E-Cigarette Reviews and Rankings

4stars

Lost Vape Orion Plus Review

The Lost Vape Orion DNA Go pretty much changed the pod system game when it came out last year. Not only did it become instantly popular among vapers, but its revolutionary design inspired other manufacturers to adopt it, and we now have several very similar pod systems, like the Smoant Pasito or SMOK Trinity Alpha. But as good as it was when it came out, the Orion was eventually surpassed in certain aspects by the competition, and Lost Vape recently released the Orion Plus, an upgraded version that introduces replaceable coils and adds more power levels. Let’s check it out:

A Look at the Contents

The Lost Vape Orion Plus pod system comes in a yellow and green cardboard box with a picture of the device and pictograms representing its main features on the front, and a list of contents, a bullet list of its most impressive features, and manufacturer information on the back. You’ll also find references to the Evolv DNA Go board and its famous Replay mode, on the sides of the box.

Inside the packaging you’ll find the gorgeous Orion Plus pod system sitting in a plastic tray, and underneath it, a smaller box containing the included accessories: a green micro-USB cable for charging and firmware updates, a spare coil-head, a lanyard, and a user manual.

Design and Build Quality

If you’ve seen the original Lost Vape Orion, the Plus version will likely seem very familiar. The two are virtually identical, with the only notable difference being the stabwood and resin panels introduced on the newer model. Lost Vape were kind enough to send me one with these new panels and they are quite eye-catching. You can also get the Orion Plus with carbon fiber and abalone stone panels, but personally I like the stabwood&resin best.

The Orion Plus measures 93mm x 37mm x 13.5mm and is made primarily of stainless steel, just like the original Orion. The paint finish and the panels are flawless, just like you would expect them to be on a premium vape mod like this, and the machining on the buttons, pod port and even on the vent holes on the bottom is beyond reproach. That said, this is a pod system that sells for around $65, so you should expect nothing but top quality.

As I mentioned, everything from the placement and shape of the buttons and screws, to the shape of the refillable pods and the positioning of the drip tip and fill port cover are identical to those of the Lost Vape Orion DNA Go, so there’s really no point in going over them. What really sets the Plus apart from the original Lost Vape Orion is the fact that the former features replaceable coil-heads and comes with an upgraded software version that offers more power presets. The software is available as an update for the Lost Vape Orion DNA Go, so the only real reason to buy the Orion Plus over last year’s Orion pod system is replaceable coil-head compatibility.

Replaceable coil-heads have become very popular in modern pod systems, so Lost Vape decided to get with the program. Instead of having to change the whole pod when the coil-head went bead, you can now replace just the coil-head. Doing that is easier said than done, because the unique coil base is a really tight fit inside the pod. In theory, you would have to unscrew the drip-tip and then push down on the top of the coil-head sticking up from the pod. I tried that, but it didn’t work, so I put the drip tip back on, but instead of screwing it back all the way, I just pushed down on it and that finally pushed out the coil. It’s not a huge deal, but the fit of the coil base could definitely have been looser.

The Lost Vape Orion Plus comes with two different coil-heads – one 0.25Ω mesh coil, and one 0.5Ω regular wire coil. The first is designed for direct lung vaping and enhanced flavor, while the other is meant for mouth-to-lung. They both look the same at first glance, but you can tell that the chimney of the mesh coil-head is slightly larger to allow more air through.

The pods of the Lost Vape Orion Plus have the same e-liquid capacity as those of the original Orion – 2ml – and the newer device is actually compatible with Orion DNA Go pods as well, but not Orion Q ones. The pods hook up to the mod the same as on the older Orion, by sliding down the trigger at the top of the mod to pull back the small metal notch on the inside of the port, and then pushing it back up to lock the pod in place. To fill it up, just unscrew the cap next to the drip tip.

I never got the chance to try the original Lost Vape Orion, but that was probably for the better, because the new Plus version is basically the same, with the added interchangeable coil-head feature. It has the exact same build quality, gorgeous stabwood&resin panels and five different power levels. It’s an impressive pod system, that’s for sure, but let’s see how it vapes.

