Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus Review – More Power More Flavour?

The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus is the latest in a line of AIO pen style devices from this well established manufacturer.

It increases the battery capacity of the original Orca Solo by 50%.

It could be argued that Vaporesso are more renowned for their mods such as the Luxe Nano but they’re no lightweights when it comes to pushing out starter kits.

The Veco Solo Plus featured a massive 3300mah internal battery while the VM Solo 22 incorporated fast charge capabilities.

CCELL was also launched six years ago, at around the time of Vaporesso’s conception, one such coil features in this review.

What Can We Expect From The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus?

As well as an increase in battery oomph the Orca Solo Plus now comes with a sub ohm mesh coil. The 1.3ohm ceramic coil from its predecessor also makes it across.

The tank has also been brought up to TPD standards and is now the regulatory 2ml capacity. The Orca Solo managed a meager 1.5ml, lest we bemoan the current EU stipulations!

We can expect the Orca Solo Plus to appeal to the restrictive direct lung vaper with this upgrade.

It’s also offering a relatively new vaper the opportunity to ease into this style of vaping while still acknowledging the requirements of the stealthy MTL user.

Inside the Box

• Orca Solo Plus Kit
• 0.6ohm OC mesh coil
• 1.3ohm OC ceramic CCELL coil
• 2 x O rings
• USB cable
• Extra 2ml glass tube
• User manual
• Warranty card

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – Specifications and Features

• Dimension 18mm width x 123mm Height (including tank)
• Tank capacity 2ml
• Battery capacity built in 1200mah
• Charging current DC 5V/1A Micro USB
• 3 colour LED indicator for battery level and power modes
• 0.6ohm meshed coil (16W-18W-22W)
• 1.3ohm OC CCELL coil (7W-10W-12W)

From what I can gather, there doesn’t appear to be a none TPD version.

The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus is available in four colour schemes: Black, Blue, Rainbow and the one I’m reviewing which is Silver.

The 0.6ohm meshed coil has been designed to supply even heat distribution, this should result in a nice throat hit with suitable nicotine levels, provide optimal flavour and denser clouds.

Three adjustable power modes are available to allow the best vaping experience based on individual taste.

Design and Build Quality

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – Battery Section

Being a mere 18mm in diameter, the Orca Solo Plus feels incredibly insignificant in the hand. I’m instantly reminded of my humble beginnings.

My salad days of vaping, if you will lol!

There’s very little weight from the hardened steel material used.

The fire button is raised (always more helpful than you realize) and is tactile and responsive.

The micro USB port sits just to the right at the same height.

On the base, a single pinhole is located in the centre to act as battery venting.

At the top there is a gold plated 510 connector, I tested this and yes! It is spring loaded.

There’s also a very thick and substantial rubber seal for the glass section of the tank to fit over.

How To Operate The Battery Section

It’s the tried and tested method of five clicks on, five clicks off. Either way, the perimeter of the fire button will cycle through three colours when doing so. Just to let you know it’s either awake or gone to sleep.

As the battery depletes the LED colour will change from:

• Green – High  (71% 100%)
• Blue – Medium (31% – 70%)
• Red – Low (0% – 30%)

At its lowest power setting the Orca Solo Plus runs at 7W using the 1.3ohm CCELL coil so expect nothing more than an MTL experience.

At its highest power setting the battery can handle 22W using the 0.6ohm meshed coil. With more power comes the need for increased airflow to facilitate a restrictive direct lung vape.

To alter the three pre-set power options press the fire button three times in rapid succession. The wattage levels will auto adjust depending on the coil being used.

When the device is switched on it will always default to the highest available power setting (green).

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – Tank Section

The tank section is also made out of a high grade stainless steel with a little bit of chrome plating on the doming.

There are three parts to the tank.

• Removable 510 Delrin drip tip
• Steel tank section
• Glass tube

That’s right! There’s no top cap to unscrew. Although there is a noticeable seam where the chrome plated finish meets stainless steel, it’s merely for aesthetics.

The steel “exoskeleton” tank has four tidy looking windows incorporated to allow the visible level of juice remaining.

Airflow Control To Base, Over!

Airflow adjustment with the Orca Solo Plus is silky smooth. There’s a stopping action to the far left and right. Turning to the far right gives the option of maximum airflow.

