Vaptio IronClad Frogman C Kit Review: IronClad? Not So Much.

The Vaptio IronClad FrogMan C Kit is on the chopping block today, brought to you by what may well be the most affordable vape brand on the market.

Vaptio, a Seattle based vape brand with designers in the UK and the US, has a staggering number of products on the market, many of which are under $20 to purchase. The question is, is vape gear this cheap worth having?

Past releases include the Wallcrawler Kit, the Tyro vape pen kit and the N1 Pro 240W Kit, which featured an older and vastly different version of the Frogman Tank. I was interested to try out a newer version of the Frogman since, back in the day, I quite enjoyed the original.

The Ironclad Frogman C kit is a fixed output, 50W mod with a built-in 2600 mAh battery and LED indicators. The Frogman C has a whopping 6ml capacity (non TPD countries) and is equipped with mesh coils, promising to beat the older versions in flavour.

This Kit forms part of Vaptio’s Heros range and, with a name like IronClad, I was expecting a solid, hardy little mod…my expectations weren’t met.

This kit was sent to us for the purposes of review. As always my thoughts are my own.

In The Box

• Vaptio Ironclad Mod
• Vaptio Frogman C Tank
• 1xFrogman M1 coil
• 1xFrogman T1 coil
• USB Cable
• User manual

Features

Mod

• Size: 45x26x79mm
• Battery: 2600mAh (internal)
• RGB LED display
• Output: 50W max
• Leak-proof 510 connection
• All in one button operation
• Available in: black, grey, green, red, blue, orange, black camouflage, grey camouflage

Tank

• Size: 24.5x52mm
• Capacity: 6ml
• Coils: Frogman Coils – M1 (0.2ohm Mesh), T1 (0.2ohm Strip)
• Top fill
• Adjustable airflow

Design and Build Quality

IronClad Mod

On opening up the neat, white Vaptio box, I’m greeted by a small, shiny mod: two-tone, with a wrap around tinted plastic inlay to contrast against its blue sheen.

The black plastic feature looks like an extension of what must be a screen cover under the big, wrap around fire button at the top of the control side, which wraps around and takes up most of either larger side panel, in a shape akin to a Nike tick.

I soon discover that this is not a screen cover, there is no screen, so the choice of this very cheap looking material baffles me…it’s an absolute fingerprint magnet and, in my opinion, looks atrocious.

The top of either side has an odd, triangular inlay, these are the LED indicators to inform you of battery life, in a range of colours, to light up when you fire.

The fire button is huge and when you depress and then release it, it resonates with a sound that’s like a click but has a sort of metallic ring to it.

The top and bottom edge of the control side are cut off, in such a way that the mod can actually stand flat ,or stand on the bottom cut off edge, even with the tank loaded.

This is one very cool feature, well balanced and something I would love to see on other vape mods, however I am not sure it’s intentional, as that cut off surface is where the six, elongated battery ventilation holes are located. Nonetheless, I enjoyed standing this mod at a tilt!

The control side has a micro-USB port at the bottom, with no less than two Vaptio brands, one on the colour section at the bottom and one on the black section. Why there are two brand stamps on one side of the mod, I cannot tell you.

The Top of the mod has a sort of rounded triangle seating, it’s just an etched-in frame though, with no actual stainless steel seating.

510 Connection / Threading

There is a deep 510 connection in the middle of the framed area (which is positioned off to the side, away from the cut off edge), with little to no spring to it.

Unscrewing or tightening the tank will provide you with an unpleasant grating sensation, enjoy.

Sealed 510 To Prevent Leaks Into Mod

It’s good to see the 510 connection is sealed, as the N1 Pro which I had from this brand actually stopped working after a few months on the shelf, a little liquid obviously seeped through the unsealed connection into the mod, corroding the circuitry inside and rendering the mod useless.

When the tank is tightened into the mod, there is a 1/3 mm space underneath, so I can see right under the tank. This gives the impression that the mod and tank don’t belong together, as they don’t seem to fit. It looks terrible and, I’m sorry to say, it looks cheap.

In fact, whatever this mod is made of, it has the look and feel of plastic, the entire thing collects fingerprints and the paint scratches and chips off with wear.

Also, knowing that this kit is actually one of the pricier examples from Vaptio, I expected more. Not to mention the misleading name, this mod is anything but IronClad.

I certainly hope that the mod’s performance and the tank will make up for the cheap feel of this mod and the glaring build issues I see here.

LED Indicators

The LED indicators at either side of the mod light up on start up, shut-down and fire.

The following lights tell you your remaining battery level:

• Blue when battery level is between 70 and 100%
• Green between 30 and 60%
• Red between 1 and 29 %.

Built in Battery

The Vaptio IronClad features a 2600mAh on board battery and constant output of 50W. Meaning it will fire at 50W all of the time while the battery allows.

Frogman C Tank

The Frogman C tank is pretty straight forward, as sub-ohm tanks go. It’s tall base features an adjustable, cyclops style airflow, with a 1cm x 2mm slot either side.

