Vandy Vape Jackaroo Mini
Si takes a look at the mighty Vandy Vape Jackaroo Mini, a bit of a giant killer!
-
by Si Davies
Share on:
Supplied by Health Cabin for review purpose.
https://www.healthcabin.net/vandy-vape-jackaroo-mini-128w-box-mod-kit-p/27043.html
Offer price: $ 50.02 (Original Price: $69.99 | Save: $19.97)
The new Jackaroo Mini from Vandy Vape turned out to be quite a full on DL kit despite the ‘Mini’ label, it is indeed pretty compact but with the internal 4000mAh battery it packs quite a punch and the compact form makes it one of the most comfortable mods I have tried.
Though it appears to be a ‘pod’ tank I think it is far from it, this is a proper tank but with a modern and simpler user experience, during the review period I simply put the term ‘pod’ completely out of my mind.
Here’s a run down of the features and specifications:
- Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof
- 4000mAh cell equal to dual 18650 batteries
- Ergonomic and small for comfortable holding
- Powered by an upgraded Vandy Chip with max power 128W
- Power/Bypass/Voltage/TC-NI/TC-SS/TC-TI mode
- Adopts 0.15ohm triple meshed coil
- Compatible with VVC Coils
- Easy coil replacement, top filling design
- Safety protections: Short Circuit/Open Circuit/Over-heating/10S Cut-off/Low Battery Warning/Overcurrent Protection
- Size: 85mm*30mm*46mm
- Power range: 5-128W
- Operating voltage: 6.4 - 8.4V
- Working current: <40A
- Output Voltage: 0.5 - 8.0V
- Atomizer resistance: 0.05 - 3ohm
- Charging input current: 1800mA (+-5%)
- Tank Length: 49.2mm
- Tank Diameter: 25.8mm
- Tank Capacity: 4ml
Quite the list but a few of the features stood out for me; obviously the 4000mAh battery compared to the size puts it in a class of its own, the other small detail is the output voltage of 0.5V to 8.0V which should appeal to DIY users looking for that optional high powered kick with thicker gauge coils.
Unboxing
The kit comes in a deceptively tall box. There’s the traditional sleeve and a sturdy two piece box, the outer sleeve is nicely detailed with your chosen colour. I think the box on the shelf could look like it is quite large and doesn’t do the compact size justice.
Once you open the box, you can see why the box was as tall as it is, Vandy Vape opted for height over width, and the top layer holds the kit complete with an additional coil.
Underneath the foam top layer is a box containing the Micro USB cable (yes a ‘micro’ USB cable in 2021), the user manual, and a QC card, all pretty standard but the manual is actually pretty good; very clear and easy to follow.
First Impressions
Holding the Jackaroo Mini for the first time was surprisingly pleasing, the size and weight was the first thing to hit you then the quality and finish left you admiring it even more.
I especially liked the quality of the resin style panels, they are solid and not that soft style like on the Pulse kits. This for me was far nicer in the hand and they look better quality.
The other thing I really liked was the weatherproof coating which felt really smooth yet grippy and better still, it wasn’t a fluff and lint magnet which kept it looking clean.
The ergonomics are one of the Jackaroo Mini’s highlights, it’s a little hard to describe as it doesn’t look as comfortable as it actually feels. It’s only when you grip it that the size, texture and shape really gel into your hand. The large fire button is a perfect choice for this mod, the ‘in the hand’ feel is right up there with my favourites.
There’s a wealth of screws all over this mod which is something that appeals to me, that said I have to resist taking it apart as I’m really curious about a couple of things; the weather proofing for one as there’s a few apparently open holes; top face has what appear to be battery vents, the USB port and a reset hole.
The main thing I am curious about is the 4000mAh internal battery, the weight of the mod screams ‘LiPo’ and the physical width means that there’s no way they fitted 2 x 18650 batteries inside. Here’s the graphic from Vandy Vape, misleading at best but I’m certain it’s a LiPo cell or stacked cell.
That aside; I’m sure glad that it isn’t 2 x 18650s as the width and weight would have increased and it would have lost that ‘Mini’ feel.
Pod Tank
Vandy Vape have come up trumps in the design of this tank. Though it has that ‘pod’ aspect to it with the magnetic connection, I still regard it as a tank with a modern twist.
The base is really well designed and high quality. With the 510 threaded connection and adjustable airflow, it has that proper tank look to it. The rest of it, however, is where it becomes more like a pod as the construction is mostly plastic. The simple press fit coil replacement makes coil swapping a breeze, and the top filling method is one of my favourite features:
This works so well as it’s faff and mess free, the novelty didn’t wear off as I always admired it every time I refilled. The cherry on the icing was the removable 510 drip tip, this means you can change it to your own. At first I thought an 810 tip would have been better, but in use it turned out to be ideal.
Then we have the water/shock/dust resistance, this makes it such a good choice for anyone that needs a kit that will take some hammer. However the tank isn’t covered by this but at least the most expensive part isn’t wasted.
Controls
Anyone familiar with Vandy Vapes chipset will feel right at home, it’s one of my favourites as it common sense to follow to the point that you can guess your way around it without referring to the manual.
The screen is super bright and clear, you can even increase the brightness but by default it is really good. You can also toggle the display screen Off/On by pressing Fire, Up & Down together which is handy to save your battery, this also locks the adjustment buttons but you can still fire the mod.
There’s one icon that goes back to my earlier confusion, the dual battery icon as if there’s 2 x 18650s. They seem to drain equally and charge the same, so if I had to guess I would say it could be 2 x 2000mAh stacked LiPo cells, but without taking it apart I can’t confirm this.
