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Anthony Vapes: Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 Mod Tech Review

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with my review of the Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 Mod. Please see bottom for disclaimers and links. Note: This is a retail version and not marked as a sample

Introduction:
The Hugo Vapor Ranger GT234 Mod is a newer mod from somewhat known manufacturer Hugo Vapor. They’ve made some pretty crazy looking mods in the past i remember a few years ago I reviewed their boxer mod but they are probably most well known for their recent squeezer mech squonk mod. The Ranger is a dual 18650 mod rated at 234 watts and is styled more traditionally like a innokin proton or smoant charon mini. Looking around I see the mod for 40-50 USD and it’s listed at 45.95 on elementvape so good price point. It’s available in 2 colors black and red.

Manufacturer's Specs:
  • Dimensions - 88mm by 45mm by 31mm
  • Dual High-Amp 18650 Batteries - Not Included
  • GT234 M4 MCU Chipset
  • Maximum Wattage Output: 234W
  • Output Voltage: 0.5-8.4V
  • Resistance Range: 0.06-3.0ohms
  • Ni200, Titanium, Stainless Steel Compatibility
  • VW Mode
  • TCR Mode
  • Custom User Mode
  • Zinc-Alloy Chassis Construction
  • 2.0" TFT Color Display
  • Ergonomic Design
  • Intuitive Firing Button
  • Two Adjustment Buttons - 1 Menu Button
  • RGB LED Light Bars
  • Magnetized Battery Door Cover
  • Micro USB Port - Upgrade
  • Centered 510 Connection
  • Available in Black or Red
Included in box:
  • 1 Ranger 234W Box Mod
  • 1 Micro USB Cable
  • 1 Instructional Manual
Picture Album
album



Initial Impressions and features
When I first got this Mod, I was pretty impressed with the design. It has the large 2 inch color screen and the symmetrical shape with a front facing fire button like a modefined lyra or hcigar wildwolf but with a bigger screen. The one thing that was odd though was they have a 26mm platform on top for your atomizers, would have been nice to leave it flat as it would have been able to handle a 30mm atomizer but instead with the platform it’s a 26 max unless you don’t mind the platform overhang gap. Outside of that though it ticked most of the boxes i like in a mod so overall I was liking it from the start.

Watt Mode Performance (chart and spreadsheet in picture album)
Now let’s get into some data. I ran my normal testing. I used Sony VTC5A batteries for the testing. Testing resistances were done at .122, .147, .19, and .628 ohms. wattage points were max (234), 200, 150, 100, 75, 50 and 25. At .122 ohms it maxed out at 209 watts and 41 amps. For the rest of the testing it was on the low side 7-16 watts at 100+ but only 2-4 watts under 100 watts. Pretty typical struggle at that resistance and on par with most. At .147 it maxed out at 228 watts. The rest were pretty good 2-4 watts low 100 or more but 1-2 watts high under 100. For the .19 test it maxed out at 231 watts. Again really good but a little on the high side especially at higher wattages where it was way high 8-17 but under 100 6-9 watts high. For the .628 testing it maxed out at 99 watts and 7.889 volts. For the rest of the testing a little high 3-6 watts which is common. The volts shows there is no boost circuit in this mod like most dual battery mods.

Overall I felt the performance of this mod was really good. It struggled a little with the .122 ohm build which is common for most mods at that resistance to struggle a bit. It mostly hits slightly high at .2 or higher but slightly low under .2 overall though pretty accurate mod on par with many of the best ones. I was able to get 234 watts max, so I consider it to be accurately rated at 234 watts. The 7.889 volt limit shows there is no boost circuit. Their manual lists the max Volts at 8.4V so it does fall short of that. They list the theoretical limit which is impossible to achieve. I wish companies wouldn’t do that. If you don’t have a boost circuit the most you should list is around 8V no higher. They list an amp limit on this mod of 50A. The most i got was 41 with a .122 ohm coil which is above average for a dual battery mod (average is around 40 these days) but a bit short of the listed spec. I would have preferred it listed at 40. Personally If i was listing the specs I’d call the mod 230 watts, 8V and 40A. So overall not bad listings except the volt limit and amp limits which i feel are slightly overstated but not too crazy. The mod never got warm when stressing it at all. The mod also fires very fast and the preheats all work correctly. The mod has a M1 mode (watt curve) which works well as well. One issue I had with this mod however is it would stop firing at times. There was no pattern or reason behind it I could find but sometimes it would just stop firing in the middle of a puff. It did it about 20 times in the first 200 puffs but less after and probably around 5% of the time or so but i stopped counting after that. Not a major deal but annoyed me and no other mods had this issue for me so it’s going to get dinged for it but from talking to other reviewers it seems i’m the only one with this issue

Simplified TLDR Power Performance summary
Mod performance is good. Mostly hits just a few watts off on the high side at .2 ohms or more and a few low under .2 ohms. Accurately rated for watts (231), No boost circuit, above average amp limit of 41 but falls short of the 50A listed. Volts tested at 7.889 so a less than the 8.4V listed. M1 (watt curve) works as it should. Randomly stops firing mid puff at times.

