Hi Ecigssa members, In this review i take a look at the Luxe PM40 Pod Kit from Vaporesso. The Luxe PM40 Pod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Jasmine from Vaporesso.
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/luxe-pm40
Introduction
Vaporesso have become giants of the vaping industry with it's parent company Smoore being the first Chinese vaping company to be floated on the stock markets back in July and their shares have tripled since then so at least not all news around vaping is doom and gloom!
The Luxe PM40 is their latest Pod device coming with a Nord type palm size form factor and one button control for both firing and wattage adjustment as well as accommodating their ever growing GTX family of coil heads. With a neat top-fill design, adjustable airflow and whopping (for it's size) 1800mAh battery let's give the Luxe PM40 a good look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 x LUXE PM40 Battery
2 x 4ml LUXE PM40 Cartridge (2ml TPD Version)
1 x GTX 0.6ohm MESH COIL
1 x GTX 0.8ohm MESH COIL
1 x Type-C USB Cable
1 x User Manual
1 X Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Luxe PM40 came in cardboard box packaging with outer cardboard sleeve and on opening i found everything neatly packaged in one layer with each item having it's own compartment. I received the Jade design which refers to the design of the front and back panel, the options are Black, Jade, Lava, Silver or Carbon Fiber.
As mentioned it has a form factor similar to the Nord but with more curvy panels and slightly thicker body and i can certainly see the Luxe/Revenger look to the device and is just as well made using the same Zinc Alloy main chassis and IML panels to give high resolution designs with a transparent protective coating!
The device is palm size but quite thick to accommodate the 1800mAh battery and feels substantial in the hand, it actually feels really nice, ergonomic and has some reassuring weight without being too heavy! On the front we have a protruding horizontally positioned oval fire/adjustment button central towards the top which has a matt Silver face then chrome edging and central tiny round indentation.
Moving to one side we have a central elongated screen, then towards the top one airflow slot and a dummy slot, towards the bottom is a type C USB port. The opposite side is plain apart from 2 airflow slots towards the top, moving to the base we have printed branding and safety stamps. On the rear of the device towards the top we have a slot with small circular flat faced lever for adjusting airflow which aesthetically is very similar to on the XROS but it executes airflow adjustment differently. Up top we have the protruding clear pod with Black duckbill mouthpiece! Very nice looking device!!!!!!
___________________________________________________________________
Luxe PM40 Specs and Features:
Dimensions: 96.45 x 30.6 x 21.5mm
Materials: Zinc Alloy, IML panels
Weight: 92.5g
Cartridge Capacity: 4ml (Standard)
Coil: GTX 0.6ohm mesh coil (20-30W)
GTX 0.8ohm mesh coil (12-20W)
Battery Capacity: 1800mAh
Output Wattage: 5-40W
Display: 0.69" OLED Screen
Charging: Type-C, 5V/2A
Improved Anti-leakage mechanism
Visible cartridge with top filling system
Turbo Boosting Tech & Adjustable Airflow
Colours/Designs: Black, Jade, Lava, Silver, Carbon Fiber
___________________________________________________________________
The Pod
The Luxe PM40 has a clear pod with frosted bottom section (e-liquid isn't stored in this section) and a solid Black duckbill mouthpiece which is removeable to allow the pod to be filled. The standard pod holds 4ml of e-liquid and the TPD pod 2ml, removing the mouthpiece which is done by pressing it from the front and it pops off reveals a round fill port with self sealing silicone membrane and on the opposite side a small hole to allow air to escape. The top-fill method Vaporesso have used before and no surprise it's revisited as it is very quick to fill and mess free!
On the sides of the pod we have protruding sections to clip the pod in the bay and moving to the base the round opening for the coil head to be press fitted into place.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coil Heads
The Luxe PM40 uses the GTX PnP style coil heads of which 4 are compatible. The coil head just gets press fitted into place you just need to make sure the straight edges are lined up with the front and back of the pod and rounded edges to the sides. The two included coils are both Kanthal mesh and are the 0.6ohm coil head rated between 20w to 30w and the 0.8ohm coil head which is rated between 12w to 20w.
