Once again, we’ll be reviewing a mod, courtesy of Sourcemore. This time, it’s the Vaporesso GEN SE! The mod, featuring a renewed user interface, is powered by the AXON Chip, promising stability, consistent, and excellent flavor right up to the last puff of its battery life. Naturally, it’s also equipped with the usual protections against short circuits, overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, overheating, and low resistance. The device, capable of a maximum of 80 Watts, is designed for RDL, meaning its power delivery won’t be as intense as a device designed exclusively for DL. This also implies it will be perfect for MTL. Honestly, I’m glad the focus isn’t on producing the largest vapor clouds through powerful preheating, but rather on comfortable, leisurely vaping.
Made from aluminum alloy, the ultra-lightweight 80g GEN SE is available in 7 colors: silver, purple gradient, pink, gold, light blue, dark blue, and black. The purple gradient version arrived with me. Let’s take a closer look.
Vaporesso GEN SE Review
Box Contents and Getting to Know the Device
As usual, the box contains mostly just the mod. Well, there is a USB cable and a user manual, but we both know neither will be needed to use the mod.
On the front of the mod, we see the fire button, and below it, the 0.96" TFT display, showing all essential data like battery charge, which is divided into 5 segments, decreasing by one every 20%, along with a lock icon. Below these, we see the mode name, and beneath that, the Wattage value. Further down are the Ohm value and the puff count, which doesn’t appear immediately after a puff; it first shows the puff duration. Below the display are the two navigation buttons, and below them is the slide switch that completely locks the device. Finally, there’s a USB-C port that supports fast charging at 5V/2A, but of course, we’ll be charging the battery in an external charger!
On the right side of the device, we see the Vaporesso logo. This is on a magnetic panel, which, when removed, gives us access to the battery compartment that accepts 1x 18650 battery. The positive terminal (located at the bottom) and its surrounding area are magnetic, making it easy to guide the battery into its place. Since the battery compartment is a snug fit, inserting the battery can be a bit tricky, but it stays securely in place and won’t fall out even if dropped. However, removing it is also quite difficult, despite the inclusion of a ribbon to thread under the battery for easier prying out later.
There’s nothing else on the left side, just the stylized Vaporesso lettering. It’s worth mentioning here that the grip is comfortable, and the sides are rounded. The side panels have curved grooves that create an exclusive effect when light hits them. In contrast, the back is completely smooth. The GEN SE measures 88 x 35.6 x 26mm, making it perfectly fit in hand.
The 20mm diameter 510 connector is reinforced with 3 screws, ensuring it stays stable in place (crucial during drops, it won’t break off). The top of the device itself is 23mm to the rounded edge, but its full width in line with the side panels is 26mm, meaning it can accommodate tanks of this size, though in my personal opinion, 22-23mm tanks look best on it. The 510 rim is, as always, raised by a few tenths of a millimeter, making it impossible to scratch the mod with the tank or the tank with the mod.
On the bottom, there are only the Vaporesso GEN SE lettering and the necessary pictograms, but unfortunately, there are no cooling grooves visible here either, although thankfully, overheating was not an issue during my use.
That’s enough about the exterior; let’s dive into the menu, which we access with the usual 3 quick button presses. The first menu item is Settings, where the first submenu item is Smart mode, which can be turned on/off with a single button press, so I won’t detail it separately. When the fire button is pressed, the OFF text changes to ON, and there’s nothing else remarkable, nor does the wattage adjust on the main screen to match the resistance. So, it’s just the usual. Moving on within Settings, we can check and reset the Puffs, decrease the brightness (it’s at 100% by default), and reset the mod to its factory settings.
Within Settings, the second submenu item is Puff, which is noteworthy. We see 5 slots, meaning it can store puffs for 5 days. So, on Friday, we can still see exactly how much we vaped on Monday. On the main screen, we see the total puffs, which will differ from the count here over time (starting on the 6th day). This is advantageous because it allows us to better track our daily consumption. There is, of course, an option to reset here as well, by selecting the Reset option. By the way, if the days cycle, it will only reset the current day; for example, on the 8th day, you’ll see it counting puffs in the 3rd slot again, but the 4th slot will still show the puff count from 6 days prior.
Within Settings, the third submenu item is Bright, which can be decreased in 10-unit increments. So, if we press the minus button once, it will show 90; if we press it twice, it will show 80, and so on… It’s worth noting here that, understandably, you can’t go below 10, but I don’t think the display is too dim even at the minimum setting, so it’s perfectly usable at 10, which will be especially suitable for night owls.
Within Settings, the fourth submenu item is Default, which means reset to factory settings. Fortunately, the mod clearly states what will happen: it will reset to factory settings if we press Yes, but we can, of course, exit by pressing No.
