Personal Impressions & Observations
I received the Gold color shown here. You can see that the color matches pretty well with the pictures posted above. Generally speaking, I'm not much of a gold color guy, but this is a matte gold, unlike the shiny AsMODus Minikin 2's if any of you remember those. The nice thing about matte colors is that they generally aren't fingerprint magnets for the OCD folk out there. In lower lit areas, it almost has a bronze look to it - I don't mind it in this case. The front side hides the 1.3 inch IML screen just below the partially-transparent black sheath that extends pretty much the length of the mod. The directional buttons are laid out toward the bottom just above the USB-C type charging port. There's a feathered molding along the sides of the screen that look to jut out quite a bit, but in fact you can hardly tell it's there when gripping the mod.
As I'd mentioned at the beginning, I wanted to give a quick explanation of what IML is which is the screen you see running the UI. From the bit of reading I did, it is my understanding that IML (in-mold labels) is a weather and wear and tear resistant way for ink in the screen to last longer. If this is indeed the case, I hope we see more companies going this route in the future.
In the top middle picture, you get a good look at the fire button extending down the side the majority of the way. This is in fact a fire "bar". It does give leniency toward the finger firing types if you're right handed, thumb firing if you're left handed. I, myself, have a preference firing with my thumb. In this case, I fire it with my thumb anyway because I don't need to constantly be looking at the screen. This may bother some people if you're a thumb firer and want the screen facing you.
On the back there's an embossed logo that is new to me. I'm not entirely sure if this is a new logo they're going with, or if I'd just never noticed it before. The X in "FreemaX" has however been a common theme, and so the design has two X's positioned side by side. It's almost naughty; the flavor is definitely naughty.
The right side of the mod is bare. Underneath you can see a few holes made for torx screws which connect the bottom of the mod to the main body of the mod. 3 battery vents are positioned under each battery and there are raised treads to help in opening the bottom door which swings open after sliding and unlatching the door cover. On the inside of the battery cover, you can plainly see a positive and negative sign to designate the proper insertion of batteries. It should be noted that the front cover and the inside of the battery door have clear plastic stickers. Neither of these stickers impede on the functioning of the mod, so if you're interested in leaving them on for added protection, they very well can be left on.
Interestingly enough, Freemax has implemented a new style of pod connection from what I'm usually accustomed to seeing. Even their newer Marvos-series pods run the traditional spring-loaded dual pin connectors, but with the size of the MX coils, they've chosen a different method. There's a single large spring-loaded connector positioned dead center in the pod housing, and the first ring of the housing serves as the ground that matches the outer ring of the coil when the pod is seated into the pod housing. This drastically opens the airflow through the bottom of the coil because of the large circumference which aids in giving this kit an authentic DL style vape. You'll see what I'm talking about when we get a closer look at the coils. The magnets on this puppy are also very strong. You can without a doubt pick up this kit by the pod w/out worrying about it popping out - you can even hold it sideways by the pod.
The Airflow Control Ring runs dual slots positioned symmetrically across from one another. The knurling looks sharp, but it's quite smooth giving you enough grip when you squeeze down on it to spin it while also not sharp or rigid enough to worry about it catching on anything or damaging your nails. The AFC also slides quite easily back and forth but has enough resistance to not move unintentionally.
The Maxus DTL Pod doesn't sport a removeable drip tip and you can tell why - the top half of the chimney section that the top of the coil fits around is positioned inside the base of the drip tip. Some people might see this as a con, but with my recent experience with atomizers and pods in general, there's a tendency for condensation and juice to collect inside the drip tip housing where seepage/drainage tends to occur along the upper exterior of the pod.
The re/filling method for this pod is a side fill with an easy to pull rubber bung. The rubber is thick enough where I wasn't worried about tearing the tab off while removing it, but also thin enough where holding it back with my finger was effortless. Sometimes when that rubber is too thick, it becomes squirrelly while trying to hold it back and squirting juice into the fill port becomes an acrobatic juggling of sorts. This pod can also be filled while still attached to the mod which makes refilling even easier. I will say while the pod is attached to the mod and you refill it in this manner, any juice seepage from overfilling or causing an airlock at the refill opening will likely require that you pull the pod out to wipe it down. The refill bung is positioned just above the airflow ring; maybe a bit too closely.
