timwis Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Hi Vapor Talk members, In this review i take a look at the Xtal Pod System from ZQ Vapor. The Xtal Pod System was supplied for the purpose of this review by Rico from ZQ Vapor. Introduction ZQ Vapor are new to the vaping scene and have gone mostly below the radar with their first couple of pod releases but here we have a Caliburn alternative which is grabbing more attention not just for it's Caliburn style form factor and similar match in specs but because it also gives it a run for it's money when it comes to performance. The performance quality of the device becomes less of a surprise when finding out ZQ Vapor products are manufactured by Aspire, let's give it a closer look! ___________________________________________________________________ In The Box Contents: 1 x Xtal Device 2 x Pod 1.2 ohm coils 1 x Micro USB Cable 1 x User Manual 1 x Warranty Card ___________________________________________________________________ Aesthetics and Ergonomics The Xtal came in simple cardboard packaging with the device in the top layer and other accessories and paperwork below. I received the Red version which is a nice Red Wine colour, it's available in Black, Teal, Gunmetal and Red. The device has an Aluminium construction and flattened stick form factor very similar to the Caliburn but with more cut diamond characteristics. Either side towards the top we have a very small hole for airflow and on reverse towards the bottom a small logo. On the face towards the bottom we have "XTAL" printed and a tactile Black hexagonal fire button towards the top, although Black the button is translucent to allow it to be lit up different colours via LED lights. The pod protrudes with very slightly tinted mouthpiece and moving to the base we have a Black plastic section which houses the micro USB port. The device is very portable and can be easily slipped into a pocket making it ideal for out and about. ___________________________________________________________________ Xtal Specs and Features: Product Size: 22 x 12.5 x 113mm Material: Aluminium 520mah battery Charge Rate: 0.8A Max Direct Output: 3.2v - 4.2v Draw/Button activated Dual heating coil 1.8ml pod capacity Unique concentration proofing system Coil Resistance: Nichrome 1.2ohm Available 1.0ohm mesh pod Colours: Black, Teal, Gunmetal, Red ___________________________________________________________________ The Pod You receive 2 pods both of which house a non replaceable 1.2ohm round wire Ni-chrome coil head although also available is a 1.0ohm mesh pod, both have a 1.8ml capacity. There are no specs marked on the included pods but the mesh pods (which were sent separately) have both mesh and the resistance marked in White on the lower section of the pod. So the pod is a sealed unit so the whole pod will need replacing rather than just the coil but they are refillable and on the upside in my experience leaking isn't usually a problem with this type of sealed pod. The pods are tinted but only lightly so i had good visibility of the liquid inside and although the Caliburn has very narrow side viewing slots i found it much easier to see how much liquid was in the pod on the Xtal and had no need to remove the pod to check which is always a pro. On the base we have a plastic flap with attached bung which sits deep giving a good seal, so just lift this flap to remove the bung (the flap stays attached to the pod) to reveal a fill port which is big enough for most nozzles but bottles with larger nozzles or glass droppers won't be suitable. Also under the flap is a tiny air release hole so there is no backing up of liquid through the fill port, i found filling quick and mess free but always prefer not to have to remove the pod to fill so that has to go down as a con for me! Also on the base we can see the 2 contacts with Peek surround and 2 openings for the membrane probe to enter so it doesn't matter which way the pod is fitted. ___________________________________________________________________ Fitting The Pod Looking inside the pods bay we can see the spring loaded, Gold plated contacts and a protruding probe that leads down to the membrane switch. We also see an indent in both side walls for protruding notches on the side of the pod to fit into to help secure the pod when press fitted into place. When pushing the pod in place it gives a satisfying click as the notches snap into place and there is no movement whatsoever, front and back we can feel just a slight edge to the pod where it meets the device which can be used for grip to tug the pod free, cracking job! ___________________________________________________________________ Operating The Xtal The Xtal is both draw and button activated which also allows the device to be turned on and off, both actions are 5 clicks of the button and is confirmed by 3 White flashes. Once on we have 3 settings and to move between each setting is 3 quick clicks of the button, each new setting is confirmed by one flash of the button in either