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Anthony Vapes: Smoant Charon TC 218 mod Review and Tech Test

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Hi All, Anthony Vapes back here with a text review(and video link here

) for my honest review of the Smoant Charon 218 TC Mod. No disclaimer will be needed, I purchased this myself from Fasttech.com for 45.44

So without further ado, lets jump into this mod Introduction: The Smoant Charon 218 TC is a dual battery mod with a similar design as the Finder 167 DNA mod. It’s name (Pronounced ˈkerən) Comes from Greek Mythology Charon was the ferryman of hades who carried the souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. So not sure how it relates to vaping but interesting fact. It comes in 4 Base colors: Copper, Golden, Black, SS and has several battery door designs as well. The basic one being a leather looking one, and the non basic being certain artwork. It sports the new ANT 218 chip (a newer version of the chip in the battlestar) and this one unlike the battlestar is firmware upgradable.

Manufacturers Specs:
Size:91mm(H)- 25mm(W)- 53mm(L)

Wattages range:1W-218W
Temperature range:100°C-300°C / 200°F-600°F
Max output current:50A
Modes: POWER, SS, Ti, Ni200, TCR, NiCr, VW curve, VT curve Resistance range: Minimum .1ohm USB Charging

Firmware Up-gradable

Material: Zinc Alloy & High Quality Leather

Weight: 195g

Testing Results
Chart Link: http://i.imgur.com/StHlU3b.png

Spreadsheet link: http://i.imgur.com/VnhRVov.png

Basic Thoughts
When I first got this mod, My 1st thought was that it looks a lot more expensive then it is. It’s got a nice finish and design. One that would look like it belongs on a 100+ dollar mod. It feels solid built and very similar to a finder or therion. (more-so the finder). It has a basic screen like a DNA mod as well and the same button layout. I would think at first sight, many would think it was a DNA mod. It has the same simple menu as the battlestar and is very intuitive and easy to navigate. I didn’t care for the leather sticker. They say it’s real leather but it feels a bit more like a pleather. It would have been nice for them to include some other stickers. I found out after I finished my review that they won’t be selling the stickers separate anymore. You need to buy the mod with the sticker attached. I think this is a big misstep because it limits your options on matching the frame with the artwork you want and I was hoping to have a different look then the leather I have. Also the atomizer will be a little wobbly when not screwed all the way in. I didn’t see this as a big deal since who uses a mod with the atomizer half screwed in? when it’s screwed all the way in it makes a solid connection and is strudy with no movement.

Temperature Control
Using SS wire in SS mode, I found this mod to be one of the better ones for temp control in the price range. Very similar to the performance of the battlestar. It does run about 30-40 degrees hot so if you normally vape around 430-450 (on like a DNA or yihi mod) you’ll want to set this to 390-410 for a similar vape. It is very consistent and smooth, you can set your wattage so ramp up is great and fast and it’ll protect you from dry hits. Not much more you can ask for. I would have liked it to be a bit more accurate but I’ll take this over an accurate but pulsey and inconsistent device any day. It is something I’d recommend for a budget temp control mod

Overall Impressions
I’ve had this mod for about a month now (I like to be thorough with my reviews) The performance in watt mode is very inspiring. It’s one of the more accurate watt mode devices out there. While it does fall short of the 218 watts they list, It does hit a very respectable 198 and the 40 amp limit ties it with the best dual battery mods out there. Working really well at lower resistances compared to a 30-35 amp limit mod. It’s accurate from 200 or lower while a lot of mods don’t get very accurate until they are down to about 150 or even less sometimes. It also puts out over 6 volts while many dual battery mods fall a little short of the 6 volt max. Combined with the performance in temp control much like the battlestar it makes this one of the best values in vaping. The ANT chip is very underrated as far as performance goes. Much better then the performance of the more popular smok, wismec, joyetech, ijoy etc mods. It still baffles me how smoant seems to fly under the radar. My only major gripe is the firmware seems unfinished as the VW curve and VT curve modes don’t do anything yet. Hopefully we get a firmware update soon. I don’t personally see any reason for a temp curve, but a watt curve would be very welcome especially since this device lacks a preheat options.

Pros:
  • Looks and Color Options
  • Performance in Watt mode
  • Performance in Temp Mode
  • Build Quality
  • Price Point
  • Battery door has coating to prevent shorts
Cons:
  • Up and down Buttons Rattle
  • No Preheat currently
  • Not a fan of the battery door leather
  • Unfinished Firmware (Curve modes do nothing currently)
  • Their decision to not sell stickers separate.
Conclusion
So with all that said, do I recommend this mod? I don’t like to do hard yes or no, but this one leans heavily towards the yes. At under 50 dollars for a solid built mod, that performs great in watt mode, and very good in temp mode for the price point (not DNA, FSK or yihi level but not too far behind them) It’s hard for me to not say yes. Much like the battlestar It’s one of the best values in vaping. It’s simple, cheap, easy to use, and works great. You can’t really ask for much more. I think anyone looking for a new dual battery mod should give this one a look.

I want to thank you guys for reading (or watching or both). Stay tuned later this week for more reviews. Not all are posted on this sub-reddit due to rules so feel free to follow the reviewer sub-reddit and subscribe to my channel for notifications.

