Vamo V5 – a full review

Vamo V5

The Vamo V5

In Stock for $47.99

Update: September 2, 2014

The Vamo V5 has been replaced (sort of) by the much more advanced Vamo 30 Watt. I will leave this review up to serve as a reference for those interested in historical information. Yes, you can still get a Vamo V5 but at this point I’m not sure why you’d really want it.

In a nutshell, the Vamo V5 for its time was a great mod – no question. I owned 2 of them in the early days and used them till they fell apart. For its time it was very much a “no hassle” solution to vaping. You could pair this up with something like the Kanger Pro Tank and this combo was amazing. But a LOT has happened in the last year in the vaping world. This setup is low powered by today’s standard and over designed.

When it came out, the Vamo V5 was significant because it delivered up to 15 Watts of power. And it was one of the early mods to offer variable wattage. At the time these were really fantastic specs. However, the Vamo couldn’t handle sub-ohm atomizers and the power was pulse width modulation based. This means that when you’re vaping you can hear the fluttering as the power is cycling back and forth. This feels really crude and weird to vape on and wasn’t exactly satisfying.

We have a ton of options now in the vaping world. The Vamo had a serious upgrade to the 30 Watt version that’s now available. Sure it costs a little bit more, but honestly the Vamo V5 is so dated that even at just under $50 I think you’ll regret spending the money on it. It just doesn’t cut it with all the other options that you have available now.

Having said that – I’m leaving this review up for historical purposes. Plus its kind of funny how giddy I was about this when it came out. I even rave about my fix for the crappy 510 connection – I was very proud of this. Alas, a year ago it was fantastic. My 2 Vamo V5 units are now retired to the drawer. They lived good lives and saved mine since I used them to quit smoking. This old review is their story. Just take it with a 2013 grain of salt!

Vamo V5 – Overview

The Vamo V5 is a reasonably priced VV/VW APV. Its generally held in high regarded by vapers for its ease of use and performance. I recently got my Vamo V5 in the mail and after about 2 months of use, I’m happy to report that its a keeper. Its got some great qualities and features that make it one of the best, most hassle-free APV’s on the market. Sure there are a few gripes that I have with the unit, but for the most part I love it. Lets look at the Vamo V5 a little more in-depth.

What is the Vamo V5?

So what’s new compared to previous versions? The Vamo V5 uses the body style of the Vamo 2 which is cool. The Vamo 3 introduced some great electronics and a new OLED screen, but the body was weird with these stripped swirly lines. For whatever reason we skipped a Version 4 and went straight to the Vamo V5. So essentially V5 is a Vamo 2 body with Vamo 3 electronics. There is also a removable top that makes it easy to get ego mods on and off.

The Good

The Vamo V5 is extremely well built and feels solid in the hand. Its not telescoping, per-se, but it does have a small extension tube that lest you switch between using an 18650 battery and an 18350. Its easy – want the longer battery? Just screw on the extension tube and your Vamo V5 is in 18650 mode.

Vamo V5

The Vamo V5 Button Layout and Display

The control layout is honestly the best of any of these Chinese made APV’s. It features a horizontal screen so its always easy to read. There are 3 buttons – the main firing button and 2 smaller buttons for various functions.

While vaping these 2 smaller buttons turn the voltage up or down or the wattage up or down depending on how you have the power set up on your Vamo V5. I love this – no menu scrolling. Want to know how much battery is left? Hold down the left button for a few seconds and you’ll see the remaining battery power on the screen. Want to check the ohms? Hold down the right button for a few seconds and the resistance readout is on the screen. This really is the easiest APV to use and the main reason I love the Vamo V5.

To get into the system options, hold both buttons down for a little while – this puts you into the menu system. The left button becomes the “scrolling” button while the right sets the options for what you have selected. Its a little werid, but you get used to it really fast.

Also worth noting that you can change the power setting from Mean to RMS. Hold the left button down for a LONG time – 10 seconds or so. What it reads is what its set to. Again – weird, but if you want RMS, hold it down. If it says Mean – you just set the Vamo V5 to Mean so do it again to see it read RMS. Its a little weird, but again – you’ll get used to it.

