Thank you for taking the time to view my review of the Smoant Cylon TC218 mod which was provided to me directly from Smoant for the purpose of this review. I do not get paid to do this, it is just a lot of fun, would have to be for the amount of time that is involved. My loyalty is to the vaping community first and foremost and I try my best to offer up my honest opinion. I have had the Cylon for close to a month now, about 4 days short. I only write up my reviews when I feel I have nothing more to learn, if I do discover something after my review is done I will update the review. I have not put this disclaimer up for some time but I thought a little refresher might be good.
Whatâs included
- Cylon Mod
- USB cable
- User manual
- Battery wrap warning card
- Warranty card
Specs
- Size: 47mm(L) X 32mm(W) X90mm(H)
- Weight 191 grams without batteries
- Dual 18650
- Display: 1.35 inch TFT color screen
- Output range: 1 â 218 W
- Output modes: VW / VW Curves / Temp (Ni, Ti, SS) / TCR / TC Curves
- Resistance range: 0.05 â 2.0 Ohm for Temp / TCR mode / TC Curves 0.1-5.0 Ohm for VW / VW Curves
- Temperature control: 100 â 315°C / 200 â 600°F
- Two different UI available to choose
- Firmware upgradeable (download the file at smoant.com/cylon-update.rar)
- Reverse polarity protection/ Overheating protection/ Low voltage protection/ Overload/Short-circuit protection/ Over-time protection
- Colors: Black, Tarnish
More info can be found here: http://smoant.com/cylon-218w-color-screen-tc-mod/index.html
Getting to know the Cylon
I was fortunate to see the prototype of the Cylon (didnât have a name at that time) at the ECC show back in August 2017. At that time I was pretty impressed with where they were going with it, I have to say they went even further, as much as I loved the prototype the production version is much sexier.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw it was an affordable SXmini G Class, one of my favorite mods but about 4 times more expensive than the Cylon. It reminded me so much of my G Class that at least a dozen times or more I went to press the fire button on the front faceplate where the G Class has itâs button. It is so reminiscent that a friend of mine who also owns a G Class did the same thing when I handed it to him. The Cylon is more boxy than the G Class though, the G Class is more comfortable in the hand but have to admit that I like the leather on the Cylon better than the Gâs carbon fiber. The Cylon is heavier, 191 grams without batteries compared to 174 grams for the G Class and it is noticeable.
Here are some comparison pics of the G Class and Cylon
The screens are nearly identical but I tend to favor the Cylon, it is a little more clear
They both have software for updates and changing the wallpaper but the Cylon software is much easier to use, Yihi should really get there act together in that regard considering how much they charge.
The Cylon software link is here: smoant.com/cylon-update.rar it is an automatic download, once you click the link the download begins. There is also a video showing how to use the software, I actually havenât watched it as the software was easy to use but I bet it will be helpful to a lot of people.
https://youtu.be/NmHLw7flTeM
The wallpaper function is really cool, here is a pic of my screensaver I installed myself.
Here is another but this time in the working screen, the pic is from the Smoant Family facebook page, a lot of users have uploaded wallpapers there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smoant/
That is a 30mm tank on there as well, love 30mm friendly mods.
You can control how long the screen stays on for from 10 to 240 seconds. This of course will affect your battery life. I had mine set for 10 seconds and it worked but then the screensaver comes on and stays lit for another 20 seconds, whatâs up with that? I would love it if Smoant released a firmware update that lowered the screen timeout to 5 seconds and included an option to go into Stealth mode. I know in the past Smoant has not been great with firmware updates, they did release one for the Cylon and Ranker though so hopefully they continue that.
While I have not had any problems with my battery door I do feel it could have been done better. I have had it slip a little but never enough that it opens. There is a lot of play at the hinge as well, not happy about that but it hasnât been a problem.
The 510 is solid and all of my tanks connect and sit flush. It is also sealed which is nice.
The only thing that concerned me when taking off the top was the size of the screws, they only have 0.5mm of thread that screws into plastic.
The screws that attach the 510 to the top plate are the same size but there metal screws which are more secure.
I really would have liked a better connection for the top plate, if you drop it just right there is not a lot holding on and if the plastic nubs break then your SOL. It does feel solid though and I wasnât worried about it until I saw those tiny screws.
Aside from those quibbles though the Cylon is a solid mod, no rattles and the leather has held up beautifully. I actually had a tank dump itâs load all over the Cylon, thought for sure the leather may start to peel back but so far so good a week later.
Power performance
I donât have much complaints there, compared to the G Class I didnât notice much difference. The only thing I did make note of is the G Class had a more effective preheat when it was engaged on both mods. I do like a good preheat but with the Cylon I actually preferred it in normal mode. Overall I preferred the G Class in power mode but it is not a big difference, it is just that the preheat mode won out. This is not a fair comparison though, the G is over $200 so it should be better.
