Lost Vape Grus Review: Setting the Bar for Single Battery Mods

The latest introduction to the Lost Vape Quest range, the Grus mod is a single 21700 / 20700 / 18650 battery mod that can fire up to 100W. As well as VW and VV modes, it also has TC modes for SS316, Ti and Ni. However, there is no DNA chip here; Lost Vape have used their own Quest chip, which we have seen in the Thelema and other pod systems they have released.

So how does a Lost Vape mod fare without the DNA chip? Let’s take a look at the Grus.

Box Contents

• 1 x Grus 100W Mod
• 1 x Type-C USB Cable
• 1 x 18650 Battery Adapter
• 1 x Warranty Card
• 1 x User Menu

Specifications

• Size: 94.6 x 40.5 x 30.5mm
• Weight: 176g
• Battery: Single 21700 / 20700 / 18650
• Can support up to 30mm diameter tanks with no overhang
• Modes: VW / VV / TC
• Output Voltage: 0.8V – 7V
• Power Range: 5 – 100W
• Current Range: 0.3 – 30A
• Temperature Range: 200*F – 600*F / 100*C – 300*C
• Display: 0.96” Colour TFT Screen
• Body Material: Zinc Alloy
• Support Coil Resistance: 0.1ohm – 5.0ohm

Design & Build Quality

The Grus looks really nice. The body of the mod is constructed from zinc alloy and feels solid. You can choose from a stainless steel, gunmetal or black finish on the zinc alloy body. On each side are resin panels, but you can also choose from carbon fiber or wood. 

On the top is a huge stainless steel 510 plate, which will hold atomizers up to 30mm in diameter with no overhang.

The front of the mod has a circular fire button and a color screen which is 0.96”. Below the screen is the up, select and down buttons. Finally, a USB C charge port is at the bottom of the front panel.

On the bottom of the Grus is where you insert a battery. It has a screw out circular cap, which has a fold out little handle to unscrew the cap with. There are three battery venting holes on the battery cap. The positive contact in the mod has a positive indicator engraved into it. With a battery installed, there is no battery wiggle or movement even when using an 18650 battery with the included adaptor.

The build quality on the Grus is spot on. The zinc alloy body has a very strong feel to it, yet the whole mod still feels lovely to hold in the hand. The display is clear, crisp and bright enough to see when outside. Personally, I love the way the battery is inserted. I feel a screw cap is much more sturdy and long lasting than a battery door. The threads on the battery cap are really smooth when screwing it in or unscrewing. The buttons are all responsive and don’t feel cheap to use.

I love the design of the Grus, too. It looks sleek, is nice to hold and the 30mm 510 plate is an awesome inclusion. I’ve used it with the Aromamizer Plus V2 on top and it looks great. The 510 plate has a slight bevel around the edge which sits perfectly at the bottom of the Aromamizer. It also feels well balanced with such a large tank on top. I’ve also used it with smaller tanks and RDA’s and they look great on the top, too.

Features & Functions

The Grus has variable wattage, variable voltage and temperature control modes for stainless steel, titanium and nickel. It is powered by Lost Vape’s own Quest chip.

The menu system on the Grus is very simple. Everything is displayed on one screen; Battery indicator in the top left, resistance in the top right, a puff counter in the bottom right and a time in seconds of the last puff in the bottom left. Along the very bottom of the screen are colored squares to indicate the selected color theme and the other choices. In the center of the display is the mode you are in and the selected wattage / voltage or temperature for the mode.

Grus Button Combinations

• On / Off: Five clicks of the fire button
• Adjust Wattage / Voltage / Temperature: Up or Down buttons
• Change Mode: Press Selection button to highlight current mode, then Up or Down buttons to change, followed by Selection button to confirm
• Change Color Theme: Hold Selection button
• Lock / Unlock Selection Buttons: Press Up and Selection button together
• Clear Puff Counter: Press Down and Selection Button together

Performance

In variable wattage mode the Grus performs as you would expect; it fires instantly when you press the fire button and there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable drop in power.

I’m not usually a temp control user, but I installed a simple stainless steel dual coil build in the Aromamizer Plus V2 to give it a try. I never experienced any dry hits and the temperature of the vape was kept consistent. I tried to push it to dry out, but the power was cut down keeping the vape consistent until I could inhale any more. 

Not being a temp control user I cannot say how it compares to a DNA chip, but it definitely works. After hitting it hard, I flipped to wattage mode and was instantly greeted with a dry hit, so the temp control had been throttling down to avoid drying out the cotton.

The temp control options are a little basic, having only the presets available and no option to input your own TCR values. For me this isn’t an issue at all. If I did want to use temp control the basic options are fine. However, if you are a big temp control user you may be disappointed with the lack of adjustments here compared with a DNA or YiHi chipset.

Verdict

I cannot find any faults with the Grus; the mod looks great, feels lovely in the hand, it’s built very well, and being able to use atomizers of up to 30mm is a very nice option to have. 

Obviously the 100W output limit and it being a single battery mod means that low ohm dual coil builds will not give you an all day vape without swapping batteries, but a single coil mid-resistance build with a 21700 battery can certainly last you all day. I’ve been mainly running a single fused clapton in an RTA at 0.32ohms and getting a full day’s use out of my 21700 battery. 

The temp control options may be a little simplified, but they work. The overall simplicity of using the Grus, along with the excellent build quality, make this a great choice for a single 21700 battery mod. 

The fact that I have gone and pre-ordered another one already tells me how much I like the Grus; I want another one and think it’s a bargain at the asking price.

I’m very interested in seeing if Lost Vape are going to continue bringing out mods in their Quest range, as the lower price point due to the lack of a DNA chip is very appealing to me; especially if the build quality continues to be this good.

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