The newest mod to come from Voopoo, a major player in the vape hardware segment, is the Voopoo VMATE 200W mod, only this new mod comes equipped with an updated chipset called the Gene.Fan chipset. While I’m not ready to say the new Gene.Fan is on par to the latest DNA chipset from Evolv, it’s damn near close. I’ve only been using the VMATE for 10 days, if it holds up, as I suspect it will, for another month or two, I may revise this review with respect to the Gene.Fan and the Evolv DNA. Time will tell.

The Voopoo VMATE 200W TC Starter Kit in Brief

The VOOPOO VMATE 200W TC Starter Kit means business. It is a powerhouse vape mod kit, with a structural chassis design that is 89mm by 47mm by 30mm, or 5.4-inches tall, 2.86-inches wide, with a depth of 1.83-inches. While this particular Starter Kit comes with the excellent UFORCE T1 Sub-Ohm Tank (reviewed here), any atomizer up to 30mm will not only perform with the VMATE, there won’t be any annoying overhang.

People in this industry throw around the word “innovative” way too much, so I won’t do so in this review. In reality, the word “innovative” technically means a new way of doing something, but for marketing purposes the word is meant to impress upon the potential buyer that there are things about the product that are new, never seen, advancements. Nothing about the VMATE is innovative in that way but does change up the “same ole same ole” substantially.

While the VMATE is a Dual-18650 vape mod, the batteries are placed on opposite ends of the Mod. The user removes each battery plate, which comes in many colors and patterns, inserts the batteries and replaces the battery plate. Above each of these plates are the firing button on one side, and the two adjustment buttons on the opposite end. Different, yes, but it doesn’t improve the VMATE performance.

In fact, during the first day of using the Voopoo VMATE I disliked the position of the firing button, and to a lesser extent, the adjustment buttons as well. Users will constantly press the firing button, and to do so means placing the finger at the very top of the VMATE. I got used to it to the point that it no longer mattered, but at first it felt strange to have to fire the device in this way.

The Voopoo VMATE is built from a zinc-alloy with a silver or pewter finish that is said to protect it from moderate drops and falls. That might be true, and this zinc-alloy is certainly lighter than mods constructed out of stainless-steel, but what worries me about drops and falls is the battery plates, which are made of plastic.

The advanced Gene.Fan chipset is fires up to a true 200W and is capable of firing with resistances between 0.05ohms to 3.0ohms. The Gene.Fan chipset also includes all the safety protections (see specs) that you would expect in a modern vape mod.

Additionally, the Gene.Fan Chipset includes a full temperature control suite. No big deal there, as fewer and fewer Vapers actually use coils capable of taking advantage of TC tech.

The VMATE Gene.Fan chipset features a 0.91-inch OLED monochrome display that shows the firing mode and output, output power, atomizer resistance, as well as a battery life indicator. The microUSB port near the bottom of the device is capable of 2A charging and firmware updates. At the time of this review no updates were available.

Back in June of this year one of our reviewers did a great job of writing a thorough review for the UFORCE T1 Tank. It scored a respectable B- in the review, and while I agree with most of what the reviewer had to say about the T1, I would give it a Score of an “A”. Not quite an A+ score, but the UFORCE T1 is one of this year’s ‘fine’ sub-ohm tanks. In fact, my brother believes it to be the tank of the year.

The UFORCE T1 uses a mechanical knurl design at the bottom and top bases of the tank offers an attractive appearance and making it easy to adjust airflow or refilling the tank. The bottom base of the T! is 24.6mm wide, and its thick, high quality bubble glass tube holds a delicious 8mL of eLiquid. Like the SMOK Prince, refills are not constant.

The UFORCE T1 includes a Kanthal 0.4ohm U2 Dual Coil and the newly introduced 0.13ohm UFORCE N1 Single Mesh Kanthal Coil rated for 50 to 100W. The tank is designed so that the airflow enters the tank structure through three air slots on the bottom base, then travels upwards towards the atomizer chamber. The result is superior flavor and massive clouds of vapor (cloud production varies according to eJuice blend, strength of the draw, and the amount of airflow allowed in).

The VOOPOO UFORCE Coils have a bottom vertical structure that ensure this excellent flavor performance, while ample wicking ports ensure plenty of eJuice hitting the Coils without interruption.

Purchasing replacement coils starts at about $12 for a pack of 5 coils.

VOOPOO UFORCE Replacement Coils:

• 0.4ohm U2 UForce Coils – rated for 40-80W
• 0.23ohm U4 UForce Coils – rated for 50-120W
• 0.15ohm U6 UForce Coils – rated for 65-110W
• 0.15ohm U8 UForce Coils – rated for 70-130W
• 0.13ohm N1 UForce Coils – rated for 50-100W
• 0.15ohm R2 UForce Coils – rated for 50-100W
• 0.4ohm D4 UForce Coils – rated for 50-90W
• Vertical Coil Structures
• Organic Cotton
• Gold-Plated Connection

The best feature of the new Gene.Fan chipset is the near-instant firing. As soon as the fire button is pressed the coil/cotton/eJuice combo delivers without hesitation. During the 10 days of use I never experienced a misfire or any kind of delay.

The Voopoo VMATE is very comfortable to hold, and once I got used to where the buttons were It was no trouble to use. The UFORCE T1 was a good choice for this vape mod, and together they delivered an excellent vape every time I used it.

Battery life was on par with most other Dual-18650 mods, and because I use exclusively the Nitecore 3100mAH 35A batteries I got a good 4 hours of heavy vaping. I don’t own, or have I used, a vape mod with significantly more life from two 18650 cells.

As for Coil Life, I’ll say that the Coils in the Starter Kit last significantly longer than most of the older SMOK Coils made for the Prince or Baby Prince, but not as long as the unusually long ACVT AVICTOR RSN Sub-Ohm Coils (reviewed here), which seem to last forever. For now, 10 days, I can say that Coil life is as good as the newer SMOK MESH Coils, including the V12 Prince Max Mesh.

The Voopoo VMATE comes in a variety of plastic trim colors and patterns. Some are sophisticated, some are executive level, and some are downright gaudy. Whatever your taste is, I’m fairly certain there is a color or pattern that fits your needs.

The Voopoo UFORCE T1 comes in some gorgeous colors, and unfortunately the T1 that comes with the VMATE is standard silver and black or pewter and black. I would suggest that if you purchase the VMATE and really enjoy the UFORCE T1, you might want to pick up a T1 that adds some color or flair to the VMATE you decide on.

This Starter Kit is priced well, and there is plenty of value to be had. The Voopoo VMATE makes a good primary device for first time buyers or Vapers replacing a mod. The Starter Kit is complete, except for batteries, and if you like what you see I have no doubt you’ll enjoy it.

SCORE: VMATE 200W TC Mod – A

UFORCE T1 – A

Voopoo VMATE Starter Kit – A

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