Pod System Reviews

Vaporesso Luxe 80

Vaporesso have been busy again and we got to take a look at their latest perfect pocket pod mod, the Luxe 80 kit

by Si Davies
Jun 17, 2021

Share on:

Supplied by Vaporesso for review.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/luxe-80
MSRP: $54.99

Vaporesso are on another product release spree. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new LUXE 80 kit as there was very little info on it before it arrived. What I did get was a bloody good Direct Lung (DL) compact pod/mod kit with the superb flavour you get from GTX coils.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 review

Vaporesso boast the following highlights:

Extremely Compact Design
Compatible with all GTX coils
Added Lock Ring to SSS Leak-resistance Technology
Top Filling System
Adjustable Airflow
AXON chip inside

But I wouldn’t have stopped there; here are the bits I would have added:

2 Amp fast charging
2500mAh internal battery
Ergonomic pocket rocket
Excellent easy starter kit

That pretty much sums it up apart from mentioning the interesting styling, more on that later.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 with box

Unboxing

For those Vaporesso fans (including me) that already buy their products, then the packaging is how you would expect, a two piece black box and an artistic outer sleeve showing the device and specs. Once you lift the lid, you see the LUXE 80 displaying the leather side, the arty-farty side is hidden for now.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 unboxing

The contents are also as you would expect, mod (battery), attached pod, two different GTX sealed coils (0.2Ω and 0.3Ω), a quality USB-C cable, and the paperwork. Vaporesso used to spoil us with a spare pod, but it appears they have stopped that.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 contents

First Impressions

I must admit that I was sceptical as to the point of releasing yet another pod, ‘art for art’s sake’ as it were. There is zero innovation, it uses the exact same pod as in the GO 80, and the Axon chipset appears to be the same display as the older PM80, this is not necessarily a bad thing as I love the pod and the chipset/screen and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m all for re-using features that already work so well, there’s nothing more frustrating than companies changing things for the sake of it.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 split

It is when you first pick up the Luxe 80 that you start to fully appreciate the point of this release, the size and weight is impressive especially for a 2500mAh battery, it feels smaller than it looks in your hand, and the ergonomics are just right.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 pod connection

Then there’s the schizophrenia styling, I’m literally in two minds about this, the split personality of having two entirely different sides. One side has a leather effect and the other has a rather nice 3D effect glass image, I assume it's gorilla glass style like you see on phones (which is very apt for the scary gorilla one). I have a touch of OCD and prefer symmetry but I really like both sides of it. Overall I think the design is superb.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 all sides

I’m not going to waffle on about the looks and shape of the kit as the photos do that work for me, the main advantage of this having an internal LiPo 2500mAh battery is that Vaporesso have kept the size down nicely, compact enough for the pocket but with enough power to give you a proper DL vape.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 screen side

Pod

I’ve previously covered the pod in my GO 80 review and I really liked it, so it’s great to see Vaporesso making it cross-compatible. I am going to shamelessly ‘copy-paste’ from that review as nothing is different.

The pod is a magnetic snap fit and held in place just right making it easy to remove and refit. The airflow adjustment is achieved by simply rotating the pod.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 pod and coils

The airflow is dual side and has two ports each side so that you can exactly split the airflow in half, this is quite effective in use and the visibility is good. Fully open this thing is very airy, possibly one of the airiest pods I have tried, but it also closes down really well and RDL users will find their sweet spot as well as full air DL users.

The screw top-cap/mouthpiece was another thing I wasn’t expecting to like but Vaporesso have nailed it on the GO 80 version. It unscrews anti-clockwise in what feels like an eighth of a turn and clicks into place when you replace it, I’ve not quite seen a top-fill pod as effective as this.

The newer triple O-ring GTX coil is a simple press fit and no lining up is required. The idea of the added O-ring is to reduce the chance of it leaking through the airflow as the pod has a hidden condensation chamber which means any excess liquid should be pulled back into the coil as you draw.

Controls

The controls and options are more of an intermediate level mod, very simple for new vapers and just enough custom features for experienced users.

5 x Fire = Turns device On/Off
3 x Fire = Locks adjustment buttons
Fire & Down = Displays firmware version and info
Fire & Up = Absolutely feck all.
Up & Down together = Enters main menu:
- VW = Variable Wattage
- VV = Variable Voltage
- SMART VW = Automatic Wattage (adjustable) Yes/No selection
- PUFF = Reset Puff Counter
- THEME = Change Colour-Scheme
- DEFAULT = Resets Back To Factory Settings
- EXIT = Self Destructs in 10 Seconds (only kidding it exits the menu)

Most users will rarely change many settings. The main feature I really like is the SMART VW which detects the ohms of you coil and sets the wattage in the sweet spot automatically.

