VAPORESSO COSS Review: The Future is Now

VAPORESSO has always been a vaping brand that constantly surprises with their new tech and devices. They’ve been consistently releasing better and better vaping devices over the last few years, the most recent of which are undeniably at the top of their respective categories like the VAPORESSO XROS 3 pod vape and LUXE XR MAX pod mod.

But while the aforementioned pod vapes are good, their latest device, the VAPORESSO COSS, is their most ambitious and innovative vape yet. It’s unlike any vape that I’ve seen before and when I first heard of it, I was instantly excited.

The VAPORESSO COSS is a two-part device consisting of a portable hub and a removable, thin and light pod stick. The hub has a 1500mAh battery that automatically recharges the 250mAh pod stick when it is inserted. In addition to the charging, the hub also has a 7.5ml ejuice capsule that can refill the 0.6ml pod in the pod stick, just by pressing a button.

The COSS is VAPORESSO’s solution to flavor consistency, and their reasoning makes sense; the pod stick remains fully charged from the hub, and the coil never comes into contact with air thanks to the vacuum sealed refilling mechanism. This keeps the device operating at full power for the best draws, and the reduction of air in the pod makes for better wicking.

All of these features sound great on paper, but how does the COSS perform in the real world? I used it for three weeks to find out.

This device was sent to me directly by VAPORESSO for the purpose of this review. This does not in any way affect my opinions or ratings of this device.

Box Contents

• 1 x VAPORESSO COSS Stick
• 1 x VAPORESSO COSS Hub
• 1 x VAPORESSO Capsule (Pre-Installed)
• 1 x VAPORESSO COSS Series 1.2Ω Pod
• 1 x VAPORESSO COSS 1.2Ω Filter Pod
• 1 x VAPORESSO COSS Filter Pack (6pcs)
• 1 x Type-C Charging Cable
• 1 x Reminder Card
• 1 x User Manual & Warranty Card

Specifications

VAPORESSO COSS Hub

• Size : 24.5x51x110mm
• Weight:172g (with capsule full)
• Battery Capacity : 1500mAh
• Capsule Capacity : 7.5ml
• Charging : Type-C 2A
• Output Voltage : 5V

VAPORESSO COSS Stick

• Size : 17x9x93.5mm
• Weight 18g (with full pod)
• Pod Capacity : 0.6 ml
• Resistance : 1.2Ω
• Battery Capacity : 250mAh
• Voltage : 3.3V – 4.3V
• Power : 9W

Design & Build Quality

The VAPORESSO COSS is unlike any other device on the market and you can tell that right away from the design. It has a futuristic and clean look, with a premium air to it that screams “high-end” and “fancy”.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the device is made up of two parts: the hub and the pod stick. The pod stick can be inserted into the hub for charging and refilling, then removed and used as a standalone device when you want to vape. The hub has a 1500mAh battery and 7.5ml eliquid capsule, which then supplies ejuice and power to the 0.6ml capacity, 250mAh pod stick.

As a whole, the VAPORESSO COSS is large and heavy. The COSS hub is about 110mm tall, 51mm wide, and 24.5mm deep, and it weighs 172g on its own (without the pod stick). With the pod stick (although light), it brings the weight of the whole unit up to ~190g. It’s heavy, that’s for sure, so the entire thing isn’t super pocket-friendly.

Of course, the size and weight of the entire unit are the trade off for the convenience. Carrying around the COSS means that you don’t have to worry about a charger, or even bringing your bottle of ejuice. You simply charge and fill the hub before you leave your house and you’re good to go.

If you’re only going on a short trip, say out of the house to run errands, you don’t even need to bring the hub with you. Remove the pod stick and away you go with an 18g pod vape. This is how I ended up using the COSS the most; When not in use, I kept the COSS Hub at my desk with the pod stick inserted. Then, when I would get up or go out, I would just take the pod stick with me. How you use it is up to you and really depends on your lifestyle, but the entire device is really convenient.

Getting more into the design, it’s a gorgeous device. The Hub is available in five colors, all of which have a satin, soft-touch finish. The pod stick matches the hub in color, however the finish on the pod stick is not soft-touch.

The pod stick itself is super thin, small, and light. It’s only 93.5mm tall, 17mm wide, and 9mm thick. At only 18g, it’s as feather-light as pod vapes come, so portability is a non-issue. There are no buttons on the pod stick and only a single, small LED light that comes on when you draw-activate the device. It’s an incredibly small pod vape, which is a stark but nice contrast to the incredibly heavy and bulky hub.

There’s no obvious branding on the COSS hub or pod stick, so the whole unit looks very professional and fancy. I think that it looks like a high-end smartphone rather than a vape; it’s just a really nice looking device. The build quality is also top-notch, so it feels like a premium product in your hand too.