So that sums up why I love this mod – easy operation, the 3 button layout is fantastic and the unit feels good in the hand. The power output is nice and it performs really well – particularly if you like standard resistance cartomizers or coils. If you’re vaping at 3.0 you’ll need power that lots of mods won’t give you – the Vamo V5 delivers. The Vamo V5 power output uses pulse width modulation which I have no problem with. It vapes beautifully.

The Bad

Okay so the Vamo V5 is not without flaws. First off is the length of the unit. Its too long in 18650 mode. It feels like a skinny lightsaber so stealth it is not. The Vamo V5 in 18350 mode is fine, but even this should be shorter. There is a lot of wasted space where the electronics and screen are. Not the end of the world – I got over it. But trust me you’ll want smaller batteries – carry a few spares around and you’ll be fine.

Vamo V5

Vamo V5 510 connection fix using a tank airflow controller.

The second complaint is the 510 connection. Its weak. This is a classic problem with Vamo’s in general. Some are better than others. The solution is this – either be very careful when connecting your tanks or you can do what I did. I got a 510 “airflow controller” to act as a buffer. The airflow controller is basically 2 washers that control airflow to the 510 if that’s where your air holes are. I don’t use it for this – I just pop that on and it holds the Vamo 510 connection more snug. This will solve the problem. I know its a pain, but its a $1 fix. For me it was worth it because I like this unit so much better than my other mods.

Overall

If you don’t have a Vamo – get this. VaporAlley has them for $56.99 and from VaporDNA for $47.99. I recommend the brushed stainless steel. The Gun Metal finish is cool, but it comes off too easily. I like a beaten up look, but not everyone does. The brushed stainless will stay clean and look great.

If you already have a Vamo V2 or V3 – this mod gives you the same performance with the only enhancement being the screen. It is beautiful so if you want aesthetics get it – its cheap. But there’s no major performance difference.

Available from VaporAlley – $56.99 and from VaporDNA – $47.99

Vamo V5 Specs

Variable voltage 3.0 – 6.0V (.1 increments)
Variable wattage 3 – 15W (.5W increments)
Voltage operation selection (RMS or Mean)*
Multiple battery options (single 18650, dual 18350, single 18350)
Atomizer resistance display
Battery voltage display
eGo/510 threading (recessed)
Chrome over copper construction
Chrome over copper button
Blue OLED readout
Over/under current protection
Low resistance protection
Approximately 5 3/8″ Long and 7/8″ diameter. (Complete unit)

Available from VaporAlley – $56.99 and from VaporDNA – $47.99

If you like Cartomizer Tanks, don’t miss our AGR+ review and tutorial – goes great with the Vamo V5!

Comments

  1. Glenn says

    Nice review that I considered with others in taking my decision to purchase a Vamo V5. I’m very pleased with it and have been using it for the better part of two weeks. I concur with most of your judgements, though I differ in a couple of areas:

    First, and likely a recent development, my v5 seems permanently set to read RMS. Holding the ‘-‘ button for even a minute or more produces no change. The only indication of the mode comes when the display is set to ‘current,’ showing ‘RMS’ on the left of the screen when the fire button’s depressed, and (I’m a bit puzzled here) a low number of apparent amps, like 1.2A-1.6A.. When set to display ‘power’ it shows ‘OUT’ followed by the correct wattage, like 6.5W. Odd but no biggie and at this point I’m taking the easy path with adjustable wattage.

    Second, I picked up an airflow controller as you suggested, but it’s actually worse than useless in this case, When installed, if you look, the lower surface of the unit isn’t touching anything, and so can’t physically make for a firmer connection. Worse, it introduces a bit of slop into the equation, I assume from adding more length plus the inevitable play allowed by the extra threads. Result: with the controller installed, my Protank 2 is rather wobbly but sits firm without play on its own. Good idea, but I have to say it only gives the appearance of more stability without adding any. I agree the 510 connection’s a bit skinny to provide good strength using any lesser material than steel, which the Vamo does’t…if I remember correctly it’s brass. The real fix here is simply being careful not to overstress or abuse it.

    Apart from those tiny issues, your review’s spot on, and I thank you for helping me make a truly satisfactory decision…I’m mighty fond of my Vamo!

    • Vapor Mods says

      Thanks Glenn –

      I totally agree – being careful with the connection is really the best thing you can do. I love my Vamo – for me its worth it.

