timwis Posted April 26, 2020 Posted April 26, 2020 Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the XTRA Pod Kit from Vaporesso. The XTRA Pod Kit was supplied for the purpose of the review by Jessica from Vaporesso. Introduction So many pod devices and they keep coming but their is a place in the market for them especially if they tick the relevant boxes. When i say pod devices i am not talking about the latest Pod Mods or AIO devices but what are more old school now draw activated, direct output devices which house a disposable pod. Responsive switch, refillable, can switch off, decent battery life, MTL and DL draws, good flavour, decent cloud, battery status indication, aesthetically pleasing, well made and ergonomic. That's a lot of boxes that need ticking but the XTRA by Vaporesso ticks them all, let's have a look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x VAPORESSO XTRA Battery 1 x MESHED UNIPOD (2ml, 0.8Ω, Pre-installed) 1 x UNIPOD (2ml, 1.2Ω, In Box) 1 x USB Cable 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card 1 x Reminder Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics the XTRA comes in cardboard box packaging with a picture of the device in the colour of choice on the lid. I received the Silver Resin version and again it needs pointing out we are just talking a Resin effect vinyl sticker, the options are Grey, Grey Resin, Silver, Silver Resin, Rainbow and Rainbow Resin. The device is very small especially as it has a 900mAh battery, those of you more knowledgeable than me about batteries will probably be able to work out what battery type has been used but it does appear the device has been kept small by having a cylindrical battery fitted in it's spine which also gives the device quite a unique form factor. We have an opening at the top to allow the fitting of a lanyard (not included) and both the micro USB port and indicator light is positioned on it's outer edge. Moving to the base we have an on/off switch which is recessed into the casing so doesn't interfere with the device standing up, also there is some venting. In a mixture of plain and Resin effect designs i really do like the colour/design options, the main construction is Zinc allow giving a solid yet light device and no issues with build quality. The device is very comfortable to hold as the hand just swallows it up as is the mouthpiece equally as comfortable in the mouth. ___________________________________________________________________ XTRA Specs and Features: Dimensions: 73.9 x 38.2 x 16.7mm POD Capacity: 2ml Battery Capacity: 900mAh Resistance: UNIPOD1.2ohm, MESHED UNIPOD 0.8ohm Output Power: 11W UNIPOD, 16W MESHED UNIPOD Display: Single 3-color LED Indicator Charging Current: DC 5V/1A Comfortable grip with antiskid texture Upgraded Cotton Material for true flavors 900mAh built-in battery for durable vaping Compact and portable Colour/Design: Grey, Grey Resin, Silver, Silver Resin, Rainbow, Rainbow Resin ___________________________________________________________________ The Pods You receive 2 different Unipods which have fixed coils but are refillable. Pre-installed is the pod which houses a 0.8ohm vertical mesh coil and also included is a pod which houses a 1.2ohm regular round wire vertical coil. The easiest way of telling the pods apart is by the colour of the fill bungs with the mesh pod having a Red bung while the regular pod hosts a Grey bung. The pods mouth section is clear as is it's main body so no issues seeing your e-liquid although the level can't be seen when fitted into the device so it does need pulling out from time to time to check the level which is one of only a couple of minor cons for the set-up. The base section of the pods have a central small opening to lead to the membrane switch and large contacts which are big enough not just to line up with the contacts of the device but also to attract the pull of the magnets inside the bay. The fill bung lifts up easy enough and also seals very well so no issues with leaking but the fill port could be bigger. Thin nozzles are fine but larger nozzles cause an airlock so the liquid backs up which can be messy (it's worse with thicker juices), so just check the nozzle you are using also leaves enough space for air to escape before filling, if not decant into something more suitable or really take your time, both pods hold 2ml of e-liquid. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking inside the pods bay we can see the 2 spring loaded contacts with a large magnet either side, centrally we have the membrane switch. The large contacts on the base of the pod as well as the obvious of contacting the devices contacts also are for the magnetic pull which secures the pod in place. The pod fits very securely but with just the mouth section protruding which has quite a slippy surface i found it quite difficult to remove for checking the e-liquid level, nothing major but needs mentioning! ___________________________________________________________________ Operating The XTRA Despite being a simple draw activated device without settings the device does have an on/off button which is recessed into the base of the device. It's 5 clicks to turn the device on or off and both actions are confirmed by the little LED indicator above the USB port cycling through the colours Green, Blue and Red. All you do with the device is take a draw and that's it, so simple! The device does have battery status indication which is shown by what colour the LED indicator lights up when taking a vape: 71% - 100% Green 31% - 70% Blue 0% - 30% Red The battery status can be checked at any time by pressing the on/off button rather than needing to check the light while vaping. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The XTRA And Thoughts! The XTRA is a simple draw activated direct output device. Well i assume it's direct output but it states 11W for the 1.2ohm pod and 16W for the 0.8ohm pod which tells me 3.6V so could be constant 3.6V or it's a 3.6V battery fitted. The problem is i'm not noticing drop off as the battery gets low so can't be sure, but that's a good thing as it doesn't really matter whether it's direct or constant output as the end result is a consistent vape! There may be plenty of pod devices about but the XTRA is a particularly good one with well spaced out battery status indication which can be checked at any time and also having the option of turning the device off. The 1.2ohm pod gives good flavour and worked well with 50/50 nic salts i am testing, but also tested a pods worth of 70VG liquid and it was fine. The draw is very definitely a MTL and what i would consider a mid to loose MTL. The 0.8ohm mesh coil gave even better flavour and has much more of the Caliburn type draw giving the choice of a loose MTL or restrictive DL vape. I used this pod the most trying various ratios of PG/VG and it coped equally well with all of them. The Days of sucking the life out of a draw activated device or needing a primer puff seem long gone as membrane switches have improved and i must say the switch on the XTRA is spot on, firing every time and giving a consistent powerful vape which suits both pods and both MTL and restrictive DL styles. This isn't a device i have used whole days as my main device but more as a secondary device and popping in my pocket when i have gone food shopping over a three week period so judging longevity of coils and battery life isn't the easiest. I have used mainly the 0.8ohm pod which has had many refills of different ratios and it's still going strong so longevity is easily above the average. Battery life is very good with the 0.8ohm pod and excellent with the 1.2ohm coil compared to similar devices, i have no complaints at all! Like with all devices that are released these days i wish it had Type C USB so that will be a con. It supports 1A charging and charges in about 1 hour while supporting pass-through so again no complaints! ___________________________________________________________________ Conclusion I am not talking Pod Mods or AIO devices where settings can be changed but when it comes to a simple draw activated device the XTRA is the best one i have used certainly this year! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Well made device Really nice form factor (in my opinion) Aesthetically pleasing finishes (again, in my opinion) Light, portable Ergonomic Battery status indication (3 levels, nicely spaced) Can check battery level at any time On/off button Very responsive switch gives consistent performance Includes 2 pods Pod fits very securely Good flavour both pods (mesh pod edges it) 1.2ohm Pod mid to loose MTL 0.8ohm Pod loose MTL or Restrictive DL Very good battery life compared to similar size devices Charges in just an hour Supports pass-through Cons Need to remove pod to see juice level nothing to grab (quite slippy surface) on pod so can be a little difficult to remove Fill port could be bigger Resin finish just a vinyl sticker Metallic sections on mine shows fingerprints Would prefer Type C USB I would once again like to thank Jessica from Vaporesso for supplying the XTRA Pod Kit for the purpose of this review. ___________________________________________________________________
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