Playboy Lux 150W TC Starter Kit Review

Lux 150W TC & Vixen Sub-Ohm Tank

Playboy Takes Vaping Very Seriously

Available through Vaporbeast

Like many other reviewers in the vaping industry we too received a box of vape gear last month from a distributor seeding Playboy’s newest vape gear in order to promote the line. Shipping out high-end box mods and a handful of sub-ohm tanks and several packs of coilheads is not to be taken lightly. The move is an expensive endeavor and it could very well turn out to be a smart move on Playboy’s part.

Seeing as how the first issue of Playboy was published almost to the day I was born (November 1953) no one could approach the reviews of these Playboy branded gear with more respect then I can. I’ve been a big fan for decades. Politics aside, Hugh Hefner’s ‘Playboy Philosophy’, as it pertained to love, sex, and life, was somewhat of a bible and a moral compass growing up.

Over the years the Playboy symbol, the rabbit head, has been both adored and abhorred by various sectors of society. At the same time, no other iconic symbol was featured on as many products. From cigarette lighters to mud flaps, was there anything that wasn’t graced, at one time or another, with the famous rabbit?

Through it’s 62-year history the main motivator for Playboy was sexuality and the freedom to enjoy sex without shame. Playboy taught those that were listening to admire strong women, to understand that women were not only equal to men, but often better than men. My love of strong, intelligent women was a direct result of being exposed to the writings of someone that loved all women, but especially the intelligent and strong.

That might not be politically correct (watch out for PC Principal!), but it’s still true. Sex drives everything, and Playboy was synonymous with sex, beautiful women, living large, but most of all, equality among the sexes.

A Brief History

In the 50’s and 60’s Playboy was the pinnacle of sophistication for men and feminism for women. In the 70’s Playboy had to contend with Bob Guccione’s (pronounced “goo-chee-OAN-eh”) Penthouse magazine. To fend off the competition Playboy took a turn into the slightly more erotic by introducing a new magazine called “Oui”, (by purchasing the US rights to it from the original French magazine, Lui)http://www.luimagazine.fr/ which published a bit more explicit photography to match Penthouse.

In the 80’s Playboy became politically radicalized and progressive, focused more on general politics rather than its tight focus on sexual politics of the past, and very much dove into the 80’s culture scene. In the 90’s Playboy became generally irrelevant to its older audience and the magazine floundered for a long time, only regaining “some” of its former glory in the magazine and erotica in the digital age. While Guccione ventured deeper and deeper into the porn industry (though Guccione’s science magazine Omni was my favorite science magazine for years), Playboy was torn between their desire to compete, but refusal to go into hard-core porn as Penthouse eagerly did. Eventually Playboy magazine and its websites, apparel, and other product licensing deals leveled off to a somewhat comfortable profit generating machine.  Playboy would never regain its former glory, but it’s impact will be felt for many generations to come.

Playboy and Vaping

Because vaping skews toward the older audience the name Playboy will hold more sway among our generation (baby boomers) than the youthful generation of today. That works in Playboy’s (potential) success in the vaping industry more than you might think. If Playboy is serious about becoming a force in the industry, it can.

Hugh Hefner and Playboy still have some influence in old baby boomer white men that are hanging on to power in government and could very well become a positive voice for all vapers, notwithstanding Mr. Hefner’s retirement from the magazine. And it is for this very reason that I choose to look at Playboy’s vaping products in a light most favorable to Playboy. However, no matter what, even in the light most favorable, Playboy had to impress me with their higher end vape gear. And they did.

Brief History of Playboy In Vapor

Playboy’s first foray into the vaping industry  was with a disposable cig-alike based on the NJOY King. As much as I enjoy NJOY e-liquids I’ve never had a lot of good things to say about NJOY’s first disposable, what with an average of 30-35 puffs per $8 disposable. The Playboy NJOY-like disposable didn’t sell very well, or for very long, and after learning about it’s NJOY-tech disposable we never bothered to pursue a review. But the lack of sales for its disposable did not stop the company from wanting in on an industry they believe is going to be hugely successful, profitable, and permanent.

Since the disposable’s failure to launch Playboy has expanded their line into just about every category of vaping, from rechargeable cig-a-likes to ego-style batteries, to high-end box mods, sub-ohm tanks, and premium e-liquids. (Boy would I love to review their Ejuice!)  The Playboy sense of luxury, sophistication, sensuality, and the finer things of life are all a part of the Playboy Vapor line. I’ll talk about that and more in a bit, but first…

Shenzhen Kelvin Technology Co, LTD.