The refill port is easily big enough to fit a Chubby Gorilla bottle nozzle completely into it. I would suggest fully submerging the nozzle as far into the hole as possible to prevent juice from creating an airlock - if this happens, you'll likely end up wanting to light your desk on fire so you can vape all the juice on it instead of soaking it up. The large diameter of the MX coils can make this difficult if you're not paying attention when re/filling the pod.
This is the 0.2Ω coil that comes pre-installed in the pod when you receive the kit. The coil model (MX2), recommended Wattage range (60-90W), and Best Wattage (80W) is stated on the side of the coil which is common for most coils these days. I've pretty much been exclusively vaping this coil since I received the kit 6 days ago. I meant to switch in the 0.15Ω before the last refill but completely forgot. Flavor becomes prominent at around 50-55W. Strongest at 60-65W. From 65-90W, this is pretty much to cater to your preference in vape heat. I find that the higher Wattage settings tend to roast my throat, so I vaped this coil from 55-65W for the most part outside of testing.
Earlier I mentioned that this pod kit uses a different style of connector pins than the conventional 2 pin connectors we've been seeing in pretty much every pod kit until the Maxus Max. In the top middle picture above, you can see how wide open the bottom of the coil is. You can look straight up into the bottom of the coils which will allow a large flow of air - ideal for direct-lung vaping. The blue insulator seen on the bottom separates the main crossbar which sits on the big spring-loaded connector pin on the mod. Along the outside of the blue insulator, you see a thin circle of metal which acts as the ground - this sits on the first ring of the pod housing shown above in the 6-picture display of the mod (bottom left picture). I think in the long run, this will increase the life expectancy of the mod, and stability of the coil in terms of leaking. I always say, look at the coil insulator seal - if you saw this on the inside of your car, would you be concerned? This is a much better method of connection and sealing than trying to poke a coil lead down through the seal. I've not once had to wipe this coil clean in the undercarriage which is where almost all pod kits leak.
The bottom left picture in the group above show the seal on the inside lip along the top of the coil. This seals along the outer part of chimney seen in the picture to the right of it circled in purple. This is also new to me, as the majority of the coils we insert into a pod tank seat inside of the chimney, not on the outside. I think this is easier to see, and should further reduce mishaps where seals crimp when accidentally inserting them crooked or at an angle. An improper tank seal will definitely lead to pod leaks. Hopefully this proves to be a better system.
Another thing I thought I'd mention are the juice ports in the coil. If you notice here, some of them are fully covered in wick, and other are half open. I've seen this in another coil recently, but I don't recall if it was a Freemax coil head or not. Regardless, I believe this is to allow juice to enter the chamber encasing both mesh coils in this 0.2Ω coil head instead of waiting for the capillary action of the wick to feed the entire surface area of the firing coil. If that is the case, I think it's genius and wonder why this wasn't implemented a long time ago. This is the innovative stuff I love to see from companies doing quality things, not pumping out quantities of things. Well done Freemax.
These are the MX3 coils sent to me as spares. These are sold separately from the kit itself, so I am not including them in the review - simply to take a peek. Usually with more coils inside the coil head, you're going to get greater clouds. MX4 and MX5 coils will be released soon if they haven't already been, and include 4 and 5 mesh coils respectively in each of their coil heads. If you're a cloud chaser, these will definitely be the ones for you.
The Menu is quite simple. 3x quick clicks of the fire button to get into it. It's split up into 3 submenus: MODE, SET, and INFO.
