Quick review
The XPure is dual-coil RDA made by Smok. Its biggest claim to fame is the advanced air flow system that features:
- A static air hole on one side (1.5 mm).
- An adjustable air hole on the other side, that's adjusted with a special triangular tool.
- a convoluted airflow path that brings the air from the side holes to the bottom of the RDA, and feeds the air to the coils from underneath through rectangular slots cut in the ceramic deck.
To achieve that, there are actually two cylindrical walls separating the chamber and the outside world, and the air circulates in-between. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, watch this video posted on Smok's website:
There are plenty of photos of this RDA floating around on the net, so I couldn't be bothered to take more.
So, for the review:
- Packaging: pretty standard box used in China to package vaping hardware, with a foam and cardboard inserts and a packet of silicagel. Completely uninteresting: open it, remove the bits inside and toss it in the bin. Really, who cares about the packaging: the juicy bits inside are what count, i.e. the RDA and the tool.
- The RDA: stainless steel everywhere apparently, nicely-fitting silicone O-rings, innovative ceramic deck and its rectangular air holes, 3 quality coil screws. The main body threads are well machined and fit tightly. The bottom of the deck section, and the top of the inner cylinder are knurled. Nice touch. The surface finish is very smooth. Very good quality all round.
- Drip tip: Fantastic- and futuristic-looking... and completely useless as a dripper's drip tip: the opening is too tight and too long, so if you drip through it, the juice will stick to the sides instead of going down onto the wick. If you want to use it, you'll most likely have to remove it each time you drip. Me, I installed a proper dripper's drip tip that's short and wide. It's not as pretty but it's much more functional.
- The tool: special - meh... The tool has two ends: a triangular socket on one end, and a Phillips screwdriver on the other. The triangular socket's tolerances are pretty tight, making connecting the tool to the RDA's airflow control knob rather problematic. In this case, a loose fit would have been better.
- Draw: very loose. This is an airy atomizer. Even with the airflow control fully closed, there's so much air going through the static air hole that you can almost pull a direct lung hit comfortably. If you like a tight draw, you'll have to close the static air hole. Me, to keep the look nice and clean, I jammed a toothpick in it and trimmed it on both sides:
- Adjusting the airflow control knob: it does the job, but it's not very progressive. You don't have to twist it very much to change the draw rather dramatically, especially around the fully closed position. I have a feeling Smok knew about this and added the static air hole to mitigate the problem. With the static air hole closed, you'll know about it alright. Also, it doesn't take much effort to twist it. That's good news: if you lose the tool, you'll be able to set the air flow with a pair of pliers, or even with your fingernails if they're long enough, without damaging the triangular knob.
Installing the coils and the wicks
I don't do sub-ohm, I don't dig mechs, and I don't do high power. This is a dual-coil setup that works well with ordinary regulated mods to chase flavor rather than clouds. I've had to try several setups to find the right one, as the oddly shaped ceramic deck and air holes seem to affect performances in strange ways if you don't want to dump massive amounts of power into the coils.
Firstly, clean the heck out of the deck and screws with rectified alcohol. It looks nice and dry out of the box, but there was something on mine that made the taste godawful. I kid you not, don't skip this step!
Wrap two 6.5 turn coils around 2.5 mm silica rope (34 ga kanthal) and leave the leads long. The turns should be tight but shouldn't touch. Install each coil along each air slot, but push it against the center ceramic "wall" and keep it there while you wrap each lead around the outer screw (negative) and the center screw (positive). Once both coils are installed that way and the screws are tightened, lift the coils gently: that'll position them exactly above the air slots, while leaving a gap between the coil and the wall. This gap seems to be important for flavor production - probably because more air flows around the coil. The final resistance should be around 1.7 ohms:
Trim the positive leads. Then fold each outer wick tail (the ends nearer to the negative screws) so the rope lays flat against the deck and follows the curvature of the chamber wall, without letting hang over the edge, leaving another gap around the coil. Lock the tails in place with the negative leads of the opposite coils. These ends of the wicks will pick up any juice that finds its way to the bottom of the deck:
Tie the inner wick tails (the ends that exit the coils near the center of the deck) loosely into a knot over the positive screw. This is rather important , because it lets both coils "share juice": if you always vape with the mod tilted the same way, you won't end up with one coil flooded and the other running dry. On any other deck, you'd route one or both ends of the silica rope of each coil on the other side around the posts. But the ceramic wall won't let you do that on the XPure.
Trim the silica wicks so they stay within the deck's footprint. Do the trimming well: if you don't and you let bits hang over, you'll have one hell of a time installing the inner cylinder, which rather unfortunately, is installed last. Ideally, the XPure should be designed so the inner cylinder goes on first (so you can wiggle it this-or-that way to force the wick in), and then the outer cylinder last. But because it's the other way round, the inner cylinder can only go in dead straight. So any stray piece of wick will get caught in the threading.