Temperature Control Performance
Using SS316 wire in SS mode, I tested 6 builds. 1 simple round single coil, 1 simple round dual Coil, 2 large fancy single coils builds, and 2 large fancy dual coil builds. The mod has full adjustable watts and full adjustable TCR in the preset modes but no TCR mode which is fine since you can adjust it anyway. With that said it’s really hard to pinpoint this one. Nothing I could do or adjust gave any sort of good vape or consistency to it. It was wildly all over the place no matter what I tried to do to dial it in. Overall Not something i’d recommend for TC usage as the best way i could describe it is it flat out doesn’t work at all.
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Other Usage Notes
The mod uses a standard 5 click to lock or unlock the mod but to turn it off it’s in the menu system. The menu system is excellent however. There is a menu button. Press menu 3 times to go into settings. It has power, bypass, watt curve (M1), and TC for SS, Ni200, and Ti wire. I really like that, very easy to use. Depending on your mode you have options for adjustments as well all laid out nicely. In the menu there is a mode on the bottom, scrolling through that presents a ton of options. You have puff counter and clear puff (keeps a lifetime counter plus a counter you can reset) Screen font color settings, screen timeout setting, brightness, and wallpaper options. LED Settings, Board Temp, Live voltage readings from batteries individually, and FW version. Everything you can want from a menu system. The screen also displays individual battery charge as a % per battery. Which is great. Overall very well done and fully featured.

The Hoge Vapor Range GT234 adjusts by .1 watt increments under 10 watts and full watt increments 10 or more and also round robbins. Very well done there and fast and easy to adjust. The mod itself is built solid with no rattle at all, and has a good solid weight to it without feeling heavy. The Battery door is a standard magnetic black plate and It’s easy to get batteries in and out without damaging wraps and takes 2 18650 batteries. It fits great with no play on it and has a coating on the back for protection as well as a warning sticker so well done there. It doesn't need a ribbon and doesn't have one and works like the polar and charon mini mods. There are also 2 LED strips next to the screen which can be turned off or programmed to different colors and modes if that’s your thing

The paint on it looks nice overall and the red i have is red and not pink like some mods, however i do have some chipping on it already so not sure how well it will hold up over the course of a year or so. I think it’ll look pretty bad over time if my 5 weeks of useage put a bunch of chips in it already. The fire button is nice and clicky and a good size. It works well and It never gets stuck or anything though which is as it should be and is really comfy to use. The 510 pin gave me no issues and every atomizer i used on it worked great with no gaps. The mod handles a 26mm atomizer flush on the platform. The 510 is on a 26mm platform. I wish it would have had a flat top as then it could have taken a 30mm atomizer too. The screen is an excellent size 2 inch color screen that is nice and bright and easy to see. Once of the nicest screens I’ve seen out there along with the polar, charon mini, and proton. I love the screen on it. Also for branding the mod itself just the word ranger in the back in a matching color so nicely done. They list 2A charging as well but i don’t recommend charging internally in your mods and I don’t test charge rates of devices like this due to that.

Pros:
  • Power mode performance most of the time
  • Accurately rated for watts
  • good amp limit (41) but overrated
  • good volt limit for a mod without a boost circuit
  • batteries are easy to get in and out without damaging wraps
  • excellent bright 2 inch color screen
  • nice fire button
  • handles 26mm atomizers without overhang
  • watt curve mode (M1)
  • good menu system
  • easy to adjust wattage quickly
  • individual battery voltage readings
  • LEDs with lots of setting and can be turned off
  • nice solid build quality and no button rattle
  • good battery door
  • nice symmetrical design
Cons:
  • TC performance awful
  • overstated volt limit in specs
  • only 2 color options
  • overstated amp limit in specs
  • 26mm platform, if it was flat could handle a 30mm atomizer
  • Mod stops firing mid puff randomly
  • paint chipping
Conclusion
So with all that said, do I recommend this mod or not? I don’t like to do a hard yes or no and this one i have to lean towards the no. It’s not a bad mod by any means and performs good in power mode (outside of the random times it stops firing) but dual 18650 battery mods have so many good options out there without the TC issues and power mode issues. It’s a shame as it’s close to being a really good mod and I love the screen and menu system. If it had working TC, no issues with the firing in power mode, and flatten the top so it takes 30mm atomizers it would be a great mod but as it stands now it’s not something I can recommend. I won’t be adding this mod to my sheet of recs linked down below.

This is Anthony Vapes just keeping it honest, hopefully you all can say the same and i’ll catch you on my next review.

Product Disclaimer
This product was sent to me from Hugo Vapor

Review Disclaimer
Due to possible QC difference your experience may vary.

Reviewer Disclaimer
I’ve been doing vape reviews since late 2016 and have done around 300 reviews to date. I enjoy helping vapers on forums as well and helping contribute to the great vape community. I’m not an “out of the box” reviewer. I do my best to be thorough at all times and have enough experience with many products to tell what’s good and what’s not. All mods get tested with an oscilloscope and stress tested and results are posted in my reviews.

Recommendations and Past Review Links
written reviews list here

Youtube Channel here

Spreadhseet of Recommendations here

Best of 2018 so far list here

Best of 2017 list here
 

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