Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit Review – Humdinger Of A Pod Kit?

The Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod kit review and this is the pod equivalent to the Jackaroo kit that features a sub ohm tank and a single 18650/21700 external battery.

There’s also the Jackaroo 188W dual 18650 battery Mod for those that rather use their own sub ohm tanks, RDA’s and RTA’s.

In fact aesthetically the Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit has many similarities from the resin panels, rubberised hand grip and IP67 rating.

The resin panels aren’t detachable but there are plenty of colour schemes to suit most tastes.

Vandy Vape certainly keep themselves busy being widely known for their Pulse squonk range, various starter kits not to mention a vast array of RTA’s.

So where does the Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit fit into the scheme of things for flavour, cloud production and general all round performance?

Full steam ahead…let’s get into this.

What Can We Expect From the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit?

Expect the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit to survive quite a few knocks, prevent the ingress of dust and provide a fair degree of resistance to water – although I don’t suggest using it around Niagara Falls lol!

This is all made possible thanks to the IP67 rating of the device.

A top filling system should prevent the pod from leaking and we can expect airflow versatility thanks to the built in adjustable airflow control ring (AFC). This will cater for either the MTL or DTL vaper.

The large capacity of the integrated battery will mean less time spent charging and more time vaping while the Vandy Chip automatically detects the maximum output for the installed coil.

Equally important is the ergonomic design of the Jackaroo Pod Kit. Expect plenty of comfort when held in the hand while the weight factor makes the device very portable.

Inside the Box

It comes in a simple slip carton which reveals the contents protected inside foam cut outs.

These are:

• Jackaroo Pod Kit
• 2 x VVC coil
• Instruction manual
• Coil tool
• MTL drip tip
• Type C USB charging cable

Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit – Key Features

Although the kit comes with two plug and play mesh coils there are a total of five  to choose from.

Three of which are specifically designed for a DTL vape and two catering for the more discreet MTL user, and output power ranges between 9-60W.

There’s even a DIY Pod available separately for those that like to tinker around with their own coil resistances. It’s a pod that works like an RTA only a pod!

Confused? I certainly am lol!

The Jackaroo pod has a juice capacity of 4.5ml with the standard version and is reduced to 2ml for the TPD edition.

It’s top filling and the adjustable airflow is also mounted on the top of the pod.

Fast Type C charging is included complete with pass through vaping for those still not satisfied with the speed of charging.

The battery is powered by an upgraded Vandy Chip that supports all the usual safety features expected including short circuit, 10 second vape cut off and a low battery warning.

Take your pick from eight colour schemes:
Obsidian Black, Carbon Fibre black, Carbon Fibre Silver, Black Warrior, Glacier Silver, Sea Cerulean, Aurora Violet and Haze Red (under review).

Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit – Specifications

• Size 108 x 25.6 x 40mm
• Material Rubberised coating over zinc alloy/Resin/PCTG
• Weight 205g
• 0.9in colour screen
• Battery Integrated 2000mAh
• IP67 rating (Water/dust/shock proof)
• Power range 5-70W
• Operating voltage 3.2 – 4.2V
• Charging current 1.5A
• Resistance range 0.1 – 3.0ohm
• Pod capacity 4.5ml/2ml

Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit – Design and Build Quality

Battery section

One of the things I really appreciate about the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit is the ergonomic design.

Of course it’s nothing original but makes all the difference when holding in the hand.

The rubberised (IP67 rated) coating really does help provide a very firm grip on the device. The contouring makes it very comfortable when vaping.

Two colour resin panels fit well on either side and although slightly raised above the rugged rubber surrounding, don’t attract dust.

There’s no apparent battery venting on the rubberised base, instead the Vandy Vape Jackaroo logo appears here. Discreet product branding such as this is always worth a few bonus points…

I also like how the rubber base provides grip when the pod kit is placed on a glass table, for example.

Combine this with the ergonomics in general and it’s hard to imagine the device being dropped or knocked.

I can’t fault build quality like that.

Inside the battery there are two gold plated spring loaded coil contacts.

Although not apparent, I assume the base is magnetic given the strong pull it creates on the pod.

Screen Quality

It’s not stated anywhere but I believe the screen to be OLED.

It’s not as bright as LCD and the single colour (green) does look a little washed out. In direct sunlight it performs very poorly and no screen information is readable.

Underneath the screen is the menu rocker button. Vandy Vape refer to it as the +(left) and – (right) buttons when making appropriate adjustments. The USB C charging port is located below but I’m a bit perplexed as to how it’s waterproof.

A rubberised stopper would have eased my worried mind a little lol.

The plastic screen housing started showing signs of scratching after a few days of use – then again, scratch proof isn’t included as part of the IP67 rating…

Screen Functions

Five clicks will turn the device on or off.