When such an iconic company like Playboy delves into a business venture that is 180-degrees from it’s home turf they must do two things; learn the industry well, and choose the right partner. Based on what I have seen Playboy chose well.

Kelvin, a Chinese manufacturer known for several other well-crafted vapor products are the only authorized manufacturer of the Playboy Vapor products. This one fact should ease your mind about the seriousness of Playboy entering the market dominated by companies like Joyetech/eLeaf/Wismec, Innokin, SMOK, and Aspire.

While it may be true that our only in-hand experience is with the high-end mods and tanks, I would tend to believe that if Playboy’s team helped design and create these very striking and state-of-the-art products, then other products in the Playboy Vapor line should hold up to scrutiny as well. Hopefully we will find that out in future reviews.

The Vaporbeast Package

Vaporbeast sent over the following Playboy Vape Gear.

The Playboy Lux TC 150W Box Mod w/Vixen Mini Tank (Black) – $116.49

1x Vixen Mini Sub-Ohm Tank in Gold ($29.99)

1x Vixen Mini Sub-Ohm Tank in Black ($29.99)

Several 5-packs of various ohms/metals – coil heads

Immediate Impression

Before I get into performance of the box mod and the sub-ohm tanks I’d like to mention a couple of things that really drive home the Playboy image. First, the body of the Lux 150W TC is wrapped in real, genuine leather, not some pleather type material. There is a real luxurious feel to the mod. It’s also lighter than I imagined it would be, and even with 2x high-amp 18650 batteries installed the weight isn’t bad at all.

Next is the packaging, right out of the Playboy manual. A black, sleek box with a thick lid that wraps half way down the entire height of the box. The mod and the tank lay on a soft silk cloth that exudes luxury.  I was impressed and I had hoped that the appearance of the devices and the packaging bode well for the performance. Love the Playboy Rabbit Head embossed on the round Fire button too.
Lastly, it’s important to note the size of the drip tips (mouthpiece) on the Vixen Mini Sub-Ohm Tanks. These tips are wide bore and they look like they mean business. They are also effective for heat dissipation. The ‘dual-coil’ coil heads are large and have plenty of organic cotton. The circular holes on the side of the coil head provide ample surface for a constant inflow of e-liquid, keeping the cotton and coils saturated with eliquid even after several quick lung hits.

As far as I can tell, neither the sub-ohm tanks or box mod(s) are rebranded gear. Looks to me that Playboy and Kelvin designed and built them to Playboy’s specs.

Speaking of specs, let’s take a look.

Specs:

• Size: 80.5*57*25mm
• Stainless steel 510 threading
• Alternative VW and TC modes
• Wattage range: 3W-150W
• Temperature range: 200F-600F
• Resistance range: 0.1ohm-3.0ohm
• Requires two hi-amp 18650 batteries in series (not included – 25a+)
• Numerous venting for heat dissipation.
• Embossed luxurious genuine leather

The Playboy Vixen Mini Sub Ohm Tank Features:

• 22mm Diameter
• Food grade stainless steel construction
• Triangle Theory Airflow
• Dual Airflow Control
• 5 mL capacity
• .4-ohm Kanthal coil head
• Top and Bottom Filling Options

What’s In The Box?

• 1x – Luxbox 150W Box Mod
• 1x – Vixen Sub Ohm Tank
• 1x – Vixen BODC 0.2-ohm coil
• 1x – Vixen NI200 0.1-ohm coil
• 1x – Wall Adapter
• 1x – Micro USB Cable

Confusion?

Vaporbeast shows on their website what looks to be the exact tanks I received for review. However, the tank box tells me the name of the tanks are Vixen Mini’s, with 2.5mL capacity, though the tank specs on the website says they hold 4.5mL. The tanks have a 0.5-ohm Kanthal coil installed and you’ll get a 0.1-ohm Ni200 coilhead as well. Also included is an extra glass drip tip.

Performance

This is what it all comes down to, performance. Sleek, sexy physical characteristics are nice, really nice, but if it doesn’t perform you just won’t use it. So how does this 150w Temp Control box mod by Playboy/Kelvin perform?

Like A Champ

Vaporbeast sells this starter kit for $116.49, a great price considering the specs and features. In their description of the Lux 150W TC they say: “Its vapor production is second to none and its flavor is truly unbelievable.”

