Our VaporFi Rocket 3 review takes a look at the sub ohm capable device, boasting a 2,500 mAh battery, three wattage settings, temperature control and a top-filling tank. Is it the ideal device for new vapers? Is it worth $49.99?
Is it worth picking up?
The VaporFi Rocket 3 is a great device for newer vapers, combining substantial battery life with a nice selection of features while still keeping everything really easy to get to grips with. The only real sticking-point is a familiar one for VaporFi devices: it’s a bit too expensive.
Although you do get the battery, a tank and two coils, for $49.99 it’s a sizable investment, and you can find similar devices for less money. However, VaporFi does put out quality devices, and if you want a high-quality, easy-to-use vape pen and you aren’t on a tight budget, it’s a great option.
Full review
Striking the balance between excellent performance and ease-of-use is one of the biggest issues you’ll face when you’re looking for a new e-cigarette. Vape mods have a lot of advantages when it comes to performance and battery life, but most of them are a little too complicated for new vapers. On the other end of the spectrum, simple vape pens can’t be beaten on ease of use, but when it comes to performance they can leave a lot to be desired.
VaporFi understands this trade-off well, and the VaporFi Rocket 3 is one of their best attempts to offer newer vapers that mod-like performance without compromising simplicity. However, the device comes in a kit priced at $89.99 $49.99, so it’s a bit more expensive than many of the best e-cigs on the market. But is it worth paying more for? We’ve put the device to the test in our VaporFi Rocket 3 review to find out.
VaporFi Rocket 3 Starter Kit: What You Get
The Rocket 3 mod from VaporFi comes in a kit with the battery, the tank, a pre-installed 0.5 ohm atomizer and a spare 0.1 ohm Ni200 atomizer to use in TC mode. The kit is completed by an instruction manual and two spare O-rings. This is a good offering, with everything you need to start using the device apart from e-juice.
The Design
Appearance
The VaporFi Rocket 3 e-cig mod has a simple-but-effective design, both functionally and aesthetically. The battery and tank are available in six colors – black, white, stainless steel, red, blue and purple – and you can mix-and-match the tank and device color. I got both parts in blue, giving the device a cohesive look, with the chrome top cap, bottom cap, fire button and airflow adjustment ring breaking it up a little.
The main tube has a uniform diameter, and the overall appearance isn’t marred by overly large logos or branding. It says “VaporFi” towards the bottom of the battery, there’s the “VF” logo on the fire button and “Rocket 3” is etched onto the bottom cap, but other than that the whole thing is bare.
The Rocket 3 Tank
The VaporFi Rocket 3 Tank is a top-filling sub ohm tank with a 3.5 ml capacity. It’s structured like most other tanks, with the coil screwed into the base and a chimney running up the center. The tank has two large rectangular windows so you can easily see how much juice is left, and the thin top cap screws off to reveal two spots for refilling. The refilling spots are small and diamond-shaped, but leave plenty of space to fill up with the dripper spout of your e-juice bottle.
The tank comes apart easily, making cleaning a breeze. The base unscrews and comes out along with the atomizer head, and then the top cap can be removed to complete the disassembly of the tank. The only bit that causes an issue is the top cap, which is a little difficult to get a grip on sometimes. Overall, though, the tank is well set out and easy to use.
Airflow Control Ring
One particularly important feature on the tank is the airflow control ring. This features two groups of three holes each, which can be closed off or opened up to suit your tastes. The ring rotates freely, and by turning it, you can set it to one, two or three holes open on each side. If you want finer control, you can also set it so one, two or three holes are partially open on each side too. The Rocket is better set up for vapers who like an airy draw, but you can close it off for a good mouth-to-lung vape if you prefer.
510 Connection
Although the VaporFi Rocket 3 Tank is a perfect match for the device, you can use the vape-pen-turned-mod with any atomizer with standard 510 threading. The battery supports sub ohm vaping, too, so it’s actually a viable battery to use with other tanks and atomizers.
Fire Button and LED
Finally, the circular, metallic fire button sits almost flush to the body of the device, and has a small LED light underneath it. The fire button is easy to press and lets out an audible click as you do, and the LED light shows your current setting and the remaining battery life. Your current setting is shown as you fire, and afterwards the LED lights up green to show a full battery, white to show one that’s on its way down and red to show that you’ll need to charge soon.
The Design – Overall
The Rocket 3 vaporizer pen has an aesthetically-pleasing design, is laid out sensibly and is easy to set up to suit your preferences. Overall, VaporFi did a great job with the design.