The above are the submenu items for the first menu item, Settings, but now it’s time to return to what comes after Settings. The second menu item is Themes, where we can choose which of the 3 interactive themes is most appealing to us, and that theme will appear on the main screen during firing and will continue to animate for 3 seconds after the puff. The General theme is the cleanest, while Football and UFO differ in appearance and colors. It really livens up the vaping experience a bit, but I would have preferred an option to turn it off, as I don’t think everyone will like these animations, and unfortunately, they didn’t particularly appeal to me either. It’s also worth noting that the animation appears exactly 1 second after firing, so it won’t appear when entering the menu, as we navigate menus faster than 1 second.
Now that we’ve looked at it both externally and internally, let’s see how the Vaporesso GEN SE performed for me. Here comes the…
User Experience Report
The device itself is incredibly light, weighing only 80g, so even with a battery and tank, it didn’t weigh down any of my pockets. However, due to the tank on it, it became a bit top-heavy, but not excessively so, you just feel the weight of the tank more. It’s very comfortable to hold, and its dimensions are perfectly adequate. The buttons are solid, easy to press, the slide button also moves easily, and there’s nothing in a bag that would dislodge it, it’s that fixed. The magnets are extremely strong, which takes a little getting used to, but this should be considered a positive. The magnet in the battery compartment attracts the positive pole of the battery, which is located at the bottom, but since the space is roughly the same size as the battery itself, it’s a bit difficult to insert, and you have to struggle with it during removal as well, but at least it doesn’t fall out, it just tilts on the negative side, which also takes getting used to, but I think it’s much better this way than if the battery were to fall out. The display is quite spectacular and interactive. The data could have been a bit larger, but there had to be space for the animation, which isn’t that annoying, it just didn’t appeal to me as much, but I’m sure there will be someone who will be blown away by it. On the main screen, at the bottom, there’s always a selected animation visible, which is fine, but after a puff, the entire screen is covered by pulsing, or a football starts approaching, or a flying saucer is about to take off, which you can’t just skip. They don’t react to the fire button, they just keep animating there; you only have to press one of the plus or minus buttons for them to disappear, but then the value is understandably changed, which isn’t a big deal to reset, but these animations bothered me slightly. For goodness sake, we’re adults, we don’t need such flashy stuff! I can certainly say that the animation was definitely not aimed at me, but I’m also sure that some people will like it, which is why I’m not criticizing it too harshly. But really, it’s just a little extra, I don’t even understand why I’m dwelling on this? Oh, I remember. You can’t turn it off! I missed that!
What did impress me about the device, however, were its ease of use and the modes. Without any unnecessary frills (except for the animations), we get a simple-to-navigate menu system, easy-to-learn menu items, and they’ve really only included the essential things (except for the animations) that are indispensable for vaping enthusiasts (except for the animations). My favorite mode, not surprisingly, became F[t], where flavor and experience are clearly the priority! It’s incredible how much good can come out of such a complexly interpretable mode. Now that’s truly appealing about this device! It gradually changes the coil temperature, ramp time, range, and pulse interval. Thanks to this, even Kanthal wasn’t so sluggish, and even when I chain-vaped, it didn’t really get hot, at most the tank became lukewarm, which is precisely the result of this continuous change. Thus, the experience itself becomes the focus with the GEN SE! This continuous change remained technically imperceptible; suddenly, I noticed that the vapor temperature barely changed, and the tank only became lukewarm even after the 15th puff, which is so captivating that I swear everyone needs a mod like this! The Pulse mode can also be very good, although there’s slightly less vapor there, the flavor remains outstanding, thanks to the steady voltage. The Eco mode behaves similarly to Pulse, but it’s the most battery-friendly setting, which is why we have to increase the power a bit here, because the situation is that the battery drives the coil with the least possible voltage, which isn’t bad, but in my opinion, this is best suited for classic, restricted MTL use. I hardly need to introduce the VV mode; here we can adjust the voltage supplied by the battery, i.e., Volts, although with this device, the maximum we can set is 8.8 Volts, but of course, it’s impossible to draw that much from a 4.2 Volt battery, so even when set above 4.2 Volts, it won’t be able to deliver more voltage. This anomaly can only be explained by the fact that the AXON Chip itself can do this much, but it’s in a single-battery mod, not a dual-battery one. If this chipset were put into a dual-battery mod, that 8.8 Volts wouldn’t be so much of a talking point. And here I’d like to touch upon why many people have said over the years why 200+ Watt mods are released when no one uses their tanks at such high values. Well, the answer is the same: the chipset can do this much, the specifications are truthfully listed! Returning to VV mode, it can be quite battery-saving, so it’s worth trying, especially between 1.2-1.5 Ohm, where you’ll see quite impressive battery life.