      • Glenn says

        Oh, and a PS: in looking over other discussions of the Vamo v5, I wonder is the puff counter that appears on the lower right of the OLED display is new, too?

        It’s nothing fancy, clearly a timer routine when the power button’s depressed for longer than 2 seconds or so, but it’s kinda handy for gauging how efficient your battery is. I’m just curious if this is a recent addition.

  2. Gary says

    Regarding the air flow adapter sitting higher than the beauty ring,
    I use the air flow adapter on all my mods just to keep from destroying the threads due to my changing tanks a lot, it’s the weak spot I think in all the mods.
    What I did after getting annoyed with the looks of the adapter was to take my bench belt sander and shaved it down until it sat flush, didn’t affect anything.
    Another thing I did and was much easier was to find the right size washer shine it up and put it between the adapter and the beauty ring.
    Nice thing about the air flow adapters I bought is that if you unscrew the two half’s you can then attach ego tanks.

  3. kristin says

    Now is it okay to put a fuse in this mod? I tried, but its really hard to get the piece back together. I just dont want to end up breaking something. Just being safe.

    • Vapor Mods says

      You don’t need it. The Vamo already has protection built into the electronics. The fuse is designed for mechanical mods.

      • Kristin says

        Okay, and now i just bought a new coil for my aspire tank, and it says the ohms is 1.7 and keeps tasting burnt. Is 1.7 bad?

        • Dustin says

          No 1.7 ohms is not bad but if you watts (power) or voltage is to high it will heat the coil to much. If either of those is lower than 8.5 watts or 4 volts than try dragging on it harder just slightly because if you do it to hard it will flood. This will pull more fluid into the coil. If neither of these works then you might have a bad coil. It happens from time to time but remove, toss, and replace. If this does not work than there is a slight possibility that it might be a faulty unit not often but possible. Also try a higher ohms coil like around 2 ohms because that one will not get as hot as fast. Hope this helps.

        • Dustin says

          Also hold the left small button for 10 seconds until it reads output RMS that helped me a lot.

  4. Daniel Flores says

    Same here aspire 1.9 coil seems to have slight burn at 3.0 volts. Do I need to go with 2.2 or higher coils.

  5. OffbeatTom says

    The burnt taste with two batteries has to do with the increase in peak volts. The way these things works is by a 33.3hz cycle of power meaning on and off on and off not truly 3.5 volts but the heat equivelant of a constant 3.5 volts. So when firing the peak is near 7.6 volts with two batteries and a peak of 6 or so with one battery. The lower your ohms the bigger variance of heat on the fire cycle pulse. Hope this makes sense. In other words set watts to 5 and adjust from there if still burning increase fluid flow.

  6. Daniel Flores says

    Mine was set to mean mode have it on rms now no problems now this setup is new to me but love this Vamo.

  7. don says

    My Vamo v5 came with 2 18350 batteries, but I’ve only been using one at a time. Can I do this? or should I use both batteries at the same time?

    • Vapor Mods says

      I’d recommend 1 at a time. Its a regulated mod so it should work the same. Stacking can create issues.

      • Andrew says

        I’ve been using stacked 18350 batts in my beat-up Vamo V2 for almost 2 years now, never had any issues. Dropped it, rolled it, etc, never had a problem. I just hope the V5 will last as long as my V2 has.

  8. Danno says

    It seems obvious to me that the reason this model is called the V5 instead of V4 which was next model in line is because 2+3=5!
    Best of V2 + best of V3 = Vamo V5 Shimples! 🙂

  9. G says

    Just purchased the Vamo V5 after an EGO-CE4 starter for abandoning cigarettes full time.Six days and counting. I obviously dislike the screw on battery that seems to need charged every time I have a 10 minute session on it. I hate the fact the V5 looks like a silencer for Beretta 9MM but I always tend to buy the best if affordability allows. My item is accompanied with charger and two 18350 type batteries and cheap CE4 Atomizers. I have been looking at Kanger Aero Tank New Protank 3 Dual Coil as a good tank to enhance the V5.
    Will this be a tank that I will need to wind the coils e.t.c or is a tank that is pre-assembled and user friendly?

