Our VaporFi Pro 3 review takes a look at the beginner-friendly starter kit. It might not offer sub ohm vaping, airflow control or many features at all, but is the bare-bones vape pen just what smokers are looking for?
Is it worth picking up?
The VaporFi Pro 3 starter kit is a good device for newer vapers, offering passable performance and being very easy to use. However, the vape pen does have several limitations, particularly when it comes to flavor and battery life, as well as vapor production to a lesser degree.
Nothing is bad, necessarily, but other devices available from VaporFi themselves and other manufacturers can offer you a lot more for your money. For example, VaporFi’s Rocket 3 mod is similarly easy to use, but also supports sub ohm vaping, has adjustable airflow, has a much bigger battery and even has temperature control.
New vapers would be happy with the Pro 3 vape pen, but we’d recommend considering other devices before you make the purchase.
Full review
VaporFi ranks among the most well-known and widely-recommended companies in the vaping industry. They’ve kept pace with the rapid evolution of the vaping scene, putting out everything from basic cigalikes and vape pens through to sub ohm-compatible beginner devices and higher-end temperature-control box mods. Whatever type of device you’re looking for, VaporFi has something for you.
The VaporFi Pro 3 is one of the more basic devices from the company, offering a simple vape pen experience with handy additional features like a top-filling tank and the ability to vape while you charge. But for all it has to offer, the device doesn’t come cheap, priced at $39.99 for the kit. So is it worth picking up? We’ve taken a look at the device for our VaporFi Pro 3 review to find out.
VaporFi Pro 3 Starter Kit: What You Get
The VaporFi Pro 3 starter kit comes with the 1,000 mAh battery, the 2.5 ml capacity tank, two 2 ohm atomizer heads, a USB charging cable and some spare O-rings. This all comes in a basic white box, with the main parts individually-packaged. It might not be a huge selection of goodies, but as long as you have e-juice it’s enough to get you started.
VaporFi Pro 3 Design
Appearance
The VaporFi Pro 3 vape pen has a no-nonsense look. Mine is solid silver, with the matching tank and battery producing a uniform, understated and professional look. The device doesn’t have much to disturb the overall appearance, with two rectangular windows on opposite sides of the tank, a circular fire button towards the top of the battery section and a mini-USB port at the bottom. The “VaporFi” logo is printed on the device in silver, so it fades into the background of my device and isn’t too noticeable.
You can pick up the Pro 3 in several colors: black, pink, red, teal, purple, blue or green in addition to silver. You can choose to mix-and-match the battery and tank color, if you like. On other battery colors, though, the logo will stand out more because it’s always printed in silver.
Overall, the VaporFi Pro 3 vape has a simple but effective appearance, looking stylish and professional without drawing too much attention to itself.
The Pro 3 Tank
The VaporFi Pro 3 Tank included with the kit has a pretty interesting design, taking cues from the Aspire Cleito and incorporating the coil and the central chimney of the tank into the same unit. The 2 ohm coils are tall, with four columns composed of five square wicking ports each around the sides. This gives the tank plenty of space to soak up e-juice and improves performance by reducing the distance between the coil and the mouthpiece.
To assemble the tank, you simply insert the atomizer head and chimney section into the tank section – matching up the flattened edges – and then screw the bottom piece in place. The assembled tank then screws onto the battery in the same way any other atomizer would.
Top-Filling System
The tank also features a top-filling system, to make it easier to keep topped up with e-juice. To fill your tank, all you do is unscrew the cap at the base of the mouthpiece and then fill up into the opening around the edges. All you have to do is avoid getting juice into the center tube and keep an eye on the windows around the side of the tank so you’ll know when to stop filling!
Airflow
There is no airflow control on the Pro 3. The device uses a system more like that on cigalikes, where there are small blocks cut out of the connection between the tank and the battery to allow air to pass through.
Removable Drip Tip
The Pro 3 Tank also has a removable 510 drip tip. While the one that comes with the kit is a perfect visual match for the device – and gets the job done nicely – you can change it if you like.
510 Connection
The VaporFi Pro 3 e-cig may have a custom-designed tank with it, but if you want to use something else instead, you can. Unscrewing the tank reveals a standard 510 connection, which you can connect a high-ohm tank to and vape if you like. However, the device is only designed to take 2 ohm coils, so you shouldn’t stray too far from this for safety purposes.
Overall
The Pro 3 is pretty simple when it comes to design. However, this is a good thing for newer vapers, and the device does more than enough to get the job done from a design perspective.