Features

The VAPORESSO COSS is one of the most feature-filled and innovative vaping devices ever released, and I have to give credit to VAPORESSO for thinking this up and bringing it to market. It’s a bold device, and when I first saw it I couldn’t stop thinking about getting my hands on one to test it out.

To reiterate, the COSS is made up of two parts: the hub and the pod stick. The pod stick can be inserted into the hub for charging and refilling, then removed and used as a standalone device when you want to vape. The hub has a 1500mAh battery and 7.5ml eliquid capsule, which then supplies ejuice and power to the 0.6ml capacity, 250mAh pod stick.

On one side of the COSS hub is a large sliding-switch. This switch can be slid upwards to pop out the pod stick for removal, or slid down to house the pod stick inside the COSS Hub. When the pod stick is housed in the hub, with the switch in the downward position, the hub will automatically recharge the battery of the pod stick. This ensures that it remains fully charged at all times so it can always deliver the full 9W output.

On the other side of the COSS hub is a small button and 4 LED lights. This button can be pressed to automatically fill the pod stick, which is a vacuum sealed filling process, from the hub capsule to the pod stick pod. The LED lights below the button indicate the charge level of the hub.

The hub capsule (which holds all of the ejuice) can be removed from the hub by sliding it up and off. It’s stiff at first and rather difficult to remove, but after a few removals it becomes easier. The best way to remove it is by gripping the device in one hand and using your thumb to push it upwards. 

The hub ejuice capsule features a tint with a frosted finish, so while it’s on the hub, it’s basically impossible to see how much ejuice is inside. Once it’s removed though, you can easily see the ejuice through the sides of the capsule.

The capsule is bottom filled and there’s a thick and deep red rubber plug that seals the fill hole. The fill hole is wide, so there’s no problem filling it with any sort of ejuice bottle. This capsule will hold 7.5ml of ejuice, a quarter of a 30ml bottle of nic salts, so you won’t have to refill the capsule very often. However, since the pod stick only has a 0.6ml capacity, you will be using the hub to refill the pod stick regularly. That’s not really a problem though, as it’s just a touch of a button to do so.

Pods

The VAPORESSO COSS kit includes two pods for the pod stick. Both are 1.2Ω resistance and perform identically, however one of these pods features a wide hole in the mouthpiece where you can insert filters.

Filters, you may ask? Yes, filters! The COSS includes a package of 6 filters, which are not unlike the filter on a cigarette. The pod with the filter makes the draw a little less ‘wet’, the draw feels a little looser, and overall it feels much more like you’re drawing on an actual cigarette. It looks a little odd to have a filter on the pod, but it could be the missing piece of the puzzle for those who have previously tried and failed to switch to vaping.

The pods for the pod stick have a 0.6ml capacity and cannot be filled manually. In order to fill them, you have to use the COSS hub. I can see this being an issue if you leave the house without the hub, forget to fill the pod stick, and end up being out for longer than you expected. 

However, not being able to manually fill the pod stick is for a reason; it would null the benefits of the vacuum sealing altogether. With the vacuum sealed fill, I haven’t had any leaking from the pod stick, and I’ll trade being able to manually fill for a leak-proof pod vape any day.

The pods for the pod stick are lightly tinted but easy to see into.  Since the majority of the pod contents are visible when inserted into the pod stick, you can easily tell when it’s time to refill. There’s a max fill line on the pod to be aware of though, so take care not to fill it past this point.

How to use the VAPORESSO COSS

The COSS might seem complicated and even intimidating at first, but it’s actually very straightforward to use. All that you really have to do is keep the hub charged and fill the capsule, the rest is basically automatic.

To start, you’ll want to ensure that the COSS Hub is fully charged. The four LED lights located just below the button indicate the charge level, with each light representing a 25% charge. The COSS Hub charges through USB-C, with a port located on the bottom of the hub.

When you’re not using the pod stick, you’ll want to keep it inserted in the hub with the switch in the down position. This will ensure that the pod stick remains charged, so you won’t have it dying on you randomly. 

Keeping the pod stick inserted when not in use is especially important since it only has a 250mAh battery, so it won’t last long on its own. You also can’t charge the pod stick directly, and it has to be inserted into the hub in the down position to charge, so you can’t use it while it charges either.

With the hub charged, you’ll want to fill the hub capsule. Remove the capsule from the hub by pushing it up and off of the hub. Next, remove the red fill plug from the bottom of the capsule and fill it up with your preferred ejuice.

