boards as I like delving in deeper to refine temperature control vaping.
Performance
I couldn’t resist starting with the P3 SS906 coil to see how TC mode performed, but before that I tested it in regular out of the box VW (Wattage) mode. Right off the bat, this coil is damn good! The flavour is spot on and the vapour production took me by surprise as it’s a proper cloud lobber. After a tankful, it was time to test it in TC mode. There’s an SS906 preset, once that’s selected you can change the temperature and wattage within the main screen which is so easy. I ended up at 265C and 80 watts with a soft preset, just my cup of tea! A nice warm, flavourful vape. The main benefit of TC (Temperature Control) is the dry hit protection, I rarely use it with stock coil tanks as they generally keep up pretty well, but I was determined to push this coil to the limit and chain vaped it like a loon, eventually the TC protection kicked in as the vape got cooler and there was no hint of a dry hit. I’m pretty happy with it and left it in TC mode.
To get the most out of TC mode, it’s best with an RTA, RDTA or RDA using normal wire and I tested it on a Drop Solo RDA in dripper setup with SS316 and it behaved itself perfectly and vaped it until the cotton was almost dry with no dry hits (TC working will just get cooler and cooler as the juice runs out and stops cooling the coil).
Overall this kit vapes really well, the QUEST 2.0 chipset is possibly my new favourite due to its flexibility, performance and ease of use. The UB Pro pod/tank is a mixed bag, it performs really well but I’m not sure it suits the mod as it seems a little oversized and the plastic tank doesn’t look as classy. Since it is a screw in pod, then there’s not much advantage over a metal and glass pod. The filling method is easier though. The black didn’t match the gunmetal but it wasn’t far off.
I’m going to sound like a broken record now, but the plastic battery cover just marred the overall experience for me, it felt a bit wrong in the hand and there’s a bit of play in it so I often got a creaking plastic noise and feel which soon got irritating, and since the plastic is glossy, it soon looked grubby with fingerprints. I’m confident that the solid cover option won’t suffer from this, so bear it in mind when choosing which version.
Brucey Bonus
The good news is that Lost Vape will be selling the panels separately which will immediately solve my main gripe, they are interchangeable with the DNA Thelema so there’s quite a selection to choose from to transform the look and feel.
Quest or DNA?
I think Lost Vape have been very smart in releasing the two options. The vast majority won’t benefit from the DNA version, especially if you don’t use TC mode or prefer a simpler user experience. The QUEST 2.0 chipset is just superb and good enough to stand out on its own merits, and for the price difference the Quest version should appeal more to the masses.
I don’t think Lost Vape are cutting their own throat over the DNA version as I actually think DNA users will still go for that option and the Quest version may also appeal as a ‘spare’ or second vape.
To contradict myself, I personally prefer the DNA due to the customisation and tailored vape you can get from it, but admittedly I’m a bit of a DNA snob, BUT the quality and performance of the Quest makes it a bit of a no-brainer and I would be more comfortable using this as a workhorse over the DNA which I’m a bit precious about.
Conclusion
DNA? Simply put that to the back of your mind and appreciate the Thelema Quest 200W kit for what it is; a much better value, hard hitting, solid performer with an advanced chipset that should satisfy most vapers. I’ve put my personal feelings of the colour and plastic battery cover aside as some folks won’t mind that, but consider the solid option and you’re much more likely to be overjoyed with this superb kit.
Pros
- One of the best mainstream chipsets
- Great value for money
- UB Pro coils are superb
- TC compatible coil
- Well sculpted C-Frame chassis
- A proper cloud belching tank
- Very airy airflow control
- Takes all Thelema range covers
Cons
- Plastic battery cover option has its drawbacks
Considering how much I dislike this colour/plastic combination, it turned out to be the only con I could come up with, that should tell you how good this kit is, especially if you go with the solid cover. Had I been sent that one, I doubt I would have found a single con.
Final Thoughts
I will be giving this version away now the review is finished BUT I will definitely be buying myself the solid door version in SS. Since I rarely buy new kit these days, that should tell you how much the Thelema Quest 200 kit has impressed me, and at under half the price of the DNA and with the UB Pro tank thrown in, then it’s a lot of kit for the money.
On a final note, if the QUEST 2.0 chipset is this good, then I can’t wait to see what the 3.0 will be like!
I have chosen not to score this one due to my personal feelings, I’m pretty sure it would be close to a 9/10 with the solid cover option though.
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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