One of the cool functions that you only see in the Vandy Vape chipset is the ability to turn On/Off the quick menu power functions, for example; if you never use TC (Temperature Control) you can simply toggle the option to OFF so that it doesn’t appear in the quick scroll selection and makes it faster to navigate.
For fear of making it sound more complicated than it is, I will just list a quick rundown of the controls, the manual makes it far easier than I can explain as it has graphics.
- 5 x Fire = Turns device On/Off
- 3 Fire = Quick menu selection, scroll through power options, + or – to scroll and Fire to select (VW, BP, VV, TC)
- Fire and – (down) = Rotates the screen 180 degrees
- Fire & + (up) = Locks adjustments (or all if selected in the menu)
- Press & hold + and - = Enters main menu
- Double click + and – together = Reads coil resistance
I will leave it there as the more I try to explain, the more I will make it sound complicated but trust me, it really isn’t. A quick read of the manual will make it clear and there’s more options that even the most advanced user should be satisfied, such as:
Full TC (Temperature Control), TCR, material selection, lock ohms, manual ohms setting, TC wattage adjustment, automatic coil and wattage detect, puff count reset.
Finally, there’s a tiny hole underneath the USB port marked RST which is to hard reset the mod in case it ‘bricks’ or if you really need to totally factory reset it. For anyone that has had to do this on some other mods with a complex hit & miss procedure, then this feature is very welcome.
Performance
I was already impressed long before I got to actually vape the Jackaroo Mini. Long story short; the DL vape was as good as it looks and felt! I was over the moon that this was the case, I really felt that the Jackaroo Mini was the complete package. The Mini label only suited the compact size and certainly didn’t apply to the vape.
I started off with the 0.3ohm coil and tested the auto detect (toggle ARR to off) and it set the wattage to 55 watts, I opened the three sided airflow up fully; the vape was almost perfect for me right off the bat, the airflow was smooth and pretty airy which surprised me, perhaps not the airiest I have tried but certainly up there, and I even found myself closing it off slightly. The flavour was the most pleasing aspect of the vape though as it was pretty intense, enough to leave a grin on my face. The vapour production was very high, this is a proper cloud lobber. By now I was loving this complete package.
Things only got better with the 0.15ohm coil, rated between 50-100 watts. The range was pretty broad which should appeal to a wider range of vapers. At the low end I wasn’t too impressed, but as I upped the wattage it started to feel like a proper sub-ohm DL vape. I settled around 80 watts, I thought the vapour production was high on the 0.3ohm coil but this was on another level. Naturally it should be with the lower ohms and higher wattage, but this coil rivalled a lot of my other full DL sub ohm kits, better than my Freemax Mesh Pro tank for flavour too.
Battery Life
Though 4000mAh isn’t quite the capacity you can achieve from a couple of 2500mAh 18650s, it certainly isn’t a slouch when it comes to battery life. With the 0.3ohm coil, it easily last me a full day and some, and using the 0.15ohm coil I was getting most of the day and into the evening before it needed charging. Charging time was pretty decent considering it is only Micro USB, it appeared to be charging two cells and from low to full took under two hours. This might sound a long time but if you consider a pod with a 1000mAh battery takes around an hour, then it starts to sound impressive.
Conclusion
When I look at the whole of the Jackaroo Mini Kit as a DL full on cloud lobbing device then I think it’s a Jackaroo Of All Trades, it leaves you wanting for nothing more yet is simple to use. Even with its wealth of functions, it is still a very user friendly bit of kit for beginners. As I am approaching the ‘Pros & Cons’, I am really going to struggle finding any cons at all, even the Micro USB isn’t an issue due to the quick charging time.
Don’t let the ‘MINI’ title fool you, this is only mini in size and weight, the rest is a full blown DL device. Even the tank/pod punches above its weight producing a rich flavour and large clouds that are on par with many of my other big kits.
Even if you don’t fancy the tank/pod, the mod is still a superb bit of kit, one of the most impressive set ups I have tested this year. Would I buy one? In a flash as this kit will no doubt replace a few of my existing favourites.
Pros
- There are no cons
- Just feels so right in the hand
- Expansive but simple interface
- 4000mAh internal battery
- Water/Shock/Dust proofing with style
- Bright screen
- Rubberised coating is fluff/dust resistant and easy to keep clean
- Tank/Pod is well designed
Cons
- Zilch, nada, not a sausage…..
I honestly tried hard to nit-pick any niggles but I failed to find one, I can’t even include the battery confusion as one as that is simply a curiosity which doesn’t affect the performance.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell by now, I highly rate the Jackaroo Mini. From start to finish, it just impressed me and it feels so natural in the hand. Though the innovations are minor and it is hardly a game-changer, it still stands out in the overcrowded market as something that bit different and pleasing.
Scores
- Flavour: 9/10
- Vapour production: 9/10
- Build quality: 9.5/10
- Value: 9/10
Overall Score: A solid 9/10
One of the highlights of 2021
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!
Join the discussion
Kumiho Thoth S pod
Antony takes a look at the Kumiho Thoth S pod kit after being impressed with their last offering
-
by Antony Lord
NIXER X Jack Rabbit Longfills
We reach the end of the line with the NIXER X Jack Rabbit range, and what a way to go out.....for now!
Lost Vape E Plus RBA
Antony follow up on his Lost Vape Thelema Elite 40 kit review with his thoughts on the E Plus RBA kit
-
by Antony Lord
GeekVape Aegis Legend III 3
GeekVape keep the legend alive with the introduction of the latest Aegis Legend III 3