Battery Life and Performance

Nothing has changed in the battery department. Just like the original Lost Vape Orion, the Plus is powered by a 950mAh built-in battery that should keep most users vaping for a whole day without requiring a recharge. But just in case battery life is still a concern, you should know that you can use this device as a passthrough, even though you probably shouldn’t. It turns out that draining the battery while it’s charging isn’t the safest thing in the world…

Oh, and in case you’re not familiar with the original Lost Vape Orion, this pod system has the micro-USB port hidden under one of the bottom corners. Just look for the one that looks like it’s detachable and you’l find it.

As for performance, again, I never tried the older Orions – DNA Go or the Q – so I can’t say if it’s better or worse, but I can tell you that the Orion Plus is easily one of the best pod systems I have ever used. There are several reasons why that is, but the main one is that it actually does mouth-to-lung (MTL) well, which can’t be said for most advanced pod systems these days.

I’ve mainly been using my Orion Plus pod mod with the 0.5Ω coil-head in mouth-to-lung mode, with the airflow adjustment ring on the bottom of the drip tip closed off completely. That’s the only way I can get a tight enough draw, but you can go for a quarter-open if you prefer a looser draw. The flavor isn’t quite as good as with the mesh coil, but on a medium power setting (in my case, red) you get a really nice MTL vape, which is kind of rare with this sort of device. And, thanks to the DNA’s Replay Mode, when you get a really good puff, you can just keep the adjustment button at the bottom of the mod pressed for 3 seconds (until the LED indicator becomes green) and it will replicate the same puff going forward.

The Orion Plus now features five different power settings, which you can browse through by pressing the adjustment button on the mod. White is the lowest power setting, and purple is the highest, and depending on which coil-head you are using, every power level translates to a different wattage. You can check which color equates to what wattage on the Lost Vape website, but one thing you should really keep in mind is that only the first two power levels (white and blue) are to be used with Orion DNA Go pods. The other three are strictly for use with the replaceable coil-heads.

As with the older Lost Vape Orion, you can go into EScribe software and tweak the power levels, by connecting the Orion Plus mod to a computer, but with the introduction of three extra power levels, I personally don’t feel like that is necessary. Five modes is plenty, and the difference in power output is quite obvious when switching between the different colors, so there’s definitely a lot of customisation available without Evolv’s software suite.

One thing to keep in mind when using the Orion Plus, or the older Orion for that matter, is to always make sure that the coil-head inside the pod is saturated with e-liquid. As you vape, and the e-juice level drops, if you vape on the Orion with the buttons of the mod facing downwards, there’s a good chance that the juice will not reach the wicking slots on the coil-head, and you will eventually get a dry hit. Either make sure that the pod is always at least half-full, or train yourself to use the Orion Plus with the buttons side facing upwards, to make sure that the coil-head is saturated.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that the Lost Vape Orion was a game changer when it came out in 2018, but as is always the case in this industry, other manufacturers borrowed the revolutionary design and improved on it so much that the original became almost obsolete. Luckily, the Orion Plus puts Lost vape back on top in the advanced pod mod sector, thanks to the introduction of replaceable coil-heads and more power levels. The new stabwood&resin panels blow the competition out of the water in the aesthetics department as well, and performance is superior to pretty much everything else, thanks to the advanced Evolv DNA Go board.

The Lost Vape Orion is impressive, but you will have to pay a premium to enjoy its looks, feel and performance. If you don’t mind paying over $60 for a pod mod, this pretty much the device to buy these days.

This device was sent to me by Lost Vape for the purpose of this review.

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One Comment/Review

  • Chris Greenaway says:

    Please don’t be fooled this machine is the biggest pile of shit. They burn out. The pull button breaks, the pods leak, the cheap extension charger breaks the list goes on. A complete waste of money. Even the sales man at the vape store had some horrible stories from customers. You’ll be better off burning the money at least you know what you are getting. If I could give a negative review I would.

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