In essence you have the option of between one and five pinhole slots for an MTL vape or a restrictive DTL.

This arrangement looks tidy and neat while retaining a basic and rudimentary way of achieving the desired airflow. We seem to be going back to basics, folks – that ain’t always a bad thing!

How To Install A Coil

We’ve seen this kind of connectivity before. The Aspire Cleito and the Aspire Rover 2 kit for example, also incorporate their coils with the chimney section.

• With the tank and glass removed, screw a coil into the base of the battery.
• With the glass inside the tank, screw the coil into the top of the tank.
• Make sure not to overtighten the threads.

So the coil effectively connects the tank to the battery. That massive rubber gasket now plays a crucial role in sealing the two together.

Let’s have a look at how to fill the tank now that the coil has been fitted.

How To Fill The Tank

• Unscrew the steel tank anti clockwise
• Lift the steel tank exposing the sealed glass tube section and coil
• Gently squeeze e liquid down the side of the glass until full
• Screw the steel tank down clockwise over the glass section

Take care not to overfill the glass section.

Always make sure connections are finger tight, don’t over-tighten!

Avoid pouring e liquid down the centre of the coil itself.

How Does The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus Perform?

The first to be tested was the Mouth To Lung coil.

1.3 Ohm Organic Cotton CCELL Coil (7W – 12W)

The juice of choice with this ceramic coil was Riot Squad Fresh Leaf, a 50VG/50PG ratio. It’s a Nicotine Salt based profile that is ideally suited for this MTL coil.

With airflow wide open and at the lowest power setting (7W) I was able to get an airy MTL vape. I also got an incredible restrictive direct lung and the nicotine salt throat hit felt marginally uncomfortable.

The flavour quality was average at this lower setting and cloud production mimicked that of a cigarette.

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – Vaping At 10W (Blue)

There was improved cloud production during a restrictive direct lung vape but flavour dissolved rather swiftly.

Knocking the airflow down to a single pin hole gave me an extremely satisfying MTL vape. Flavour quality had improved rapidly and distributed itself well throughout the stealthy exhale.

Vaping At 12W ( Green – default setting)

There wasn’t much change when attempting the previous MTL setting if I’m honest. Opening up the airflow a few holes provided a comfortable mouth to lung vape. The flavour and cloud production were spot on for this ceramic coil.

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – Coil Summary

There’s no escaping the fact this organic cotton ceramic coil is perfectly suited to mouth to lung vaping. In fact it’s one of the most satisfying vapes I’ve had for quite some time.

The flavour quality is clean and very well produced for a coil bearing a maximum power rating of 12W. The option of a restricted direct lung vape is there but doesn’t really work effectively.

That’s more than enough to tell you the true intent of this 1.30hm coil.

Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus – 0.6 Ohm Organic Cotton Meshed Coil (16W – 22W)

This new coil from Vaporesso has been designed for the vaper making the subtle transition across from MTL to direct lung vaping.

I used Zeus Juice Dodo berry, a 70VG/30PG blend with 3mg freebase nicotine on this mesh coil that includes four quite significant wicking ports.

The maximum coil output of 22W (green) was tested first.

With airflow fully open I received an instant cold blast from the included menthol of the profile. It was quite intense and overshadowed the majority of the fruit with the exception of raspberry which was very well represented.

Cloud production was substantial and very satisfying. This setting did provide a very restrictive direct to lung vape.

Vaping at 18W (Blue)

I kept the airflow to maximum moving down the power scale and the balance of mixed berries to menthol was much improved. More of the strawberry was present alongside the omnipresent raspberry. Cloud production was more than adequate.

Vaping At 16W (Red)

Things carry less impact on the lowest setting and the fruits have lost some of their sweetness and depth. The menthol and berries simply merge together without creating any of the individual clarity witnessed previously. Cloud production however is as good as ever.

Other Airflow Restrictions

Given that this coil is tailor made for a restrictive direct lung vape with maximum airflow, how does it fare when making adjustments?

I got a surprisingly good vape with three air slots exposed with plenty of flavour. What’s more this setting allowed for a relatively loose MTL vape, allowing the best of both worlds! All good stuff.

Cloud production was certainly becoming more stealth induced. Experimenting with the tightest airflow restriction resulted in the ultimate MTL vape. Flavour had become severely compromised proving that the intent of the coil is that of restrictive DTL.