The 2 coil heads included differ from the previous 0.6ohm and 0.8ohm GTX coil heads by having an extra O-ring lower down. This gives the coil head a total of 3 sealing O-rings and also the e-liquid only stays stored in the top section of the pod where it wicks the coil head. The lower section between the 2 bottom O-rings has a self-circulation system which recycles escaping e-liquid rather than it escaping into the pod bay!
Not all the GTX coil head family are compatible but as well as the 2 included coil heads we also have both mesh and regular 1.2ohm coil heads for MTL options, you do lose the bottom O-ring on the other compatible coil heads but with the upper bottom O-ring and self-circulation system the pod will still be leak resistant, see below for coil head compatibility:
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod
On either side of the pod we have protruding clips with outer protruding tabs which dig into the inner silicone lining when the pod is inserted and i have to say it's much more secure than it sounds and takes quite a tug to remove, the pod has no movement whatsoever when installed!
Looking into the pod bay it's very neat and tidy, we have the central Gold plated, spring loaded contacts and the inner perimeter has a silicone lining which hides what's going on with how the airflow operates.
Once the pod is inserted and filled we have a thin viewing section front and back but at the sides the device tapers down to give a much larger viewing area and with the pod being clear you can see your juice level at all times without needing to remove the pod!
___________________________________________________________________
The Airflow
On the rear of the device we have a slot and a lever with a flat round head which can be moved right and left. The slot itself has a wall behind it as air doesn't enter through this slot but rather the lever is mechanically moving the side slots open and shut, moving the lever to the right is opening them and moving to the left shutting them and obviously they can be as much open as you require.
The weird thing is we have 2 adjustable slots one side but the other side only the top one is a slot and the bottom an indentation to keep an aesthetic symmetrical look but why only one slot one side and two the other has me baffled!
___________________________________________________________________
Display
The display on the Luxe PM40 is very old school but both bright and sharp. Top left we have the resistance and then bottom left the puff counter which shows puff duration while pressing the fire button. Central we have the wattage followed by the unit "w" and above the unit a closed padlock which disappears when unlocking to allow wattage adjustment. Top right we have the battery status bar and then underneath the status shown as a percentage which will please many as usually Vaporesso displays do show the percentage but within the status bar making it difficult to see so this is much better!
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Device
The Luxe PM40 is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button within 2 seconds to switch on and the same to shut down. When switching on the device the wattage will be set to what you were last using before shutting down but the device has smart wattage so when the pod is removed and then put back into the device it will give a suitable wattage around the middle of the coil heads recommended wattage range so for example with the 0.8ohm coil head it adjusts to 18w.
By default the button is locked as a wattage adjustment button so when pressed it fires the device, this status is also shown on the screen by a closed padlock. To unlock press the button 3 times quickly and the padlock disappears and now instead of the button firing the device each press increases the wattage in 1W increments, holding the button down speeds it up.
The device adjusts from 5w to 40w and round robins as this is needed because it only adjusts one way so if you overshoot the wattage you want by a couple of watts instead of just going back 2 watts you have to scroll all the way to 40w and then use the round robin feature to start again at 5W, a con? yes but not a deal breaker! When unlocked so acting as a wattage adjustment button no activity for 3 seconds causes the button to lock and the padlock reappears and the button is back to being the fire button! That's it as far as operating the device goes because we only have the one button which means no combo button features so the puff counter can't be reset but it only goes up to "999" and then goes back to "000".
A lot of these smaller devices although they have adjustable wattage don't have voltage boosting so it only gives you the set wattage if it's within the batteries voltage capabilities so depending on what voltage you are using for the wattage set you can get a drop off in power like with a direct output device. The Luxe PM40 though does have some voltage boosting like the buck boost system which they call Turbo boosting so if you notice any drop in power at all it will only be in the last about 10% of the battery life up until then you will get stable wattage!
___________________________________________________________________
Protections: Taken From Manual
Short Circuit Protection
No Load Protection
Low Resistance Protection
High Resistance Protection
Low Voltage Protection
Over Voltage Protection
Over Charge Protection
Over Discharge Protection
Auto Shut-off Protection
PCBA Overheating Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging
The device is charged via the Type C USB port and it has a claimed 2A charge rate which allows the device to charge in 1 hour although that hasn't been my experience. Even if switched off when the charge cable is plugged in the device displays the working screen with the battery status bar now becoming a charging progress bar and the charge also given underneath as a percentage, while charging the device supports pass-through.