VAPORESSO states in the manual that the COSS and pod stick will work best with 50/50 ejuices, or ejuices with a higher PG ratio. Ejuices with a PG ratio of higher than 50% aren’t very common though, so you’ll probably want to use a 50/50 ejuice. Replace the fill plug and reattach the capsule to the hub by sliding it on and down.

Here comes the fun part; filling. Make sure that the pod stick is inserted into the hub and that the sliding switch is in the down position (the hub won’t do the filling process if it isn’t). Press the button on the hub and the COSS will do the rest of the work. 

You’ll hear the squeaking sound of the two prongs inserting into the pod stick, followed by some low whirring and whining as the pod stick fills. The LED on the button will flash as it fills, and turn off completely when it’s finished filling.

Remember that ‘Max Fill’ line on the pod? Be careful not to fill over that line. Make sure that you remove the pod stick and check the ejuice level after each filling cycle. The COSS isn’t advanced enough to know when the ejuice level is at that max line, so you can easily overfill the pod if you’re not careful.

The COSS will only fill a little at a time, about 0.3ml per fill cycle, so overfilling is completely avoidable if you’re mindful. Filling a new pod from empty takes two fill cycles, and after that it’s just top ups of a single fill cycle when the pod is running low.

With the pod filled, wait for 10 minutes to ensure that the wick is saturated, and you’re ready to vape. Slide the switch up to remove the pod stick from the hub and vape away. 

From here, it’s a matter of inserting the pod stick when not in use, and pressing the fill button to fill the pod when it’s running low. 

The ejuice and battery on the hub will last quite a while, so you won’t have to refill the hub capsule or recharge the hub that frequently at all; altogether, I got nearly a week of use out of a full capsule and charge, and that’s nothing to scoff at. The pod stick on its own will last a day or less of use if not inserted into the hub, but that’s good enough for quick runs out of the house. For anything longer, you’ll want to take the hub.

Performance

The performance section of my reviews usually focuses on the flavor and vapor of a device, but there’s so much more to the COSS that needs to be evaluated. This includes the filling mechanism and the ease of use, in addition to the usual performance criteria that you would expect to see evaluated.

I’ll begin with my thoughts on the filling mechanism and charging; they’re great for the most part. It’s extremely convenient to have a device with what is essentially a battery pack that can be quickly inserted to charge. The performance of the pod stick stays strong at all times thanks to charging within the hub, so I never felt like the draw was getting too weak or losing flavor.

The filling mechanism is equally, if not more, convenient than the charging. You fill the capsule once and forget about it. The filling mechanism has worked flawlessly for me throughout these entire three weeks, never failing or malfunctioning at all. I’ve also checked the pod stick housing area for ejuice and both it and the pod stick have remained completely leak-free.

The same can’t be said about the area where the capsule sits, though. I’ve found some ejuice pooling under the pod capsule area of the hub a few times now. There’s been a decent amount of ejuice at times, but since it’s contained under the pod area, at least it never made a mess.

The pods that come with the COSS pod stick are pretty good. They deliver a lot of flavor for how small the pod and coil are, with warm vapor from the 9W output. My only real complaint with the pod stick is that there’s no battery charge indicator on it; the LED goes from white to red and it’s dead. This is another reason to keep it charging in the hub any time you’re not using it.

I particularly liked using the pod stick with the filter pod. It’s a bit strange, sure, but it brought back a weird, yet familiar and nostalgic feeling of puffing on a smoke. It also allows you to more easily hold the pod stick in your mouth hands-free, which is good for situations like this when I’m writing reviews.

Both pods perform nearly identically, with the differentiating factor being the use of the filter on the filter pod. It’s a tight MTL draw from both, with a slightly looser and more airy draw when using the filter on the filter pod. There’s no adjustable airflow unfortunately, so you can’t fine tune the draw, but those who like a tight MTL draw will appreciate the COSS.

Verdict

VAPORESSO definitely took a chance with the COSS. It’s not perfect, but what first-generation of new technology really is? I’m really impressed by the innovation here and how convenient the whole system is. 

The COSS neatly solves the pain-points of other pod vapes, those being: frequent and messy filling, frequent charging, and inconsistent draw strength. The overall experience is excellent, with the pod stick remaining charged and filled at all times, along with good flavor and a nice MTL draw from both pods.

There are some drawbacks to the COSS too, of course, like the small ejuice capacity and short battery life of the pod stick on its own. Another drawback is the price tag of over $100 USD — eye-watering for a pod device.

If you want to try the latest and greatest, it’s going to cost you, and you’re going to have to deal with some shortcomings that will probably be addressed in version two.

Overall, the COSS is a really neat device that I’ll continue to use as my backup device for the foreseeable future. I can’t wait to take a trip with this device as I think that’s where it will really shine. 

Recommended.

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