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Usonicig Zip Nic Salt Starter Kit 1200mAh

timwis

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Hi Vaping Underground members, In this review i take a look at the Zip Starter Kit 1200mAh from Usonicig. The Zip Starter Kit 1200mAh was supplied for the purpose of this review by Cecily from Usonicig.

http://www.usonicig.com/ZIP/index.aspx



Introduction

Usonicig introduced themselves to vaping with their debut launch the Rhythm in 2018, and did so bravely using innovative ultrasonic frequency to produce vaper. The coil-less technology uses ultrasonic frequency to vibrate the saturated ceramic plate so rapidly it causes the e-liquid to vaporise. It heats the liquid using this vibration method at a lot lower temperature than traditional heating coils which is said to be a healthier way of vaping and also is more suitable for Nic Salts and CBD. One of the issues with the Rhythm is the vaper was just too cool to be enjoyable, slow ramp up and quite weak. I also found the technology is far less friendly on battery life, so what's been altered with the Zip? The main difference is it now uses higher frequency vibration, 3.0 MHz rather than the previous 2.4 MHz and is a far tighter draw, but does this remedy all the issues? I give my opinion!

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In The Box



Contents:

1 x Usonicig Zip Kit
1 x USB Cable
1 x User Manual
1 x Warranty Card

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Aesthetics and Ergonomics

The Zip comes in cardboard box packaging and on opening in the top tray sits a nice looking large pod device. I received the Pink version which is a nice deep Pink, it's also available in Blue, Orange, Black and Silver, all versions come with a dark tinted pod installed. The colour of choice is on both sides of the device and back, on the front it curves from top and bottom towards the centre but doesn't meet, this central section and base are Black. The main chassis is metal either Zinc Alloy or possibly Aluminium, central on the Black section of the front we have a pill shaped fire button which tapers slightly at the bottom in the colour of choice, above this button not seen unless it lights up is a LED ring, then at the bottom we have the Usonicig logo. On one side is the micro USB port, then the back has "ZIP" printed in White at the bottom and where the device meets the pod the main chassis has a flat bottomed "V" shape. As mentioned the pod is darkly tinted and has a duckbill type shape, the base has safety marks and venting. The Zip is large for a pod system but then due to the technology in the pod and the need for a reasonable sized battery it always was going to be. I think the device looks really nice and some good colour options available, it feels very well made.




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Zip Specs and Features:

Size: 34 x 20 x 94mm
E-liquid Capacity: 2.0ml (Max)
Battery Capacity: Built-in 1200mAh
Ultrasonic Frequency: 3.0MHz
Charging Time: ≤1.5hr
For both Nicotine salts and higher CBD
Innovative Top-Rotate Filling(TRF) design
Coil-less heater without burning
3.0 MHz vibration frequency
Ultrasonic Chip for more than 5000 puffs
Child-proof system and battery protections
Colours: Blue, Pink, Orange, Black, Silver



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The Pod

As mentioned the pod is large, darkly tinted and has a duckbill style mouth section. The upper section of the pod has small rectangular buttons front and back which i will talk about in the next section. Looking at the base we have the bottom of the Ultrasonic plate central with positive centre, then indented either side we have large magnets, you don't get a spare pod. Their is a lot going on inside the pod compared to a traditional coil but it's all very technical so if it interests you Usonicig have a video on their website. On the upper section of the pod there are 3 tiny air holes either side that feed down isolated from the e-liquid to the Ceramic plate.



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Top-Fill

The pod has a rotating top fill system which is the biggest pro of the device as it's so well done. As mentioned on the upper section of the pod we have a button front and back, both have to be pressed in then the top will rotate to reveal 2 very large (for a pod) fill ports. The top rotates with perfect resistance and when turning back to close it locks in place with a satisfying click, it's very sturdy, a very good job has been done. The fill ports have a self sealing membrane and raised rubber surrounds to seal against the top section when closed, an extra measure to prevent any leaking. To fill the pod push your nozzle through the seal and fill, there is a max line on the outside of the pod the only problem is with the pod being tinted so dark it's not easy at all to see the liquid inside the pod. Once you have possibly guestimated (not a word, i know) you have about filled it to the max line pull your nozzle out and the port reseals, the pod holds 2ml of liquid.