___________________________________________________________________
How It Vapes? And Thoughts!
Firstly although subjective i find the Luxe PM40 very pleasing to the eye and what isn't subjective is the top-notch build quality, this is made from the same materials and just as well as the full size standard Luxe devices!
I like the airflow design and any airflow adjustability is a big plus on a pod system and this does work as if you take a vape fully closed, half way and then fully open you can tell the increased airflow with each vape. However there is air leakage when fully closed so a loose MTL is as tight as it goes (maybe a mid to loose if you source one of the 1.2ohm coil heads) and this isn't as airy of a device as something like the Drag X for example so really between fully closed to fully open isn't a massive difference just going from a loose MTL to a restricted direct lung draw but then a lot of vapers do vape in this draw zone which is why devices like the Caliburn are still so popular!
The fire button is very nice, the device fires with absolutely no delay and the Turbo Boosting gave a great consistent vape, personally i didn't notice any drop off even when the battery was weak! Using the same button for both firing and adjusting wattage and how it's been executed is a great innovative feature but it does limit to only being able to adjust one way which isn't a deal breaker for a 40W device but would be a big con if the same design was done with a more powerful device!
I love the tried and tested top-fill design on the pod and with the pod being both clear and plenty of the pod on show especially at the sides i could see my juice level at all times so you only ever need to remove the pod for a coil change. I did remove the pod on other occasions just to monitor how Vaporesso's claim to a leak resistant pod was going and i haven't even had condensation, the bay throughout testing remained bone dry!!!!!!!
Another claim though i do dispute and although having type C USB is a pro every time i charged it took about an hour and a half which i make a max charge rate of 1.5A (about par) and not the charged in an hour 2A charge rate claimed, it definitely isn't 2A!
I am a big fan of the GTX coil heads and cross compatibility is a big plus although for this device only 4 of the coil heads are compatible which are the 2 included plus both a mesh and regular MTL coil head, for a 40W device though it's well covered!
I find all the GTX coil heads give above average flavour and both supplied coils in the Luxe PM40 gave really good flavour. The 0.8ohm coil head i found great and warm enough for me at just 15W with airflow closed down for a loose MTL this also with the impressive (relative to device size) battery capacity gave cracking battery life! The 0.6ohm coil head i had the airflow about three quarters open for a very restricted direct lung draw and i found this best at 25W. It also needs pointing out what a smooth draw it gives, it really does give a fantastic vape!
To put things into prospective in regard how i like the device and that's most devices of this nature i don't test as my main device as i am an RTA vaper and really don't enjoy vaping stock coils for a period of time. I did test this along with other devices which is my usual method but also found i was happy using this as a main device which i did do for a couple of days which is something i just don't usually do with a pod style device but i just really like both the flavour and draw it gives and it feels such a nice device in the hand!
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Excellent build quality
IML panel designs
Ergonomic and portable
Substantial palm sized form factor
Anti leaking pod design (i experienced zero leaking)
Accommodates GTX PnP coil heads
2 Different coil heads included
2 Empty pods included
Both a mesh and regular 1.2ohm MTL coil head also available
Quick, mess free top-fill design
Clear pod
Can see juice level without moving the pod
Comfortable duckbill mouthpiece, suited for the loose MTL and restricted direct lung draws the device gives
Pod fits very securely
Adjustable airflow
Turbo boosting for consistent vape quality
Old school, bright display
Battery status shown as both bar and percentage
Very nice fire button, device fires without delay
One button for both firing and adjusting wattage
Smooth draw
Very good flavour from both coils
1800mAh battery, great battery life for a small 40w device!
Type C USB
Supports pass-through
Cons
Not much airflow variation
Wattage adjust only one way
Charge rate not 2A as claimed but 1.5A taking 1.5hours to charge (about par)
I would once again like to thank Jasmine from Vaporesso for supplying the Luxe PM40 Pod Kit for the purpose of this review, thanks for reading and stay safe!
