Our VaporFi Rebel 3 review takes a look at the easy-to-use, sub ohm vape pen: is it the ideal device for smokers looking for something more capable than the standard vape pen?
Is it worth buying?
The VaporFi Rebel 3 is a great beginner-friendly device, offering the performance of a vape mod with exceptional battery life and in a fairly compact, appealing package.
The main downside is really the price, but if you’re looking for something reliable, well-built and simple that still packs a punch when it comes to vapor and flavor, you could definitely do worse than the Rebel 3 mod. If you’re on a budget, there are better options available, but you do get what you pay for, and here you’re getting something undeniably excellent.
Full review
Most vapers gravitate towards more complicated, better-performing mods as they get used to vaping. However, this isn’t for everybody. If you’re just looking to start vaping as a replacement for smoking, you don’t want to deal with all the extra buttons and superfluous features, and the fact that the most capable devices are generally more complicated can be annoying. Thankfully, the number of devices offering the best of both worlds is increasing, and the Rebel 3 from VaporFi could be one of the best examples yet.
With a 5.8 ml capacity sub-ohm tank, a massive 3000 mAh battery and a sleek, compact design, the Rebel 3 is what would happen if a beast of a tube mod had a baby with a simple vape pen. The kit is expensive, though, at $119.99 $69.99, so it’s a bit of an investment for an interested vaper. But is it worth it? We’ve put the device to the test for our VaporFi Rebel 3 review to find out.
What You Get
The Rebel 3 vape pen comes in a kit with the battery, the 5.8 ml tank (with a 0.5 ohm atomizer head pre-installed), a spare 0.5 ohm atomizer head, a USB charger, wall adapter and an instruction manual so you know what you’re doing with the device.
The Design
Appearance
The VaporFi Rebel 3 mod doesn’t do anything outlandish when it comes to appearance: it’s a solid black tube with a squat tank on top and a wide-bore drip tip sitting on top. The device is available in black or stainless steel, and only features minimal branding, with “VaporFi” engraved towards the bottom of the tube, “Rebel 3” on the base and the “VF” logo adorning the rectangular fire button.
The main thing you’ll notice is that it’s pretty short for a mod and very fat, allowing it to accommodate the 3000 mAh battery without resorting to a boxy shape. The wide windows for the tank add to this overall look, and the neat seams between the battery and tank sections give it a very sleek appearance. Overall, the VaporFi Rebel 3 vaporizer looks excellent.
Structure and Layout
The Rebel 3 vaporizer has a basic layout: the battery tube at the bottom has a spring-loaded 510 connection on the top edge, and the tank screws directly onto this. The tank separates into three main pieces: the base (with the coil screwed into it), the body of the tank and the drip tip. This makes it pretty easy to clean, and means there aren’t too many pieces to put back together when you’re done.
The rectangular fire button sits towards the top of the battery section, and there’s a small USB port to the left of it for recharging. To the right of the fire button there’s a small LED that switches on when you press the fire button, and flashes either slowly (to show you have plenty of battery life left) or quickly (to show it’s time to charge).
Airflow Control Ring
The airflow control ring on the base of the Rebel 3’s tank gives you control over the type of draw you get from the device. It’s a slot-style adjustable airflow, with the slots on opposite sides of the device being thin and long to allow for plenty of air to come through without taking up too much vertical space on the device. The outer, black ring rotates easily and allows you to uncover as much of the slot as you like, or even close it off entirely if you want to carry the device without fear of leaking.
If you’re a smoker and you prefer a “mouth to lung” style draw (more info on this in our vaping vs. smoking post), the adjustable airflow can easily be set to accommodate your preferences. However, it must be said that the device is really intended for a more open airflow, and it does perform best with the airflow control at least half-open.
Overall
The VaporFi Rebel 3 vaporizer pen does a great job when it comes to design. It has a no-nonsense approach to design, with a minimalist appearance, no unnecessary buttons or dials but still plenty of handy little extras to make sure you get the sort of vape you’re looking for.
