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Geekvape Aegis X Review: Test Results Are In
Product intro and specs
The Aegis X is the latest dual-18650 mod from popular vape manufacturer Geekvape. It is rated for 220 watts, features an impressive 2.4-inch color screen, and it is powered by the updated AS 2.0 chipset. And same as the rest of the Aegis line, the X comes with an IP67 certification for dust and water-resistance.
Geekvape has a proven track record in mod manufacturing. The Aegis series has become very popular for being rugged and reliable, and the Nova was one of my favorite mods for 2018. I recently reviewed the Aegis Squonk, which I found to be one of the best squonk mods on the market. The company has quietly become one of the top mod makers in vaping, so let’s see if the Aegis X can live up to the expectations.
Price: $53.95 (Here)
Colors: Green, gold, orange, rainbow, silver, gunmetal, red, black
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 128.9 mm x 31.5 mm x 41.2 mm
- Input voltage: 6.2-8.4 volts
- Output voltage: 0.1-12 volts
- Resistance range: 0.05-3 ohms
- Charger specification: 5V/2A
- Output power: 5-200 watts
- Temperature control:100-315 C / 200-600 F
- Battery specification: Dual-18650
Kit Contents:
- 1 x Aegis X mod
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x User manual
First impressions
When I first got this mod, I liked the design a lot. I’ve used and reviewed the entire Aegis line and has always been a fan of their design. I have the Signature Orange one and the “leather” on this one isn’t leather but a soft cloth that looks and feels great. It’s designed very similar to the Aegis Legend, with the main difference being the massive 2.4-inch OLED color screen on the side. Overall, if you ever used an Aegis mod before you’ll know what to expect here.
One more thing I’d like to point out: I received the mod on its own for this review, but it does also come in a kit version with the Cerberus tank. Not a big fan of this tank personally—the Geekvape Alpha is newer and way better, and should have been the tank included in this kit.
Build quality and design
The Aegis X is a solid, nicely built and well-designed mod. It has the same tactical looks as the rest of the line. It is a little lighter than the Aegis Legend and feels great in the hand. Its size is average for a dual-18650 mod, pretty much the same as the Aegis Legend. The mod features a massive 2.4-inch OLED color screen that nearly covers the entire side of the mod and is very clear and bright.
Like all Aegis mods, the mod itself is mostly black and has a thick rubber coating that covers most of it. The color option itself is only an accent panel around the side of the mod and the color of the soft, cloth-like material that touches the palm. The panel for the Signature Orange one has a nice matte finish to it, while the material is dark grey. It looks good and gives it some nice contrast. Branding is kept simple. There is a Geekvape logo above the screen and an Aegis one in white just below the adjustment buttons. Nothing over the top, but I do think the white “Aegis” writing looks a little out of place.
The sliding latch battery door is same as in the Aegis Legend. Once the batteries are in you have to jam it shut, making sure the latch is secure. Not a big fan of it personally, but it’s better than having doors to unscrew. Since it’s an IP67-rated mod, they can’t do the magnetic side door, so this design makes sense.
There is no button rattle on this mod at all either. The 510 pin is great and gave me no issues with any atomizer. It is centered and the rubber part bevels up a little. The mod itself is 31.5 mm thick, but it can fit up to 26 mm atomizer without overhang due to the bevel. More than good enough for me—I’m using it with my 28mm Triple RTA and the slight overhang is barely visible.
They list 2-amp charging on this mod and while I don’t recommend charging mods internally, I did test it for informational purposes. I found the max charge rate to be 2.05 amps, so that’s a great rating. But still, it’s always best to use an external charger. The USB port is next to the 510 connection and it is protected by a rubber plug.
Features and functions
The Aegis X is packed with features and modes like most of Geekvape’s mods. You have Power mode with Soft, Normal and Powerful preheat options (which is a new feature on their mods), Temp Control (SS, Ni200, Ti, and TCR), Watt Curve mode (VPC), and Bypass mode. It uses a standard TCR as well, which is fully adjustable in TCR mode but not adjustable in the presets. It has pretty much every mode a vaper would need without being overbearing.
The main difference between the X and the other Aegis mods though is that it uses five profile memory slots that you can program and switch on the fly. For example, I had one set up for Power mode, one set up for TC mode and one for Watt Curve mode. So, instead of having to change a bunch of settings, I was able to just switch the profile. That’s quite a nice feature, especially if you like vaping in a variety of modes.
Using the Aegis X
As far as the menu goes, it’s the typical Geekvape menu system, with one difference. There is a Set submenu that allows you to adjust a number of settings. The menu has an Auto option that’s not explained on their site or the manual, so I turned it off and left it that way. There’s also a Theme setting that swaps between the three UI options, a Color setting to change the color of the UI, Version to check your firmware version, a Reset option, and one more listed as AAB with a battery meter next to it. Again, this one is not explained anywhere. Here is a quick rundown on the basic operation.
