Vaporesso Armour GS, setting up a direct lung draw

On paper the Vaporesso Armour GS looks like one more pod mod, with 80 watts, a colour screen and a top-fill pod. In the hand it asks rather more of you. You supply the 18650 cell yourself, the airflow sits at the top with four positions, and the two coils in the box work at very different wattages, so nothing comes preset. Get those settings out of step and the vapour turns harsh or hollow. Line them up and the draw becomes remarkably precise.

How the Vaporesso Armour GS draw is set

Three adjustments decide the draw on the Vaporesso Armour GS, and they have to move together, namely the GTX coil fitted in the pod, the power sent by the AXON chipset and the opening of the airflow at the top of the pod.

Vaporesso supplies two mesh coils, a pre-installed 0.15 ohm GTX rated for 60 to 75 watts and a 0.3 ohm GTX rated for 32 to 45 watts. Output runs from 5 to 80 watts, and the airflow offers four positions.

The method fits in one sentence. Choose the coil first, because it sets how much liquid is vaporised, then set the power from the bottom of its band, and open the air last, until the draw feels free without whistling. Air carries vapour away, it never rescues a coil that is running too hot.

What comes in the box, and what you add yourself

The kit is sold without a battery. According to the packing list Vaporesso publishes, the box holds the Armour GS mod, a G Series pod in its DTL version, the 0.15 ohm GTX coil already fitted, a spare 0.3 ohm GTX, a USB-C cable and the manual.

The mod measures 126 x 39 x 28 mm and takes a single 18650 cell in a compartment under the device, behind a small door. A 0.96 inch colour TFT screen shows the wattage, the coil value and the battery level, and two buttons beneath it adjust the power.

On British shelves the pod is the 2 ml version, the capacity Vaporesso labels TPD, because refillable tanks sold here are capped at 2 ml. The 5 ml figure on some listings describes the version made for other markets.

Top airflow and its four positions

On this pod the air does not enter at the base, as it does on many designs, but at the top, just below the mouthpiece. Vaporesso quotes four levels of adjustment and presents the top inlet as a way of reducing leaks.

With the inlets kept well away from the pool of e-liquid, liquid that floods the cotton has no direct route out, and the manufacturer adds a reworked base that holds condensation inside the pod.

Four positions are enough to cover two styles. The widest suit the 0.15 ohm coil used towards the top of its band, the narrower ones the 0.3 ohm, which produces less vapour and tolerates a more restricted draw. Our guide to DTL and RDL vaping explains how the two styles differ.

Sound and heat are the best guides. Air whistling through with little vapour means the airflow is too open for the wattage. Hot vapour that catches the throat means the opposite, more power than the air can cool.

GTX coils and their wattage bands on the Vaporesso Armour GS

The G Series pod accepts the whole GTX coil platform, but Vaporesso does not rank every coil equally. That distinction is the most useful piece of information for setting up a direct lung draw.

The bands Vaporesso publishes

GTX mesh coil	Rated band	Vaporesso status	Draw it suits
0.15 ohm (supplied)	60 to 75 W	suggested	very open DTL
0.2 ohm	45 to 60 W	suggested	DTL
0.3 ohm (supplied)	32 to 45 W	suggested	moderate DTL
0.4 ohm	26 to 32 W	suggested	moderate DTL
0.6 ohm	20 to 26 W	suggested	RDL
0.8 ohm	12 to 16 W	compatible	tight RDL
1.2 ohm	8 to 12 W	compatible	close to MTL

The 0.8 and 1.2 ohm GTX coils fit the pod, but Vaporesso lists them as compatible rather than suggested for this model, which ships with a DTL pod built around the direct lung draw.

Start low, then climb

Begin at the bottom of the band and climb two or three watts at a time until the flavour opens out. The top of each band is a limit, not a target. Our guide to coil resistance sets out the reasoning behind each ohm value.

