Product intro and specs
The Drag Q is a very interesting device. It comes with a lot of innovation, which is not what I expected when I got asked to do this review. To be honest, I was expecting yet another DL pod mod with a color screen and (maybe) some new coils to go with it. What I received in the mail, was something totally different.
The Drag Q is an MTL-first AIO that looks like a shrunk box mod kit. It has a 1250 mAh battery, fires up to 25 watts depending on the coil used, and it is powered by the famous GENE chipset. But more importantly, it introduces some never-before-seen features—with the graduated ring that sets the wattage and airflow automatically for each coil being the most interesting one.
The Voopoo team sure has some intriguing ideas, but are they implemented well on the Q? Keep reading to find out.
Price: $37.99 (at Element Vape)
Colors: Carbon fiber, classic red, marsala, galaxy blue, chestnut, vitality orange.
Specifications
·Dimensions: 118.3 mm x 32 mm x 23 mm
·Material: Leather / zinc alloy / silicone
·Output Power: 8-25 watts
·Output Voltage: 3.2-4.2 volts
·Resistance: 0.3-3.0 ohm
·Battery Capacity: 1250 mAh
·Pod tank: VOOPOO ITO-X POD
·Capacity: 3.5 mL / 2 mL (TPD)
·Material: Stainless steel / PCTG
·Size: 51.45 mm x 21.5 mm x 21.5 mm
Kit contents
·1 x Voopoo Drag Q
·1 x Voopoo ITO-X pod tank (3.5 mL)
·1 x Coil VOOPOO ITO-M0 0.5 ohm
·1 x Coil VOOPOO ITO-M3 1.2 ohm
·1 x User manual
·1 x Type-C cable
Build quality and design
In a word, the build quality of the Drag Q is stellar. The hand feel is great, the paint job looks solid, and the leatherette backing is perfect for what they went for. Even the tank feels very well-built—it is plastic, but the metal top cap gives it some RTA vibes.
I do think that the design is not for everyone, but it hits it right at home for me. The long LED bar is the only thing that feels a bit out of place on a device like this. I got the chestnut (black frame/chestnut colored leather) and vitality orange (silver frame/orange leather) options, and something about a long colored line lighting up feels a bit odd. But that’s about it; everything else on this device feels well-made and thought of—including the rubberized bottom, which adds a bit of ruggedness.
There is no screen on the Q and only one button. But I did mention innovation in the intro, and the one thing that caught my eye when I unboxed it was the graduated ring under the pod, which turns out is a combo of airflow and wattage adjustment dial (more on that in the following section.)
Another thing I’d never seen before is the ball bearings at the base of the ITO-X pod tank. These do a hell of a job securing the pod in place, and that’s a very simple but practical idea, beautifully executed. The pod is also lightly tinted on the black unit and transparent on the silver one, so checking juice levels is easy.
A thing I really like in the Drag Q is its weight. It’s not a heavy device, but it has enough weight to reinforce this quality feel. It is substantial but well-balanced. A little bit lighter and it would feel hollow, and a little bit heavier and it would be a bit too heavy to pocket.
Finally, the mouthpiece is proprietary and looks like it’s made for MTL vaping exclusively. I do wish it was a 510 mouthpiece, or, at the very least, they had included an extra one in the package. Things like that get lost all the time, and that’s a major con in my book.
Getting started
The Drag Q is an easy device to operate if you like what you are getting by turning the adjustment dial, but it can get a bit complicated if you want to fine-tune your vape. Here’s a basic rundown of operations:
·Give a quarter turn to the tank cap to remove it.
·Fill using the marked tiny hole (the other hole is for air to escape).
·Set it aside for five minutes to allow the cotton to saturate.
·Five clicks turn the device on and off.
·Push the button or just inhale on the mouthpiece to vape.
·Button operation is deactivated after five minutes of inactivity (the draw sensor will still work).
·To turn button operation back on, press the fire button three times or inhale on the mouthpiece.
·Turn the dial to adjust the wattage/airflow combo.
·Press the button while turning the dial to adjust the airflow without changing the wattage.
If the last two points confused you, here’s how that works: the device automatically recognizes the ITO coils, and the dial has preset wattage/airflow settings for each available coil. Turning the dial to the right increases wattage and airflow, and vice versa. You have the option to bypass these settings by turning the dial while the button is pressed. This will allow you to keep the wattage at the same level and adjust the airflow on its own.
I have mixed feelings about this feature, to be honest. I really like the idea, but I would have liked some more feedback when fine-tuning the airflow with the wattage stable—the only feedback is the extent that the LED bar is lit. As it is right now, I’m never sure of what I have done, and being a bit too peculiar about adjustments means that I spend too much time checking for minor changes to my vape. Then again, this whole feature is optional, but as I will discuss in the following section, it feels like there is some room for improvement on the presets.
Finally, to replace a coil, remove the tank from the device and use your fingernails to pull the coil out. When inserting a new one, make sure that the flat sides of the coil align with the flat sides of the hole. Push it in, and you are good to go.
