GEEKVAPE Aegis HERO 5 Review: A Solid Upgrade Over the H45

Design & Build Quality

What I like the most about the Hero 5’s design is just how much it resembles its full-sized vape mod brother, the Legend 5. Remove the pod, and the Hero 5 looks like a shrunken-down mini Legend 5, just waiting for a mini subohm tank to go with it. I’ve always liked the styling of Geekvape’s Aegis mods, so I think they made some great design choices with the appearance of the Hero 5.

The Hero 5 is decidedly small considering it’s a mid-power pod mod with a 2000mAh battery. It’s 94.5mm tall, 31.2mm wide, and 45.5mm deep, and it weighs just around 111g with an empty pod. This isn’t quite as small as ‘typical’ tall and thin pod vapes, but as a pod mod, the Hero 5 isn’t even in the same category, so a comparison is a bit unfair.

When you consider the size of typical pod mods, the Hero 5 is one of the smallest I’ve gotten my hands on. It may not be able to fire at as high a wattage as something like the INNOKIN Coolfire PZPulse, but 50W is a lot of power in a device that is not much larger or heavier than some disposable vapes on the market.

The C-frame metal bezel, a signature of Geekvape’s Aegis devices, looks great on the Hero 5, as does the small leather grip that it surrounds. I’ve been using the Steel Silver and Iron Black colors during my testing, and they’re both rather reserved in appearance. But Blaze Red and Turbo Blue colors are also available, which are vibrant and attractive if you want a pop of color on your device. Other color options are Racing Green, Frost Mint (very cool looking), and Pure White.

The front of the device features a power/firing button, a 0.96-inch full color display, and a physical lock switch. The power button feels good, requiring a bit of force to activate, and producing an audible ‘click’ when pressed. The display is nice, offering a choice of three themes, as well as basic vaping information.

The physical locking switch is a nice inclusion on the Hero 5. It’s a first on a Hero device, and it makes putting the Hero 5 in your pocket much safer, so it’s a welcome addition.

Pod & Coils

The pod for the Hero 5 is very similar to the one for the H45 and H45 classic, but it now has a 6.5ml capacity compared to the 4.5ml capacity of its predecessors. Due to the increase in capacity, the pod protrudes about 8mm above the body of the device. However, the airflow control ring and mouthpiece combo have been shortened, resulting in the Hero 5 being around the same height as the H45.

The airflow control ring being located just below the mouthpiece gives the Hero 5 a couple of advantages over bottom-airflow devices. Firstly, it makes the pod more leak-resistant, as there’s no way for e-juice to travel out of the airflow slots. Second, it’s easier to access. I also found that the ring-style airflow allowed for precise adjustments, which I liked.

The downside is that, like other top airflow devices, this airflow setup isn’t as flavorful as a bottom airflow design; that’s the tradeoff for improved leak resistance. But unless you really have a keen sense of taste, you likely won’t notice a drastic difference. I think the Hero 5 still puts out some pretty great flavor regardless.

Like the airflow, the fill port is also located on top of the pod, further limiting the places where e-juice can escape. The rubber plug is deep and thick, so it seals the fill port nicely when closed. Filling can be done without removing the pod, and the fill port itself is wide and large enough that I didn’t have any trouble filling with a standard 100ml chubby bottle.

I dislike a few things about the pod. For one, it’s very darkly tinted, so even though the pod sits above the device a fair bit, it’s impossible to see into. Another peeve is how loose the drip tip is. It comes out with even the lightest touch, which happens a lot when I try to remove the pod from the device. Slightly larger o-rings would solve this issue, but I didn’t have any lying around to try swapping.

In the box with the Hero 5, you get two coils: a 0.4Ω B Coil (25-35W) and a 0.2Ω B Coil (50-58W). These have been upgraded to provide better flavor and last longer than older B Coils.

If these are quite to your liking, many other coil resistances are available. These B Coils are used by 10 of Geekvape’s other devices, so they’re widely available too.

Coils push into the bottom of the pod and have a flat side that has to be aligned in a specific orientation for a proper seal. Make sure you fit them correctly, or you’ll have leaking!

Features

Geekvape’s website specifies the Aegis Hero 5 as shockproof, but unlike the H45 Classic, it’s not listed as IP68 rated. That’s disappointing, as I was really looking forward to tossing it in a bucket of water and rolling it around in the sand, but I guess I’ll have to save those activities for another device.

