What’s up vapers!
SirRisc here with another gear review!
These XCube Ultras were sourced from Smok!
Premise.
I feel like I’m repeating myself often lately, especially when I say that I absolutely love what Smok is doing within their range of mods.
As a reviewer I have to be critical and objective, and I am, but I’m honestly struggling to find anything bad to say about Smok these days.
The H-Priv is a joy to use, both the Quantum and the Nano One are extremely handy to carry along, the Knight kit is a great combination…
It’s all just very good stuff to have…
And it goes back a fair bit longer than just these mods, I was quite the fan of the XCube II.
Despite hearing about many people having trouble with the button or getting the temperature control to work properly, I never had any of these issues.
I used the XCube II for a long time; I carried it to live performances, I carried it to rockshows, I even went camping with it twice. It never failed me, and it always sparked a conversation because of the LEDs.
So now there’s a new kid in town, the XCube Ultra.
How does it measure up to it’s older brother? Let’s find out!
Specifications.
- 220W maximum power output
- Dual 18650 battery powered
- Integrated button with LED lighting
- Vibration warnings (It’s less dirty than it sounds)
- Top fitted OLED screen
- Updateable firmware
- Temperature control for Ni, Ti, and SS
- Adjustable TCoR and Initial Resistance
- Smaller and lighter than the XCube II
Packaging.
The XCube Ultra comes in the newly restyled packaging from Smok, a black box in a stylishly branded black wrap.
On the front of the wrap is the Smok logo, a shiny X in the middle and “Cube Ultra” near the bottom right.
The back has a short list of contents, and a brief introduction to the mod.
Inside of the box you’ll find the mod in a black foam insert, which also has a ribbon to lift it out.
Lifting it reveals the accessories; the USB cable for charging and updating the firmware, a battery safety card, a warranty card, and of course the usermanual.
Performance.
Smok has been releasing quite a few mods lately and most of them are very similar in functionality.
The XCube Ultra is not that different from the H-Priv in terms of functionality in fact.
Both have a maximum poweroutput of 220W, both can control temperature on different alloys, and even menu structures are very similar.
So where’s the difference in them? Mostly in the aesthetics but there are a few differences between the boards too.
The biggest difference in the boards is the vibration module, a new addition to the XCube Ultra that may seem a bit superfluous at first but actually has a good use.
The way it works is as a tactile warning for certain functions, like removing or attaching the atomizer for example.
It also serves as a great addition to stealthmode, when the display is disabled and the mod has no other way of telling you something has changed.
When you use the mod in stealth mode and the display is turned off, the vibration module will let you know when the atty disconnects, or when you accidently push one of the buttons.
Of course the XCube Ultra, much like its predecessor, has the big firebutton on the spine of the mod.
With the XCube II a lot of people seemed to have issues with the button being loose after a while, or even fully coming off.
The XCube Ultra has the same button in terms of looks but it is a lot tighter. The button doesn’t wiggle around like the one on the XCube II, nor does it feel as loose.
In fact it needs a fair bit more pressure to fire, without losing any of its comfort. It’s still smooth to push, and it can be pushed over the entire length of the button.
On the XCube II the button also had RGB LEDs underneath the button, of which the color could be changed in the menu or through the Smok mobile app (now named Vaping Tour).
The XCube Ultra also has LED lighting underneath the button and it has been improved as well, by setting the LEDs closer together the output is around 10% higher now.
This also results in a better spread of the light across the bar, and a better color.
For reference, I usually have purple lighting on the black XCube Ultra and change it around depending on which atty I’m using on the silver version.
In other functionality, the XCube Ultra is very much the same as the H-Priv.
The temperature control is tailored to work with Ni, Ti, and SS alloys and has yet to fail me.
Doing dry fire testing the only alloy that singed the cotton ever so slightly was Ni, which was on par with my expectations.
The H-Priv gave me a similar result with Ni alloy and cut the power before the cotton actually turned brown.
