Considering how many Vape Mods we review each year, it takes an awful lot to make our year-end “best of” lists. So, imagine how good a device must be to make our Best Mid-Wattage Vape Mods for 2018 list without even having our review published yet. But that’s exactly what happened with the Smoant Cylon TC 218W Mo – and our only regret is that we didn’t shine more light on it the first time, but as it goes, it takes time to write, edit, and polish a Spinfuel VAPE Review.

Hyperbole? Maybe. But since the dual-18650 Smoant Cylon arrived on my desk, I haven’t been able to put it down. And I’d venture to say you won’t, either. But, enough gushing – let’s dive down to see WHY we love the Cylon so much.

Like the “Battlestar Galactica” robots that inspired its name, the Smoant Cylon exudes strength. Similar to the SX Mini G-Class, this tall, wide, but still palm-friendly Mod has a pretty commanding presence. My black on black test model has leather (or leather-like) material throughout the grip area – it’s not the softest leather I’ve seen, but the grip has nice texture, and there’s more than enough “give” to instill confidence.

One thing you’ll notice throughout the zinc alloy frame is the inclusion of tiny star screws. Now, I don’t know if these are responsible for durability, or just to give off the impression of strength, but they stand out, especially on a solid black device.

Speaking of which, the only real bit of “bling” comes from the odd, jewel-like logo on the rear of the device. Now, I’ve already mentioned a sci-fi series once in this review, but I imagine this design was also inspired by the show. Since I DON’T watch the show, feel free to flame me mercilessly in the comments – I deserve it.

The Cylon’s 510 connection is a highlight. Not only is the entire top plate near-bulletproof, but the Mod can handle up to 30mm tanks and RDAs without overhang.  And not for anything, but they also don’t look unbalanced or out of place when attached. If the industry is truly moving toward bigger, broader atomizers, the Smoant Cylon is ready and waiting.

Another highlight is the fantastic fire and operation buttons, which perfectly balance firmness and throw, and allow users to fire easily, but also stay firm in pockets or purses.

Finally, there’s the Cylon’s stunning 1.3 inch full-color TFT display, which offers one of the clearest, most navigable screens in the industry. This high-resolution display comes with 10 selectable wallpapers – though I find it strange that a fully firmware upgradeable Vape Mod doesn’t allow for user-customized wallpaper uploads. I hope future updates unshackle this feature, so I can make this mod truly my own.

That said, the wallpapers that are included offer a good cross-section of designs, so just about any vaper can find something worth looking at.

Underneath all this high-res, leather-wrapped goodness is the ANT 218 V2 – a chipset that performs as powerfully and smoothly as any Mod in this category. This board’s claim to fame is battery efficiency, and rapid-fire ramp-up – something we can confirm after using the Cylon for a short period of time.

But quick ramping aside (we’ll get to that in a bit) the ANT chipset also makes for an extremely intuitive interface – even with a two-button, up/down control scheme. A few simple clicks opens up the menu trees, which are clearly legible and easy to navigate on the pristine display. There, you can quickly find and adjust any of the Cylon’s myriad modes and settings.

Do I wish the Cylon had an “action/enter” three-button control scheme? Absolutely. But given the limitations, the responsive buttons and crystal-clear display make the Cylon about as user-friendly as this format could be.

Speaking of which, the Cylon has quite a few things going on under the hood. With a potential 218 watts of power output, full temperature control suite, TCR adjustments, preheat settings (with customizable curves) and a full slate of protection measures, the Cylon has everything a modern vaper needs, and more.

Plus, Smoant’s latest also has one of the most accurate coil detection features around. All of my homemade and prebuilt coils were detected without flaw, stutter or jumpy resistances. Coil detection isn’t exactly a new development. ACCURATE coil detection is. And the Cylon gets it right.

On a physical level, the Smoant Cylon Box Mod is extremely comfortable. Not only does the firm leather grip break in nicely after a few weeks, but the weighty frame makes for a confident feel in the hands. Plus, the vertically oriented rectangular fire key feels great, in either a trigger or thumb grip.

As we mentioned earlier, the Smoant Cylon is a true 218-watt Box Mod. Using both RDAs and high-wattage tank systems, the Cylon easily hit that mark – and maintained it without drastic drops in battery life.

In fact, the Cylon is one of the more frugal Mods in my collection, in terms of battery longevity. Vaping steadily at 60-85 watts, I pushed the Mod hard for 6+ hours before needing to swap out cells. This was done while testing all modes, preheat settings and features. Once I settled in and kept the settings intact, I saw a slight boost over the course of day.

The Cylon’s ramp-up claims are true. Even my lowest-resistance test builds heated in record time, without ever getting dry hits or random power spikes. Instead, the mod just delivered smooth, uninterrupted power – even on the highest preheat settings.

I’ve read other reviews of the Smoant Cylon, claiming it’s actually a touch OVER powered, but I didn’t notice much of this during my 10-day testing window. In both wattage and temperature control modes, I never felt like the Cylon was pushing my coils past their intended limits, nor did my coils ever suffer an early demise.

My only gripe came from some slight menu hiccups that occurred in TCR mode when installing a new Ni200 build. The resistance settings kept bumping me out to the main menu. But – like any good computer system – I rebooted the Cylon and the problem disappeared. And I haven’t experienced it since.

Why dance around the obvious? The Smoant Cylon is a fantastic dual-18650 Vape Mod, and anyone looking for a new device in this category should strongly consider buying one. Not only is the physical device sturdy and beautifully designed, but the menu system, display and seamless performance make the Cylon perform like a much higher-end Mod than the price would imply. We can’t recommend it enough.

Score: A+