Voopoo Doric 60: the guide to starting well

The Voopoo Doric 60 turns up constantly in lists of sensible first devices, and it drags a stubborn confusion behind it. The Doric range contains several models with very similar names, and product pages contradict each other from one site to the next. This article covers the standard Doric 60, the one supplied with a PnP cartridge, and not the Doric 60 Pro, the Doric 20 or the Doric Galaxy, which are separate devices.

What makes the model interesting for a newcomer is less its specification sheet than what it asks you to understand. It is a pod mod: simpler than a box, but with two or three ideas to grasp before the vape becomes enjoyable.

What the Voopoo Doric 60 actually is

The Doric 60 belongs to the tube shaped pod mod category, essentially a thick pen in alloy. It carries an integrated 2,500 mAh cell, not removable, charged over a USB-C port on the body of the device.

The power range quoted by the manufacturer runs from 5 to 60 watts, across an accepted coil range of 0.1 to 3.0 ohms. In other words the same machine can serve a very gentle vape or a considerably more generous one, depending entirely on what is put inside it.

The part that holds liquid is a PnP cartridge. On the British market its capacity is capped at 2 ml by regulation, whatever figure appears on shops based outside the UK, where a larger number is often quoted for the same product. Do not compare capacities between a British retailer and an international one: it is not a different device being sold, it is the same device restricted.

The cartridge accepts coils from the PnP family, which matters a great deal in daily use. That range is wide, easy to find in Britain, and coils are swapped by simple magnetic push fit, with no tool involved.

The standard kit ships with two coils of different values, a PnP-VM1 at 0.3 ohm and a PnP-VM5 at 0.2 ohm, plus the USB-C cable and the instructions. That detail has a direct consequence: the two coils do not vape the same way, and plenty of beginners use them identically then wonder why the result changed completely.

The device fires in one of two ways, automatically on inhalation or on a button press, whichever you prefer. Three LED colours indicate the selected power level and the state of the cell.

Finally, the Doric 60 has a continuously rotating airflow ring with an independent air inlet, which allows the draw to be closed down considerably. That is what lets it move from an airy direct lung inhale to a tight mouth to lung draw closer to the gesture of a cigarette.

What the power setting really changes on a Voopoo Doric 60

On this kind of device, power is not set to the watt. The Doric 60 offers steps indicated by the colour of the LED rather than a numeric display like a box mod. Plenty of newcomers hunt for a screen that does not exist and conclude the device is broken.

The useful rule is simple: the power should match the coil that is fitted, not your mood on the day. Every PnP coil carries its own range printed on the side, and that marking is the reference that counts. A 0.2 ohm coil calls for noticeably more power than a 0.3 ohm one to do what it was designed to do.

In practice, turning the power up does not make the vape better, it makes it hotter and more voluminous. Turning it down does not make it gentler in any meaningful sense, it makes it cooler and often flatter. The right setting is the one that renders the flavour without an uncomfortable heat at the back of the throat, and it is found by trying the steps within the printed range rather than by copying a figure from a forum.

A second effect goes unnoticed at first: power changes how fast everything is consumed. The harder you heat, the quicker the cartridge empties and the faster the cell drops. Disappointing runtime very often comes from a step set higher than the actual use requires.

Airflow pulls in the same direction. Wide open air at low power gives lukewarm, tasteless vapour. Closed air at high power gives something hot and harsh. The two settings are considered together, never separately.

Which e-liquid to put in it

This is the question that decides whether the first days go well. The low resistance coils supplied with the Voopoo Doric 60 are built for a fairly generous vape, and they need a liquid thick enough not to flood through the wicking.

A very thin, PG heavy liquid suits this kind of coil badly and produces liquid coming up into the mouth. A liquid that is too thick takes a long time to soak in and risks a scorched wick. The subject is set out in our guide to PG and VG on a label, which explains how to read a bottle before buying it.

Nicotine follows the same logic. A low resistance coil delivers a lot of vapour per puff, and therefore a lot of nicotine if the figure on the bottle is high. A strength suited to a very small pod becomes a great deal on this kind of hardware, which is why the reasoning in our guide to nicotine strength should be revisited when moving to a device like this rather than carried across unchanged.

First week mistakes with a Voopoo Doric 60

The first, and by a wide margin the most common, is vaping a new coil immediately after filling. The wicking needs to soak, which takes several minutes. Firing too early scorches the cotton irreversibly, and the device then takes the blame unfairly. That mechanism and its warning signs are described in our article on the burnt taste on a vape.

The second is letting the liquid level drop too low before refilling. A nearly empty cartridge no longer feeds the wick properly, and the outcome is the same as with an unprimed coil. On a 2 ml cartridge that point arrives sooner than people expect.

The third concerns rhythm. A pod mod of this size is not vaped in long, closely spaced puffs. Chaining without a pause overheats the coil and dries the wick faster than it can recharge.

The fourth is upkeep. Condensate gathers around the connection and under the cartridge, which is enough to cause misfires. A quick pass with kitchen roll every two or three refills settles it.

The fifth is changing several parameters at once. New coil, new liquid, new airflow and new power level on the same day makes it impossible to know what worked. Change one thing at a time and note what you changed during the first fortnight.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Doric 60 and the Doric 60 Pro the same device?

No. They are two distinct models in the same range. The Pro is a later version built on a different cartridge platform, the PnP X, while the Doric 60 uses the classic PnP cartridge. The supplied coils differ, which explains much of the contradictory information found online.

Why does the quoted capacity vary between websites?

Because UK rules cap a tank or pod at 2 ml, while other markets allow more. An international site can therefore show a larger figure for the same model. In Britain the restricted value applies, and that is the product you will receive.

Can I use any coil in it?

The cartridge accepts the PnP coil family, which leaves plenty of choice. They do not all serve the same purpose, though: some are built for a tight draw at low power, others for an airy vape at higher power. Always check the ohm value and the range printed on the coil before fitting it.

Should I vape on the button or on auto draw?

Both work and it is a matter of habit. Auto draw reproduces the gesture of a cigarette and gets forgotten quickly. The button allows a very slight preheat before inhaling and gives finer control. Try each for a few days before deciding.

How long does a coil last on this device?

That depends mainly on the liquid and the power level rather than on the device. Heavily sweetened liquids gunk up the wicking faster, and a high setting wears it more quickly. The signal to watch is not the calendar but the flavour: once it dulls or turns cottony, the coil is near its end.

What to take away

The Voopoo Doric 60 is not a complicated device, but it is not one to use without understanding anything either. It sits in an intermediate position, more permissive than a small sealed pod and less demanding than a box mod with removable cells, with just enough adjustment for a poor choice to be felt immediately. Our comparison of a pod or box mod places it on that scale.

Three habits carry the first days. Match the power to the coil that is fitted rather than to your mood, choose a liquid whose composition suits that coil, and always let the wicking soak before the first puff.

The rest arrives with use. A Voopoo Doric 60 that is set up sensibly gets forgotten, which is exactly what you want from a first serious device: that it stops being a subject in its own right.

Editorial content for adult readers only. Vaping products usually contain nicotine, a substance that causes addiction. Not for sale to under-18s in the United Kingdom. This article is not a buying recommendation.