Review: Smok XPro M50

Denne anmeldelsen er også tilgjengelig på norsk.

A week ago I was going on a business trip to Oslo where the company I work for was throwing a huge "kick-off" party (which they do every year). This meant getting on a plane and I had to wear a suit to the party, both something that meant I had to put some thought into what kind of vaping equipment to bring. Lately I've been using mostly my SubTank and Nautilus when I've been out and about, simply because they are easy to fill, easy to change heads on and they're not leaking even if I put them upside down, so they would be the perfect tanks to bring along. But... I've been using them with my Sigelei 100W and now I figured this would be a bit to big and heavy to bring along, especially since I was forced to wear a suit to the party as well, meaning ... limited pocket space. I needed something a bit lighter and smaller and with at least 30W of power, since I mostly run the SubTank at 25W. It was only one day left until departure and I was wondering how the hell I was going to get a new device in such short time. But luckily we have our own local vapeshop where I live now, so I got in touch with Birger who runs dampoteket.no. I was actually looking to get an iStick 30W but Birger had just gotten an upgraded version of the Smok XPro M50 and suggested that I tried that. Since Dampoteket is located only like a 20 minute drive from where I live, I actually ended up trying out the XPro the night before departure... happy giraffe.

Some specifications:

• Aluminum box
• LED display that shows how much battery is left, resistance, watts and volts
• Charging Protected
• Short-circuit protected
• 510 link
• Pass Through
• 65W
• Fires atomizers with resistance between 0.2 and 4.0 ohms
• Size: 85x38x22 mm
• Runs on one 18650 battery (NB not supplied, and you should use a proper battery that can withstand at least 20A output, for example Sony VTC4 or VTC5).

 
As I said this is an upgraded version of the XPro M50. The most noteworthy upgrades are of course is that it now can go up to 65W, but also the Pass Through functionality, which means you can use it while charging. Very handy when you are on the PC.

In the box:

• The mod itself
• Manual (in English)
• Charging cable
• 4 extra screws (one must unscrew the bottom to put in the battery)
• A 510 to Ego adapter
• A Allen key

Design and looks:
XPro M50/65 actually looks pretty good. From the looks of it it comes in a lot of different colors. I got the black version and to be completely honest, I think it looks best in black. Simple and elegant, with only a small logo on each side.

In use:
Part of the reason that I got in touch with dampoteket in the first place was that I wanted a smaller and lighter regulated mod. And that was exactly what I got. XPro50/65 is not really much bigger than it needs to be to accommodate the electronics and 18650 battery. When it comes to performance it simply delivers what it is asked to deliver ... up to 65W of course. However the mod will reduce power when the battery starts to drain. At 50-60% battery you're only able to run around 40W and then further down to around 25W at 20% battery. The way I've used it it's not a problem, but this might be an issue for some people who wants a mod that can run 65W all the way. So it might not be for everyone, but if you're planning to use it for the Nautilus, Atlantis, Sub-tank or any tank that thrives at around 25W this won't be a problem. I've not tried it with any atomizers with resistances outside the spec, but I've been down to 0.3 Ohms and it runs just fine.

Setting the watts is pretty straight forward. When you hold the + or - it starts counting up or down quite slowly, but increase the pace gradually. But it never goes so fast that it is difficult to stop where you had intended to stop. It also has an option to run in "Mech mode", just outputting whatever voltage your battery is at. When you're in this mode the mod will display how many watts you're vaping on. To put it in this mode you'll have to enter the menu by clicking the fire button 3 times. In the menu there is also an option to turn the mod completely off. You can also lock the mod so it doesn't fire in your pocket by clicking the fire button 5 times quickly. To unlock, or turn the mod on if it's off, 5 clicks on fire is also the way to go. Works really quite well once you get used to it.

As I said the I really like the pass through functionality. The USB port, however, is located on the bottom side of the box, which is a little inconvenient since you can't let the mod stand upright while charging. Then again, if you use a tank that can lay on the side without leaking this really isn't a big deal. The supplied charging cable could also have been a little longer, but not a big problem either. It's a standard micro-USB connection so it is possible to buy a longer cable if you wish.



Conclusion:
Smok XPro M65 is a quite small, yet very powerful box mod. Pricewise it's slightly above the iStick 30W, but in return you get twice as many watts. It's an ideal companion for tanks like Kanger SubTank or Aspire Atlantis. It's small and light considering how many watts it delivers and certainly worth the money. For my Norwegian readers, dampoteket offers this at around 598 NOKs, shipping included. I don't think dampoteket.no ships outside Norway, but the it's not very hard to find a shop that will sell you one. Thanks to Birger at dampoteket.no who saved my trip to Oslo.

Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The mod was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.