The UD VIEW Pod Mod Review – This week’s entrant into the ever-growing ultra-portable pod mod race is from a veteran company, UD (Youde) which just launched its UD Vie system. And it’s a good one, provided you’re intending to vape thinner, high-nic e-liquids. If you’re looking for a “versatile” pod mod system, you’ll want to keep searching. But if you’re a new vaper or looking to slow down your smoking, the Vie is a good first step into a bigger, better world.

Following the tried-and-true “long, rectangular tube” format, the UD Vie ultra-portable pod mod system is ridiculously light and pocketable, unlike some of the more-substantial devices we’ve seen of late. The goal here is effortless use, so UD ensured users won’t have to do anything but charge, puff and refill.

The kit comes with two 1.8-ohm refillable pods, each with roughly 1mL capacity. In my opinion, this is a little lean, even by slender pod mod standards. Though I was vaping much higher nicotine concentrations than usual, I still found these high-resistance coils to be thirsty, demanding countless refills over the course of a day. Maybe more casual users will get some life from these pods, but I can’t imagine any seasoned vapers preferring such a small capacity.

The pods themselves use a standard rubber grommet/fill port setup, which is unremarkable, but the hole was wide enough for most of my unicorn bottles to fit without concern. If you’re using a dropper bottle, have paper towels handy, since more juice will likely end up on your arm than in the pod itself.

One interesting addition to the UD Vie pod mod kit was the “dust cover” designed to go over your mouthpiece so nothing nasty gets inside the device while pocketed. On paper, this seems like a great idea. But in practice, nothing could be further from the truth.

For starters, the cap is far too tight for practical use. Every time I secured the cap, I immediately ended up removing the pod from the mod connection. And on several occasions, I needed a paper clip to separate the cap from the pod. At my desk, it wasn’t a big deal. If I was using the Vie as my sole vape device while out and about? Yeah, it would be a big deal.

The Vie has a three-color LED indicator system, which worked well with clearly defined green/blue/red format that was pretty accurate in determining battery life. The flashing lights also indicate potential problems or misfires, which is nice to see on an entry-level pod mod system. I wasn’t able to trigger any protection measures, but according to the box there’s a slew of features in place to keep users safe.

However, you’ll probably see red in more ways than one. Because the UD Vie’s 300mAh battery doesn’t last worth a damn. Within an hour of fully charging the device, my mod was practically dead and in need of a USB “pick-me-up.”

While the UD Vie charges quickly, I feel like I spent more time charging the mod than vaping it – never a good sign of a new product. And to be honest, it’s a little ridiculous to keep having these discussions in 2018. Battery technology has improved throughout the industry – why are we having such problems fitting these revamped cig-a-likes with appropriate cells to accommodate regular use. I would have readily accepted a little more weight in exchange for a battery that didn’t tap out four times a day.

The UD Vie surprised me with its (relatively) long-lasting performance. No pod mod system is going to replace my advanced vaping gear, but as far as refillable, ultra-portable setups go, the Vie is much closer to the top than the bottom. It’s not an award-winner, but newcomers could do far worse.

Score: B