VSTICKING VK530 Vape Mod – Impressions Matter: A Comprehensive Review”

The VSTICKING VK530 vape mod is certainly a high-end, high-performance vape mod. That said, this review has been one of the most difficult reviews I’ve encountered this year. You see, although there is plenty of praise to heap upon this sophisticated mod, unless you understand its intricacies and limitations, as well as the delicate steps to making certain adjustments to the mod you’ll be hopelessly lost trying to set this mod up the way YOU want it.

For instance, while meandering around the menus and sub-menus (5-clicks to the Fire Button) you’ll never see the word “Kanthal” as a Coil Type. Don’t fret about it, I’ll explain what needs to be done down further in this review. For the time being, let’s pretend that the VSTICKING VK530 is simply powered by the excellent YiHi SX530 chipset, (it’s newest but nowhere near its best)  which is true enough, and all is right with the world, which is not true.

Before the VSTICKING VK530 Mod arrived at the Spinfuel VAPE offices I had the choice the pick of any of the patterns I wanted. Looking at photos of each of the patterns beforehand, I picked the White Deity almost immediately. The Camouflage finish is downright butt-ugly, the J-Graffiti has been done to death, and the White Deity was just… a thing of beauty.

When the VSTICKING VK530 shipment did arrive, I was handed my White Deity VK530 as well as the VSTICKING VMESH Sub-Ohm Tank in Black. (review here). I was asked to use a few other sub-ohm tanks during the review period of 10 days (which I always do anyway), but I have to say the VMESH Tank is an excellent choice for the VK530 Mod.

Being a Dual Hi-Amp 18650 mod, I installed two freshly recharged Nitecore 3100mAh 35A batteries and fired up the mod. Because the VK530 has a circular Hi-Res TFT display smack dab in the middle of the front side of the mod, my eyes were drawn to it as soon as it fired up.

The round, color screen is nice-looking but more importantly it gives the user all the information needed at a glance, though the fonts can be quite tiny. The fire button and joystick are made well, with firm and responsive tactile feedback. The fire button is above the display while the joystick (as nubby as it is) is under the display. Lastly, VK530 has a large centered 510 connector. The 510-connector can handle atomizers up to 30mm in width.

The displays default “wallpaper” (there are 10 wallpaper patterns to choose from) is a speedometer-like super hi-res screen. Like the newer SXmini’s by YiHi, the VK530 uses a very similar OS with a nubby joystick control. With the joystick the user can adjust the all the available settings and options.

Because I own a couple of YiHi SXmini devices I believed this would give me an edge on getting the VK530 up and running. That turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare actually, because the VK530 chip has limitations not found in the YiHi SXmini G Class (reviewed here) or SL Class (reviewed here).

The VK530 is supposed to have easy access to its four custom vaping options. Initially, it looks like it will be easy to make mode changes and set certain settings. Although the user can select a series of ‘ramp up hits’, from soft, normal, powerful, powerful+, actually getting there isn’t nearly as easy as the manual says it is.

If you spring for this most affordable YiHi SX chipset vape mod, even if you’ve owned and/or used an SX chipset before, the VK530 will require a lot of finesse to get the options and adjustments where you want them. Don’t go into the menu system thinking it’s going to be a cinch, it won’t be. Actually, the best way  to make any and all adjustments is to use the SXi app for the PC. There is a Mac version as well, and although it works fine via Bluetooth and my G Class mod, every time I attempted to adjust all the settings on the VK530 that are available to me by using the USB cable, the app crashed. (The SXi app is the only app that crashes my Mac!) Even the SL Class and USB cable (The SL Class lacks Bluetooth) works smoothly with the SXi app on my Mac, so I am convinced the problem lies with the VK530 mod.

Some Important Hints to Getting Around the VK530

The manual will instruct you that you can switch from Novice to Standard (Advanced) by pulling the joystick to the left for 3 seconds. THIS will work. Novice mode essentially removes much of the customizations you can make when in Standard mode, but I don’t recommend Standard mode until you truly understand the inner workings of this particular chipset. The Novice mode might take away some customizations, but you’ll be up and vaping with it much more quickly.

