Vaporesso Armour GS, the user guide in quick tips

The cell is charged, the pod is full, and yet nothing happens when you press the button. Or the wattage changes on its own in your pocket, or the first puff tastes burnt. The Vaporesso Armour GS is not complicated, but its manual is a few tightly packed lines, and several useful moves go unnoticed. This guide takes them in the order you will need them, from unboxing to troubleshooting.

Vaporesso Armour GS, the user guide in brief

The Vaporesso Armour GS is a pod mod, meaning a compact mod that takes a pod instead of a separate tank. It runs on an 18650 cell sold separately, fires from 5 to 80 W and charges through a USB-C port. Five presses of the button within two seconds switch it on or off, three presses open the menu, and a new coil needs five minutes after filling before the first puff.

The table gathers the key figures for the device.

Specification	Stated value
Dimensions	126 x 39 x 28 mm
Power source	One 18650 cell, not included
Output	5 to 80 W
Charging	USB-C port, 5 V and 2 A
Display	0.96 inch TFT screen and LED strip
Pod in the kit	Armour G Series DTL, 5 ml standard version, 2 ml TPD version
Coils in the kit	GTX mesh 0.15 Ω fitted, GTX mesh 0.3 Ω in the box

In the UK, refillable tanks and pods are capped at 2 ml, so the 2 ml TPD pod is the one that applies here, not the 5 ml standard version. Nicotine e-liquid is also capped at 20 mg/ml and sold in 10 ml bottles.

First start-up, four steps in order

The kit arrives without a cell and with a coil already fitted in the pod. Four steps take you from the box to the first puff, provided you skip none of them.

Choosing and fitting the cell

An 18650 cell is a cylindrical rechargeable battery 18 mm across and 65 mm long. Pick a quality cell in good condition, with a wrap that is neither split nor peeling, and respect the polarity when you insert it. A damaged wrap leaves bare metal exposed, which risks a short circuit.

Filling the pod and setting the airflow

The pod fills from the top, once you lift the silicone plug that closes the fill port. Fill without going past the maximum level, close it, then seat the pod back on the mod, which holds it by magnet. The airflow sits at the top of the pod and adjusts across four levels by turning the top cap. The more air you let in, the cooler and more diluted the vapour.

Letting the coil soak for five minutes

This is the step most often skipped. After filling a new coil, wait five minutes so that its cotton is fully soaked in liquid. Firing dry cotton damages it within seconds, and the burnt taste that follows often means a new coil.

Switching on and setting the wattage

Five quick presses of the button, within two seconds, switch the mod on. The plus and minus buttons then set the wattage. Start at the bottom of the suggested range for the coil fitted, which is 60 W for the 0.15 Ω supplied in place, then step up gradually.

The Armour GS menu in three presses

Three presses of the button open the settings menu. It holds seven functions, two of which genuinely change how the mod behaves.

Pulse or Eco

Pulse mode delivers a constant voltage, designed to keep the output steady from one puff to the next. Eco mode is the standard wattage setting. Pulse drains the cell faster, Eco gives it longer battery life, a trade-off the manufacturer openly states. On a single cell, Eco is therefore the mode to favour when no charger is within reach.

Smart, the wattage suggested for you

Smart can be switched on or off, and when active it suggests a wattage suited to the coil it detects. It only works with coils from the GTX platform, the brand’s own range. It makes a good starting point for a new coil, to be fine-tuned afterwards to suit the liquid.

The secondary settings

The Puff counter shows the number of puffs over five days and resets after confirmation. Noting that figure when a coil starts to lose flavour gives you a concrete benchmark for the next change. Bright sets the screen brightness and Animate switches the on-screen vaping animation on or off.

Two locks not to confuse on the Vaporesso Armour GS

The mod offers two ways of locking something, and they do different jobs. The dedicated lock button guards against accidental firing, which matters most when the mod travels in a pocket or a bag. Power lock, in the menu, only freezes the wattage value, while the fire button and the other settings stay available.

The tip follows from that difference. Once you have found the right wattage, switch on power lock so a clumsy press cannot change it, and keep the lock button for the moments when the Vaporesso Armour GS leaves your hand.