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/luxe-pm40
___________________________________________________________________
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/luxe-pm40
Introduction
Vaporesso have become giants of the vaping industry with it's parent company Smoore being the first Chinese vaping company to be floated on the stock markets back in July and their shares have tripled since then so at least not all news around vaping is doom and gloom!
The Luxe PM40 is their latest Pod device coming with a Nord type palm size form factor and one button control for both firing and wattage adjustment as well as accommodating their ever growing GTX family of coil heads. With a neat top-fill design, adjustable airflow and whopping (for it's size) 1800mAh battery let's give the Luxe PM40 a good look!
___________________________________________________________________
In The Box
Contents:
1 x LUXE PM40 Battery
2 x 4ml LUXE PM40 Cartridge (2ml TPD Version)
1 x GTX 0.6ohm MESH COIL
1 x GTX 0.8ohm MESH COIL
1 x Type-C USB Cable
1 x User Manual
1 X Warranty Card
___________________________________________________________________
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The Luxe PM40 came in cardboard box packaging with outer cardboard sleeve and on opening i found everything neatly packaged in one layer with each item having it's own compartment. I received the Jade design which refers to the design of the front and back panel, the options are Black, Jade, Lava, Silver or Carbon Fiber.
As mentioned it has a form factor similar to the Nord but with more curvy panels and slightly thicker body and i can certainly see the Luxe/Revenger look to the device and is just as well made using the same Zinc Alloy main chassis and IML panels to give high resolution designs with a transparent protective coating!
The device is palm size but quite thick to accommodate the 1800mAh battery and feels substantial in the hand, it actually feels really nice, ergonomic and has some reassuring weight without being too heavy! On the front we have a protruding horizontally positioned oval fire/adjustment button central towards the top which has a matt Silver face then chrome edging and central tiny round indentation.
Moving to one side we have a central elongated screen, then towards the top one airflow slot and a dummy slot, towards the bottom is a type C USB port. The opposite side is plain apart from 2 airflow slots towards the top, moving to the base we have printed branding and safety stamps. On the rear of the device towards the top we have a slot with small circular flat faced lever for adjusting airflow which aesthetically is very similar to on the XROS but it executes airflow adjustment differently. Up top we have the protruding clear pod with Black duckbill mouthpiece! Very nice looking device!!!!!!
___________________________________________________________________
Luxe PM40 Specs and Features:
Dimensions: 96.45 x 30.6 x 21.5mm
Materials: Zinc Alloy, IML panels
Weight: 92.5g
Cartridge Capacity: 4ml (Standard)
Coil: GTX 0.6ohm mesh coil (20-30W)
GTX 0.8ohm mesh coil (12-20W)
Battery Capacity: 1800mAh
Output Wattage: 5-40W
Display: 0.69" OLED Screen
Charging: Type-C, 5V/2A
Improved Anti-leakage mechanism
Visible cartridge with top filling system
Turbo Boosting Tech & Adjustable Airflow
Colours/Designs: Black, Jade, Lava, Silver, Carbon Fiber
___________________________________________________________________
The Pod
The Luxe PM40 has a clear pod with frosted bottom section (e-liquid isn't stored in this section) and a solid Black duckbill mouthpiece which is removeable to allow the pod to be filled. The standard pod holds 4ml of e-liquid and the TPD pod 2ml, removing the mouthpiece which is done by pressing it from the front and it pops off reveals a round fill port with self sealing silicone membrane and on the opposite side a small hole to allow air to escape. The top-fill method Vaporesso have used before and no surprise it's revisited as it is very quick to fill and mess free!
On the sides of the pod we have protruding sections to clip the pod in the bay and moving to the base the round opening for the coil head to be press fitted into place.
___________________________________________________________________
The Coil Heads
The Luxe PM40 uses the GTX PnP style coil heads of which 4 are compatible. The coil head just gets press fitted into place you just need to make sure the straight edges are lined up with the front and back of the pod and rounded edges to the sides. The two included coils are both Kanthal mesh and are the 0.6ohm coil head rated between 20w to 30w and the 0.8ohm coil head which is rated between 12w to 20w.
The 2 coil heads included differ from the previous 0.6ohm and 0.8ohm GTX coil heads by having an extra O-ring lower down. This gives the coil head a total of 3 sealing O-rings and also the e-liquid only stays stored in the top section of the pod where it wicks the coil head. The lower section between the 2 bottom O-rings has a self-circulation system which recycles escaping e-liquid rather than it escaping into the pod bay!
