Supplied by TECC for review
https://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/geekvape-aegis-boost-pro-kit
£34.99 including two free bottles of E-liquid
What? ANOTHER Boost pod? WTF? That was my first reaction when the B100 was offered up for review. I am a huge fan of the original Boost pod even though it was a bed-wetter, but the rest have passed me by for one reason or another and I wasn’t too fussed on this one at first. That all changed once I got going, flavour and clouds to make Smok blush!
With the lines of pods/pod-mods becoming more blurred over time, the B100 reads more like a proper fully functioning mod kit and better still; it vapes like one. This hidden ninja-bastard sneaked up on me and delivered one of the best DL vapes I’ve had for a while.
Parameters
- Size: 49.17* 33.00* 121.90mm
- Material: Plastic + Silicone + Leather + Zine alloy
- Battery: single 21700/18650 battery (not included)
- Output: 5-100W
- Output Voltage: 0.8-8.5V(Max 8.5V)
- Input Voltage: 3.2-4.25V
- Minimum Voltage: 3.3V±0.1V
- Screen: 0.96 Inch TFT Color Display
- Resistance Range: 0.1ohm-3.0ohm
- Longest Output/Vaping Time: 10s
- Temperature Control: 200℉-600℉
- Charger: Type-C, 5V/2A
- Capacity: 6ml
- Resistance: 0.2ohm(60-70W), 0.4ohm(50-60W)
Unboxing
The B100 (Boost Pro Max) kit comes in the usual high quality black box with an outer sleeve displaying the colour choice, features and contents. Even before you open the box, you can tell the B100 is going to be a chunky-monkey.
The top layer of the box holds the B100 complete with the pod and pre-installed coil, underneath that layer there’s a box holding all the bits-n-bobs.
The bundle holds no surprises and includes everything you should expect for a pod/mod kit. Strangely there’s a spare identical drip-tip included, I’m not going to say no to that but it would have been better to have a different one perhaps? Geekvape always provide you with a decent quality USB-C cable and the length is ideal. The second coil gave me my first clue that the B100 packs a punch as it was one of the largest I’ve seen from a pod.
First Impressions
The size of the B100 grabs you first, it looks and feels like a proper Aegis 21700 mod and is so damn ergonomic that it gels into your grip perfectly with your index finger naturally positioned over the fire button. I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting it to feel this good.
It feels solid and high quality with the metal chassis and rubber coating to give it rugged protection, obviously the screen side will be vulnerable but in a few soft drop tests (onto a cushion), the weight always favoured the battery side so any drops shouldn’t harm the screen.
I don’t think the B100 is all that interesting to look at. While it follows the now traditional ‘Aegis’ form factor and hard wearing construction, it looks a little dated to me, but then this is a taste thing as I like quirky looking vapes. The pod looks a bit plain and industrial, and the TPD 2ml silicone insert didn’t help as you can’t see the inside at all.
The leather padded wrap just oozes quality, Geekvape were one of the first to use leather in their Aegis series and I can’t imagine the range without it as it feels so right and is well positioned. This is one of the best features of the ergonomics.
I did like the fire button look and feel, the resistance is quite firm with a moderate amount of pressure required to fire it which makes it far less likely to pocket fire if you forget to lock it.
The pod is a clip on rather than a magnetic fit, it’s pretty easy to unclip and snap back in but once it’s fitted it stays in place well, it might feel fiddly at first but the knack soon kicks in.
The B100 accepts 18650/20700/21700 batteries and they include an adaptor for an 18650, but to get the most out of this kit a 21700 is best. The battery cap has a flip tab to unscrew it, it is very tight to unscrew and screw back in due to the water-proofing and if you don’t screw it in fully you can tell as it wobbles when stood up.
Normally this would bother me as I prefer to charge my batteries in a dedicated charger, but these days I trust the chipsets charging safety measures as long as you don’t leave it unattended, and the 2amp charging is ideal for a single cell.
Pod-antic
Certainly one of the selling points of the B100 is the huge 6ml capacity pod but for us TPD zone victims this feature is eliminated by stuffing a horrid silicone bung inside. Not only does it limit the juice down to 2ml, but it blocks all visibility so you can’t even see your poxy 2ml!
I haven’t attempted to see if I can wrestle it out yet but it doesn’t look easy, my advice would be try to buy an unrestricted 6ml pod as it will make a world of difference as the 0.2ohm coil is quite thirsty.
The included coils look impressive and I really like how Geekvape have etched the specs on the base as it is much easier to read, and better still you can see what’s fitted by looking at the base of the pod. The suggested wattage already came in handy for me.
Spanner in the works…..
The now traditional Geekvape coil spanner is included to help you lever the coil out, I always have one handy but if you’re stuck you can use something like a teaspoon. The coils are a simple press fit and are easy to pop a new one in.
The drip-tip is proprietary as it slips over the outside and inside, the shape is good and has very wide bore which turned out to be perfect for this kit, a ducks-bill one would have been too restrictive. It is an 810 fitting and you can use an 810 drip-tip if it has O-rings, but trust me it looks silly due to the overhang.
Breath of fresh air…..
From what I can gather, the main difference of the ‘Pro Max’ over the ‘Pro’ is the new airflow adjustment which now features a dual adjustment. The obvious one is the open slot the all the Boosts have, but around the diameter there is an additional slot to allow fine adjustment and more air, and boy does it work! I was surprised just how much more air could flow from this system.
