Vaporesso FORZ TX80 Kit

Supplied by Vaporesso for review purpose
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/forz-tx80
RRP $69.90

Vaporesso have sent the brand new FORZ TX80 to review. Here’s what they have to say about it:

"The first vaping device with all around protections, the FORZ TX80 Kit is waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof. Through the GTR coil, the newest featured f(t) mode can consistently bring you the pure and levelled tasting experience from your e-juice."

• Water-proof, Shock-proof, and Dust-proof
• AXON Chip 2.0 with F(t) Mode
• Maximum output 80W

I’m assuming they mean complete kit when they claim “The first vaping device with all around protections”, which could well be the case as I’ve not come across a mod and tank kit like this.

• Dimensions - 84.6mm x 41.7mm x 30.1mm
• AXON chipset 2.0
• Single 18650 battery - (not included)
• Wattage output range: 5-80W
• Resistance Range: 0.03 - 5.0Ohm
• IP67 Rating - waterproof, shockproof, dustproof
• Zinc-alloy chassis construction
• Intuitive firing button
• 0.69" OLED display screen
• Two adjustment buttons
• Threaded bottom battery cap
• Threaded 510 connection
• Type-C charging port

Vaporesso Forz 25 Tank Features:

• 25mm diameter
• 4.5ml (2ml TPD) tank capacity
• Pyrex glass reinforcement
• Threaded top fill system
• Superior stainless steel tank construction
• Press fit coil installation
• Dual slotted airflow control ring
• Threaded 510 connection

Unboxing

The Forz TX80 kit comes in a nice box (Oooerrrr) with some groovy artwork, a little bit different from the normal Vaporesso style, but it really suits this kit.

You may have spotted something missing in my kit, that’s the badge which will be included in the retail version, mine was a reviewers sample, no biggie as I wouldn’t have worn it anyway but a nice little freebie for those that will.

I can imagine it will finish off the presentation nicely as Vaporesso have done a great job packing the kit into one layer which is very secure.

As you can see, there’s quite a bundle of bits and pieces that comes with the kit. Most is what you would expect to see, along with a silicone drip tip cover, badge and a ‘screwdriver’ tool thingy doodad.

My pre-retail version didn’t have the silicone usb plug separately, but it was already fitted. I’m not sure if they meant that the retail version would have a spare plug?

First Impressions

As soon as you get the FORX TX80 into your hands, you realise that this kit is grippy and rugged and feels substantial yet compact and ergonomic. Here’s a breakdown of the kit:

A picture speaks a thousand words, so I won’t bore you with describing what it looks like, but I will go into some of the features I liked in the mod section.

FORZ TX80 Mod

The construction of the mod is obviously designed to take some punishment. The metal chassis is rubber coated and waterproofed, and  there’s a metal front to protect the screen and buttons, and a squishy leather effect rear for comfort. Mine has a carbon fibre effect with FORZ embossed into it and it is finished off with red stitching. There’s no getting away from the Geek Vape Aegis similarities, it’s not a direct copy though as there are enough design elements to make it stand out in its own right.

The fire and control buttons feel great as they are angled and feel intuitive. The screen is quite small and basic but functional, though it isn’t as bright as I would have liked and can be really difficult to see outdoors in bright daylight.

There’s very little exposed metal on the top 510 area. The actual 510 adaptor plate is pretty small and is plated black. It looks really good, once you pop the tank on everything matches perfectly and feels very secure. From what I can see, the spring loaded 510 pin is waterproof sealed.

The battery cap is threaded with a pull out tab so you can unscrew it by hand (there is also a notch if you prefer to open it with a coin).

The 18650 battery positive orientation marking is clear and easy to see in the bottom of the tube (marked with a red cross). There is a seal on the cap and it feels secure. I liked how it screwed in enough so it wouldn’t stick proud of the bottom which means the mod stands up on the rubber base.

But here comes my first niggle, 18650? Really? I was surprised by this choice, especially as one of the included coils had an upper range of 80 watts. I understand 21700 capacity would make the whole thing a little taller (5mm) which is a very small trade-off for the extra capacity and boost a 21700 battery would have provided, this became more apparent in the performance section.