MODE:
- Power: Regular Variable Wattage
- VPC: Variable Power Curve - allows you to set a custom power curve over time
- Bypass: Allows direct battery draw to the coil
- TC SS316: Temp. control for Stainless Steel 316
- TC NI: Temp. control for Nickel
- TC TI: Temp. control for Titanium
- TCR [1] [2] [3]: Temp. Coefficient of Resistance - each type of alloy has a different rate at which it heats up based on the resistance of the metal; you can custom set 3 different values for 3 different types of alloys
SET:
- Timeout: Length of time before the screen turns off
- Coiltest: Toggle On/Off to keep the resistance steady (for TC)
- Puff: Check/Reset total puff count
- Time: Check/Reset total puff time accumulated
- °C/°F: Change between Celsius & Fahrenheit
- Reset: Factory reset
- Comb.Keys: Set simultaneous [-] and [+] key lock to just directional keys, or to include the fire button ("Voltage" should be Wattage here)
INFO:
- Battery: Battery Voltage per battery
- Version: Current version of firmware
- Temp.: Temp. of the chip in °C & °F
[-] and [+] lock the directional keys or direction keys and fire button depending on Comb.Keys setting.
[-] and Fire button cycle the 4 different UI colors
Final Words
Between the Mesh Pro and M Pro 2, I've only purchased and used the Mesh Pro tank. In fact I recently popped a brand new coil in the Mesh Pro over the holidays and the Maxus Max certainly exceeds the flavor output of the first-in-series Mesh Pro coils. The new 904L M coils for the M Pro 2 I've never had the chance to try, but I can imagine the Maxus Max at least rivals them in flavor. The M Pro 2 has been praised by many, but I'd already fallen in love with the Maxluke (Fireluke 3) tank. The 904L X coils are in contention with Freemax's very own MS coils used in their Marvos DTL Pod Tank as the best flavor banger available on the market currently if I were to be the judge. When I was asked if I'd be interested in testing out the new Maxus Max, of course I jumped at the opportunity. The flavor output isn't quite as good as the Freemax 904L X coils or their MS coils, but it's better than Lost Vape's UB Pro coils and certainly better than VooPoo's PnP and TPP coils. Having vaped a tank with the MX1 0.15Ω coil, you trade a bit of flavor for greater vaper production in comparison to the MX2 0.2Ω coil. If you're cloud chaser, I believe you will really enjoy this pod kit.
Performance wise, by the end of the first full battery discharge exclusively using the 0.2Ω coil, I was at the end of my 3rd 5 mL pod refill totaling 15 mL, 303 puffs, and 884 seconds of puff time amounting to about 14 min. and 45 seconds, yielding an average puff length of 2.92 seconds. This is decently accurate for an average DL puff timer for me - it's usually around 3 seconds. For a dual 18650 mod, I think these are impressive numbers. I'm used to vaping at around 45-50W with similar numbers. Vaping at an estimated 60W with the above performance numbers should probably get you through most of the day if it doesn't get you through the entire day depending on how often you vape and at what Wattage. Also, like the Maxus 100W mod (and I'd assume the 200W Maxus mod as well), you're able to check current battery Voltage (for accuracy), chip temperature (convenient if you run into problems with firing and/or battery performance), and things like total puff time to provide you with cool info to compare against the performance of other mods. This mod is also quite compact. I took a picture to compare it to a few other popular dual 18650 mods I had lying around.
Left to Right: Vaporesso Luxe II, Dovpo Topside Dual, Freemax Maxus Max, Wismec Reuleaux Gen3 Dual, Lost Vape Thelema Quest
I would like to mention that the mod's Voltage Output is 0.7 to 8.4 Volts. That means this FM 2.0 mod chip has buck (a step-down converter) but no boost (a step-up converter). I did notice a slight drop off in power output toward the last 20ish % of the battery. Not enough to where the mod wasn't firing the coil properly, but you can tell by the intensity of the crackle that there's a tad bit of power missing. The mod had zero issues hitting 90W for both the 0.15 and 0.2Ω coils. If the slight performance drop bothers you, simple increase the Wattage a bit to compensate.
The first thing I look for when considering the purchase of a mod or kit is whether or not the chip is boosted. I would encourage all companies to continue boosting their chips for both single and dual battery mods simply for vape performance consistency. If I didn't mind performance drop off, I'd use my mechs exclusively.