Variable Wattage and Temperature Control Features
Despite being a beginner-friendly device, the Rocket 3 packs a couple of excellent features that would be more at home on a high-end mod: variable wattage and temperature control. These both work in the same way: press the fire button three times in quick succession to change your setting. A red light indicates the Rocket 3 is working at 30 W / 400 F (depending on your mode), white means 40 W / 500 F and green means 50 W / 600 F.
Changing between temperature control mode and wattage mode is handled automatically. If you attach the ordinary 0.5 ohm coil, the Rocket 3 operates in wattage mode. If you screw in the 0.1 ohm Ni200 coil, it’ll work in TC mode. This is perfect for newer vapers: not only is changing your setting easy, but the mode selection is handled for you.
VaporFi Rocket 3 Review – Performance
The most important thing about the device is how it vapes, and the Rocket 3 does a solid job on this front.
The three settings give you the ability to control the sort of performance you get from the device, but even the lowest setting (with the LED red) offers substantial vapor production and great flavor. On the red setting, the vapor production is much better than standard vaporizer pens and the flavor comes through well too. For new vapers, the dense clouds and vibrant flavor on this setting will be more than satisfying.
The medium setting (white LED) improves both flavor and vapor even further, though, with vapor production on par with many sub ohm tanks and flavors even more pronounced. The green setting is ideal for longer-term vapers looking for huge clouds, but depending on your juice the flavor may start to diminish a little. Some juices will taste better on this setting, but higher-VG blends in particular start to suffer a bit here.
Overall, the performance from the VaporFi Rocket 3 vape pen is excellent. Although more complicated devices do have better-captured flavor and much bigger clouds, if you’re looking for something with the simplicity of vape pen, this is right up there with the best you’ll find.
VaporFi Rocket 3 Review – In Use
The Rocket 3 has a user-friendly design and offers excellent performance across all settings, but how does it cope with your day-to-day vaping needs? Does the battery last long enough? Does it leak? Is changing coils and refilling easy for a beginner?
Battery Life
The Rocket 3’s battery has a huge 2,500 mAh capacity, which offers more than enough battery to get you through a day of vaping. How much you get out of this depends on the setting you’re vaping at and how much you vape, but most users will get a day’s worth of vaping out of the device before needing to recharge. I tend to drain the battery by the evening, vaping fairly heavily through the day on the medium setting.
Recharging is as simple as plugging in the included USB cable and waiting until the LED goes out. This takes around two to three hours. Unfortunately you can’t vape while charging, which is a useful feature for newer vapers without a spare device.
Changing Coils and Refilling
These are the two most common things you’ll have to do with the device, and thankfully both are pretty easy. Refilling is the simplest task, thanks to the top-filling system on the tank. All you have to do is unscrew the top cap to reveal the two fill holes, and then drip juice into one of them until the tank is full. Screw the cap back on and you’re good to go.
Changing coils means unscrewing the base of the tank. The base comes off with the coil inserted into it, and you simply unscrew this and put the new one in its place to change it. This is much easier with an empty tank, but you can do it with a part-full one (with the tank inverted) as long as your juice level is below the opening in the central stem.
Does the Rocket 3 Leak?
While leaking isn’t common with the VaporFi Rocket 3 mod, I did suffer a couple of leaks through the airholes during testing. The good news is that the leaking was only minor, and only required a quick wipe with a paper towel. It wasn’t the sort of streaming, drain-your-tank sort of leak you may get with other devices.
Comfort and Portability
Tube-style devices generally do well in terms of comfort, and the Rocket 3 vape mod is no exception. Your thumb falls naturally by the fire button and the long, thin stature of the device means it’s a comfortable fit in your hand.
For portability, tube-style devices aren’t as convenient as box mods, but the Rocket 3 can still be slipped into a loose pocket or a bag easily enough. You’ll need to switch it off with five quick presses of the fire button to prevent accidental activation, though.
In Use – Overall
The VaporFi Rocket 3 e-cig mod is simple enough to use for a new vaper, has ample battery life to get you through a day of work and rarely suffers leaking, making it a stand-out device in use.
Build Quality
The VaporFi Rocket 3 vape pen is solidly-built. The chunky stature and the metallic body give it a robust feel, and the parts all screw together snugly. The threading on the top cap and base can give you a bit of trouble every so often, but once you’ve got the two sections lined up right, everything works just as it should.