Coil Summary

I found the coil to perform to the best of its ability with a slight restriction to the airflow and operating in medium power output. This offered the best flavour and cloud production. As with the 1.3ohm ceramic coil there was little noise generated from the inhale and zero turbulence.

Pros

• Super lightweight and extremely pocket friendly
• Incredible battery life from 1.3ohm CCELL organic cotton coil
• Easy and convenient filling system
• Tough stainless steel that looks capable of taking a few knocks

Cons

• Gurgling and turbulence after filling tank with 1.3ohm coil
• Both coils have a tendency to leak from AFC after filling
• LED is not the brightest in direct sunlight
• Disappointing battery life from 0.6ohm OC meshed coil

Final Thoughts

Both coils had a tendency to leak from the airflow slots just after filling. With the 1.3ohm ceramic coil I noticed some gurgling and turbulence upon the initial vape. After around ten minute both issues would resolve themselves but I did find this an annoyance.

Otherwise, the tank was extremely quiet during inhale and offered a smooth vaping experience.

The 1.3ohm coil did a really good job at replicating what I would refer to as a classic MTL vape. Especially so with extra airflow restriction in place. It took the best part of a day to grind through 4ml of juice.

The 0.6 sub ohm coil was let down only by a little too much airflow restriction even with the AFC set wide open. Again, flavour quality and cloud production was good. Be warned! This coil is a juice guzzler – I found myself refilling after less than an hour.

Battery Performance

The battery performed admirably with the 1.3ohm OC CCELL coil.

• Green – Blue 5 hours
• Blue – Red 10 hours 30 mins
• Red – Dead 30 mins

I didn’t have the same response while testing the 0.6ohm OC meshed coil.

• Green – Blue 1 hour
• Blue – Red 4 hours 15 mins
• Red – Dead 5 mins

All three power settings were being randomly tested during this period of time. Assume that when the LED turns to red you really need to get it charged as soon as possible. That goes double with the mesh coil!

It is interesting to note that the battery appears to work optimally during 70 – 31% charge, or medium strength.

It took 1 hour 40 minutes to fully recharge the device, about average for a micro USB connection.

Everyday Vapers

The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus is extremely light and pocket friendly. On occasion I had to make sure I was actually carrying it with me!

The steel frame of the tank is going to protect that glass section but also allows for easy viewing of current juice levels.

It’s possible to block the airflow control ring with a finger but this happened only on rare occasions.

In the presence of direct sunlight, those colour LED’s can be a bit of trouble viewing. An issue that comes into play when taking into account the relatively short notice the battery gives of failing.

V Is For Vaporesso

I really like the aesthetics of this AIO kit.

The chrome plating on the top of the tank, the AFC ring and the base of the battery work in perfect harmony with the stainless steel finish.

This is all very minimalistic stuff yet very pleasing on the eye. I will assume this blending of material is in evidence on the alternative colour schemes.

The AFC ring has the perfect amount of tolerance and works in a very smooth and efficient manner. I had no issues making adjustments on the fly.

I did have some initial concerns about the glass section coming away with the stainless steel tank when attempting to fill. Thanks to that massive rubber gasket my fears were swiftly allayed.

Any fears of wicking issues due to the excessive height of the coils was also unfounded. A substantial percentage screws into the battery and the wicking ports sit reassuringly low in the tank itself.

This certainly reduces the chances of a dry hit. The four large viewing windows also play their part here.

Generally speaking there’s not much to “blubber” about with this simplistic and modest AIO device.

Given that a sub ohm coil has been included with this update it would have been nice to see a few wider diameter airflow slots. Just to make the direct lung experience that little less restrictive for those wishing to delve.

..It wouldn’t be my review without at least one Negative Neil! Lol!

Who Would I Recommend The Orca Solo Plus To?

The answer to that would be anyone!

It functions perfectly well and its simplicity will appeal to the virgin vaper.

The fact that there is a sub ohm coil included means that this new vaper can adapt to either style of vaping quite rapidly. The option to experiment is there right out of the box.

The portability will also appeal to established vapers looking for a stealthy vape while out and about. Ideal as a secondary device for specific occasions.

There’s also no need to worry about replacing batteries or charging. The 1.3ohm ceramic coil will last around two days under moderate use.