It appears that the Pod Tank will soon have a 510 adapter enabling it to be used on larger 510 mods. I'd be lying if I said the pod is small and dainty - I'm going to guess the mod would need a deck clearance of 30 mm to be able to have this hog sitting on it without overhang. Also, hopefully this means a 510 connector adapter is in the works for the pod mod!
-= Pros =-
- Solid construction
- Nice, rounded hand-feel
- Fairly small for a dual 18650 kit
- Pod magnets are very strong (can hold it sideways by the pod)
- Airflow Control Ring is nicely knurled and resistant enough to avoid slippage
- Airflow provides a tight RDL to fully open DL vape
- 5 mL tank
- Refillable w/out dismounting pod
- Coils have partially open juice ports to aid in faster wicking
- Fire modes: Power, VPC, Bypass, TC (SS316, Ti, Ni), TCR
- Fire bar/directional buttons are nice and clicky
- Nice big IML screen – easily read/interpreted information
- UI color options compliment mod color very well
- Lock feature can be set to include fire button
- Battery door secures nicely
- No battery/button rattle
- USB-C charging port
- Cool info features (battery voltage, internal temp, total fire time, puff counter)
- Coil seals nicely, not a single sign of leaking (so far)
-= Cons =-
- Mod chip isn’t boosted (has no issue hitting 90W however)
- Juice nozzles can be difficult to fully submerge when refilling due to certain coil sizes
- Airflow can get slightly whistley with certain settings
- Pod must be near empty to change coils
-= Preference Considerations =-
- Non-removeable drip tip
- No variable voltage mode
- Cloud machine
- Not a big range of coil resistance options (mod is advertised as strictly DL, so can't fault too hard on this)
Evaluation
Before I give a final evaluation, I want the viewer to understand how I rate this. For all values with a Weight of 10, it means this is a high priority for me - what I personally look for in a vape product. The lower the weight, the less this effects my overall judgment. Also bear in mind that I am evaluating this product for its intended purpose. The overall rating isn't a computed average of each of these scores, but rather my overall enjoyment of vaping with this product.
Evaluation considerations:
Battery: Weight 10, Evaluation 10
(Internal/External, battery capacity, recharge time)
Flavor Production (0.2 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 8.5
Flavor Production (0.15 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 7.5
(Depth of flavor, full/rich vs. hollow taste)
Vape Production (0.2 Ohm): Weight 6, Evaluation 8.5
Vape Production (0.15 Ohm): Weight 6, Evaluation 9.5
(Cloud size, volume, thickness)
Coil Performance (0.2 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 9
Coil Performance (0.15 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 9
(Lifespan, dry hitting, chain vaping, available coil resistance range)
Build Quality: Weight 10, Evaluation 10
(Durability, quality, leakage, reliability)
Coil Efficiency (0.2 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 9
Coil Efficiency (0.15 Ohm): Weight 10, Evaluation 9
(Juice consumption)
Size: Weight 3, Evaluation 9
(Comfort, pocketing)
Visual Appeal/Style: Weight 7, Evaluation 10
(Schmexiness)
Versatility: Weight 5, Evaluation 8
(Options, Ohm range, salt nic vs. freebase)
Price Point: Weight 10, Evaluation 10
(Available prices vs. performance/what you get)
Recommendation: Weight 7, Evaluation 9
(Would I pick this as the kit I'd rave about to another vaper?)
Overall Rating
Compared to other mod/atomizer kits: 9
Compared to other Pod Mod kits: 9.5
(Quality build, performance, and coil reputation are wins)
Final note:
I hope you enjoyed the review and/or learned something about this device to help with an informed decision or comparison. The Freemax Maxus Max 168W Pod Mod Kit can be purchased from their website here at
freemaxvape.com and various other outlets.
Happy New Year! Let's hope this year is a shade better than the last.
Cheers and happy vape hoarding.
Please don't be shy to add comments, questions, and feedback.