You can either charge the battery via the usb-C port or remove the battery and charge it in a dedicated charger. If you choose to charge it in the mod, then the usb-C port is positioned to one side and is protected with a waterproof seal. It offers fast charging DC 5V/2A.

FORZ 25 GTR Tank

The all new 25mm diameter tank is like nothing else I have seen from Vaporesso, and I like it. Stripping it down into its components reveals quite a few parts for a stock coil tank, though the base thread felt quite raspy. The GTR coil is a press fit and is simple enough to change. The top fill cap is a twist to remove style and it only takes a third of a turn to unscrew/screw it. The kidney shaped filling ports don’t appear to be very wide and are slightly obstructed, which I thought would make filling messy but this was all fine in practice.

The protective cage for the glass is metal and rubber coated on the outside. There is a nice deep recess which makes the likelihood of breaking the glass remote, but this also means the capacity isn’t as large as we’ve seen and there is no bubble glass option, 4.5ml is still decent enough though (unless you have to suffer from TPD-itis).

The drip tip was a very welcome change from the Vaporesso ‘norm’ as not only was it 810, but it also had some style with its tapered form and it being finished off with a metallic base. It matched the tank and mod perfectly, and I can’t see me replacing it anytime soon – nice one Vaporesso.

They include a silicone drip tip cover which fits snuggly and is perfect to prevent grit, pocket lint etc. from getting inside. Having recently done some construction work, I would have loved this feature. It also makes the tank waterproof once fitted and the airflow closed off, the only downside to that is it would be quite easy to lose and there’s no spare.

The AFC (airflow control) ring is near perfect, three inlets and the tension is spot on. It also closes fully to create that waterproof seal which turned out to be very effective.

So onto that screwdriver tool thingy doodad. This is there to strip the tank down further so you can change the glass section. This was very easy to do and the thread was good quality, BUT I was defeated when attempting to remove the actual glass. The seal is that good that the glass is well and truly stuck into place. I’m sure with perseverance I could replace a broken one, but I didn’t want to break it to prove it, perhaps in hot water might release it a bit.

Overall I think Vaporesso have done well with this tanks design, and I liked to see something different from their design team.

GTR Coils

For some reason Vaporesso have released a new GTR coil range for the FORZ tank, perhaps it’s down to the tanks waterproof design? The new coil is noticeably chunkier than the GTX coil range, and they have made the construction more ‘leak resistant’.

At the moment there are only two options:

• GTR 0.4Ω mesh coil (40-60W)
• GTR 0.15Ω mesh coil (60-80W)

The 0.15Ω option has a range of 60-80W which requires the highest wattage range of the mod, and for a single 18650 battery, this will really hammer the battery life. This is where a 21700 would have really made a difference. The 0.4Ω is a better trade off even at the 60W max.

I haven’t really used it long enough to prove the ‘leak-proof structure’ as I tend to find tanks like to wet the bed after being left unused for a few days, but if it works I will be very happy. When you have a few different tanks on the go, then it’s a very welcome feature.

Operation and performance

The menu system is one of the simplest I have come across. With the extra function button, it’s a breeze to navigate and change settings. If you are familiar with Vaporesso’s previous menus, then you should feel right at home with the layout, but the navigation feels far more convenient.

5 x Fire = Turns device On/Off

3 x Fire = Locks/Unlocks adjustment buttons

3 x MENU (small lowest button) will enter the main menu which includes:

5. F(t) Mode
5. Pulse Mode
5. Power Eco
5. Smart TC (Temperature Control)
5. DIY Mode - Sub Menu which includes:
   • VW (Variable Wattage
   • VV (Variable Voltage)
   • VT (Variable Temperature)
   • BP (Bypass)
   • SP (Super Player)
5. SYSTEM SET - Sub Menu which includes:
   • SMART VW
   • AUTO ECO
   • PUFF
   • BRIGHTNESS
   • FLIP SCREEN
   • DEFAULT
   • VERSION
   • EXIT

There really are some superb functions as you investigate them in the manual. For me personally, I find PULSE MODE, SMART VW and occasionally POWER ECO the most useful, the rest of the options are more for DIY RTAs or RDAs and are of no use for GTX coils. Most users won’t need to stray into the menus at all.