Performance
Here’s where things start to become a bit complicated. All signs point toward the Drag Q being designed as an MTL vape. The mouthpiece is narrow and long, Voopoo suggests using nicotine salt on the available coils, and the 3.5 mL tank with the 1250 mAh battery feels like a combo that’s too “delicate” for sub ohm vaping. And unfortunately, even when adjusting the power/airflow combo, I didn’t fall in love with the MTL vape I got from it.
There are four coils available in total, and the two included in the package are the ITO-M0 (0.5 ohm) and the ITO-M3 (1.2 ohm).
Let’s start with the 1.2-ohm coil. The first thing I noticed when I started testing this coil was this cardboard-like flavor that many vapes were giving me in the past. It’s not an offensive flavor, and it went away after going through a tank. But it is there, and it’s annoying. But the main issue I faced with this coil is that I haven’t been able to find an airflow/power combo that I like.
When testing it with my 7 mg regular nicotine juice, the vape I got felt weak regardless of where I set the dial. Using a higher power setting combined with the airflow to where I like it (one click above the tightest setting,) it felt like it was getting a bit choked. Things got a lot better with 25 mg salt juice (and I’m guessing higher would be even better,) so I guess their juice recommendations are accurate. But even with a juice that feels like a fit, I have been missing the warmth and throat hit I’d like from a vape like that.
On with the 0.5-ohm coil, which was a clear winner for me. It provides a warmer vape across the board, and it can even do a bit of DL vaping with the dial set at the highest power/airflow combo. Just don’t expect thick clouds of warm vapor.
Its MTL is more satisfying, although it’s not a tight MTL, and it’s undoubtedly looser than the 1.2-ohm coil. It can technically get as tight as the 0.5-ohm coil at the lowest setting of the ring, but the airflow is practically closed at that setting and it’s not a pleasant vape. I preferred using it at the second lowest level—ideally, I would also set the power a bit higher, but I don’t always bother to reset it when I try different levels. The throat hit was not great on my 7 mg regular juice, but it was stronger than on the 1.2-ohm coil, and I got much better flavor. My 25 mg salt juice felt a bit too strong, so I’m guessing 20 mg salt would be ideal. This one also had a bit of a weird flavor at the start, but it went away pretty quickly.
One thing worth mentioning is that the device seems to provide direct output—i.e., performance drops along with the battery levels. Thankfully this is not that pronounced in the green and blue battery levels, but once the red light is on, I’d get a bit of flooding from the low power output, especially on the 1.2-ohm coil.
Battery life and charging
The Drag Q houses a 1250 mAh battery, which is pretty impressive for the size of the device. Unfortunately, battery life isn’t as great as I expected. I managed to go through around 2.5 mL of juice on both coils—although the vape was too weak for the last 0.5 mL on the 1.2-ohm coil. That’s not bad, but I was expecting at least one full tank’s worth of vaping from a 1250 mAh battery. I don’t have the means to test battery capacity, but I am pretty sure it is at least slightly overrated.
The Q charges at a 2A rate through a Type-C port that’s placed at the bottom of the device. Using a 2A charger, I timed a full charge at an impressive 35-40 minutes.
As for battery indication, the LED bar lights up every time you vape, and it’s color-coded as follows:
·Green: 60-100%
·Blue: 30-60%
·Red: 0-30%
The light will pulsate when charging and stay green when charging is complete. The Drag Q supports pass-thru vaping (unlike many of Voopoo’s previous devices,) so you can use it while it’s plugged in.
Pros / Cons
·Excellent build quality
·Classy design
·Great hand feel
·Easy to use with the preset settings
·Good tank capacity for MTL vaping (3.5 mL)
·Transparent tank (easy to check juice levels)
·Ball bearings hold the tank strongly in place
·The chip recognizes the coils and sets wattage and airflow automatically
·Smart way to lock/unlock the button
·The 0.5-ohm coil works well with mid-strength juice
·The 0.5-ohm coil also does RDL
·Very fast charging (35-40 minutes with a 2A charger)
·LED bar feels like it doesn't fit with the overall design
·Only one proprietary mouthpiece
·Bypassing the presets can be a bit confusing
·Didn't find my sweet spot with the preset wattage/airflow settings
·1.2-ohm coil had an off flavor on the first fill
·1.2-ohm coil was a bit weak across all settings (may be good for high-strength salts)
·Direct output (vape gets weaker when battery is on red)
·Slightly disappointed by battery life
Gallery
Verdict
I’m a little bit torn about the Drag Q. On the one hand, it introduces a variety of features that come with a lot of potential. On the other, it seems like the innovation involved here may be complicating things a little bit.
I do like the tech that allows it to recognize the coils and offer different power depending on the airflow, but it may be a little bit rushed here. I wish there were an easier way to change power independently to the airflow, or at least some kind of a more detailed visual feedback—although I am sure that many vapers will enjoy the vape they’ll get out of the box.
I personally didn’t find my sweet spot on the Drag Q, although the 0.5-ohm coil came close. But all things considered, it is a very well-designed device with an excellent hand feel and high-quality vibes. If you like using high-strength salts, or if you enjoy a relatively loose MTL vape, it may do the trick for you.