Choosing the right GTX coil

The supplied pod takes several coil values, each with its own wattage range. The choice starts with the draw you want, and the wattage follows.

Direct draw or restricted draw

The pod in the kit is a DTL version, for a direct-to-lung draw, open and taken in one breath. It takes GTX mesh coils, which use a metal mesh heating element, in 0.15, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 Ω. There is also an MTL pod for a tighter, mouth-to-lung draw, not included in the GS box, which takes GTX coils in 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.2 Ω.

GTX mesh coil	Suggested range
0.15 Ω	60 to 75 W
0.2 Ω	45 to 60 W
0.3 Ω	32 to 45 W
0.4 Ω	26 to 32 W
0.6 Ω	20 to 26 W
0.8 Ω	12 to 16 W
1.2 Ω	8 to 12 W

The last two rows are missing from the manual and from the main published reviews. They come from the Vaporesso product page, which gives 12 to 16 W for the 0.8 Ω and 8 to 12 W for the 1.2 Ω. With those coils, the useful wattage therefore drops well below that of the original 0.15 Ω.

Matching the liquid to the coil

Both coils in the kit are sub-ohm, meaning below 1 ohm. They get through a lot of liquid and call for an e-liquid high in vegetable glycerine. Our piece on 70/30 e-liquid explains what that ratio changes, and our guide to choosing a base liquid helps you find the right balance for the coil.

When the mod will not fire, six protections to know

A mod that will not heat is not necessarily faulty. The Armour GS manual lists six protections that deliberately cut power to the coil.

• Input voltage too high on the USB port while charging.
• Cell too low.
• No pod detected.
• Short circuit.
• Button held for more than 10 seconds.
• Circuit board overheating.

Four of them are fixed in one move. If the pod is not detected, remove it, wipe its contacts and those on the mod with dry kitchen roll, then refit it. After an overlong press, simply release the button, as the 10 second cut-off is a safety feature rather than a fault. With a low cell, recharge or replace it. For a short circuit, change the coil first, and the order of checks in our guide to the Geekvape atomizer short applies just as well to this mod.

Charging, travelling and storing the mod

Charging runs through the USB-C port, with the screen showing the cell level. Stay nearby while it charges, in a room between 10 and 40 °C, and switch the device off when it is not in use. When flying or facing a sharp change in air pressure, store the pod and the cell separately.

FAQ

The questions below pick up the ones most often asked about this kit.

What comes in the Armour GS kit box?

The mod, a DTL pod, a 0.15 Ω GTX coil already fitted, a second coil in 0.3 Ω, a USB-C cable, the manual and the warranty card. The 18650 cell is not included, so plan for one before first use.

What do published reviews say about the Armour GS?

Published reviews praise the handling, the top fill and the interface. A comparison site, on the other hand, lists size, weight and charging among its weak points.

Why does the Armour GS crackle?

A light sizzle is normal on a mesh coil run at higher wattage. Loud crackling with spitting usually points to excess liquid in the chimney, often after overfilling. Remove the pod, wipe it and check the level.

Why am I getting liquid in my mouth?

The coil is probably flooded. Hard dry draws, or a wattage too low for a 0.15 Ω, let liquid build up instead of being vaporised. Move back into the suggested range and draw more gently.

What is a dry hit and how do I avoid one?

It is the harsh puff from cotton heating without enough liquid. On this kit it happens mainly when the pod level runs too low or when the wattage exceeds the coil’s range. Top up the pod before it runs empty.

Vaporesso Armour GS, the habits worth keeping

Five presses to switch on, three for the menu, five minutes after each fill of a new coil, and power lock once you have found the right setting. Those four habits cover the essentials of getting started.

Beyond that, the Vaporesso Armour GS talks through its protections. A silent mod nearly always means a low cell, a badly seated pod or an overlong press, rarely a fault. These pointers hold for most adjustable pod mods, and a manual read with method often saves more time than a new purchase.

Editorial content for adult readers only. Vaping products can contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. Vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. This article is not a buying recommendation.