Filibuster
The convenient top fill method is much better than the original and is further away from the mouthpiece, and I found it easy enough to fill it up without removing the drip-tip, but those TPD kill-joys strike again as the bung gets in the way and also blocks your view so you can’t tell if it’s full until it pours out the top – grrrr damn you TPD!
Controls
The B100 has a fully functioning chipset and offers enough features to keep DIY vapers happy, such as various TC (Temperature Control) modes, Bypass and VPC (Variable Power Curve). The manual is pretty clear to follow and find your way around, but most pod users won’t venture beyond ‘POWER’ (wattage) mode.
Though it’s easy to follow the manual, I found it less intuitive to fumble my way around without reading it, but I soon found everything I wanted and stumbled upon the hidden ‘Colour Scheme’ option and the more useful ‘Lock/Unlock’ Fire button feature.
The screen is nice and bright, especially when you max it out at 100%. I really liked the option to turn it off completely by pressing and holding all buttons, a handy power saving feature rather than stealth. Trust me, stealth is not an option with the clouds this thing belches out!
Booster jab (Performance)
It is worth bearing in mind how unenthusiastic I was to try the Boost B100, I kind of knew how well Geekvape coils perform and I had already convinced myself this kit wouldn’t be as good as the superb Aegis Mini (S100) and the larger tank on the M100; but I was soon to be proven wrong.
I thought I would get the 0.4ohm coil out of the way first I set the power to 45 watts to start with and set the airflow open with just the front dial, I was never going to get full flavour at this power but the vapour production threw me! The freakin clouds this beast bellowed out was even better than the new Zeus tanks. As I boost-ed the wattage to 55.5 (it’s an OCD thing), the flavour came alive and the clouds increased even more, it became apparent I had to take this outside when I could no longer see my cat lurking.
Tweaking the outer ring airflow allowed me to refine my draw and get even more airflow going. A little tweaking to maximise a longer draw (as I wanted even more clouds), and I was proper enjoying the vape. For a 0.4ohm stock mesh coil at only 55.5 watts, it easily produced the best ‘pod’ vape I had experienced, better than the recent Smok Morph pods that had impressed me (it’s a good job this didn’t arrive first). I tried going up to 65watts but the lifespan trade-off didn’t feel worth it as it only slightly improved.
The 0.2ohm didn’t impress me quite as much but I think it is better suited to cloud chasers as it delivered even more vapour at 70 watts but at the price of warm flavour. Not that the flavour was poor, in fact it was very good and had I tried this coil first I would have been more than happy. I simply found the 0.4ohm more to my taste, but the good thing is that the kit includes both so you can find your own preference.
Battery life equally had me impressed using a Molicell 21700 with the 0.4ohm coil, easily lasting a full working day of moderate to high use and it could have gone into the evening. In my normal use I alternate between MTL and DL devices so it lasts me much longer once I had finished the review period. Recharging was a little disappointing as it just shows a battery bar with 5 segments, but at least it was quick at 2 Amps (I don’t have an average time sorry but expect around an hour).
The battery life wasn’t an issue in the slightest, but refilling the juice was though. The coils quite thirsty, and the TPD bung became such a kill-joy and annoying.
Conclusion
The B100 aka Aegis Boost Pro Max was a nice surprise and shows that there is still value in manufacturers updating their products with refinement after refinement. Although I haven’t tested the earlier version, I know how good this kit is and the impressive vape it produces. I’m not sure if there’s enough to warrant an upgrade from the Pro, but it’s well worth getting the pod alone as it has the airflow tweak.
Only the visual glance at the pod reminded you that this wasn’t a traditional mod and tank. In the hand it just felt like a 21700 mod and, to be fair, it is just that but with an alternative tank and connection. I initially considered getting a 510 adaptor so I could use other tanks on it but that would be a waste due to the superb vape the Boost pod gives.
Sadly the TPD spoils the party but there are ways around that and I suggest you do whatever’s necessary to get this kit to its intended capacity.
Through the Aegis
I couldn’t be arsed to dig out my older Aegis but here it is next to the original Boost and the more recent Aegis kits. It’s quite the chunky-monkey of the family and there’s no nifty physical lock that the new kits feature, but as a pod/mod, it is one of the very best out there for performance.
Though I much prefer the modern styling of the M100 kit; the B100 wins over thanks to the vape it provides and the rugged durability, and it would be a great choice for workers requiring all the protections it offers.
Pros
- Substantial ergonomics
- Fully featured mod
- Water/dust/shock proofing
- Bright screen
- 2 Amp charging
- 21700 battery compatible (or 18650/20700)
- Clouds are pretty impressive
- Great flavour.
- Airflow system
Cons
- TPD spoils all the fun
Considering I wasn’t too fussed about getting this kit, I have found surprisingly little to no actual cons. The regular 6ml version would have none at all. Although the looks aren’t my tastes, I can’t class that as a cons, that will be up to you.
Final Thoughts
The B100 kit has been proven to be such a good vape, and despite being a flavour over clouds user, I had the best of both worlds and really enjoyed having my head in the clouds (nothing new there then). Bring on those freezing nights where clouds linger longer!
Score: 8.5/10 – Boost your cloud-life
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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