- Five clicks of the fire button to turn on and off.
- Three clicks of the fire button to enter the menu mode.
- Use up and down to select the profile (M1 to M5) and hit fire to accept.
- Use up and down to scroll through the modes and fire to accept.
- Use up and down to adjust settings in the sub menu of each mode.
- Hold fire to accept the mode and its settings.
- Fire + up or down to adjust screen brightness.
- Up + down to lock adjustment buttons but the mod can still be fired.
- Hold up and down while in the menu to access the Set submenu.
Overall, the menu is easy to navigate, especially if you’ve used other Geekvape mods in the past. But they do need to do a better job explaining the features in their manual, so I’ll ding them for that.
Power mode performance
The Aegis X features their AS 2.0 chipset, which is the newer version of the chip they used in the Aegis Legend and Nova mods. The Geekvape AS chip series is one of the best ones in vaping, so we’ll see how this holds up.
Testing on this mod was done with fully charged Sony VTC5A Batteries. They list the specs at 200 watts and 12 volts, but they don’t list an amp limit. I wish they listed all three. During my testing, the max achieved wattage was 220, so excellent rating at 200 watts—if not a little underrated. The amp limit I got was 43, which is slightly above average for a dual 18650 battery mod these days. The average is around 40. The volt limit I got with a 0.63-ohm coil was 11.781 volts, which is really close to their listed spec and shows it does have a boost circuit—which is awesome as most dual 18650 battery mods do not. The 12-volt rating is accurate and there’s a chance it could even go a little higher since the watts were maxed out at this voltage.
The mod adjusts in 0.1-watt increments under 100 and full-watt increments over 100, and you can also hold the button to scroll quickly. During my testing the mod did a great job of not getting hot. It never struggled and was pretty accurate, often within a watt or two of the setting. You can see the full test results in the chart above.
Temperature control performance
Using SS316L wire in SS mode, I tested four builds.
- One simple round single coil.
- One simple round dual coil.
- One fancy wire single-coil builds.
- One fancy wire dual-coil build.
The Aegis X has the full 200-watt limit available in temperature control, but it, unfortunately, suffers from the same issue as some Voopoo and Rincoe mods: even though you can set it that high, it won’t output anywhere near as close. For example, a 0.1-ohm build that vapes great at 120 watts in power mode won’t even heat up in TC mode, and the screen shows up to a 50-watt output. That was a disappointment, especially since I’ve never had similar issues with any of their previous mods.
If I used a smaller build that needed under 50 watts (like my first single round wire build), I was able to get a warm vape around the 430-440 F range. So, it hits around 10-20 degrees high, which is fine as you can adjust for taste with plenty of wiggle room. It throttles smooth and has good dry hit protection. I get a consistent vape each time, but unless you use a really low-watt MTL build you’ll find that it ramps up pretty slow compared to other mods.
Technically, the TCR should be 92 for SS316 wire (88-92) but as with the other Geekvape mods, the default for SS mode is 105 (which is the TCR for SS304 wire). Still, the fact you can just use the default SS mode for the most common SS wire used in vaping without adjustment is a good thing, regardless of the TCR figure.
Overall, I could never pass a mod with a power limit like this, and especially one that lets you adjust it as high as you want, when it can’t actually do it. But if you vape at low wattages or MTL, it’ll work well for you.
Pros / Cons
- (+) Great build quality
- (+) Nice rubber coating
- (+) IP67 rated
- (+) Eight color options
- (+) Accurately rated for watts
- (+) Good overall power mode performance
- (+) Handles 26 mm atomizers without overhang
- (+) Affordably priced
- (+) High amp limit
- (+) Watt Curve mode
- (+) Nicely laid out and easy to use menu
- (+) Excellent massive 2.4-inch large color screen
- (+) 2-amp charging that is accurately rated
- (+) Boost circuit
- (-) No listing for max amps
- (-) Not a fan of the battery door type
- (-) Can’t get the full wattage in TC mode
- (-) Manual doesn't explain “Auto” and “AAB” settings
Gallery
Verdict
Overall, Geekvape did a great job with this mod. I’ve always been a fan of the line’s design and performance, and the Aegis X lives up to the expectations. If you don’t use TC mode and like mods with big color screens, it’s an excellent mod and well worth buying. Especially since they use a boost circuit which only a couple of companies do on dual-battery mods.
If you use TC mode though, it’s going to be a pass and you’d be better off with the Nova mod—the Aegis Legend wasn’t good for TC mode either, but for different reasons. I’m a little sad to see them take a step back there, since they were one of very few companies making affordable mass-produced mods with good temp control performance in the past year. I hope that they take this to heart and fix it on the next mod.
Let me know what you think in the comments and thanks for reading!
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Article Written By: Anthony Victor
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