There was one whole new feature to me and that’s F(t) Mode, so WTF is it? As it was the default setting, I tried it and couldn’t work it out, it just seemed to vape the same as Pulse Mode for me, so off I popped to RTFM (Read The F**king Manual) and I can honestly say I am none the wiser???

Here’s what the manual says:
"After the atomiser is installed, the device will enter the F(x) MODE automatically.
By adjusting the temperature, heating speed and time, F(t) mode releases the flavours of e-liquid adequately, delivering the perfect balanced tasting experience consistently from the first puff throughout."

Am I being thick? I don’t understand what it does, and I cannot detect any difference to PULSE or SVW mode, answers on a postcard please. But anyway F(t) MODE is there should you need it, or indeed know WTF it is.

The screen holds basic information you should need depending on which mode you are in, but by default it displays:

5. Battery level (graphic only)
5. Resistance (Ω Ohms of the inserted coil)
5. Puff counter (up to 9,999)
5. Selected wattage (In 0.5 watt increments)
5. Mode (F(t) by default)

This brought my attention to the poor screen. Not only was it dim, but it displays less information than you should expect from a single battery mod such as the SWAG II, Gen Nano or PM80 SE. In fact this screen is the same as they used on the more basic GTX ONE mod, which was fair enough as that had a tiny battery. Well I say the same, but it’s dimmer that the GTX ONE. I can only hazard a guess as to why, could it be that they needed to reduce the chipset/screens power consumption to deliver 80 watts and attempt to keep the battery life reasonable?

Sadly due to the limited two line screen, Vaporesso have removed the battery percentage and the useful BEST from the display. I have loved this feature since the superb PM80 came out, and it is something other companies have copied so I find it odd that Vaporesso have omitted this.
(BEST = the wattage range recommended for the inserted coil)

Most of the digits are very small, I needed reading glasses to see read them. The main info which is the wattage is plenty large enough fortunately, the actual LCD screen is bright enough indoors, but really hard to see outdoors.

So let’s just hope it makes up for it in performance….

So I jumped straight in with the pre-installed 0.15Ω coil, default F(t) mode and at the lowest wattage range of 60W, but it wasn’t performing very well so I upped to 70W and it started coming alive, and eventually I tried the 80W of the mod and I found a problem. It really felt like the mod couldn’t handle 80W so I changed it to PULSE Mode which was a little better. I then tried the tank on the Vaporesso GEN mod, and the difference was obvious, the vape felt far more powerful and the coil really delivered the flavour and vapour. I changed the tank back onto the FORZ and I tried BYPASS and VW modes, but PULSE seemed to be the better one.

So I moved onto the 0.4Ω coil (40-60W), and I was much happier. At the mid 50W level, everything was so much better, no noticeable power drop off and I really liked this coil for flavour. I popped it back into the mysterious F(t) Mode to see if I could tell the difference now everything was performing as it should. After switching back to PULSE mode, I still couldn’t see what F(t) mode was?

Since this coil was the only one I could properly use, I absolutely hammered it and ended up at the max 60W for most of the time. After three weeks, I just can’t kill it and it’s still going strong. Vaporesso have really upped their game with coils, and the GTR range is no exception. I ended up using the 0.15Ω on the GEN mod and I really like that coil, possibly more than the 0.4Ω for a more intense hotter vape, but I will only be ordering the 0.4Ω to get the most from this mod/tank combination.

Battery life wasn’t too shabby. The benefit of the limited screen became apparent, and the AXON chipset doesn’t seem too power hungry. This won’t last you all day on one charge, but usb-C charging is reasonably fast, or you can carry a spare 18650 with you.

Waterproof –proof

I was keen to test the waterproofing. I have owned water resistant mods before, which are fine for getting wet in the rain, and I also own an Aegis which has proved itself as waterproof, and I felt confident in bunging the FORZ into a jam jar full of water.

