There are a lot of practices in which the path of least resistance is the best way to become familiar. After reviewing the Vaptio C-II kit, I’m not sure vaping is one of them. Because, while I applaud the effort to balance the power desired by experienced vapers, and the simplicity necessary for newcomers, Vaptio built a device that serves neither audience particularly well.

Simple. Sleek. Unadorned. To a new vaper, the Vaptio C-II will seem like a dream device. There are none of the usual modern mod trappings like screens, adjustment dials, or any complicated control schemes. This is truly a “set it and forget it” device, but one not solely aimed at beginners, with a purported 100 watts of power coming from the 3,000 mAh internal battery.

Not unlike a classic eGo pen, or even an early Provari, the C-II’s soft rubber coating is a throwback to a simpler time, before LED lightshows illuminated smoking areas and touchscreens gave people another reason to avoid eye contact in public places. It feels fantastic to hold, and the rubber coating seems durable – and I should know, considering I dropped it once.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have good grip, however. The C-II’s coating has just the right amount of tackiness to ensure it stays put, even in wet weather and nervous hands.

The rest of the device is simple and bare bones, with only a large fire key and a solid-looking, gold-plated 510 connection. I found the connection to be a highlight of the Vaptio C-II, with a firm, but springy pin that accommodated a wide range of atomizers, and extremely smooth stainless-steel threading. Plus, the deep airflow channels in the top plate ensured my atomizers stayed cool, even when pushing the mod to its limits.

The rear-positioned USB charge port is in a good spot, but the charge function itself is a concern. After plugging in, with a nearly depleted battery, it took the Vaptio C-II nearly four hours to recharge. Two-amp charging would have been a welcome addition here, especially for a device so laser-focused on convenience.

One concern is the lack of venting on the bottom of the device, as the provided slots are small, and the mod does get warm when trying to power atomizers on the lower end of the resistance range.

As a power-only mod, operation is about as simplified as it gets. Five clicks of the large fire key initiate the mod, then the rest is determined by battery life. But, be prepared to go through these motions quite often, since the C-II has an automatic shutoff feature that seems to happen after 10 minutes of inactivity. As someone who vapes in short bursts every few minutes, I found myself turning on the Vaptio C-II quite often. I appreciate the nod to safety, and the need to protect users in case of pocket firing, but the 10-minute cutoff is far too brief, reducing my enjoyment considerably.

When firing, however, I found the plastic fire key to be clicky and responsive, with a surprisingly short ramp-up time, even with low-resistance atomizers. Without a screen or indicator letting me know the strain on the battery, or the device’s performance level, I had to resort to instinct when determining if the C-II was performing as expected, or struggling under the weight of unrealistic demand.

At first glance, the included 5mL C-II tank seems like a gem. It is perfectly matched with the mod, right down to the same velvety coating (not on the glass section, of course). It makes for a nicely unified piece of kit that offers ample capacity without seeming overly large when attached to the C-II mod.

The top-fill cap removes easily, but is a bear to fill until you remove the plastic/rubber gasket inside. Though these gaskets likely benefit spitback and gurgling under the cap, the sheer amount of spillage endured when filling prompted me to remove it within minutes. Once I did, the C-II tank was much easier to top off, using virtually any type of e-liquid bottle or dropper.

Interestingly, Vaptio included two 0.25-ohm coils in the box – the 129A and the 180A. During the preview, I wasn’t aware of the differences between them, but it turns out the 129A is a standard threaded coil with a slender look that isn’t too far removed from the classic Kanger coils of yesteryear. The 180A, which similar in appearance, is a drop-in style coil, with similar specs and ranges.

Unfortunately, the similarities end there. While the threaded 129A offered decent flavor and ample vapor, the 180A was just short of impossible to seat properly, leading to pools of leaking from the bottom airflow control ring. I took it apart and rebuilt no fewer than seven times, but no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not get the threadless design to sit snugly, leading me to toss it out of frustration.

With the C-II’s threaded coil, performance was adequate, but nothing to write home about. As a throw-in with the kit, it’s fine to use in a pinch, but I consider this to be a tremendous waste of an otherwise pretty tank, and an overall disappointment.

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After losing what seemed like liters of e-liquid to the 180A coil, I decided to conduct the rest of the test using the SMOK Baby Beast which came with the recently reviewed Priv V8 kit. These are similarly styled, direct power devices, so the marriage seemed appropriate.

…except that the Vaptio C-II outright rejected the Baby Beast. It wouldn’t read it consistently, and when it did fire, it fired much higher than the coil resistance should have indicated, resulting in scorched coils all around.

Switching to a lower-resistance Kanthal build on an RDA, I had similar struggles. While they weren’t nearly as severe as the outright SMOK rejection from earlier, the Vaptio C-II clearly wasn’t meant for use with a wide variety of atomizers. Of the ones I tried, I got the best results from a mouth-to-lung tank that may be old enough to vote.

With an original Lemo RTA attached, and a simple Kanthal build at the ready, I finally got to experience the Vaptio C-II adjust itself properly to the task at hand. Though there are no readouts, I imagine the 100W device was pushing 30-40% of its capabilities, at most, leading to a surprisingly full-bodied, satisfying vape.

(For the record, the Lemo 2 did not fare as well.)

I managed to get this unlikely combo to work without issue for the better part of an afternoon on one charge. It wasn’t mind-blowing duration, but for an unknown internal battery, it wasn’t bad by any stretch.

During the four-hour run, I only rarely got a foul draw, which may have been caused by the way I held the C-II mod, accidentally affecting e-liquid levels in the tank.

This experience somewhat summed up my overall impression of the Vaptio C-II – I don’t think it knows what type of device it wants to be when it grows up. While it’s pretty clear the mod is aimed at those seeking simplicity, there’s far too much power on hand to make this a comfortable vape for newcomers.

Likewise, users who want to vape around 100 watts will likely want to have more control over the experience than simply leaving it to battery power and crossed fingers. Even an experienced vaper like me had a difficult time getting the right atomizer to match the mod. And even then, I had to go into my “museum pile” to get it done right.

While I tip my cap to Vaptio for trying to bridge the gap between power users and vaping newbies, there’s a reason this gap exists. There are clearly better options for both audiences, and certainly kits with better, less leak-prone tanks.

Score: C-

Vaptio C-II AIO kit specs:

• Battery – 3000mAh
• Wattage – 30W – 100W
• Voltage – 2.8V – 4.2V
• Color – Grey or Black
• 2ml tank capacity
• Leak proof
• Height of MOD – 88mm
• Height with tank – 142mm
• Width of MOD – 25mm

Vaptio C-II AIO kit contents:

• 1x C-II Tank
• 1x C-II MOD
• 1x 129A Kanthal 0.25Ω coil
• 1x 180A Kanthal 0.25Ω coil
• 1x Tank User Manual
• 1x MOD User Manual
• 1x USB Cable
• 1x Priming coil information leaflet
• 1x QC inspection card