Starter Kit Reviews

Argus Bar Prime Powered by VOOPOO

The Argus Bar Prime takes a big step forward when it comes to sustainable vaping

by Michelle (Purplefowler)
Oct 21, 2024

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It is not often I get genuinely excited by disposable vapes, although things have been heading in the right direction. We now have a greater variety, we have 4 in 1 kits which can have a much larger juice capacity, and we have rechargeable ones which obviously have a longer usable life than the true single use devices. But the Argus Bar Prime kit, powered by VOOPOO, is doing something even better, taking a big step towards being a more sustainable option. But we will get into that a little later on!

On the surface, the Argus Bar Prime seems like many other large capacity, rechargeable vape systems that have been taking the market by storm. It has a built in atomiser pod which contains the legal 2ml of 20mg e-liquid, and that works with the 10ml juice container which plugs in to the bottom of the body. To last the distance with the larger capacity, it has a 650mAh battery which is rechargeable via a USB-C port on the side. This is all good, it extends the life of what is ultimately a disposable device, but this has an extra trick up its sleeve. But before we get to that, we need to start at the beginning.

When you first unpack the Argus Bar Prime, you will find two sealed packs in the box. One contains the main body, and the other holds the juice container. You need to remove the stickers from both parts, unscrew the cap from the juice section, pull the rubber bung from the main body, and push both bits together to make one complete device. As a device, it feels good to hold with its smooth finish and rounded sides, and everything fits together so well that you don’t notice that it is made of a couple of parts. The downside of all this rounding off is that you can’t charge it upright, and I found it did hint at being a bit gurgly for a few puffs, although it did settle quickly.

There is an airflow adjustment slider on the opposite side to the USB port which moves freely but is also firm enough to not move about once you’ve set it. In reality, I didn’t find it made much difference to the vape, although some of the kits seemed to work better than others, and one was very loose feeling, almost as if it wasn’t actually connected. But you don’t really buy a device like this for the level of customisation, so I didn’t really see it as an issue.

It also has a screen on the front, just a simple one with no bright colours or flashy animations but it tells you your remaining battery capacity as a % which is a very welcome addition. All of my review samples came with around 70% charge, so you will probably want to make sure it is fully boosted up before you get vaping.

As the Argus Bar Prime is powered by VOOPOO, you can expect a rock solid vape with all of the safety features built in, they have already proven their reliability with their standard pod kits, and that tech has trickled down into this kit.

So you may be wondering what has got me excited about this kit over any other large capacity kit, after all everything so far is pretty standard, even if it has been done particularly well. The killer blow the Argus Bar Prime is hiding is that it has a removable battery which makes it so much easier to recycle, both for the end user and for the recycling centres. When you have finally run out of juice, you can remove both the empty e-liquid container and the battery. We have seen a few pod kits that now have removable and replaceable batteries, but this is a first for the semi disposable market, and I am really hoping that where the Argus leads, other manufacturers will follow as this is a bit step in sustainable and ethical vaping.

The Flavours

The Argus Bar Prime has launched with an impressive twenty flavours, covering all of the classic fruits along with a nod to mint and tobacco fans. We were sent five flavours to sample, but the full range is made up of the following:

Pineapple Ice
Lemon Lime
Kiwi Passionfruit Guava
Juicy Peach
Strawberry Watermelon
Strawberry Kiwi
Spearmint
Blackcurrant Lemonade
Blueberry Raspberry
Pink Lemonade
Cherry Cola
Blueberry
Blueberry Sour Raspberry
Green Apple Ice
Blue Razz Lemonade
Summer Dream
Watermelon Ice
Tropical Rainbow
Tobacco
Triple Mango

These are your classic disposable flavours, there is nothing revolutionary about the list, but the familiarity will be a hit with existing disposable users. Like their single use cousins, they do also contain a fair amount of sweetener and ice. So let’s take a look to see how they stack up against the competition…

Lemon Lime

Fresh, clean and zesty, with the right amount of sharp notes to counterbalance the sweeter, smoother side. The cooling is fairly strong but is right for this flavour, it really accentuates the strong citrus vape. It also has a really great aftertaste which pulls more from the lime.

Strawberry Watermelon

This is a standard sweet strawberry with a slightly perfumed watermelon. The fragrant side is a little stronger than I personally like, but it isn’t offensively strong, and again, the sweetener and ice help to smooth and blend things together. It is nothing special, but it still stands up well against the competition.

Blueberry

The ice is on the stronger side here and it threatens to overshadow the actual flavour which is a bit of a shame as there is a decent flavour hiding under the chill. It does add more texture though, so you have to decide what you want to prioritise in your vape. There is a sweet, richness and it does come alive, but the ice covers some of the deeper details.

Strawberry Kiwi

I’m not the biggest fan of kiwi, but it works well here. It is a flavour which goes naturally well with strawberry, and it would take quite a lot to mess it up. It is fresh, but it is a bit more rounded than it is in some of the other flavours. The strawberry works better this time round, the sweetness levels things off well.

Blueberry Sour Raspberry

This was my favourite of the five, although of course taste is a highly personal thing. This one is just more interesting. It has a bit of everything, it is cool and fresh, sweet but also has a great sour bite. The blueberry is dialled back which lets the sour raspberry do its thing. It just has more going on, and that makes it much more fun to vape.

Final Thoughts

This is a good kit, the feel and build quality is some of the best when it comes to large capacity devices, and the flavours are rock solid. But where it really excels is in its ease of breaking down when you are done. As an industry, vaping needs to really step up and face the big sustainable questions, and the Argus Bar Prime is ready with an answer.

Pros

Feels good to hold
Accurate, easy to read screen
Removable battery for better recycling

Cons

The flavours are good, but it would have been nice to see a bit more variety

Michelle (Purplefowler)

Reviewer at POTV

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When her usual forum closed, Michelle found herself in a brave new world full of excitement that something fresh and new was happening. A few days later she somehow found herself on the moderating team and is still not really sure how that happened. Even stranger, she slowly worked her way up to admin and now helps behind the scenes, liasing with vendors and coordinating social media but she can still be found making smutty comments on the forum. If all that wasn't enough, she also is a proud member of the Potv review team specialising in E-liquid reviews for the discerning vaper.