Finally, test-fire and balance the coils:
I run 13W in this setup, and the flavor is incredimazing. The clouds not so much, but I find it rather an advantage to stealth-vape.
My opinion so far
Pros:
- Cheap.
- All stainless steel.
- Great finish.
- It's all screwed-on, so it doesn't wobble like most atomizers with a bell that stay on by friction with O-rings. It's so solid, I love that!
- It doesn't leak. Let me repeat that: IT DOES NOT LEAK! That's because the complicated path the air has to follow to reach the chamber makes it complicated for the juice to leave the atty too.
- Smart-looking drip tip included for use on another tank or clearo
- Ceramic deck (although, to be honest, I'm not sure it's really an advantage. Supposedly it radiates heat back onto the coil, but I'm not convinced. Still, it's different).
- Clever, integrated airflow controller.
- Did I mention it doesn't leak?
Cons:
- Wicking job unecessarily complicated because of the inner-cylinder-goes-in-last design fault, and because of the center "wall" of the ceramic deck. You can't really go wild with that deck: there aren't very many styles of wicking you can use, and you have to plan it carefully anyway so the stupid inner cylinder manages to screw on in the end.
- The special tool... What can I say? Anybody who's ever had a device with a special anything knows what it's like to lose the special bit, or being unable to procure a replacement. Smok should have used a hex screw head, or even simpler, a slot for a flat screwdriver. Sure it would have looked plainer, but they wouldn't've had to supply the special tool. Fortunately, the air flow doesn't need to be adjusted very often, and worse comes to worst, it's doable with a pair of pliers.
- Because of the dual walls, you can't hear the juice snap crackle and pop when the coils are activated. The sound is completely muffled. I like atomizers that sound like Rice Krispies.
- The static hole is much too wide. Smok should have drilled a very small hole (0.5 mm for instance) that people who want massive amounts of air could have enlarged. At 1.5 mm, people like me who want a tight draw have to close it, which is less easy.
- Being stainless, it has that dull blueish finish that sort of clashes with mods that sport gaudy nickel-plated bronze hardware. It's not really the XPure's fault though...
- Dual-coils: not really a fault, I just happen to prefer single coils. Unfortunately, because the deck has two air slots, if you want to run a single coil inside it, you'd have to find a way to plug up the unused air hole. I've tried with a piece of wetted silica, but it's not quite enough.
Overall...
There are a few things I don't like with this RDA, but mostly it's a great device. It's really growing on me. At that price, you'd be a fool not to get yourself one and try it
The XPure is dual-coil RDA made by Smok. Its biggest claim to fame is the advanced air flow system that features:
- A static air hole on one side (1.5 mm).
- An adjustable air hole on the other side, that's adjusted with a special triangular tool.
- a convoluted airflow path that brings the air from the side holes to the bottom of the RDA, and feeds the air to the coils from underneath through rectangular slots cut in the ceramic deck.
To achieve that, there are actually two cylindrical walls separating the chamber and the outside world, and the air circulates in-between. If you have no idea what I'm taking about, watch this video posted on Smok's website:
There are plenty of photos of this RDA floating around on the net, so I couldn't be bothered to take more.
So, for the review:
- Packaging: pretty standard box used in China to package vaping hardware, with a foam and cardboard inserts and a packet of silicagel. Completely uninteresting: open it, remove the bits inside and toss it in the bin. Really, who cares about the packaging: the juicy bits inside are what count, i.e. the RDA and the tool.
- The RDA: stainless steel everywhere apparently, nicely-fitting silicone O-rings, innovative ceramic deck and its rectangular air holes, 3 quality coil screws. The main body threads are well machined and fit tightly. The bottom of the deck section, and the top of the inner cylinder are knurled. Nice touch. The surface finish is very smooth. Very good quality all round.
- Drip tip: Fantastic- and futuristic-looking... and completely useless as a dripper's drip tip: the opening is too tight and too long, so if you drip through it, the juice will stick to the sides instead of going down onto the wick. If you want to use it, you'll most likely have to remove it each time you drip. Me, I installed a proper dripper's drip tip that's short and wide. It's not as pretty but it's much more functional.
- The tool: special - meh... The tool has two ends: a triangular socket on one end, and a Phillips screwdriver on the other. The triangular socket's tolerances are pretty tight, making connecting the tool to the RDA's airflow control knob rather problematic. In this case, a loose fit would have been better.
- Draw: very loose. This is an airy atomizer. Even with the airflow control fully closed, there's so much air going through the static air hole that you can almost pull a direct lung hit comfortably. If you like a tight draw, you'll have to close the static air hole. Me, to keep the look nice and clean, I jammed a toothpick in it and trimmed it on both sides:
- Adjusting the airflow control knob: it does the job, but it's not very progressive. You don't have to twist it very much to change the draw rather dramatically, especially around the fully closed position. I have a feeling Smok knew about this and added the static air hole to mitigate the problem. With the static air hole closed, you'll know about it alright. Also, it doesn't take much effort to twist it. That's good news: if you lose the tool, you'll be able to set the air flow with a pair of pliers, or even with your fingernails if they're long enough, without damaging the triangular knob.