As always I am Anthony Vapes and I’m just keeping it Honest, Hopefully you all can say you are doing the same and I’ll see you on the next review

Some upcoming reviews: Geekvape Mech Pro, Smoant Mobula, Aspire Archon, VooPoo Drag, Pharaoh RTA, Aspire Cleito Exo, Kaos Erebus 25mm RTA, Envii Terra Octo RTA, Ijoy Lux, and many more. If you know a product you’d like to see me review, feel free to ask
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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I like this format of a written review along with the video. Nice job. I bought the battlestar on your recommendation and haven't looked back. And the Charon is on the way. I can't wait to get it.

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk
Thanks! glad I could help. I do written ones for all the one's i post on reddit. they really like the written ones. My video's only barely got any upvotes but the written ones front page every time
 

Whiskey

Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Great review Richard, love reading these, for honest details I always like to read yours and Jacks write ups, very thorough and informative, keep up the good work!!:cool:
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Great review Richard, love reading these, for honest details I always like to read yours and Jacks write ups, very thorough and informative, keep up the good work!!:cool:
Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Johnnytraveler

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Your reviews are awesome.
1. You pay for most of your stuff (some you win). So you aren't beholden to the manufacturers

2. You don't rush to review. I'm happy to wait a month or more for an honest review.

Too many reviewers now consider 2 or 3 days sufficient to test a product. That's how the wismec predator problem got missed.

So your reviews are one of the few I trust. I may not agree with them, but you do have my trust.
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Your reviews are awesome.
1. You pay for most of your stuff (some you win). So you aren't beholden to the manufacturers

2. You don't rush to review. I'm happy to wait a month or more for an honest review.

Too many reviewers now consider 2 or 3 days sufficient to test a product. That's how the wismec predator problem got missed.

So your reviews are one of the few I trust. I may not agree with them, but you do have my trust.
Thanks man! that means alot! I just posted up my Solo V2 pro review today ;)
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/anthony-vapes-ijoy-solo-v2-pro-review-and-tech-test.327985/
 

Johnnytraveler

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Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Member For 3 Years
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Yeah. Read it. Good read. I'll watch the videos later.

You've had sh*t luck with ijoy mods. Both of mine have been really good. But I was never going to buy the assholo v2. Just not my style.
Its been hit and miss. The zenith is awesome. The maxo 315 is pretty good. The solo v2 pro was bad lol.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Great review Anthony. One thing though. I've seen reviewers(Jai Haze) complain about the Charon having a dodgy 510 where a lot of atties wobble from side to side on it. Have you heard of this issue with it, or was it a once off?
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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Great review Anthony. One thing though. I've seen reviewers(Jai Haze) complain about the Charon having a dodgy 510 where a lot of atties wobble from side to side on it. Have you heard of this issue with it, or was it a once off?
One off. It'll wobble if not screwed all the way in but once you have it screwed all the way in its solid. Jai even shows that in his video so it's a non issue. Djl just had a bum one. Not sure why but it's the only one I seen that legit had issues

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

bobnat

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Member For 4 Years
Hey, I'm going to buy another Battlestar soon, as a backup. Due to shipping costs here, if I spend x amount I can get free DHL shipping which is the only way to get a mod past customs. So, I'm thinking a Charon along with the Battlestar. Or maybe just 2 BSs. Is there any compelling reason to chose the Charon over the Battlestar. FYI, I vape most of the time in VW and only use TC in the evening with an RDA. The highest I vape at is 40-45w and 450 F.

Thanks.
 

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Thanks Anthony. That's reassuring to know. After doing a bit if research it seems that Smoant are the most trustworthy company for budget priced mods. Was going to get the therion 166, but it seems like such a waste of money for wattage mode vaping. I think there's a bit too much hype about Lost Vape mods anyways; apart from looks, which i'm not bothered about, a decently made bugdet mod can last as long as the over-priced poseur mods. Been vaping the Pharoah rta. Amazing single coil experience.
 

SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Reviewer
Thanks Anthony. That's reassuring to know. After doing a bit if research it seems that Smoant are the most trustworthy company for budget priced mods. Was going to get the therion 166, but it seems like such a waste of money for wattage mode vaping. I think there's a bit too much hype about Lost Vape mods anyways; apart from looks, which i'm not bothered about, a decently made bugdet mod can last as long as the over-priced poseur mods. Been vaping the Pharoah rta. Amazing single coil experience.
That's very true. If u don't vape temp control you don't really need an expensive mod.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

rocketveg

Member For 4 Years
I got this today because my Therion 166 conked out on me. The other day, it started autofiring and killed 2 batteries in the process. I had left it as I usually do on my desk and the next morning, the 2 batts inside were completely dead. These were an older married pair so I tried fresh batts to test the mod and there it was -- autofiring and getting hot. Anyway, I'm sending that for repairs to a local guy.

Going back to the Charon: I bought a stainless steel one because among those available, I thought this to be the most neutral color. I was surprised to see how beautiful the SS version is. Of course, that's a matter of taste but I really like the SS finish on this thing. And now that I've been traumatized by the Therion, I'm going in the direction of non-expensive mods. So this works perfectly for me.

My only quibbles for the Charon (and the battlestar) are 1) the springloaded battery contacts -- I think these should always be on the negative side; it just feels safer that way; and 2) the 510 connection is a little bit more shallow than on other mods, so I've got attys that don't sit flush and need a delrin spacer.
 

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