Vaporesso Xtra Review: More Than Meets the Eye
Product intro and specs
Vaporesso is back again with two new pod vapes, the Xtra and the Osmall. What’s “xtra”? Although it’s shorter than the Osmall, the Xtra has more battery life, a more rugged body design, and more power pushing lower resistance coils. You can achieve a loose MTL up to a restricted lung hit. Switching between the two draws is easy because the wattage auto selects based on the coil used. The MTL coil vapes at 11 watts; the DL coil at 16 watts.
The Xtra kit features an automatic draw and it comes with two pods Vaporesso calls Unipods: a mesh 0.8-ohm coil and a single-strand 1.2-ohm coil. The 2 mL pods are wick’d with the recently developed flax cotton tech instead of CCELL. I was really impressed with the Osmall, so I had high hopes for the Xtra. They look alike, at least the pods do, but they’re actually not compatible.
Price: $23.95 (Here)
Colors: Grey resin, silver resin, grey, rainbow resin, rainbow
Specifications
- Dimensions: 73.9 mm x 16.7 mm x 38.2 mm
- Coil resistance: 1.2-ohm and 0.8-ohm
- Battery capacity: 900 mAh
- Wattage: 11-16 watts
- 3-color LED indicator
- Micro USB
- Magnetic pod connection
Kit contents
- Xtra device
- 1.2-ohm Unipod
- 0.8-ohm MESHED Unipod
- USB cable
- User manual
- Warranty card
Build quality and design
The Xtra is pod mod that’s made of metal, unlike the plastic of the Osmall. The C-frame chrome body has a thick rubberized resin decal that elevates the look and increases the security of your grip. The decal part is a little cheap though. If you’re a picker like me, you might want to keep away from the edges of the sticker. Luckily it feels good in the hand and it’s well placed. The Xtra overall is a good-looking little pod mod. Some of the colors can be a fingerprint magnet, but the execution is tasteful.
Although the name of the device suggests otherwise, the Xtra is actually shorter than the Osmall, but much heavier. The Osmall is under 25 g and the Xtra is 60 g. It only measures 14 mm x 37 mm x 64 mm. I should point out that there is a power button on the bottom of the device. It’s not for firing; it’s just an on/off button turned on via a quick 5-click.
Vaporesso Xtra pods
The kit comes with both Unipods, a Meshed 0.8-ohm loose MTL and a 1.2-ohm MTL (at least that’s how its advertised). The mouthpiece is similar to the Osmall and derivative of the Renova Zero and SMPO, but much smaller. Also, the pods have a nice refill plug that cannot be totally removed, unlike the Osmall. The low resistance coil has a red plug and the MTL coil has a grey plug. I like that clear distinction between the two pods. The resistance is also written on the side of the pod opposite the plug.
Under the plug is a refill opening measuring about 3.5 mm x 5 mm. I’ve been filling it with pipette droppers and haven’t had an issue, though using high VG requires you to kinda snake the liquid in at an angle. All modern droppers like unicorns work perfectly no matter the viscosity of juice used.
The Unipods are magnetized drop in pods. They’re easy to remove yet held in firmly due to a deeper seating and larger diameter magnets. This is an area I’m happy to see Vaporesso improve on. Their previous devices like this had magnets so weak they’d fall out if you said “boo.” I can pick up the whole Xtra—all 60 grams of it—by the pod without the magnets failing. Even with fairly vigorous shaking, it stays connected. Of course, there’s limits and it’s not meant to be held like that. Also, there’s a bit of wiggle room with the pod in the pod housing. It’s not enough to even be a con for me though because it only wiggles when you try to do it. When you’re just taking a hit or just holding it in between your lips, it doesn’t stationary.
Performance
The Xtra has been performing well, though I had hoped for the same performance on the 1.2-ohm coil as I got from the Osmall. I wasn’t sure what the performance might be with the Meshed 0.8-ohm coil, but I was certain the MTL would be my favorite. Okay, so I was wrong.
Meshed 0.8-ohm coil: Warm, clean, and fairly saturated flavor for such a little device. Even with long drags, the flavor doesn’t get distorted. It wicks well like most mesh coils, but I’d recommend keeping ratios in the 50%-70% VG range. Another aspect that performs well with this coil is the airflow. It’s a loose MTL that stays in its lane! It’s not like the Mi-Pod which struggles to achieve that perfect middle ground of a loose MTL. I think Vaporesso nailed this draw! I recommend keeping nicotine to a max of 12 mg. Even you opt for 6 mg, it can still give a solid throat hit…which is very good thing!
MTL 1.2-ohm coil: Though the specs are the same and the coils inside the pod look the same as the Osmall, the performance isn’t the same. And, frankly, I can’t tell a difference between the draw of this and the Meshed 0.8-ohm coil. I’d go so far as to say that from the few pods that I’ve tried, the 1.2-ohm pod feels looser than the Meshed version. Either way, I think this MTL is too loose especially for a single-strand coil. It wicks best with 50/50 and I’d recommend this with high nic up to 24 mg/mL or salts up to 36 mg/mL. The flavor is decent, but forgettable.
There haven’t been any hiccups with the Xtra pods. No leaking, spitting or flooding, though I haven’t tried to throw every viscosity at these coils like I did with the Osmall. I’d imagine you’d get flooding or gurgling with thin juice in the Meshed pods. Thin juice is fairly rare these days, so that’s not much of a concern. My main issue is the 1.2-ohm coils struggle to put out notable flavor compared to the Osmall’s equivalent. But what the Xtra lacks in strict MTL vaping, it makes up for it with a flavorful loose MTL with the 0.8-ohm coils.
Battery life and charging
The Xtra charges through a micro USB port. I would’ve preferred a USB-C. But it has pass-thru charging and an LED indicator to keep you clear on the status of your battery. Green is full, blue is midway, and red is almost depleted.
With 900 mAh, you can get at least a day of regular vaping. It’s a fairly hefty battery to be only pushing 16 watts max, but the size of the device belies the battery capacity. For comparison’s sake, the Voopoo Vinci Air has 900 mAh and stands at 100 mm where the Xtra is just 64 mm tall.
Pros / Cons
- (+) Visually appealing
- (+) Solid build quality
- (+) Feels good in the had
- (+) Strong magnets are an improvement for Vaporesso
- (+) Ergonomic mouthpiece
- (+) On/off button can ensure no autofiring
- (+) Juice window works well
- (+) Refill plug is non-removable
- (+) Two coil options included
- (+) Really good flavor on Meshed 0.8-ohm coil
- (+) Loose MTL done well
- (+) Pass-thru charging
- (-) MTL pod has too much airflow
- (-) MTL pod flavor is just okay
- (-) Decal feels good but is a cheap feature
Verdict
I’ve been impressed and fairly satisfied with the Xtra. The battery life is substantial for the power it pushes, the look is clean, and the mesh pod satisfies. Even though I was more interested in the MTL coils, as it turns out, the Meshed coil was the star of the kit for me. I’m comfortable in recommending this device to anyone that prefers a loose MTL. Even if you don’t usually use pod devices, this could be a solid back up.
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Article Author: Jeremy Mann
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