• Hold the left and right buttons to see the product version
• Press the left and right buttons twice to select a new or old coil
• Hold the left button and fire button to reset the puff counter
• Pressing the right button and fire button will lock/unlock the device
• Hold the fire, left and right buttons to turn the screen off (stealth mode)

It’s still possible to vape while the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod kit is locked. The same thing applies to when the device is in stealth mode.

The Vandy chip incorporates auto coil detect and will initially select optimal wattage. It’s possible to select the maximum output of the coil but I found no way of overriding this.

Wattage adjustments are in single watt increments and will speed up if the menu button is held down. The screen continuously displays current voltage and adjusts as wattage is altered. I quite like that feature.

The Pod Section

It’s made from the industry standard toughened PCTG plastic and has a slight tint.

This doesn’t stop entire juice levels from being seen thanks to angled contouring on the battery section.

Two drip tips are included, a wide bore (pre installed) for direct lung vaping and a taller narrow one for MTL vaping.

The pod is compatible with other 510 style drip tips although I found a few to be a little loose fitting.

A dual adjustable airflow ring has been incorporated into the top of the pod and spins 360 degrees. There’s no stopper and airflow is fed to the coil via a series of honeycomb style slots.

There’s the option of closing the slots off in pairs horizontally (for DTL vaping) or one at a time in a vertical manner for MTL vaping.

On the underside of the pod are three magnets providing a very secure connection to the battery section. The pod automatically pulls itself into place with a reassuring snap.

It only fits one way but you probably guessed that already, right?

There was no rattling, it wouldn’t be shaken out of the battery and actually stayed in place when I dropped it

The pod is top fill which means a silicone stopper that (for me at least!) is incredibly easy to use. There’s a lift tab situated at the front so even those without finger nails can operate it – on the fly.

It’s also possible to pivot the stopper 90 degrees for added ease of filling.

How To Fill the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod

• With a VVC plug and play coil already installed lift the silicone stopper from the pod
• Tilting at an angle gently squeeze e liquid through the fill port and into the pod

• Once the pod has been filled replace the silicone stopper ensuring a secure seal
• Leave the e liquid to fully saturate into the cotton for five minutes before vaping

Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit – How Does It Perform

VVC-30 0.3ohm mesh coil (30-45W)

I’m a little disappointed Vandy Vape doesn’t describe the nature of their coils either on the back of the box or in the instruction manual.

They also fail to mention there’s one for either style of vaping.

The Vandy Chip instantly recognised the coil at the correct resistance value. It also wouldn’t allow for vaping outside the maximum rating for the coil (45W).

I carried out the majority of my testing at the lowest recommended setting of 30W with airflow wide open. Using Wick Liquor Carnival, an 80VG/20PG juice ratio with freebase nicotine I got a surprisingly good performance.

The flavour notes were clean and bright with the coil pretty much replicating the full experience I expected from the juice.

Here, at the lowest setting the exhale was producing quite a concentrated and saturated vape. As expected there wasn’t any warmth to the vape but the coil still delivered the goods.

Despite the dual honeycomb slots all being open there was still around a 15-20% restriction.

Other power settings and restrictions

I didn’t notice much difference when vaping at 40W to be honest. Admittedly the icing sugar of the profile had intensified but pushed the bakery elements into the background to a degree.

There was no added warmth with the additional power but there was certainly nothing wrong with the vapour production. It performed just as well as any other sub ohm device and quite impressive for a pod based system.

Reducing the airflow down to around mid position created a restrictive direct lung vape – at the expense of heating up the AFC ring to uncomfortable levels.

Closing airflow down beyond half way was a waste of time because there was just far too much restriction to enjoy the vape.

Overall Coil Performance – All The Three’s

The VVC-30 0.3ohm mesh coil worked fantastically well at the lower end of the wattage range. It also seemed to favour maximum airflow and this is where the most natural flavour tones were experienced.

Think: 30W – 3.0ohm – 3V. An impressive flavour and vapour performance.

I was able to vape this thick juice ratio using long, protracted inhales while chain vaping. The wicking never failed to deliver a consistently great vape.

Expect the battery to hold up for a minimum of a day using this coil – regardless of power settings used.

I recommend juice ratio’s of 70VG-30PG to 80VG-20PG while using this coil.

VVC-90 0.9ohm mesh coil (9-16W)

The Vandy Chip registered the coil bang on at 0.9ohm and initially set the power to an average intensity of 12W.

It also restricted the performance of the coil to a maximum of 16W.

Being a MTL coil I opted for Riot Squad Signature Orange, a nicotine salt based E liquid with a juice ratio of 50VG/50PG.

I couldn’t help but see if the coil was capable of any kind of restrictive lung vape to kick start the tests. With honeycomb airflow wide open indeed it was possible to vape this way.

However the flavour quality was quite bland with little taste so it’s clearly intended for use only as a MTL vape.

It was only when I started fiddling with airflow options that I noticed Vandy Vape has included one specifically for these lower powered coils.

It closes off one side of the airflow to accommodate a much tighter draw.