Installing the coils and the wicks
I don't do sub-ohm, I don't dig mechs, and I don't do high power. This is a dual-coil setup that works well with ordinary regulated mods to chase flavor rather than clouds. I've had to try several setups to find the right one, as the oddly shaped ceramic deck and air holes seem to affect performances in strange ways if you don't want to dump massive amounts of power into the coils.
Firstly, clean the heck out of the deck and screws with rectified alcohol. It looks nice and dry out of the box, but there was something on mine that made the taste godawful. I kid you not, don't skip this step!
Wrap two 6.5 turn coils around 2.5 mm silica rope (34 ga kanthal) and leave the leads long. The turns should be tight but shouldn't touch. Install each coil along each air slot, but push it against the center ceramic "wall" and keep it there while you wrap each lead around the outer screw (negative) and the center screw (positive). Once both coils are installed that way and the screws are tightened, lift the coils gently: that'll position them exactly above the air slots, while leaving a gap between the coil and the wall. This gap seems to be important for flavor production - probably because more air flows around the coil. The final resistance should be around 1.7 ohms:
Trim the positive leads. Then fold each outer wick tail (the ends nearer to the negative screws) so the rope lays flat against the deck and follows the curvature of the chamber wall, without letting hang over the edge, leaving another gap around the coil. Lock the tails in place with the negative leads of the opposite coils. These ends of the wicks will pick up any juice that finds its way to the bottom of the deck:
Tie the inner wick tails (the ends that exit the coils near the center of the deck) loosely into a knot over the positive screw. This is rather important , because it lets both coils "share juice": if you always vape with the mod tilted the same way, you won't end up with one coil flooded and the other running dry. On any other deck, you'd route one or both ends of the silica rope of each coil on the other side around the posts. But the ceramic wall won't let you do that on the XPure.
Trim the silica wicks so they stay within the deck's footprint. Do the trimming well: if you don't and you let bits hang over, you'll have one hell of a time installing the inner cylinder, which rather unfortunately, is installed last. Ideally, the XPure should be designed so the inner cylinder goes on first (so you can wiggle it this-or-that way to force the wick in), and then the outer cylinder last. But because it's the other way round, the inner cylinder can only go in dead straight. So any stray piece of wick will get caught in the threading.
Finally, test-fire and balance the coils:
I run 13W in this setup, and the flavor is incredimazing. The clouds not so much, but I find it rather an advantage to stealth-vape.
My opinion so far
Pros:
- Cheap.
- All stainless steel.
- Great finish.
- It's all screwed-on, so it doesn't wobble like most atomizers with a bell that stay on by friction with O-rings. It's so solid, I love that!
- It doesn't leak. Let me repeat that: IT DOES NOT LEAK! That's because the complicated path the air has to follow to reach the chamber makes it complicated for the juice to leave the atty too.
- Smart-looking drip tip included for use on another tank or clearo
- Ceramic deck (although, to be honest, I'm not sure it's really an advantage. Supposedly it radiates heat back onto the coil, but I'm not convinced. Still, it's different).
- Clever, integrated airflow controller.
- Did I mention it doesn't leak?
Cons:
- Wicking job unecessarily complicated because of the inner-cylinder-goes-in-last design fault, and because of the center "wall" of the ceramic deck. You can't really go wild with that deck: there aren't very many styles of wicking you can use, and you have to plan it carefully anyway so the stupid inner cylinder manages to screw on in the end.
- The special tool... What can I say? Anybody who's ever had a device with a special anything knows what it's like to lose the special bit, or being unable to procure a replacement. Smok should have used a hex screw head, or even simpler, a slot for a flat screwdriver. Sure it would have looked plainer, but they wouldn't've had to supply the special tool. Fortunately, the air flow doesn't need to be adjusted very often, and worse comes to worst, it's doable with a pair of pliers.
- Because of the dual walls, you can't hear the juice snap crackle and pop when the coils are activated. The sound is completely muffled. I like atomizers that sound like Rice Krispies.
- The static hole is much too wide. Smok should have drilled a very small hole (0.5 mm for instance) that people who want massive amounts of air could have enlarged. At 1.5 mm, people like me who want a tight draw have to close it, which is less easy.
- Being stainless, it has that dull blueish finish that sort of clashes with mods that sport gaudy nickel-plated bronze hardware. It's not really the XPure's fault though...
- Dual-coils: not really a fault, I just happen to prefer single coils. Unfortunately, because the deck has two air slots, if you want to run a single coil inside it, you'd have to find a way to plug up the unused air hole. I've tried with a piece of wetted silica, but it's not quite enough.
Overall...
There are a few things I don't like with this RDA, but mostly it's a great device. It's really growing on me. At that price, you'd be a fool not to get yourself one and try it