    Sorry for my newbie lack of tech on this but it is a world of interest to me and want to research it .

    Thanks in advance.

    G.

    • jesse says

      Either the pro tank or aero tank are great choices for your v5. If there is much of a cost difference go with the pro tank as you can use the vanity ring on the v5 for airflow control. I use an iclear X.I on mine and use the jewel ring for airflow control.
      Jesse

    • Kyle says

      I use the protank 3, 1.5 ohm dual coil and air flow adjuster and I love the way it vapes. I highly recommend the protank 3

  10. mike says

    Just bought my first variable … VAMO 5 a kayfun and buid 1.9 ohms big deference from my ego batteries and ce4 … with RMS vapes better even when setting is on wattage …. thanks for the information of rms I didn’t had a clue … my problem is that I am clumsy and I touch the 2 small buttons when I am vaping .. is any way this buttons to lock them ? And something I notice is when I press the right button for long time without atomizer says MOBILE OUT ON … and if I press the fire buttons says MOBILE OUT OFF … is a thread 510 to usb to charge your telephone? Thanks !!!

  11. matt says

    I’d go for the new kanger evod glass 2.0ohm dual coil this thing hits hard and tastes good had same coil in it nw for 6 weeks use it all day every day never had burn taste yet 6 weeks out of one coil ☺. £5 for 5 on ebay be sure to make sure u have a scratch panel on packet proves it’s genuine only kanger uses scratch sticker and number to check on Web site

  12. Micah says

    The reason for skipping V4 is because in Chinese, the word “four” sounds like the word “death”. So 4 is considered to be very unlucky. There are no floors named 4, 14, 24, 34, 40-49, etc. in elevators (sometimes leaving floors named 13 and 13B for us superstitious English speakers.) Also, many companies avoid the number in product nomenclature. Japanese culture also has an aversion to the number.

  13. says

    Are you or are you not damaging the threads by removing the 510 adaptor (male add on) to clean out e liq from the top of centerpin?? I’m wondering if this is stressing the threads more . My airflow ring is removable from this .i just like the ring on so you don’t see that “stalk” of a connection.

  14. Steve says

    Hey Guys newbie here…after reading the reviews (this one in particular) I have purchased a V5. I’ve been using a Vision Spinner which is good but I wanted a mod that some day move up to a dripper system. The V5 seems to have fit the bill. I use an Aspire with a 1.8 dual coil and an Anyvapes Davide with a 2.0 dual coil. First off, what’s the difference between using the V5 in Watts and using the V5 in Volts? I have noticed that with one battery, the total voltage is around 4.1. I would assume that I could not adjust the output past total volts. Another question I have is, with one battery, what would be a good dual coil resistance to get maximum vapor? I would agree that two batteries is like a lite saber. I need to check to see if it’s in mean or RMS. Which brings me to another question…What is mean and RMS? LOL! I know you guys are getting a chuckle out of this message but slowly but surely I’m learning more and more.
    Thanks for any input and consider me your student.

    • Vapor Mods says

      Steve – we all have to start somewhere!

      The Vamo is a regulated device. Your battery can hold up to 4.2 volts fully charged, but the Vamo will output up to 6 volts.

      RMS is an average output and is not recommended. Keep it on Mean, I’m not really sure why its even an option.

      I also don’t recommend stacking batteries. The idea is longer battery time, but if you want that get a good 18650 battery. Don’t stack. You don’t need to. I carry a case with 4 18350’s so time won’t be an issue.

      As for your question about resistance, I’d recommend anything between 1.8-2.0 ohms to get the best performance out of your Vamo. 2.0 will give you more battery life because its higher resistance.

      Put it in voltage mode and just dial in to taste. Or go for wattage mode and dial in for warmth. Wattage mode adjusts the voltage automatically. Voltage mode is how they all used to run, so its included as an option. But if you just set the wattage for the warmth you like you don’t need to mess with the voltage – it will be set by the circuit in the Vamo.

      Hope that helps!

      • Charles Nordlund says

        I think you got RMS and mean backwards… Mean is the “average” mode and consistently burns every juice I have tried in it since the DC PWM is a square wave instead of sine, the mean calculations force the voltage up to around 4.2 volts when set to displayed 3.0v. In other words, because there is not a negative voltage portion to the output waveform, the volts delivered to the coil are too high at almost every setting. Put it in RMS mode and leave it unless you like the taste of burnt vape.