The wattage curve mode on the Cylon is easy to setup and works well. I prefer just straight watts generally but the wattage curve was fun to use and one of the most effective I have tried thus far.
One annoying thing, and this is annoying with most mods is the watts change in .1 increments until you get to 100 watts and above, then it switches to 1 watts increments. I wish all mod makers would just make it 1 watt increments or at the very least .5 increments. Is it really going to make a difference to have your watts set to 35.7 watts instead of just 36 watts? All it does is make peoples OCD to fall on an even # go haywire.
TC Performance
I have generally been happy with most of the Smoant mods I have tried for TC, they may not be the most accurate but theyâre enjoyable to use. They Cylon is no exception but in SS TC mode it does run hot, about 10 to 20F hot. You cannot change or even see the TCR setting for the SS TC mode but when going into TCR mode I was able to mimic it and believe they have it set to 0.00105 instead of the normal 0.00092 for SS316. It is still a smooth and tasty TC vape, in fact I used it in TC mode for more than half of my review evaluation and enjoyed it very much. I just had to lower my temp a little or switch the TCR mode and dial in a more suitable TCR.
The TC Curve function works great, one of the best I have tried. Just like the Watt Curve it is easy to setup, the only thing is you have to set a TCR, there are no presets like SS, Ti or Ni. Smoant does include a TCR range in the ownerâs manual and when changing the TCR on the mod it will show if your in Ti, Ni or SS range of TCR. It is a lot better if you know the TCR table though so I have included one here:
I had my TC Curve set at 520F to start and worked my way down to a safe temp to avoid dry hits at the end of my draw at about 420F. This gave me more of a power hit at the beginning but I could still vape my tank dry without any burnt cotton flavor we all hate so much. It is not how I normally vape in TC but have to admit I really like it and used the TC Curve a lot, great feature. I also played around with the TCR in TC Curve mode and found 0.0096 to be where I liked it, nice warm vape and the flavor kicked. It is easy to change the TCR when in TCR or TC Curve mode, just press power and up at the same time to bring up the TCR setting, no need to go into the menu if you want to save time.
The watts are adjustable in TC mode and no restrictions, if you want the full 218 you got it. To adjust the watts press the fire and down buttons at the same time when in TC mode. The watts adjust in 1 watt increments, not .1 like in power mode and round robin as well.
Battery life
No puff counter so I just have to relay my experience with it. With tame watts at between 45 and 60 watts I was able to get through the day, when the batteries were depleted the mod shuts off. I measured 3.29 and 3.3V when the batteries were exhausted, I am guessing but Smoant has lowered the voltage cutoff to 3.2V, much better than there previous mods. At higher watts in the 85 to 100 watt range I could go through 2 sets of batteries easily using Sony VTC5A 2600mah batteries. I measured 3.35 and 3.46V when the batteries were exhausted.
Overall it is not the best battery life, the screen staying on for 30 seconds doesnât help. It is still decent though and better than there previous mods with the higher voltage cutoff.
Pros
- Excellent watt mode performance
- Easy to setup and effective Power Curve mode
- Great TC performance, just a little on the hot side, adjust your temp down a little
- Excellent TC Curve mode, I love it
- Intuitive menu system
- Outstanding screen
- 30mm tank friendly with no overhang
- Sealed and solid 510
- Nicely textured leather
- Excellent software for firmware updates and changing your screen wallpaper
- Finally Smoant lowered the voltage cutoff
- Full watts available in TC mode
Cons
- Preheat modes not as good as other mods, I prefered just normal watts
- Small screws into plastic receptacles holding on the top plate
- Battery door hinge is wobbly and not as secure as I would like, never accidentally opened on me though
- Screen stays on for 30 seconds even on lowest timeout setting
- No stealth mode
Final thoughts
While not perfect, the top plate and battery door are my main concerns, the Smoant Cylon is a tremendous value, I am seeing prices of below $60 shipped from US vendors and some China vendors have the Cylon priced at $39.99 + shipping. Here is a good resource to find a great deal: http://www.vapecrawler.com/results/Smoant%20Cylon
The performance is great, a few quibbles here and there but overall it is a solid performer. I am really tempted to buy the Tarnish version of the Cylon, that is how much I like it. I need that color to match my Gunmetal Aromamizer Plus, they would look so sexy together.
Thanks to Smoant for sending me the Cylon TC218 to review, shoutout to Bear from Smoant as well, he seriously is one of the coolest people around. You can find more information at: http://smoant.com/cylon-218w-color-screen-tc-mod/index.html
Check out how this stacks up to other tasty gear and meet the Steampugs team of reviewers. Your bound to have a good time and read up on some great products, not so great ones too http://www.steampugs.co.uk/
Pics with various sized tanks and different angles
Vandy Vape Triple 28mm
Vaptio Throne 22mm
Wake RTA 24mm
Freemax Fireluke 25mm (measures 28mm with this resin version though)
30mm handcheck
Vandy Vape Phobia 24mm RDA
Love the looks of it.
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