Wismec CB-80 Kit Review

Following the success of its CB-60 beginners’ vaping kit, it’s no wonder that Wismec is following it up with a revamped and slightly enhanced version. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Wismec CB-80 starter kit, which comprises an 80W, single-18650 battery mod and the new Amor NS Pro tank. Although primarily aimed at beginners looking for a simple yet powerful vaping device, the CB-80 is also suitable for intermediate vapers and even advanced users who are into mouth-to-lung vaping. Let’s check it out:

A Look at the Contents:

The CB-80 kit comes in a fairly standard packaging – a square cardboard box with a silver-etched schematic of the assembled device on the front, and a list of kit contents, some technical specifications and company information, on the back.

Inside the box we have the Wismec CB-80 single-battery mod and the Amor NS Pro tank sitting snug in a Styrofoam holder, and underneath that we have a removable cardboard cover that conceals all the included accessories. You’ll find that the kit also includes a spare glass tube for the Amor tank, a micro-USB charging cable, a bag of spare o-rings for the tank, an extra coil-head (one is pre-installed in the tank), a user manual, and a handy coil-head reference card.

Design and Build Quality

The CB-60 was one of the slickest-looking single-battery mods I have ever used, so it’s no wonder that Wismec stuck with that same general design line of the new CB-80 as well. The two devices have pretty much the same shape and size, with the only really noticeable differences being the design of the fire button and the two smaller adjustment buttons, as well as the addition of a battery door on the CB-80.

That’s actually one of the most notable improvements implemented by Wismec on the newer device. Whereas the CB-60 mod came with a built-in, non-removable 2300mAh battery, the CB-80 is powered by an external 18650 battery, allowing you to use your favorite battery.

The CB-80 mod comes in five different colors, which , surprisingly, doesn’t include stainless steel, for some reason. The sample I got for this review was a nice combination of black and turquoise, but I would have liked to see a silver or stainless steel version as well, if only to pair it up with the many stainless steel atomizers in my collection.

Starting from the top, the CB-80 mod features a standard 510 connection with a gold-plated, spring-loaded pin. Wismec seem to have learned their lesson from the whole Predator228 fiasco and now the connection is encapsulated inside the mod, so it’s impossible for it to come apart. Unfortunately, since this mod is just 22.6mm wide, any tanks over 22mm in diameter will overhang.

The fire button is much larger than the Wismec CB-60 one and has what I would call an satisfyingly “hollow click” when pressed. It works perfectly, but I just happen to prefer clicky buttons. The display has the same protective plastic cover as the CB-60, and the plastic adjustment buttons are now placed side by side rather than one above the other. Opposite the control panel, we have a honey comb pattern etched into the metallic body of the mod, which not only looks cool but also improves the grip.

On both sides of the mod you’ll find two small LEDs which light up green when the power button is pressed, but only if there is an atomizer attached. They look cool, if you’re into bells and whistles, but they can’t be turned off, which makes stealth vaping a bit problematic.

Finally, on the bottom of the mod we have a small battery door, which is very easy to operate. Just pull it outwards and the doors pops up. The battery compartment is well insulated and the battery door features venting holes.

All in all, the zinc allow body of the Wismec CB-80 feels very sturdy in the hand, as do the plastic buttons and the battery door. There is no rattling whatsoever, the paint job has been holding up just fine over the last two weeks, so I really don’t have any cons to report.

Menu System and Navigation

The Wismec CB-80 doesn’t have an actual settings menu. Instead, it only has a rudimentary vaping mode menu and relies on various combination for all the secondary options. To go into the mode menu, all you have to do is press the fire button three times in rapid succession. You’ll see “Wattage” displayed on screen, and using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons, you’ll be able to scroll through all the available modes – Bypass, Temperature control for three supported materials (Nickel, Titanium and Stainless Steel) and the Memory modes, where you can also tweak the TCR.

By keeping the fire button and the ‘-‘ button pressed fro two seconds, you can toggle Stealth Mode on and off, and by doing the same with the fire button and the ‘+’ button in wattage mode, you can change the subparameter shown on the home screen (choose between amperage, puff counter and puff timer). The same operation in temp.control or memory mode allows you to lock the resistance of your atomizer, which I strongly suggest you do.

While in temperature control, if you press the fire button four times rapidly, you will be able to set the wattage applied to your coil.

Keeping the ‘-‘ and ‘+’ buttons pressed for two seconds will lock these two buttons, while keeping the fire button active. Also, pressing the fire buttons two times rapidly will let you turn the mod’s logo function on or off.