Mouth To Lung Airflow Restrictions

Utilising only five or six airflow slots it was still an airy draw and certainly not a true MTL experience.

Much of the vapour was lost in the air as opposed to being drawn back during inhale.

Neither was I enamoured by the flavour being produced. The fresh tangerine was very much distant and on this setting quite bland tasting.

These problems were partially solved by dialing the airflow back and having just one honeycomb airflow slot open.

It’s here that the restriction is very much on par with what I would suggest to be a true MTL vape.

Highest Power setting (16W)

The coil performed even worse at maximum wattage. I noticed a distinct taste of cotton while fruit content was at a bare minimum.

This was a setting I wasn’t prepared to continue with because most of the taste was represented by the merest hint of sweetness on the tongue.

A far from satisfying vape.

Overall Coil Performance – Sell Me The Citrus!

I’m quite disappointed by the performance of the VVC-90 0.9ohm mesh coil because the flavour replication is average at best even though vapour production remains suitably stealthy.

It fails on an epic scale using higher wattage, while at 9W (minimum recommendation) there’s next to no flavour to speak of. It should be more than capable of working with citrus based E liquid.

Under tight restrictions I would expect plenty of sharpness, adequate sweetness and plenty of succulent, juicy tangerine. None of which pulls through with this coil, unfortunately.

Expect the battery to hold its own for anything up to two days. After seven hours of vaping on various settings it had only drained by 15%.

My recommended juice ratio’s would be 50VG-50PG/60VG-40PG with 10 or 20mg nicotine salts when using this coil.

Pros

• Ergonomic design
• Good build quality
• Great flavour from the VVC-30 0.3ohm mesh coil
• No leaking from either coil
• Top filling system is very easy to use on the go
• Versatile airflow options when using DL coils

Cons

• An audible humming generated while vaping
• Display is hard to read in direct sunlight
• Below average flavour quality from the VVC-90 0.9ohm mesh coil
• Airflow control ring can heat up to uncomfortable levels

Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit – Final Review Verdict

It’s an extremely comfortable device to use, without doubt.

I particularly like the fact it’s impossible to push the coils beyond maximum capabilities, these are aspects a new vaper will also fully appreciate.

The battery will last for days – many, in the case of higher resistance coils. Battery/Pod connectivity is impressive with either coil firing very quickly from a responsive firing button and reliable Vandy chip.

The dual adjustable airflow ring works well – especially when tested with the VVC-30 0.3ohm mesh coil. I was able to get various degrees of restriction – it didn’t take long to find the semi restrictive DTL style I know and enjoy.

The pod itself didn’t leak a drop regardless of the juice ratio. The top airflow structure really does make all the difference.

Analysing Airflow

Overall it was a vape of two halves.

The DTL coil performed very well, even chain vaping a higher VG ratio. The honeycomb airflow was versatile in finding an optimal balance between flavour and cloud production.

I couldn’t say the same thing about the MTL coil. It’s far from being under powered but failed to deliver the flavour I was looking for from such airflow restriction. In fact it didn’t seem to like performing at the top end of its capabilities at all.

As much as the inhale provided a smooth and quiet vape with no turbulence whatsoever, I did pick up an audible humming from the device – discovered through sheer luck when checking ramp up time.

Don’t ask me! I’ve no idea what was causing it..

I’m Vaping In The Rain!

The exposed Type C USB port did pose something of a question. Usually IP67 rated devices carry a silicone plug to prevent water or dust ingress. Not so with the Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit.

..I simply had to put this to the test!

Note: No coil was installed at the time in order to check for water ingress into the pod itself. I used a real world situation, as if dropped in a swimming pool..

I placed the kit in around 3 inches of water and left it for three minutes. During this time a few air bubbles collected around the resin panels and near to the battery venting port.

Submerged, I was still able to perform menu functions although my concerns over the USB port remained. The top airflow on the pod itself was wide open yet gathered no air bubbles.

After three minutes I took the device out of the water and removed the pod from the battery. Water had made its way inside, no doubt through the open honeycomb airflow.

It was also visible inside the pod so it’s likely to mix with E juice.

I was very reluctant to use the USB charging port. We all know water and electric aren’t the best of buddies but as if by magic. No sparks flew – and charging continued as if no submersion had taken place!

I can only assume the waterproofing takes place further inside. Perhaps additional IP67 measures have been taken with the circuit board.

Once dry and fully charged with a pod full of E juice everything performed as usual. Seems the proof is in the dunking!

Vandy Vape Jackaroo Pod Kit – Recommendations

I would recommend The Vandy Vape Jackaroo 70W Pod Kit to the casual vaper who’s looking for a no nonsense device that’s portable and has heaps of battery life.

To someone that’s moving away from MTL and experimenting with a semi restrictive direct lung vape without the need for power hungry coils.

..When used this way it’s a damn fine little pod kit.

If you’re using this or thinking of buying it please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!