My Blue kit came with a black coloured tank, the airflow ring is black in colour, with a chrome ribbon above the airflow ring and a beefy o-ring visible through the bulb glass above that.

The tank has a very impressive 6ml capacity and I can see four nice, big juice windows on the loaded mesh coil head through the glass.

Above the tank I see another thick o-ring, another chrome ribbon and then the Vaptio branded black top cap above that, with a nice, removable 810 drip tip which has a strange female connection, with a male connection on the tank side, so you can’t interchange with any other drip tip. Hmmmf.

Top Fill

The top cap screws off to reveal two big fill ports, without that near impenetrable silicon gasket feature which made previous Vaptio tanks so hard to fill.

How Does The Vaptio IronClad FrogMan C Kit Perform?

I can’t help it, I’m feeling very uninspired. I usually love writing reviews, even if just for one standout feature on a product that’s otherwise very standard but, for me, writing about this kit is just a bloody drag.

This whole setup is just so deflating.

The IronClad Mod

It all starts with the fact that I have to click the fire button 6 times or more, most of the time, in order to power up or down. Sometimes it works with 5 clicks, but only sometimes.

I’ve spent more than 30 seconds once, trying to switch off this mod.

Then there’s the issue of the 510 connection, which is very tight, with bad threading and a gap visible between mod and tank, no matter what tank you use.

There were one or two tanks I fitted which wouldn’t work on this mod.

Also, the constant 50W output is this mod’s max output and fitting the device with a tank, equipped with coils in the same range, that I’d been vaping at 50W on another mod, I was met with a flaccid, low powered hit that came nowhere close to the hit I’d been enjoying on a mod that fires at a true 50W.

This mod is not very versatile and, while I was hoping performance would uplift the cheap exterior, it doesn’t.

One thing the mod has going for it is ergonomics, it is a very nice shape, just a pity the finish doesn’t express a little more quality.

The fire time is pretty fast on this mod, surprisingly, but only with the included tank and coils

This mod is going into the shelf, where it will probably just gather dust, I wouldn’t bother giving it as a gift.

The Tank

As for the Frogman C…

I have serious flavour issues with this tank and I am not sure whether components of the tank itself are adding to this or whether it is purely the coil heads creating a very unpleasant taste sensation.

Great airflow on the tank, smooth and highly adjustable.

There is minimal seeping of juice down through the airflow when you store it, but that’s it.

Once again, very incompatible, why make the drip tip non-replaceable?

The Frogman C, by the way, sits flush on other mods. I wouldn’t give this as a gift either.

Frogman Coil M1 – 0.2Ohm Preinstalled mesh Coil

The 0.2 Ohm preinstalled mesh coil, which fires at the predetermined constant output of this mod, which is somewhere around 50W, delivers a massive vapour cloud, that is one thing it really has going for it. That’s also why it drinks juice like a trooper.

However, even after two weeks of use, I get a very unpleasant taste and aftertaste underpinning any flavour I put in this tank.

Even though the flavour comes through strongly, there is a nasty hint of something in the background that just ruins the experience.

Something they are using in then construction of this coil (or even this tank) is leaving a taste in my mouth and I don’t know what exactly it is, but its metallic and plastic all at once, it tastes unhealthy, chemical and unpleasant.

Frogman Coil T1 – 0.2Ohm Strip Coil

The 0.2 Ohm strip coil is a coil is similar to the M1 in terms of the performance it gave.

I find vapour production almost the same on this coil, but maybe a little less, to my mind. Flavour definitely also comes through but I have the same nasty chemical taste issues with this coil, which just puts me right off.

It’s such a huge pity for Vaptio, since vapour and flavour are both so strong here. The addition of that nasty element to the flavour is really not good, as it means that something in the materials they are using is giving off a residue and this is cause for concern. Possibly machine oil residue?

Battery Life

The 2600 mAh built-in battery provides a decent battery life of about 6-7 hours, if you are vaping steadily, every few minutes.

Pros

• Ergonomic shape
• Can stand up two ways
• Great vapour production
• Quick fire/ramp, with included tank and coils
• Good, smooth airflow
• Decent battery life

Cons

• Cheap plastic feel to the mod
• Tank doesn’t sit flush
• Faulty fire button start up and powerdown
• Chemical aftertaste and undertone on both coil heads
• Not very versatile or inter-compatible

Final Review Verdict

The Vaptio IronClad Frogman C kit left me uninspired. I was highly disappointed by chemical flavour issues and also by the cheap feel and glaring build issues on the mod.

I would recommend a setup that I would feel happy to pick up and vape myself but, sadly, this is a setup that will now be consigned to my bedroom shelf for life. In spite of its affordable price, I just don’t feel that this setup is worth it, even for beginners.

Note: While this tank does produce great flavour, I’ve subtracted flavour points in my rating, due to an unpleasant aftertaste and undertone to the flavour.

Have you used the Vaptio IronClad kit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!