Not all the GTX coil head family are compatible but as well as the 2 included coil heads we also have both mesh and regular 1.2ohm coil heads for MTL options, you do lose the bottom O-ring on the other compatible coil heads but with the upper bottom O-ring and self-circulation system the pod will still be leak resistant, see below for coil head compatibility:
___________________________________________________________________
Fitting The Pod
On either side of the pod we have protruding clips with outer protruding tabs which dig into the inner silicone lining when the pod is inserted and i have to say it's much more secure than it sounds and takes quite a tug to remove, the pod has no movement whatsoever when installed!
Looking into the pod bay it's very neat and tidy, we have the central Gold plated, spring loaded contacts and the inner perimeter has a silicone lining which hides what's going on with how the airflow operates.
Once the pod is inserted and filled we have a thin viewing section front and back but at the sides the device tapers down to give a much larger viewing area and with the pod being clear you can see your juice level at all times without needing to remove the pod!
___________________________________________________________________
The Airflow
On the rear of the device we have a slot and a lever with a flat round head which can be moved right and left. The slot itself has a wall behind it as air doesn't enter through this slot but rather the lever is mechanically moving the side slots open and shut, moving the lever to the right is opening them and moving to the left shutting them and obviously they can be as much open as you require.
The weird thing is we have 2 adjustable slots one side but the other side only the top one is a slot and the bottom an indentation to keep an aesthetic symmetrical look but why only one slot one side and two the other has me baffled!
___________________________________________________________________
Display
The display on the Luxe PM40 is very old school but both bright and sharp. Top left we have the resistance and then bottom left the puff counter which shows puff duration while pressing the fire button. Central we have the wattage followed by the unit "w" and above the unit a closed padlock which disappears when unlocking to allow wattage adjustment. Top right we have the battery status bar and then underneath the status shown as a percentage which will please many as usually Vaporesso displays do show the percentage but within the status bar making it difficult to see so this is much better!
___________________________________________________________________
Operating The Device
The Luxe PM40 is the usual 5 clicks of the fire button within 2 seconds to switch on and the same to shut down. When switching on the device the wattage will be set to what you were last using before shutting down but the device has smart wattage so when the pod is removed and then put back into the device it will give a suitable wattage around the middle of the coil heads recommended wattage range so for example with the 0.8ohm coil head it adjusts to 18w.
By default the button is locked as a wattage adjustment button so when pressed it fires the device, this status is also shown on the screen by a closed padlock. To unlock press the button 3 times quickly and the padlock disappears and now instead of the button firing the device each press increases the wattage in 1W increments, holding the button down speeds it up.
The device adjusts from 5w to 40w and round robins as this is needed because it only adjusts one way so if you overshoot the wattage you want by a couple of watts instead of just going back 2 watts you have to scroll all the way to 40w and then use the round robin feature to start again at 5W, a con? yes but not a deal breaker! When unlocked so acting as a wattage adjustment button no activity for 3 seconds causes the button to lock and the padlock reappears and the button is back to being the fire button! That's it as far as operating the device goes because we only have the one button which means no combo button features so the puff counter can't be reset but it only goes up to "999" and then goes back to "000".
A lot of these smaller devices although they have adjustable wattage don't have voltage boosting so it only gives you the set wattage if it's within the batteries voltage capabilities so depending on what voltage you are using for the wattage set you can get a drop off in power like with a direct output device. The Luxe PM40 though does have some voltage boosting like the buck boost system which they call Turbo boosting so if you notice any drop in power at all it will only be in the last about 10% of the battery life up until then you will get stable wattage!
___________________________________________________________________
Protections: Taken From Manual
Short Circuit Protection
No Load Protection
Low Resistance Protection
High Resistance Protection
Low Voltage Protection
Over Voltage Protection
Over Charge Protection
Over Discharge Protection
Auto Shut-off Protection
PCBA Overheating Protection
___________________________________________________________________
Charging
The device is charged via the Type C USB port and it has a claimed 2A charge rate which allows the device to charge in 1 hour although that hasn't been my experience. Even if switched off when the charge cable is plugged in the device displays the working screen with the battery status bar now becoming a charging progress bar and the charge also given underneath as a percentage, while charging the device supports pass-through.