This wasn’t a quick dunk. Since I was also doing the photography at the same time, it stayed submerged for a few minutes. I was also watching for any tell-tale air bubbles. It all settled nicely and I reached in to press the fire button occasionally to check if I hadn’t drowned it. Happily the mod stood up perfectly, and there were no signs of it taking water into the mod.

I was a little more nervous that the tank would hold up so I removed the coil on the first attempt. The jam jar wasn’t tall enough, but I could already see that it wasn’t taking in water from the airflow inlets so I lobbed a coil in and submerged it on its own. Now the manual does tell you to ensure the drip tip dust cap is placed on before you attempt this and of course the airflow ring is closed off. With that, I can confirm the tank is fully waterproof, only a few little bubbles rose from the outer cage and I left it in there for a good 20 minutes. After removing it and stripping it down again, there was no evidence of it taking in water, nice one!

Now in reality, nobody is going to close the airflow off just in case they accidentally fall into a river or a shark infested paddling pool, but in a worst case scenario with the airflow option then you could ruin a coil. But if you want to wash your FORZ kit under the tap, then you can be confident it will withstand a running tap or being dunked into the washing up as long as you close the airflow off and fit the cap.

Why would you want to rinse it? Well this leads me to the downside of it being rubber coated. This thing is a lint, dust and hair magnet and some. I own a cat who insists on spreading her discarded fur all over the place. It doesn’t matter how much I clean and vacuum, it always finds a way of getting onto stuff, from brand new out of the box, it took a few minutes before I had to clean it off. A cloth is no good as that just adds lint, so a good rinse was the only quick option.

This has to be one of the hardest kits to photograph as I had to de-fluff it between photos, and even then I had to airbrush any bits that got through in post processing.

On the plus side, it doesn’t matter how grotty you get it after a day of gardening etc. you can always give it a quick rinse, or better still an occasional wash in left over dish washing water to keep it looking good.

And with all that said, anyone that works in a messy job is going to love this kit for how durable it is. Most traditional mods wouldn’t stand up to most blue collar jobs.

As for its durability and shock proofing, I am going to wimp out on that test. See, I’m too precious about my vapes and get stressed if I scratch anything. I even 3D printed some felt lined mats to place my mods on so I don’t scuff the base. Despite its drawbacks, I really like the FORZ TX80 so didn’t want to ruin it. If I didn’t like it, I would have happily run it over on my Vespa or lobbed it against walls etc, but I am sure someone on YouTube will give it a good hammering.

Conclusion

There’s a few more cons than I am used to from a Vaporesso device so perhaps I was holding them to a higher standard, but it turned out there were no deal breakers for me. Overall, I really like the FORZ TX80 kit, but I think its main drawback is the over ambitious new 0.15Ω coil struggling to perform on a single 18650 battery. This wouldn’t have been an issue had Vaporesso made it a 21700 mod, so instead you’re left with an underperforming mod for this particular coil. That said, the 0.4Ω is another animal as this performs perfectly and is ideal for this mod and tank combination. If Vaporesso hadn’t included the 0.15Ω, I would be none the wiser and I suspect there will be more suitable GTR coils to come.

Now I know which coil to go for and am happy with my settings, then most of the cons fade away. I know which mod I am reaching for when things get messy or are likely to get drenched, and one I don’t have to feel so precious about if I drop it or one I can lob around in the car.

Pros

• Completely waterproof Mod AND Tank.
• Very comfortable and ergonomic.
• Easy menu.
• USB-C
• Durable rubber coating and easy to wash.
• Tough tank.
• Coil life is superb.

Cons

• Poor display.
• 0.15Ω coil is underpowered at 80W.
• Shoulda/Coulda/Woulda been a 21700 battery mod.

Final Thoughts

The cons sound worse than it is, the perfect FORZ would have these sorted, but as it is, I still really like this kit, and now that it’s in normal use, I’ve pretty much forgotten any niggles. I finally have a lob-around kit in my collection and I’m pretty chuffed with it.

Score: 8/10 – A ‘Forz’ to be reckoned with...Can you believe I waited so long to throw a Star Wars pun in? (Took ‘Aegis’ eh?).

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