  15. Erick says

    I have also recently purchased the Vamo V5 with a iClear30B dual coil clearomizer and would like to know if this is the better drip and tank for the V5? Also the drip tip for the clearomizer I would like to change but I’m unsure to what drip tip would be the best. Other than that, I love my Vamo V5 and have been cigarette free for almost two months. Very happy customer.

    • Tony says

      The iClear30B is a great tank with this mod but being dual coil tends to eat the battery life a bit so ensure u get a couple of spare batteries. I tend to use it in watt mode as the voltage is set just adjust it up or down to what suits you best. With the iclear i use it at around 10 watts awesome vap lol

  16. Johanna says

    I hate to sound stupid, but with this I am. How do I tell if mine is a 3, 4, or 5. II can’t find it on my Vamo? Also has anyone had problems with the small buttons? I have only had mine for 3 weeks, and my left button will not push. I can wiggle it and it works. I know the place I bought it will not do anything. They said when I bought it they did not fix them. Any help is appreciated.

  17. Dustin says

    So I just got the b5 from my local vap store, upgrading from the evod. Now I’m new to having to recharge the batteries and my buddies told me not to leave my batteries on the charger unattended till I find out wether the charger shuts off when it’s charged but I can’t find anywhere that tells me if it does or not. Any help on how to figure it out?

  18. Matt says

    I’m a beginner, sorry for this question. I was wonderung if it’s better to use 2 18350 or one 18650 in the Vamo? When I use 2 18350 – does it mean I have 2*3.7V=7.4V (better?). When I use a single 18650 with 4,2V – what happens when I set the Vamo to 4.5V or higher? My sweet spot seems to be at 4.3V. Should I then use the 18350?

  19. KEith Goralzick says

    so im fairly new, i have had an itaste vv for a while and my new vamo v5 is on its way in. My question goes to anyone who knows about RDA’s. i also just picked up a vape smith castle clone rda to get into building my own coils. I was wondering what the lowest ohms i can go on my v5. And if anyone has any links of cool coil builds that will work with this set up!

    Thanks,
    Keith

  20. Marcus says

    Hi, I’m a complete newbie but I love the VamoV5. I’m down from 40 fags a day to zero and real happy with the change. But…my Vamo kit came with 2 CE4 atomisers. One worked and then I got an error message. “Check atomiser”. The other atomiser works but I am worried it is going to fail too.

    I just need something that’s reliable. Do I need to get a new tank?

  21. Andrew Rapley says

    Hi, I too, am new to vaping but I have a Vamo V5 which is all I could ask for, but after a week or so the resistance dropped to 0.5 and fluctuated between 1.1 and 0.6 whichever tank I attached. The tanks were supplied with the whole as a kit. Consequently the dammed thing don’t work, help anything I can do to up the resistance or do I need another unit or tank? All the readings etc work but no vapour. HELP

    • Andrew Rapley says

      Just a quick follow-up. I contacted the supplier and he suggested a clean, ha ha but when I looked into the unit the screw on top of the base onto which the tank connects, it was loose. Two turns and the problem was resolved: happy now and vaping with a great product.

  22. BDR says

    Just got the Vamo 6 starter kit Which came with 2 CE4 tanks (Trash) came with two 18350 batteries & one was shot right from the start & the Other doesn’t last anytime with any of the 5 tanks I have – no biggie you can get Two 18650 batteries (2500mAh 35A High Drainage) “A Must in all Mec-Mods Cheap which came in two days ! Now with those my Nautilus Mini & Kanger Protank 3 – Vapes Perfect , Great Vapor, Taste, Throat Hit ! Although I do make my own liquid ! I Say go with the Vamo6 ! Want to Make your coils last longer – use clearer liquid – Darker liquids will burn coils faster (FACT) Keep in mind – From A Vapor with Know How – Make sure to use High Drainage Batteries With high Amp !

  23. BDR says

    I know It’s a Vamo5 Review – Just wanted to throw out some info on the Vamo6 & other info out there someone may wnat or need to know ! Just ask if ya have any Questions !