Standard Mode allows the user to choose options on the right side of the display, in tiny, TINY fonts. A quick right click of the joystick will move the user through soft, normal, hard, powerful, powerful+, and SXi-Q-S1. For best results, choose the option “Powerful” or “Powerful+” (based strictly on my own experience with several sub-ohm tanks I used during the review period) .

Note* When using the Joystick in Standard Mode all you need to do to switch memory modes is to pull the joystick to the right ever s0 briefly, not hard and not more than a half-second. A simple tap toward the right will do it.

Getting into the proper menu section is a 5-click of the fire button procedure. However, the user can also turn the unit off and on with those same 5 clicks. Once inside the menu you’ll use the joystick to move to different menu options and sub-menus. When you see Coil Type you will not see Kanthal, even if the VK530 has a Kanthal Sub-Ohm Tank attached. Unfortunately, the only real option to choose is SS316. I have no idea why this is set up in that way, it just is. And stranger still, while set to SS316 it doesn’t affect the vape quality. Still, it bugs the hell out of me.

The VSTICKING VK530 uses a thick, textured rubberized finish that feels good in the hand and looks fabulous, ugly patterns excluded. In fact, The White Deity model I have uses its large amount of white space nicely, while the rest of the mod is a sort of paisley-like pattern.

Under the rich, thick textured rubberized finish is an aluminum body, probably used to lessen the weight caused by the heavy textured rubber paint finish.

The build quality of the VSTICKING VK530 is not exactly up to par with other SXmini mods by YiHi, but it’s certainly better than most body builds I see from large brands like SMOK or Innokin. Aluminum is sturdy and lightweight, which makes sense. The battery door is remarkably well built. The battery door uses a solid release mechanism that will stand the test of time with hundreds of battery exchanges. Once open, the markings for positive and negative battery ends are clear and easily seen in dark rooms with little light. Inside the battery chamber, the 18650 moldings secure the cells, I can detect no shakes or rattles with Nitecore and Sony batteries.

The VSTICKING VK530 200W TC Box Mod is being described as an “ultra-luxury” box mod with “beautiful accents” and “artistic stylings”. I’ve said enough about the patterns and the rubberized paint job, and although I would say that the VK530 mod is an advanced, high-end box mod, I’m not so sure I would describe it as super luxurious, especially when compared to something like the YiHi SXmini G or T Class, with its Bluetooth, smartphone app, and its SX Chips, and especially their ultra-deluxe chassis. That said, the VK530 is no slough either, especially with a less than well-under $100 price tag.

The YiHi-inspired 1.3” TFT HD color screen is every bit as advanced as any SXmini display though. The YiHi SX530 Chipset will certainly qualify as an advanced chipset, and its 200 watts is just about right for this type of mod.

The VK530 is just as comfortable for left-handed and right-handed vapers because of the central locations of the display and fire button. The round, stainless-steel fire button sits in the middle of the front side of the mod directly above the display, with the Stainless-Steel joystick sitting directly under the display.

Beneath the joystick sits the USB port. I admit some disappointment that the VK530 uses a microUSB port and cable rather than USB-C found on the G Class. I own the Black/Gold Special Edition the G Class (a $300 mod), so I just don’t understand why it would add too much to the cost by substituting a microUSB with a USB-C.  I felt the same way when I picked up the YiHi SXmini SL Class, which was released well after the G Class and lacks both Bluetooth and USB-C. YiHi should be more consistent in its offerings to the vape community. It’s time all vape mods move to USB-C.

The VX530 chipset unlocks access to the wide range of temperature control options like stainless steel, nickel, and titanium wires. The TCR Mode allows for the user to dial in the specific wire composition to get the exact resistance range to match for the perfect hit, every time. The large 1.3″ screen is state-of-the-art, using a high definition screen with better and truer colors and display quality.

A thorough review of this complicated vape mod would take 5000 words or more, which is why I am including a couple of instructional videos with this review. For well under $100, this VSTICKING VK530 vape mod is one hell of a mod, once you learn how to get the most out of it.

Once it is set up properly, once you have a good, solid sub-ohm tank attached, the VK530 vapes terrifically. It’s superior build quality means this vape mod will still be in mint condition long after you’ve moved on the next best thing. If you’re the type of Vaper that purchases one mod and uses it until it does of natural causes, you’ll use the VK530 for a very long time.

SCORE: A

(steep learning curve, some limitations, and no Kanthal Coil Type.)