Actual pods are all Black and do not have clear section unfortunately.

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Fitting The Pod

Looking inside the device we can see the contacts then each side is a raised magnet. The magnets are very strong you can feel the pull on the pod as it enters the device, once in place the pod is very secure.



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Review Continued Below:
 

timwis

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Review Continued:

Operating The Device

To turn the device on and off is five clicks of the fire button and to confirm you get a little light show from the LED ring as it goes through the sequence Red, Blue, White, twice. When on simply press the fire button to vape. The device does have battery indication but very limited, when the battery is above 20% the LED ring lights White and when the battery goes below 20% it lights Red. The device has several safety protections which are indicated by various flashes of the LED ring, the anti dry burning works by if the chip identifies there is not enough liquid on the Ceramic it will not fire, for this reason after filling for the first time leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before using.



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Protections

Short Circuit Protection
Low Voltage Protection
Over Vape Protection
Disconnect Protection
Anti Dry Burning
Over Charging Protection
Over Heating Protection



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Using The Zip

The technology is still a work in progress and the Zip is far from perfect but much improved compared to the Rhythm. Like the Rhythm from cold it has a long ramp up period so if you haven't taken a vape for a while holding the fire button for a couple of seconds before vaping gives much better results, but once warmed up although having some ramp up time it vapes far better than the Rhythm. The vape is still cool but just slightly warmer than on the Rhythm, i'm not so sure it's the higher MHz that's made it warmer, i personally think it might have more to do with the draw. The draw is on the tight side which suits it better, it's much akin to taking a draw from a cigarette. The device is comfortable in the hand and the mouthpiece feels comfortable between the lips. The fire button seems a little low on the device and doesn't protrude much but is very clicky, it's position makes it comfortable when firing with the thumb but finger firing it when clenched in the hand is a little awkward. Although the vape isn't as cool as with the Rhythm it's still only for people who like a cool vape or can tolerate it to try new technology. I loved the innovation when the Rhythm was released but the Zip is a more fit for purpose vaping device. The device does flood on occasions which isn't pleasant when you get e-liquid in the mouth which is something they have got to improve on their next device. The battery indication is only just better than not having any, i suppose getting a 20% warning is better than nothing. The flavour is very muted to start with and took 3 fills but then it seems to switch on like a light bulb and goes from muted to giving really good flavour in an instant (very strange), with these pods being good for 5000 puffs that's many pod fulls of flavoursome vaping. If you like cloud then the Zip isn't for you as vaper production is quite low. The battery life is quite good for a pod system but the technology definitely seems to take more power than traditional vaping as i would say the 1200mAh battery is the equivalent to a 700mAh battery in a typical pod system but then 700mAh for a pod device is pretty good.



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Final Thoughts

Still room for improvement but i hope Usonicig keep developing this technology as the Zip shows great improvements.



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Likes

Innovation
Good build quality
Out and about size
No coils
Once broken in very good flavour
Cigarette type draw
Ultrasonic technology
Battery status indication
Good colour options
Aesthetically pleasing
Very impressive rotating top-fill
No leaking
Large fill ports
Pod fits securely
5000 puffs per pod claimed (pod longevity)
7 protections including anti dry burning
Lower temperature suits Nic Salts and CBD
Battery seems to give equivalent of about 700mAh with traditional pod which is still good life


Cons

Cooler vape than traditional e-cigarette (but warmer than Rhythm)
Very slow ramp up from cold
Quite low vaper production
Approx 3 fills to break in
Hard to see juice level
Although battery status indication it's very limited
Periodically it floods
Only one pod



I would once again like to thank Cecily for supplying the Zip Starter Kit 1200mAh for the purpose of this review.

http://www.usonicig.com/ZIP/index.aspx

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