___________________________________________________________________
How It Vapes? And Thoughts!
Firstly although subjective i find the Luxe PM40 very pleasing to the eye and what isn't subjective is the top-notch build quality, this is made from the same materials and just as well as the full size standard Luxe devices!
I like the airflow design and any airflow adjustability is a big plus on a pod system and this does work as if you take a vape fully closed, half way and then fully open you can tell the increased airflow with each vape. However there is air leakage when fully closed so a loose MTL is as tight as it goes (maybe a mid to loose if you source one of the 1.2ohm coil heads) and this isn't as airy of a device as something like the Drag X for example so really between fully closed to fully open isn't a massive difference just going from a loose MTL to a restricted direct lung draw but then a lot of vapers do vape in this draw zone which is why devices like the Caliburn are still so popular!
The fire button is very nice, the device fires with absolutely no delay and the Turbo Boosting gave a great consistent vape, personally i didn't notice any drop off even when the battery was weak! Using the same button for both firing and adjusting wattage and how it's been executed is a great innovative feature but it does limit to only being able to adjust one way which isn't a deal breaker for a 40W device but would be a big con if the same design was done with a more powerful device!
I love the tried and tested top-fill design on the pod and with the pod being both clear and plenty of the pod on show especially at the sides i could see my juice level at all times so you only ever need to remove the pod for a coil change. I did remove the pod on other occasions just to monitor how Vaporesso's claim to a leak resistant pod was going and i haven't even had condensation, the bay throughout testing remained bone dry!!!!!!!
Another claim though i do dispute and although having type C USB is a pro every time i charged it took about an hour and a half which i make a max charge rate of 1.5A (about par) and not the charged in an hour 2A charge rate claimed, it definitely isn't 2A!
I am a big fan of the GTX coil heads and cross compatibility is a big plus although for this device only 4 of the coil heads are compatible which are the 2 included plus both a mesh and regular MTL coil head, for a 40W device though it's well covered!
I find all the GTX coil heads give above average flavour and both supplied coils in the Luxe PM40 gave really good flavour. The 0.8ohm coil head i found great and warm enough for me at just 15W with airflow closed down for a loose MTL this also with the impressive (relative to device size) battery capacity gave cracking battery life! The 0.6ohm coil head i had the airflow about three quarters open for a very restricted direct lung draw and i found this best at 25W. It also needs pointing out what a smooth draw it gives, it really does give a fantastic vape!
To put things into prospective in regard how i like the device and that's most devices of this nature i don't test as my main device as i am an RTA vaper and really don't enjoy vaping stock coils for a period of time. I did test this along with other devices which is my usual method but also found i was happy using this as a main device which i did do for a couple of days which is something i just don't usually do with a pod style device but i just really like both the flavour and draw it gives and it feels such a nice device in the hand!
___________________________________________________________________
Likes
Excellent build quality
IML panel designs
Ergonomic and portable
Substantial palm sized form factor
Anti leaking pod design (i experienced zero leaking)
Accommodates GTX PnP coil heads
2 Different coil heads included
2 Empty pods included
Both a mesh and regular 1.2ohm MTL coil head also available
Quick, mess free top-fill design
Clear pod
Can see juice level without moving the pod
Comfortable duckbill mouthpiece, suited for the loose MTL and restricted direct lung draws the device gives
Pod fits very securely
Adjustable airflow
Turbo boosting for consistent vape quality
Old school, bright display
Battery status shown as both bar and percentage
Very nice fire button, device fires without delay
One button for both firing and adjusting wattage
Smooth draw
Very good flavour from both coils
1800mAh battery, great battery life for a small 40w device!
Type C USB
Supports pass-through
Cons
Not much airflow variation
Wattage adjust only one way
Charge rate not 2A as claimed but 1.5A taking 1.5hours to charge (about par)
I would once again like to thank Jasmine from Vaporesso for supplying the Luxe PM40 Pod Kit for the purpose of this review, thanks for reading and stay safe!
https://www.vaporesso.com/vape-kits/luxe-pm40
___________________________________________________________________
