Despite the two Vaporesso Cascade One Vape Pens being named differently by the word “Plus”, these two vape pens are different enough to warrant this review being directed at two different types of vape pen users.

The Vaporesso Cascade One and Cascade One Plus perform with rich full flavor and massive clouds of vapor, but there it ends, and flavor and vapor clouds are only part of the equation in deciding which to add to add to your arsenal, or which to make your primary vape pen…. Or to take a pass on completely.

Although both the Cascade One and One Plus are more than decent vape pens in a crowded segment of the industry, neither has the panache of the Resa Stick by SMOK, or the flashy multitude of new colors for SMOK’s best-selling vape pen, the Stick Prince. Available now in more than 18 different colors and patterns, the SMOK Stick Prince is the Vaporesso Cascade One Plus closest rival. I’ll get to more on this in a bit, but first, let’s focus on the two kits from Vaporesso.

The Vaporesso CASCADE ONE / ONE PLUS Starter Kit both attempt to create an all-purpose vape pen “platform” with attention to balance of performance range and versatile output, allowing each vape pen to appeal to different users.

Both vape pens are paired with the blockbuster Cascade Sub-Ohm Tank name. When we reviewed the original Cascade Sub-Ohm the reviewer found it difficult to use as an all-day-every-day sub-ohm, producing way too much vapor with very little effort.

The reviewer wasn’t wrong according to a lot of responses we received from that review, but I can assure you that the only thing in common with the overpowering Cascade Sub-Ohm and the Cascade Tanks that make up the One and One Plus is the basic look of the tank body. Pretty much everything else has been modified to make these Cascade tanks more user-friendly; tanks that can, and are, used all-day-every-day.

The original Cascade Sub-Ohm Tank introduced something called the “Isolation Component” at the center of the atomizer chamber. While allowing for exceptional e-juice saturation and avoiding dry hits, its Coil Structure, GTM Cores, are incredibly powerful.

Even the 0.2-ohm GTM 2 Core, a dual-core coil rated at a mere 40W-80W provided an immensely satisfying vape experience. It’s monstrous 0.15-ohm GTM 8 Core is rated at 80W to 200W, and when combined with its triple air slot structure and wide bore drip tip, even the slightest pull would produce overwhelming vapor. Needless to say, to be an acceptable Sub-Ohm for a vape pen, changes had to the made.

To make the Cascade Sub-Ohm ideal for a vape pen, and every day use, the GTM Cores were replaced with GT Cores, requiring a lot less power to drive them, and producing a more manageable vape experience.

The vape pen Cascade Tank utilizes the same triple air slot structure, the aforementioned Isolation Chamber, a top-fill design, and a wide bore drip tip. By maxing out the power requirements to 40W and 90W, Vaporesso brings the One and One Plus more in line with SMOK Vape Pens. Simply put, it would be impossible to build an acceptable vape pen capable of powering the original Cascade Sub-Ohm with its GTM 8 Core 200W behemoth.

Having said that, the central question that needs to be answered is, can Vaporesso tame the Cascade Sub-Ohm without sacrificing the same incredible flavor with ample clouds of vapor reminiscent of the original? We’ll answer that, in a bit.

Vaporesso CASCADE ONE Kit – Cascade Mini Sub-Ohm Tank – 1800mAh Internal Battery – 3.5mL Maximum Juice Capacity – 22mm Diameter
Vaporesso CASCADE ONE PLUS Kit – Cascade Baby Sub-Ohm Tank – 3000mAh Internal Battery – 5mL Maximum Juice Capacity – 24.5mm Diameter

Both the CASCADE ONE and ONE PLUS Kits use “direct output voltage system” where the power/voltage output depend on the charge of the battery capacity. When fully charged, the Cascade tanks operate at their best because the voltage output is at its maximum, and as the battery drains the user must compensate with stronger or longer-lasting pulls because the output voltage drop. When the battery drains to the point where you just can’t get a good vape, it’s time to recharge. Luckily, the Cascade One and One Plus have 2A charging with the supplied USB cable, so recharging is fairly quick.

As for the Cascade Tank; airflow enters the tank through its three triangular-shaped air slots located at the base and are easily adjustable, making it simple for the user to control the tightness of the draw, though creating an MTL-like draw was very difficult, I don’t recommend this vape pen if you’re looking for an MTL experience.

The One and One Plus are neither flashy nor extravagant. My test models were a silver (the Cascade One), and Gold (the color is closer to brass, not gold) for the One Plus. The finish is smooth, metallic, boring.

The best feature of the battery portion is the excellent and responsive fire button; a rounded edge square button with a non-slip texture. The fire button has LED’s behind it, which light up when pressed, green for a full charge, red for a weak charge.

Vaping the Cascade One was fine for a short time, but it didn’t take long at all to feel the voltage weaken and the performance to begin to suffer. Admittedly I am a heavy vaper and did not treat the Cascade One daintily, but it wasn’t that much better than an older eGo One.

The Vaporesso Cascade One is, well, a vape pen I wouldn’t even consider, nor recommend. An 1800mAh battery attempting to push the Cascade tank, even with the 0.3-ohm GT CCELL 2 Coil, rated at just 35-40W, isn’t going to last longer than an hour of moderate vaping. Combined with its plain-Jane looks, this $30+ vape pen could, maybe, work as an okay vape pen tossed in the glove box or console of a car, or a purse, but I’m betting this model won’t have a long life on the assembly line.

The Vaporesso Cascade One Plus however, with a more sensible 3000mAh battery just might make some sense. However, the One Plus is $4-$5 more than the “One”, just so you know going in. However, the voltage output lasts longer, the vape time lasts longer, and it does a good job pushing the more powerful 0.18-ohm GT Mesh Coil rated at 50-90 Watts for roughly 2 hours.

Keep in mind that as a Direct Voltage Output device, the Cascade One and One Plus doesn’t much care about the wattage requirements anyway, it adjusts on the fly, through voltage, not by adjusting the wattage output.

Tossing aside the Vaporesso Cascade One, except for the newest of vapers that find the pomp and circumstance of the livelier and flashier SMOK Vape Pens like the Stick Prince and Resa Stick, the only true contender here is the Cascade One Plus. But even so, comparisons must be made.

The SMOK Stick Prince offers up the same 3000mAh battery capacity, using a smart mechanical mode in which the output voltage is dictated by the charge in the battery, and operates with the same range of 3.4v to 4.2v of the Cascade models.

The Stick Prince holds a full 8mL of e-liquid compared with the Cascade One Plus’s 5mL (the ‘One’ is just 3.5ml), and its choice of Coils is the singular 0.17-ohm V12-Prince-M4 Quad, rated at 30-70W, created for this particular vape pen.

In my mind, the Stick Prince is a better value, with matching flavor and vapor production of the Cascade One Plus. It is also $5 less and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Unfortunately for Vaporesso I would recommend the Stick Prince over the Cascade One Plus.

Despite my personal preference for the SMOK Stick Prince over the Cascade One Plus, my judgement, and score, has to be based on taking the Vaporesso Cascade One and One Plus on their own merits. Both vape pens are constructed well, and will no doubt last a good long while. Without competition, even the Cascade One would probably do well in the marketplace. But, there is competition out there, a lot of it, and that’s a problem for Vaporesso.

Score: Vaporesso Cascade One – C

Score: Vaporesso Cascade One Plus – B+

The Vaporesso Cascade One and One Plus are both available at Element Vape.