The chipset also offers several modes. Smart adjusts the power to the coil it detects, ECO tempers the power ramp to spare the battery, and retailers describe Neo Pulse as holding output steady down to 10 per cent charge.

Choosing the 18650 cell

This is what really sets the Vaporesso Armour GS apart from pod mods with a built-in battery. The cell is not supplied, and the one you choose affects the draw directly, because a 0.15 ohm coil pushed to 75 watts pulls a lot of current.

The arithmetic takes one line. Current drawn from the cell equals power divided by voltage. At 75 watts and 3.7 volts, the nominal voltage of a lithium-ion cell, that is already 20.3 amps before any chipset losses. Should the voltage sag to 3.2 volts as the cell nears empty, the same power needs 23.4 amps.

The cell therefore needs a continuous discharge rating, the CDR quoted on data sheets, that covers that figure with room to spare. Capacity in mAh says nothing about it.

Three common-sense rules complete the choice. Respect the polarity marked in the compartment, retire any cell whose wrap is split or damaged, and carry a cell outside the device in an insulating case, never loose against keys or coins.

Matching the e-liquid to the power

A 0.15 ohm mesh coil set above 60 watts vaporises a lot of liquid with every puff. It needs a high-VG e-liquid, thicker in body, that feeds the cotton without flooding it, and retailers advise at least 60 to 70 per cent VG depending on the shop.

A thin, PG-heavy liquid passes through the cotton too quickly at this power and encourages spitting and leaks.

The 2 ml pod is small for a coil this hungry, which is one more reason to stay near the bottom of the band until the flavour is right rather than chasing the top figure.

Leaks, burnt hits and condensation on the Vaporesso Armour GS

A burnt taste nearly always comes from a new coil that has not soaked properly, or from more power than the liquid can take. After changing a GTX coil, put a few drops of liquid on the cotton, fill the pod and wait several minutes before the first puff, at low power.

Leaks usually come down to filling too fast or filling to the brim. Leave a little air under the cap and check that the coil is pushed fully home in the base of the pod.

Condensation builds up mostly with long puffs at high power. A wipe of kitchen paper over the pod connection clears it, and further fixes are gathered in our guide to vaping comfort problems.

FAQ

Armour GS or Armour G, what changes for the draw?

The Armour G swaps the 18650 for a built-in 3000 mAh battery in a 113 x 38 x 28 mm body. It comes in a DTL version, supplied with 0.2 and 0.4 ohm GTX coils, and in an MTL version. The GS ships with 0.15 and 0.3 ohm coils, so it leans towards denser vapour.

Do Armour G pods fit the GS?

Yes. Vaporesso’s own specification lists the same family of pods, the G Series, for both devices. The GS is sold with the DTL version of the pod, and GTX coils fit either.

How do I stop the wattage changing by accident?

Three quick presses on the fire button open the menu, which includes a Watt Lock option that freezes the chosen power. A separate switch below the screen locks the whole device before it goes into a bag.

Can I charge the cell inside the device?

Yes, over USB-C at 5 V and 2 A, as the manufacturer specifies. Several reviews nonetheless recommend a dedicated charger, judged faster and kinder to both the cell and the electronics.

Which nicotine strength suits a direct lung draw?

Strength is a comfort setting rather than a rule. A dense direct lung draw makes the same strength feel stronger in the throat than a tight draw, so adjust it gradually, within the UK limits of 20 mg/ml and 10 ml bottles for nicotine e-liquid.

Getting the Vaporesso Armour GS right

On this pod the draw is built in a set order. The coil comes first, then the power, set from the bottom of the published band, and the airflow last, opened until the draw feels natural.

The cell deserves as much care as the liquid. A cell with an adequate discharge rating and a high-VG e-liquid head off most disappointments. Set up with method, the Vaporesso Armour GS shows that a direct lung draw can be tuned as finely as a tight one, provided you chase comfort rather than maximum power.