That’s quite the number of button combinations for a device aimed at beginners, but we’ve only gone through half of them. The Wismec CB-80 also has several button combinations you can try while the device is turned off. To shut down the device, just press the fire button five times, rapidly. If you turn it back on with 10 clicks of the fire button instead of the usual five, you will be able to check the temperature of the circuit board, and if you press the button twenty times, it will display the firmware version on screen.

Keeping the ‘-‘ and ‘+’ buttons pressed while the mod is off will flip the orientation of the display. If you keep the fire button and the ‘-‘ button pressed, the mod will show the voltage of the inserted battery on screen, and if you press the fire button and the ‘+’ button, you will be able to set the TCR for each of the three memory modes, as well as the wattage and duration of the pre-heat, if you want to use this feature.

So even though the CB-80 doesn’t have a proper settings menu, there’s a lot you can do and check with various button combinations. I love that they included all these options, but I’m not sure beginners and even more intermediate vapers will be able to figure all this stuff out on their own. We all know that few people actually read the user manual, and it only mentions some of the button combinations anyway.

The display itself is not particularly exciting. In fact, it’s the same one used on the CB-60. I can’t really call that a con, it’s just that I would have preferred something new and interesting instead.

The Tank

The Amor NS Pro is a revamped version of the Amor tank that came in the Wismec CB-60 kit. It’s 22mm in diameter and holds up to 2ml of e-liquid, which may not sound like a lot, but is plenty if you consider that it is meant to be used primarily for mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaping.

The Amor NS Pro comes with a nice resin drip tip that features a honeycomb pattern and matches the color of the tank. Then we have the top cap which conceals the tank’s fill port. Look for atiny arrow on the top cap and push it outwards with your thumb. The top cap will slide outwards and reveal a large fill port through which you can add juice . At the base, the tank features an interesting airflow system. It only has one airflow hole, but the rotating ring also features three smaller holes for an ultra-tight, cigarette-like draw. You can also shut the bottom airflow off completely, although I don’t recommend you do that.

Like the Wismec CB-60, the CB-80 kit features two very different coil-heads – a 1.3Ω one designed for MTL vaping, and an 0.2Ω for direct lung inhale. Whichever style of vaping you prefer, Wismec has you covered. I’ll admit that I particularly liked the low resistance coil, as I am not a huge fan of MTL (not anymore, anyway), but if you’re interested in this kit, you’re probably more curious about the MTL coil-heads. They’re the ones that along, with the adjustable bottom airflow, are supposed to replicate the tight draw of a tobacco cigarette that appeals to fresh ex-smokers.

I’m sure an MTL vaper would appreciate the 1.3Ω coils a lot more than I did, because I just couldn’t put up with the tight draw and relatively cool vapor they produced. I preferred using the lower resistance coil-heads during testing, and the only fault I can report is that they go through e-liquid very fast. Actually, it’s not that they suck up juice faster than other o.2Ω coil-heads, but that the tank can only hold 2ml of e-liquid, so you need to refill it very often.

Even though I’m not big on MTL vaping, I do appreciate the versatility of the Amor NS Pro tank, and overall, I think it’s a great tank to have in you collection.

Battery Life and Performance

Battery life will greatly depend on a variety of factors, like the capacity of your 18650 battery – I recommend using a Sony VTC5A – the wattage you have set on the mod and how often you are using the device. So it’s virtually impossible to give a fair estimate on the battery life of the Wismec CB-60. What I can tell you is that if you’re going to use it mainly with the 1.3Ω coil-head at low wattage, a full battery will probably last you a whole day, if not more, which can not be said for the 0.2Ω coil-head. I went through a VTC5A battery in just 5 hours vaping at 65 watts.

You can take a spare battery with you if you’re going to use the CB-80 in direct lung inhale mode, or, if you have access to a USB port, you can just vape while you’re charging it with the included micro-USB cable. That’s how I use it at the office.

The Wismec CB-80 mod features rapid charging (2A) so it only takes about an hour and a half to two hours to fully recharge a battery.

In terms of performance, the CB-80 is about as good as the Wismec CB-60. The only difference I can think of is the 20W bump in power output, which will certainly appeal to a lot of high wattage vapers looking for a compact and versatile device. Otherwise, these two mods are pretty much identical in terms of performance.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a compact and versatile vaping setup, the Wismec CB-80 could be just what you’re looking for. It’s a robust yet slick device that can cater to the needs of both MTL and direct lung vapers, which can’t really be said about most other vaporizers on the market today. However, if you already have the CB-60, I personally don’t see a reason to upgrade to this newer kit. Yes, the mod has a slightly increased power output and now features fast charging, but other than that, they are very similar.

The Wismec CB-80 was sent to us by Vapesourcing for the purpose of this review. They currently have it in stock at a price of just $45.90.

Tags : CB-80,CB-80 kit,mod reviews,Wismec,Wismec CB-80