In terms of experience, the Vaporesso GEN SE has been my loyal companion for the past 2 weeks for both MTL and RDL use! There’s no preheating in the device by default, but thanks to the temperature change in the F[t] mode, I had a quite intense experience, as it always gave a little boost to the fire, which gave a mild preheating sensation, but technically it’s not about that, it simply increased the coil temperature, which created a fantastic experience with less effort than preheating. And when the coil was still hot during chain-vaping, it didn’t engage as much because less was enough to heat up the coil. That’s why the tank didn’t get hot either. It conveyed the flavors perfectly, as a good quality mod should. It produced the most vapor in F[t] mode, although the other modes also performed well, but the differences are noticeable. Pulse, Eco, and VV do not tamper with temperature, ramp time, or anything else, so I think these modes are best suited for classic MTL, or they require a bit more Wattage or Voltage for the usual builds. In any case, I had no problems with any of the modes; in fact, they all performed outstandingly in their own way. They can also be perfect for an RDL tank equipped with an MTL Clapton, although it will be a bit slower with the latter 3 modes, but as a cooling aid, it’s absolutely not bad if the wire doesn’t get burnt immediately. And that’s why it’s specifically highlighted that it’s designed for RDL, because neither MTL nor RDL modes require preheating, as that little extra also needs to be cooled somehow, but if you put an MTL or RDL setup tank on a preheating dual-battery mod, you’ll notice that the coil will last less time, precisely because the preheating, which is usually 20-30 Watts, heats up the coil so much in the first few seconds that if it’s not a DL tank on that preheating dual-battery mod, the carbon will burn much faster, especially if it doesn’t get enough air. That’s why the GEN SE will be a much better choice for an MTL or RDL user!
Now let’s summarize the above. Here come the pros and cons.
Pros 
- Easy and comfortable to hold. The 88 x 35.6 x 26mm is neither too big nor too small. It has just the perfect dimensions, and the rounded edges and side panels ensure an absolutely comfortable grip. Its 80g weight is a champion! It’s barely noticeable even with the battery, and with the right tank, we get the lightest set that we can comfortably carry around, even in a trouser pocket.
- Good material usage. It would be an exaggeration to say the aluminum housing is indestructible, but it’s true that it’s much better and more durable than a plastic-housed mod, and it will still hold up if it accidentally gets damaged. The material usage of the buttons is also outstanding; they don’t rattle, they are solid and precise. In a word: It’s a perfectly assembled device!
- Simple usability. The menu is easy to navigate and remember. We can find all the most essential functions in the GEN SE, which means we don’t have to scroll through different menu items to find what we want to set. So, its usability is No.1!
- Slide switch device lock. It’s much better to slide a switch than to lock a device with a button press. Moreover, with certain types, locking with button combinations doesn’t provide a full device lock. Therefore, I would highlight the slide switch full device lock because it provides maximum security.
- Even heating. The AXON Chip truly delivers what it promises: stability, consistent, and excellent flavor right down to the last puff. During use, the power the chip possesses was constantly noticeable, and before the battery ran out, the intensity of the vaporization was exactly the same as with a fully charged battery. Thus, I would give the AXON Chip the User Special Award!
- Raised 510 connector. If you also like to take care of your devices and tanks, the GEN SE can be a perfect choice, as the 510 connector, raised by a few tenths of a millimeter, ensures that we can take much better care of our devices.
- Strong magnets. Although you have to get used to it a bit because the device’s magnets are incredibly strong, in my opinion, this contributes to the quality we can expect from a device of this caliber. It’s worth thinking ahead a bit when buying, because a magnet that is this strong when new will last much longer!
Contra 
- No cooling option. I think this is a pretty big flaw. Fortunately, with MTL and light RDL usage, neither the device nor the battery will get too hot. But, autumn will eventually end, winter and spring will pass, and summer will come, when the battery in the GEN SE might sweat, whether we want it to or not. Although this depends on the tank, in the case of RDL with an MTL Clapton, there’s a good chance of it happening above 20 Watts. Therefore, a few holes should have been drilled somewhere on the bottom of the device.
Finally, I would just say that there aren’t many devices this perfect on the market! Something doesn’t have to be as powerful as possible; that’s not the point! The experience is what matters! The Vaporesso GEN SE focuses entirely on the experience, and here I would highlight the F[t] mode, which is unbelievably perfect! It doesn’t heat up even during chain-vaping, slows down carbonization, and remains outstanding in flavor and vapor production from the first puff to the last! I can only recommend this device! A must-have for MTL and RDL users!
Thank you for reading! Have a nice day! 
Ha lett volna benne akkor azt is bemutatom, de sajnos nincs. Bár szerintem az F[t] módus übereli, szóval nem is kell bele.