Vaptio Cosmo Plus Review
While virtually all manufacturers are betting big on pod systems and all-in-one vaping devices, the guys at Vaptio are sticking to the classic mod and tank combination. Their new Cosmo Plus kit looks like it should have come out a few years ago, it’s nothing like the vape pods people are going crazy over these days, but the company seems to think there is still a market for such retro vaping setups. Let’s see what the Vaptio Cosmo Plus kit is all about:
A Look at the Contents
The Cosmo Plus packaging is not the most high-quality, but for this simple, beginner kit, it’s acceptable. We basically have a thin cardboard box with a picture of the Cosmo Plus on the front, and a list of contents, as well as warnings and a QR code on the back.
Inside the box we have a plastic holder where you will find the Cosmo Plus compact mod, the small tank it comes with, a replacement bubble glass for the tank, an extra coil-head (another comes pre-installed), as well as a small user manual. It’s nothing to write home about, but at the same time, it’s everything you need to start vaping.
Design and Build Quality
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review, the Vaptio Cosmo Plus looks like a blast from the past. In fact, it reminds me a lot of the SMOK OSUB Baby I reviewed back in 2017. It has that same general design, the same compact mod and small tank configuration, and roughly the same size. I don’t remember quite how well the OSUB performed, but there’s probably no comparison worth making, considering the Cosmo Plus uses completely different coil-heads.
So we have a very slick, compact vape mod with a standard 510 connection at the top, a small OLED display, and some clicky plastic buttons. One of the things I don’t like about this little mod is that it does have quite a bit of plastic parts, including the bottom and the entire control panel. That, along with the aluminum body of the device makes it ultra light and comfortable to carry around, but it does also make it feel a bit cheap, in my opinion.
The mod itself measures only 20mm x 27mm x 70mm, and comes in six different colors, from the classic black and silver, to orange and pink. The design looks nice, it has a lot of rounded edges and corners that make it feel comfortable in the hand, but when you add the tank on top… It looks unusually tall for a modern device, and while still practical, the outdated look may put some people off.
The Cosmo Plus is basically an improved version of the Vaptio Cosmo, which came out last year. The general design is largely the same, but this new variant introduces an OLED display, several modes, as well as a slightly bumped up power output. The differences aren’t all that huge if you ask me, but if you have a choice between them, you should probably go for the newer, improved version.
Getting used to the buttons may take a while, especially the + and – ones, which aren’t marked at all, and are actually the two halves of a down-facing arrow. The thing is their position is also inverted, so the one on the left is actually the +, and the right one is the minus, when it should be the other way around. The fire button is not marked either, but even though it’s really well hidden, you’ll probably figure out that the plastic section above the down-facing arrows on the mod is actually a concealed fire button.
The screen is nothing to write home about. It’s black and white, the resolution is pretty poor and it’s on the dim side, so not very visible in strong sunlight. Vaptio could and should have used a better screen, even on a simple mod like this, but I guess any screen is better than no screen, right?
Overall, the Vaptio Cosmo Plus is a retro-looking vaping device with average build quality. It’s not the most modern vaping device money can buy, but I guess it’s ideal for people who prefer the classic mod and tank combo to the plethora of pod systems on the market.
Menu System and Navigation
The Vaptio Cosmo Plus mod can be turned on and off with five quick presses of the fire button. To get into the menu, you have to press the fire button three time in rapid succession. Once inside the menu, you will be presented with three different modes – variable wattage, variable voltage and bypass – as well as two settings: the battery cutoff time and the screen shut-off time. That’s about all there is to the menu, and while it does seem super basic, let’s not forget that most pod systems don’t even have variable wattage, let alone several modes.
One other thing I should mention regarding navigation is that you can lock the buttons of the mod by keeping the – and + buttons pressed for a couple of seconds, but other than that there are no button combinations or shortcuts available.
Battery Life and Performance
Although the Cosmo Plus is one of the slickest vape mods I’ve seen in a while, it does fit a decent-sized battery with a a capacity of 1,500mAh. That’s about as much battery life as you get out of advanced all-in-one systems like the VooPoo Vinci or VooPoo Navi. The new Vaporesso Target PM80 pod mod is rated at 2,000mAh and it’s not much larger than the Cosmo Plus, so things could be better in the battery department, but 1,500mAh is definitely not bad.
Vaptio’s latest creation also features vape-while-charging technology, so you can use it while it is hooked to a USB port, but sadly doesn’t have fast charging. Charging rate is 1A, which isn’t abysmal for such a simple device, but could definitely be better. The Cosmo Plus takes about and hour and twenty minutes to fully charged after the battery has been depleted.
Performance-wise, the mod is ok, but sadly not without flaws. Although it seems to activate the battery instantly after you press the fire button, resistance reading has been hit-and-miss for me. I’ve had no issues with the 1.6Ω coil-head, but the 0.7Ω one seemed to confuse the mod a bit. After jumping through several values, it settled on a significantly higher value than the one on the coil-head (0.87 or 0.94 ohms are the ones I recall). I would say it’s a coil issue, but other mods read the resistance stamped on the coil-head.
If that resistance issue doesn’t bother you too much, you will be pleased to hear that the Vaptio Cosmo Plus vapes pretty well. The Nautilus-style coil-heads look a bit outdated at first glance, but actually offer decent performance. I spent a lot more time with the higher-resistance coil-head in MTL mode (with the airflow closed down almost completely) and it was a satisfying experience. It wasn’t the best vape I’ve ever had, but the fact that you can adjust the airflow on the tank makes a huge difference, allowing you o dial it down to your particular sweet spot.
The mesh coil-head wasn’t too shabby either, but the 0.7Ω I felt was too high for a direct lung vape. I prefer a warmer vape and the high resistance wasn’t exactly right for a warm DL hit, but the flavor was pretty good and so was the vapor production. You can open the airflow on the tank completely for a very loose, airy draw, but I preferred leaving it halfway open, for a more restrictive vape.
I’ve experienced no leaking issues so far, but I did find the way the tank comes apart a bit unusual, more specifically that the coil-head is more easily removed from the top of the tank, as the bottom comes put a lot harder. That’s not necessarily a negative, but more of a quirk of this 2ml tank.
Conclusion
The Vaptio Cosmo Plus may not look like the most modern vaping device, in fact it looks outdated, but in terms of actual performance, it’s not too shabby. If you’re looking for a more traditional setup, and don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty when changing coil-heads, this compact and lightweight vape kit will probably surprise you. It’s a versatile vape, allowing you to enjoy both a nice, tight MTL vape, as well as a loose, direct lung hit, particularly thanks to the adjustable airflow. Now if Vaptio could only get rid of all that plastic…
The Vaptio Cosmo Plus was sent to me directly by Vaptio, for the purpose of this review. They are currently selling it on their online store for $54.99, which frankly seems very steep for such a simple vape kit.