On Ti and SS the temperature control kicked in quicker and no apparent singing was noticed, though the SS mode did have an issue at some point.
The issue wasn’t a fault in the mod but rather the atty I was using, so no harm done there.
The temperature control has an extended functionality that Smok mods have been using for quite some time now, Adjustable Initial Resistance or AIR.
AIR is handy when you’re using coils that may deviate slightly from their intended resistance, like exotic SS builds.
The TCoR can also be adjusted, which allows for the temperature control functionality to be finetuned in a couple of ways.
The 510 is a part of which I’ve seen a few people describing issues, mostly pertaining the resistance not being read correctly.
Considering I’m extremely lucky to have a lot of atties to my disposal, I tested this extensively by attaching over 25 different atties to both mods.
(Atties included: Griffin, Goon, Plume Veil, Petri V2, TFV8, TFV4, TF-RTA, TF-RDTA, etc.)
The only atty that gave me issues is one that has given me issues with almost every mod I’ve used except my Hexohm, a Plume Veil clone that has a knack for shorting.
Attaching a Velocity clone with a longer 510 gave me no issues, nor did the authentic Velocity.
Since a couple of people have expressed to have issues with the 510, I wanted to recreate the problem but I couldn’t. The 510 works as intended for me.
One thing that I could classify as a bug, though a very small one, is the wattage jumping up by 1W when changing the batteries.
I have no idea why this happens, but it does so every time I switch batteries and turn the mod on.
I fully expect this to be solved with the next firmware update.
Aesthetics.
The XCube Ultra is a bit smaller than its predecessor, but it does stick to the same design.
On top there’s a big and bright display with the plus and minus buttons and 510 connection edging it.
There’s still the same firebutton that takes up the entire spine of the mod, with the colorful LED lighting behind it.
On the bottom you’ll still have a USB connection…
So what’s different besides the size?
The batterydoor has been greatly improved by dropping the bottom magnets and replacing them with a notch.
This keeps the batterydoor in place a lot better, in comparison with the XCube II where the batterydoor tended to slide if you gripped it too strong.
Other than those differences, the mod has little new in terms of aesthetics.
It’s the same trusty XCube but slightly smaller and a couple of serious improvements.
Comparing the XCube Ultra to its predecessor, the XCube II.
Pros and Cons.
Pro.
- Smaller and lighter than its predecessor
- LED lighting is still fucking cool
- The vibration module is especially handy in stealthmode
- 220W should be more than plenty for all manner of coils
- TC is accurate and responds quickly
- The button has been improved quite a lot
Con.
- It’s still a heavy mod to carry
- The silver version attracts fingerprints like crazy
- Lock the mod if you build an atty on it, if you push the button while working on the coils your fingers will get burned
- The Vaping Tour app is still a bit on the slow side in recognizing settings on the mod
In conclusion.
I loved the XCube II and I love the XCube Ultra just as much, maybe even more. The decrease in size and weight is a definite bonus which makes the mod a viable carry, but it’s still a tad too heavy.
Just like the H-Priv the XCube Ultra is extremely accurate in its poweroutput, putting out a maximum of 220W should be plenty for anyone.
The temperature control is fairly accurate as well, with the additions of adjustable TCoR and initial resistance it can be finetuned quite well to suit any style of TC vaping.
Overall the XCube Ultra is a much improved XCube and a very worthy successor to the XCube II. If the black one should happen to break, I would definitely get another one.
In closing I would like to thank Smok for sending out the XCube Ultra!
Thanks for reading, join me next time as I take a look at the little mod that could, the Eleaf iCare!
Need to reach me? Head over to my website.
Interested in what I vape daily? Check out my Instagram.
Want to know more about DIY? Head over to ELR.
#staycloudy !
SirRisc disappears in a cloud of coconut and raspberry scented vapor
DISCLAIMER: This review is based on personal opinions and is not intended as a promotion, endorsement or advertisement.
The publisher is not sponsored, affiliated or compensated in any way.