After more than 15 days of usage, heavy usage, I can tell you with complete confidence that the Lux 150W TC and the Vixen Sub-Ohm tanks will blow you away on vapor production and flavor.

My first-use set up was with the tank provided in the starter kit and the preinstalled Kanthal coilhead, which read 0.4-ohms in the OLED display.  Vaping an eliquid from my Top Five all-time favorites I was on the receiving end of superb flavor and magnificent vapor production, and at only 31W.

A tell-tale sign of an excellent coilhead is the ability to take in a large lung hit, some 8-10 seconds, without coughing, and exhaling clouds of vapor that black out everything in front of you for a few seconds. This is what it was like to vape with the Playboy Lux 150W TC and Vixen sub-ohm tank. This is where the abundant amount of organic cotton and the large saturation holes around the coil really stand out. By providing ample amounts of eliquid to the coils you can lung hit the tank with all the force you want and not dry burn it. As the eliquid is vaporized through the lung hit a fresh supply of eliquid rushes in from side holes to keep up with the rapid vaporizing.

The following day I switched up the tank in favor of the Gold Vixen Mini Sub-ohm with the 0.1-ohm Ni200 coil head and went into Temperature Control mode. Adjusting the temperature as I would with any other TC mod, provided just the right amount of warmth to the vapor and protected against dry burning the coils. The flavor intensity was about the same as it was with Kanthal, but the vapor production seemed to provide heavier clouds of vapor. But honestly, as the vaper doing the vaping it is hard to determine just how much vapor is being produced when all the coil heads were producing huge amounts of clouds.

General Usage Instructions

One of the nicer things about the Lux 150W TC is how straightforward it is to use and to change modes.

To turn on and off simply click the Fire button 5 times quickly. Use the plus and minus buttons to raise or lower the wattage or temperature. To switch between variable wattage and temperature mode, simply click 3 times. That’s all there is to it. To lock in a particular wattage setting or temperature setting, click 5 times. To unlock do the same.

The Lux 150W TC is a 3w-150-watt device, moving up and the down the wattage scale in .1-watt increments. Temperature control scale is 200 to 600 degrees. After using the Lux 150W TC and various Playboy Vixen tanks for extended vaping periods neither the mod nor the tanks got overly warm or uncomfortable. The glass drip tips, though wide bore they may be, fit and felt terrific the entire time. I can really appreciate the attention to comfort that Playboy provided with the materials used for the construction of the mods and tanks.

For the next several days I “played” with the tanks and the various coils and tried out the other four e-liquids on my Top Five list. Every High VG blend was phenomenal in flavor and vapor. I’m happy that Vaporbeast decided to send along several packs of various coilheads, they came in quite handy. That said, at $11.49 for a 5-pack for Kanthal and $12.49 for 5-pack of Ni200 coilheads they are attractively priced for such big performers.

The Future Of Playboy Vapor

My hat goes off to Playboy for not flubbing this opportunity to enter the high end part of the vaping industry. The products in this review are exceptional, praise worthy, and affordable.

It doesn’t yet feel exactly comfortable talking about high end vape gear with the name Playboy attached, but I think that’s only natural considering the 60+ year history of the brand and the relative youth of the vape industry. Nonetheless, the Lux 150W TC box mod can stand toe to toe against Sigelei, Pioneer4you, and other companies putting out 150w box mods. As for the sub-ohm tanks by Playboy, I prefer them to most of the other tanks I’ve used, not only for vapor and flavor performance, but also for ease of use, great heat dissipation, and good looks.

Whoever it is that’s in charge of the Playboy Vapor division, he or she did their homework and delivered splendid gear for advanced vapers. If this kind of attention to detail and performance continues Playboy’s future in the industry is pretty much guaranteed.

Recommendation and Further Reviews

I wholeheartedly recommend these remarkable devices without reservation. At $116.49 for the Lux 150W TC Starter Kit, and $29.99 for the Vixen sub-ohm tanks it is clear that Playboy has not placed a premium on the Rabbit. That’s not nothing. You could pay more and get less, I assure you.

Looking over the various Playboy gear at Vaporbeast I see other Lux box mods that are begging for a review. Priced between $41 to $116, there is an excellent device (I assume) for any budget. Stop by Vaporbeast to take a look.

Grade: Lux 150W TC Box Mod – A

Grade: Vixen Mini Sub-Ohm Tank – A+

Grade: Vixen Ni200 & Kanthal Coilheads – A+

John Manzione