VaporFi Rebel 3 Review: Performance
Vapor Production
Thanks to the sub-ohm coils included with the Rebel 3 and the ample airflow, the vapor production you get is excellent. It isn’t a device for the dedicated cloud-chasers, admittedly, but with a four-second (or so) puff and the airflow open all the way, the vapor production is definitely satisfying. In comparison to other devices that are this easy to use, the Rebel 3 comes off looking very capable indeed. You won’t win a cloud contest with it, but it offers more than enough for anybody apart from cloud-chasers.
Flavor
The Rebel 3 also does really well when it comes to flavor. The included atomizer heads use organic cotton, and this puts them right up there with some of the best sub ohm tanks for flavor. As always, closing off the airflow a little boosts the flavor, but regardless of your setup you’ll be able to taste all the main flavor notes of your juice. The lack of variable wattage is a bit of a sticking point here, though, because it means you can’t really do anything to find the “sweet spot” for your specific flavor.
VaporFi Rebel 3 Review: In Use
With a great design and solid performance, the Rebel 3 vape mod does an excellent job on paper, but what about when it comes to the day-to-day use of the device? Does the lack of top-filling on the tank cause issues? What’s the battery life like?
Refilling the Tank
Refilling the Rebel 3 vape tank is very straightforward despite the bottom-filling design. You unscrew the top section of the tank – whether by taking the whole tank off first or just unscrewing above the airflow control ring – making sure to invert the device as you do, then you’re left with a nice big space to fill up into. All you have to do is avoid getting juice into the central tube. A top-filling design would have been a little better, but on the whole it’s simple enough to use as it is.
Changing Coils
Changing your coil is the other common task you’ll have to do with the Rebel 3, although your coils should last a couple of weeks (depending on how much you vape). This process is very similar to refilling (invert and unscrew the tank section), but you simply unscrew the coil from the base and screw the new one in its place. After priming the coil with a few drops of e-juice and leaving the tank full for 5 to 10 minutes (so the liquid has time to soak in) you’re good to go.
Comfort and Portability
The Rebel 3’s short, squat design makes it great when it comes to comfort as you vape and portability. Although it’s a fat vape mod, it fits snugly in your hand and the near-flush fire button makes operating it about as comfortable as it can get. The device is also really portable, easily fitting into a pocket and being pretty easy to slip into a bag. It’s a bit heavy – which is unavoidable for such a high-capacity battery – but on the whole it does a great job on both fronts.
Battery Life and Recharging
The huge 3000 mAh battery and the non-VW nature of the Rebel 3 means you get exceptional battery life from the device. It will comfortably last you through a day of vaping, and for me it’s consistently taken me into a second day before it needed recharging. The only downside is that the battery life indicator (whether the LED flashes quickly or slowly) is a little imprecise, and a traffic light system (like on the iTaste series from Innokin) would have been better.
Recharging is as simple as plugging in the included USB cable and letting it work its magic. The good news for just-switching smokers or anyone without a spare device is that you can vape while charging, even though this does increase the time it takes the device to fully charge.
Does the Rebel 3 Tank Leak?
A common issue with atomizers is leaking, and it’s a daily annoyance with some tanks and particularly RDAs. The Rebel 3 tank fares quite well in this area, though, with some minor leaking from the airflow slot occasionally, but most of the time the device doesn’t have issues. This is a really big plus-point, and makes using the Rebel 3 a pleasant experience most of the time.
Overall
The VaporFi Rebel 3 vaporizer lives up to its potential in use. While it isn’t the perfect device for enthusiastic, long-term vapers when it comes to performance, it works just as you want it to, and you can vape with it all day without issues.
Build Quality
As with everything from VaporFi, the build quality on the Rebel 3 is absolutely excellent. Everything connects together securely, the airflow control ring rotates smoothly and the whole device is incredibly sturdy. There are no complaints here at all: the mod is beautifully put together.