Mod Reviews

Vaporesso Tarot 200VTC

The Tarot 200VTC is a 200W box mod from Vaporesso. It offers two modes of operation, Variable Wattage and Temperature Control. The device supports all major wire types including Ni200, Titanium and Stainless Steel 316.

by VapeMaster
Oct 11, 2016

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Vaporesso Tarot 200VTC

Constructed from Zinc Alloy and Aluminium the Tarot is a slim and form friendly device that requires a matched pair of 18650 batteries (not included).

Vaporesso Tarot 200VTC features

510 Threaded.
Wattage Output: 5.0–200.0w.
Temperature Control: Nickel / Titanium / Stainless Steel 316.
Temperature Control Range: 140–315C / 280–600F.
Resistance Range: 0.13–3.0 ohm.
Zinc and Aluminium Alloy Construction.
Carbon Fibre Finish.
OLED Screen.
Magnetized Battery Cover.
Requires 2x 18650 Batteries.
Temperature Protection.
Low Voltage Protection.
Short Circuit Protection.
Low Resistance Protection.
Over-current Protection.
Reverse Battery Protection.

What’s in the box?

1x Tarot 200VTC Box Mod.
1x User Manual.

Vaporesso Tarot 200VTC styling and build quality

In my opinion the Tarot 200VTC is certainly a nice looking device. In fact for a dual 18650 mod it is surprisingly slim line. The finish is attractive and features a contrasting zinc alloy and carbon fibre style. There are four buttons on this device, one fire button, two adjustment buttons and a mode button to switch between Variable Wattage and Temperature Control. The buttons are decent and have a good click to them.

The battery compartment is tidy with the correct orientation clearly marked. Battery fitting and removal is very straightforward despite there not being a ribbon to assist you. The compartment lid is secured in place by four magnets which are decent and I only noticed a very minor amount of wobbling.

The 510 threaded connector is durable enough and the pin itself is spring-loaded so all of your atomizers should sit flush with this device. The only potential issue you might run into is that due to the overall slimness of the device large tanks like the GP Heron V2, Freemax Starre Pro will make the Tarot a little unbalanced and sometimes wobbles over when standing upright. I lost track of how many times I knocked my desk and caused the device to fall flat on its side. In the end the best cause of action was to lay it flat when not using it. While 22mm diameter atomizers don’t overhang anything larger certainly will so do keep that it mind.

The display is bright and clear and features all of the typical information you would expect such as Wattage, Resistance and Voltage. In addition battery life is displayed as is Temperature when using that mode.

In the base of the device there are thirteen reasonably large venting holes which is certainly more than sufficient. One noticeable issue is the lack of a Micro USB port and this means quite obviously that you cannot upgrade the firmware and that you also need to charge your batteries externally. In my opinion if this device is going to be competitive it should at least have a Micro USB port to allow for firmware upgradeability which certainly might be a deciding factor for many customers.

The form factor is on the whole seriously good and the device is comfortable to use! The edges are nicely rounded where they need to be and the overall weight of the device is kept down when both batteries are fitted due to the zinc alloy and aluminium construction.

Ease of use

The Tarot 200VTC is simple to use and it will ask you to confirm whether you have a new atomizer fitted. One minor error with this function is that the translation on the menu is incorrect and reads “New Circle” instead of “New Coil” which isn’t a huge problem and you will get used to it.

The Wattage is adjustable in 1.0W increments so you won’t be able to fine tune as much compared to other devices but it definitely does make the Wattage adjustment significantly faster. The Tarot only fires down to 0.13ohm so be aware of that since it compares poorly to many new devices which often go down to 0.05ohm.

Temperature Control is a bit limiting despite supporting most major wire types since you cannot adjust the Wattage and the device automatically sets it based on the Temperature you have selected. This might be okay for someone new to Temperature Control but for long term users it will be frustrating.

Vaporesso Tarot 200VTC performance

In Variable Wattage Mode this device performs extremely well. I happily vaped away for hours on it using my Rose3 and my GP Heron V2 and it compared well to my other devices.

Temperature Control Mode is something of an issue for me. The lack of Wattage adjustment in TC mode isn’t that big a deal since devices such as the Sigelei Fuchai offered a very enjoyable Temperature Controlled vape and never let you adjust the Wattage but the problem with the Tarot is that no matter what temperature you set it to it feels considerably underpowered.

When testing TC mode I used my Freemax Starre Pro fitted with a 0.25ohm Ni200 coil. I set the device to my typical 240°C and I got a very poor vape with barely any heat or vapour being produced. What little flavour was there was quite nice but it seemed like the Temperature Control was cutting out half way through every single vape I took. In the end I had to push the Temperature up to the maximum of 600°C which quite frankly is ridiculous but at least I got a vape out of it. However it wasn’t actually a very good vape and due to my disappointment I spent some time checking the Internet to find a reason why. From what I have read Vaporesso are using a very old and significantly outdated chip for this device and that is why it under delivers in this mode.

I know without a doubt that it is certainly this device because I took my Freemax Starre Pro and fitted it to my IPV4S set it to 240°C at 40 Joules and I got a great vape, plenty of flavour with a good amount of heat and vapour production.

It was a real shame to be honest because the Tarot works seriously well in Variable Wattage mode and the amount of vape time you get compares well with other dual 18650 devices. In my opinion this device is great for Variable Wattage and if you received it as a gift I think you will be happy enough but if Temperature Control is something you really enjoy then your best bet is to look at other devices.

Conclusion

The Tarot 200VTC is certainly a nice looking and reasonably slim line dual 18650 device. In Variable Wattage Mode it works without issues but it’s very underpowered Temperature Control Mode is highly disappointing and results in a weak vape.

The fact that the on board chip only fires down to 0.13ohm is a limiting factor as is the lack of firmware upgradeability. The absence of a Micro USB port means you will have to charge your batteries externally and this may also be another off-putting factor.

It’s fair to say that the Tarot 200VTC has some flaws that make it less appealing to customers but at the very least it certainly does function well enough in one mode and feels comfortable to use. Providing you don’t expect a great deal from it or don’t really care too much about Temperature Control then you might still get a great deal of mileage out of it!