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After reviewing thousands of vape devices, it takes an awful lot to get any of the Spinfuel VAPE team to say “wow.” But that’s exactly what happened when the Smoant Cylon TC 218 leather-wrapped box mod arrived at our desks. We just got it in this week, but we’re already jockeying to see which one of us will get to take it home after the review.
How much did we like the Cylon upon our first impressions? We added it to our list of Best Mid-Wattage Vape Mods for 2018! That’s right – we enjoyed it so much, that it earned accolades before our full preview and review were even posted. I guess it had better live up to the hype – let’s take a peek behind the curtain.
Stunning, strong design
The dual-18650 Smoant Cylon continues the company’s recent trend of building muscular, bold vape mods, that manage to balance brawn with beauty. Just as the oversized Ranker managed to defy its size through ergonomics, the Cylon looks formidable and strong, but also graceful and mature. It’s a stunningly balanced offering that warrants your attention, right out of the box.
The first thing I noticed about the Cylon was its bomb-proof zinc alloy top plate, which features one of the smoothest, most solid 510 connections I’ve seen to date. In the first few minutes after opening the box, I attached nearly every atomizer in my collection, and was amazed to see how each and every one sat perfectly flush, with no wobble, gaps or other flaws. And the spring-loaded pin had an ideal balance of flexibility and strength, to reassure me even further.
Next, you’ll likely notice the Cylon’s gorgeous 1.3-inch TFT, full-color display – likely the same as on the Smoant Ranker – which maximizes its limited real estate with a crystal clear, easily navigable set of menus. Even with just a day of intermittent use, I had quickly mastered the controls and was easily setting and adjusting my preferred temps and wattages.
Plus, with the 10 preset wallpapers and screensaver options, there’s plenty of opportunity to make this beautiful device more customized to your personal style. (There’s a futuristic skull option that makes the Cylon look a little extra badass – consider it my recommendation.)
With full firmware upgrade capability through the onboard USB charge port, I fully expect the list of available wallpapers and screensavers to grow over time.
Finally, the large, clicky fire key and control buttons are also noteworthy. While they’re not QUITE as good as iJOY’s industry leading button designs, Smoant has seemingly mastered the ideal balance for creating firm, yet easily activated interfaces.
Under the hood…
Looking past the Smoant Cylon’s leather-wrapped box mod exterior, you’ll notice the device runs on the ANT 218 board, capable of reaching 218 watts in record time. In fact, the documentation claims the Cylon will heat a coil within milliseconds of hitting the fire key. We noticed it was definitely a quick-ramping vape mod, but we’ll have to look a little closer to see if these claims are warranted.
But, with fast-ramping power, full temperature control functionality, TCR settings, complete protection suite, and preheat power adjustments, the Cylon’s ANT chipset is looking like a contender to the vaunted YiHi boards, at a fraction of the price.
The chipset also promises fantastic battery efficiency – something we always test for on dual-18650 mods. At a glance, it seems like the Cylon is pretty good on battery life, but we’ll have to make sure we’re testing under all possible use scenarios to make a judgment.
In 2018, innovation is going to separate the vaping leaders from the followers, so there’s certainly a lot of testing that needs to be done on the Cylon. But if this leather-wrapped box mod beauty performs as well as it looks, it’s going to be quite the fight to get to keep this device.
But, based on limited use, I have zero reason to change my colleagues’ belief that the Smoant Cylon isn’t worthy of its place on our Best Mid-Wattage Vape Mods roundup. It fires quickly, smoothly and powerfully, and has yet to even whimper at anything I’ve thrown its way.
Our full review will be coming soon. But you might want to get those mouse-clicking fingers handy, because you’re probably going to want a Cylon very soon.
Smoant Cylon TC 218 Box Mod Specs and Contents
Smoant Cylon TC 218 box mod specs:
- Smoant Ant218 V2 Chip Set
- 1 to 218W
- 6.4 to 8.4V
- 0.1 to 5.0 ohm Atomizer Resistance Range
- Temperature Control Suit
- Ni200 Nickel Support
- 0.15 ohm Recommended
- Titanium Support
- 0.5 ohm Recommended
- Stainless Steel Support
- TCR Functionality
- Resistance Read and Lock
- 200 to 600 Degrees Fahrenheit
- Customizable
- Three Button Control Face
- Oversized Side Firing Button
- 1.3 Inch Multi Format Colored TFT IPS HD Display
- Switch Between Various Display Arrangements
- Output Wattage
- Output Voltage
- Output Temperature
- Battery Life Indicator
- Battery Voltage
- Micro USB Charge and Update Port
- Slide and Lock Bottom Battery Access Door
- Accepts Two High Amperage 18650 Batteries
- Zinc Alloy Construction
- High Quality Leather Finish
- 26mm Stainless Steel 510
- Spring Loaded Gold Plated 510 Connection
- Reverse Polarity/Short/Low Voltage/Low Battery/Overheat Protection
Smoant Cylon TC 218 box mod contents:
- 1x Smoant Cylon 218W Box Mod
- 1x Micro USB Cable
- 1x Warranty Card
- User Manual