VaporFi Pro 3 Review – Performance
The 2 ohm coils included with the device are entirely responsible for the sort of performance you get out of it. For modern-day vaping, a 2 ohm coil may not seem particularly impressive (with sub ohm coils being widespread), but for just-switching smokers looking for a mouth-to-lung vape, this is all they really need.
Despite the high resistance, the coil performs pretty well. For vapor production, after a few-second puff, you get more than enough vapor to replicate the sensation of smoking. It might not offer you clouds that would satisfy cloud-chasers or many longer-term vapers, but for a new user it’ll be more than enough to help you make the transition.
For flavor, the performance is adequate, but it could be better. While you get the key flavor notes of your juice through, the taste is somewhat muted and doesn’t quite live up to the flavor you get with higher-end devices. This is true for better devices from VaporFi – such as the Rebel 3 or the Rocket 3 – or from other manufacturers. If flavor is important to you, I’d go with a slightly higher-end device, such as a sub ohm tank. This isn’t to say the Pro 3 tank’s flavor is bad, but it’s one area where the tank definitely could do better.
Is it for Mouth to Lung or Direct to Lung Vaping?
If you’re just switching from smoking, you’ll probably be looking for a “mouth to lung” vape. This is where you inhale first into your mouth then you take another sharp breath in to send it to your lungs. Some higher-end vaping devices aren’t well set up for this, because more airflow creates more vapor and some people prioritize that. The VaporFi Pro 3’s tiny airflow holes mean that this device works perfectly for “mouth to lung” vaping. However, if you’re a longer-term vaper, it probably won’t be right for you.
The 1000 mAh Battery
The 1,000 mAh battery included with the VaporFi Pro 3 is notably bigger than the ones you’ll find on many basic vape pens, and this translates into a longer time vaping between charges. In testing, the device lasted approximately through a day of work, but this could vary depending on how frequently you vape.
The limitation when it comes to battery life is a little bit irritating, because you’ll have to charge every day between waking up and going to bed. That said, it’s a bit of a necessary evil. To have a portable and slim-line device, a smaller battery is a big bonus. Compare the Pro 3 with the VaporFi Rebel 3 and you’ll see that the trade-off is very much necessary.
One little factor improves this, though: you can vape while the device is charging. This increases the two-to-three hour charging time notably, but it does mean it can serve as your only device without having to wait a long time with nothing to vape. You simply plug it in via USB to charge, and the LED around the fire button changes to red when the battery needs to be charged. Keep it plugged in until the LED light switches off.
VaporFi Pro 3 Review: In Use
The VaporFi Pro 3 vape pen has a cool design, a passable battery and solid performance for a beginner device, but how does it stand up on a day-to-day basis? Is using the Pro 3 a breeze, or a never-ending string of one annoyance after another?
Changing Coils and Refilling the Tank
As always, the two main tasks you’ll have to complete with the Pro 3 is changing the coils and refilling the tank. Thankfully, both processes are simple and new vapers won’t struggle.
Refilling the tank is a breeze: unscrew the top cap, using the indented patterns for grip, set it down somewhere (or just hold it) and drip juice into the opening around the outside.
Changing coils is a little different from on most devices but still easy. You unscrew the tank, invert it, unscrew the bottom cap and then pull out the central core. This is the coil and chimney section, and the new one just goes in its place. Put the bottom cap back on and re-attach the tank and you’re good to go.
Does the Pro 3 Leak?
Leaking is the most common issue you’ll encounter with tanks, and it can really sour the whole experience when it’s ongoing. The good news is that it isn’t a problem here. Throughout testing, there were no issues with leaking at all with the Pro 3. You can confidently have it in a pocket or laid down while charging without worrying about getting e-juice everywhere.
Comfort and Portability
The VaporFi Pro 3 e-cig mod is a reasonably small and slim device, so it fits very comfortably in your hand. The fire button is perfectly positioned so your thumb falls on it in use, and the e-cig is easy to hold loosely without feeling like you’re about to drop it.
The small size of the Pro 3 also makes it a good device for taking out of the house. It slips easily into a bag and can get in most pockets without much of a squeeze. The portability is a great feature for a new vaper, but it’s also a potential selling-point for long-term vapers, who may be looking for something light, small and inconspicuous to use out of the house. Pressing the fire button five times in quick succession locks the device so it won’t fire accidentally in your pocket.
Build Quality
Like most devices from VaporFi, the Pro 3 is solidly-built and dependable. All of the threading fits snugly and comfortably, with no problems with cross-threading during testing. The fire button offers a pleasant amount of resistance but remains easy-to-press, and gives a satisfying click when you do. Overall, while there aren’t many moving parts on the device, everything works perfectly.
See Also: Top 10 vape pens of the year for a list of popular vaporizers on the market.