I find it odd that this isn’t set as default as it is the perfect setting for new users, but the on-screen display does show the wattage range for the selected coil so it is still pretty easy to dial in.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 controls

Screen

I first saw this style of display on the superb PM80 and I just love how it looks and works. Although we don’t really look at the screen while vaping, I like the pulsing firing animation. There’s only one thing missing from the screen and that’s the battery percentage but there is a battery status bar. The screen is bright enough and you can generally see it in outdoor bright light.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 little looker

Performance

Before I get stuck in, I have absolutely no complaints about the performance of the LUXE 80, it’s simply superb to the point that it will replace my much loved PM80 which is some feat as I am very attached to this kit.

I started off with the 0.2Ω GTX Mesh rated between 45-60 Watts, SMART VW popped the power at 55 Watts. I opened up the airflow fully and took it for a toot outdoors. The flavour was intense and the draw was very airy. Vapour production will keep cloud chasers happy enough for such a low wattage coil, I preferred to close off the airflow to exactly half, which produced a more warm and flavourful vape for me. This will be my coil of choice for this device, but it will drain the battery quicker than the 0.3Ω coil.

Vaporesso kindly provided two kits so I could directly compare the two coils, so I primed up the 0.2Ω GTX mesh coil rated between 32-45 Watts, SMART popped the power at 40 Watts. I left the airflow at half open, the vape is still superb and the flavour is as good as the 0.2Ω. Obviously there was less vapour and it was not quite as warm, but for such a little difference I am quite happy to use this coil if I am out for a long day.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 finishes

Battery life was ideal, for such a small device I was very impressed and it was generally late into the evening that it needed a charge. The 2500mAh battery is one of the LUXE 80’s strongest features, and charging was fast for the capacity as it has proper 2 Amp USB-C charging. It took around 90 minutes from low but usually just over an hour from around 30%. This might not sound too fast, but you need to remember that it’s a much higher capacity so worth that little extra time.

I wasn’t expecting to prefer this kit compared to the SWAG PX 80 kit, they perform pretty much the same and they are both compact and have great looks. I prefer the pod on the LUXE 80 and the airflow feels smoother, but it was the ergonomics and convenience that won me over, it felt more like a pocket kit. Both kits are bloody good though.

Originally I was going to class the lack of a 510 connection as a con, I would have loved this as a stand-alone mod with my own choice of tank on it, BUT the pod really belongs on this kit and that’s how it should be. No doubt a 510 adaptor will come along but I won’t bother getting one as I’m happy as it is.

Vaporesso LUXE 80 vs Swag PX 80

Here it is next to the SWAG PX 80. The LUXE 80 is taller but a fair bit narrower. Though the pod isn’t as feature packed as the PX80, it’s just nicer to use and looks a bit better. The top-fill is a lot easier too.

Conclusion

Yet another frikkin pod to add to such a bloated market, but the LUXE 80 barges the completion out of the way as it rushes up the order of the very best. To quote Jose Mourinho “I think I’m a special one”. To replace my PM80, it must be. I’m a little sad that the LUXE 80 has made my PM80 redundant but I will soon get over it as this vapes much better and so far it hasn’t wet the bed as the PM80 used to.

I would highly recommend this kit as a DL/RDL starter kit due to its simplicity and the all-in-one convenience, I also think experienced vapers will enjoy it for the quality of the vape it provides. This kit is Vaporesso at their best.

Pros

GTX coil cross compatibility
Awesome flavour
A proper sub-ohm DL vape
Large capacity 2500mAh inbuilt battery
Quirky dual styling
Compact & ergonomic

Cons

My PM80 is sobbing in the corner from neglect

Honestly I can’t even nit-pick any cons, I can’t say this is a game-changing kit but it is a near perfect DL compact pocket rocket which took me by surprise, Vaporesso did good!

I’m going to go as far as to say that the LUXE 80 is now my new benchmark for DL Pod Mods.

Scores

Flavour 9/10
Vapour production 8/10 (with 0.2Ω coil)
Style 9/10
Quality 9/10
User friendly 9/10

Overall score 9/10 – The new BEST pod/mod kit

Vaporesso LUXE 80 little ape

Si Davies

Reviewer at POTV

View Articles

My 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!