Back to the ‘shockproof’ designation, though. The Hero 5 will probably survive a few drops, but as Geekvape offers no specifics, I can’t say from how high or how many drops it’ll take before it breaks. It’s mostly made of metal, so it’s likely to be durable, but the screen logically seems to be the weak point.

The 0.96-inch display is basic, but it does offer three different themes. I’m not big on any of them, but the red/orange theme is my favorite because it looks clean and neat. All three themes display your battery status (only one shows a battery percentage, though), output wattage, lock status, and coil resistance. It’s basic, but it provides just enough info to get by with.

Switching themes is done by pressing the button twice. Pressing it three times allows you to change the wattage, five times turns the device on or off, and seven times displays your puffs with the option to clear the counter.

The wattage for each coil is limited according to its resistance, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on your level of experience with vaping.

For beginners, it’s a plus because it keeps you within safe limits for your coil and prevents you from prematurely burning it out. But for those with a bit more experience, this feature will limit you from exceeding what Geekvape has deemed as ‘safe’. As far as I’ve found, there’s no way to turn this limiting off.

Battery Life & Charging

In my testing, the Aegis Hero 5 offered impressive charging and solid endurance for such a compact device. The upgrade from the H45’s 1400mAh capacity to 2000mAh was definitely needed for the Hero 5. 

Using the 0.4Ω coil at around 32W, I was able to vape through an entire pod on a single charge. This translated to about two to three days of moderate use before needing to recharge, which is respectable for a pod mod.

When running the 0.2Ω coil at higher wattages, around 42–45W, I noticed understandably shorter usage times. I averaged just under a full pod per charge, which was roughly one to two days of use.

With its 2A Type-C charging, the battery goes from empty to 80% in about 42 minutes and reaches a full charge in around 55 minutes. The screen displays a charging percentage the entire time while charging, and it doesn’t turn off, so you can always see where it’s at a glance.

Performance

The Hero 5 is made for direct lung and restricted direct lung vaping, and the coils that it comes with will do just that, but nothing else. It’s possible to do MTL by closing the airflow off entirely with the 0.4Ω coil, but the vapor is hot and harsh. If you want a MTL device, check out our pod vape reviews, or our buyer’s guide of the best pod vapes.

The 0.4Ω coil is best from 25-35W, but I settled on 32W as the sweet spot. I mostly used a 6mg freebase ejuice, but it worked fine with a 12mg salt as well. There’s a touch of restriction but still a lot of airflow wide open, and it can be brought down to a RDL (restricted direct-lung) draw by closing the airflow down. 

For a very airy direct lung draw, the 0.2Ω coil does great. I maxed it out at 50W, which is still at the bottom of the range for its 50-58W rating, and it’s like using a mid-power mod. I get some decent clouds using this coil, and with a 6mg freebase ejuice the draw is excellent.

Flavor from both coils is great, but the 0.2Ω coil is best. The top airflow definitely takes away some of the flavor potential from these coils, but the Hero 5 has proven to be leak resistant. Under the pod has remained dry for the entire two weeks that I’ve been using the Hero 5, so if you’re particularly concerned about leaking, it might be worth the trade off.

Verdict

The Aegis Hero 5 is a great pocket-sized replacement for a mod and tank. It brings some nice upgrades over the H45 and H45 Classic, with its larger 2000mAh battery, increased 6.5ml pod capacity, and improved B coils, and strikes a nice balance between portability and performance. 

Flavor is great, especially with the 0.2Ω coil, and the leak-resistant top-airflow design will appeal to vapers who are tired of messy pods, even if it sacrifices a bit of flavor compared to bottom-airflow systems. 

Battery life is solid for a 50W pod mod, with quick charging times and enough juice to last one to three days depending on the coil and wattage you use. However, while it’s a good and compact choice for DL and RDL vaping, with plenty of airflow and cloud potential, it’s not a good fit for MTL users.

Some other downsides include the pod’s dark tint, which makes it difficult to see e-liquid levels, and the loose drip tip, which is a small but noticeable annoyance. It’s also disappointing that Geekvape dropped the IP68 rating from the H45 Classic, so you’ll have to be careful if you use it around water or in dusty environments.

Overall, the Hero 5 is a reliable, well-designed pod mod that delivers satisfying flavor, large clouds, and a hassle-free vaping experience. If you’re looking for a compact DL/RDL pod mod that can rival larger setups while keeping leaks at bay, the Aegis Hero 5 is definitely worth considering.