Purple, Red or Blue. The three settings are for being able to use the device with both the button and Auto draw, just Auto draw or just via the fire button. Purple: Auto/Button Red: Auto Draw Blue: Button Only The device also shows battery status indication using again the LED shining through the translucent fire button various colours when taking a vape, you can also just give the fire button a quick press to check status. The indication percentages are the following: Green = Above 60% Blue = 30% - 60% Red = Below 30% As you would also expect the Xtal has the usual safety protections which also uses LED alerts if they kick in. ___________________________________________________________________ Protections: 5 Click Turn Off 8 Seconds Cutoff Short Circuit Protection Low Voltage Protection ___________________________________________________________________ Charging The Xtal is charged via the micro USB port situated on the base of the device which is always a con for me as it means lying the device down while charging although with the Xtal having quite a small base i suppose a lot of people will leave it lying down during normal use even though it stands up perfectly alright. The charge rate is 0.8A maximum and charges in about an hour while supporting pass-through which for such a small battery is fine although i still think Type C by now should be standard with all e-cigarette devices. When first attaching the cable the button flashes Red 3 times and then follows the same battery status sequence as when in use before flashing Green 20 times and then turning off once fully charged. ___________________________________________________________________ My Experience Using The Xtal And Thoughts! A lot of pod devices get compared to the Caliburn but on this occasion i give absolutely no apologies as the Xtal is the closet match i have used and even when using side by side the more comfortable Caliburn mouthpiece is the only difference i noticed at first! After more comparing using both side by side if anything the Xtal gives a very slightly tighter draw but it's so marginal so both pretty much vape identically giving the choice of a loose MTL or RDL vaping style. When it comes to flavour the Xtal definitely had the edge although to be fair the pod i had in the Caliburn had already had light usage so let's just say the Xtal at least matches the Caliburn for flavour as it does with performance with the membrane switch responding flawlessly matching the button fire option. When trying the mesh pod i noticed no difference with draw or flavour but just a slightly cooler vape but this did give really good longevity of 9 refills before the flavour was sub-standard compared to 6 refills for the 1.2ohm Ni-chrome pod which is still acceptable in my opinion. I do like being able to set the device so either only draw activation or only button activation will work as well as having a setting where you can switch between the two. Battery status indication although only 3 tiers is well spaced out so fit for purpose and charging in an hour while supporting pass-through again is acceptable although Type C and a quicker charging time would be preferable! The mouthpiece is comfortable enough although the shape of the Caliburn's mouthpiece does give even more comfort but i much prefer being able to view the liquid using the mouthpiece compared to the narrow slots on the Caliburn which in my opinion are not fit for purpose. I like how the fill method is implemented but would much prefer a top-fill design and finally constant output would again be preferable but any drop off in power really can't be noticed until the battery is close to being needed to recharge. The 520mAh battery capacity is quite small especially when comparing to most pod/AIO devices now coming out but with such high resistant coils life is actually quite good if a light to moderate vaper but most will need to charge at least once during the day! ___________________________________________________________________ Likes Light and Portable 4 Colour options Draw or Button activated Different settings for draw/button activation Battery status indications Charging status indications Nice loose MTL/RDL draw Very good flavour (both available pods) Included 1.2ohm pod average longevity Available mesh pod good longevity Nice tactile button LED bright Pod fits very securely Draw activation worked flawlessly Experienced no leaking issues Device can be turned off Can view e-liquid without removing pod Device can be stood up Supports pass-through Cons Need to remove pod to fill Direct output Non adjustable airflow Small battery capacity Need to replace whole pod rather than just coil head Not type C USB USB port on base I would once again like to thank Rico from ZQ Vapor for supplying the Xtal Pod System for the purpose of this review, thanks for reading and stay safe! ___________________________________________________________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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