Teslacigs Poker 218W Mod Kit Review

Teslacigs Poker 218W Review – If you told me a month ago that my one of my new favorite regulated high-wattage mods would have a design that’s 50% playing card/50% tactical military camouflage, I would have laughed. But I’m not laughing today, because the Teslacigs Poker 218W mod kit has hit so many of the right buttons for me and my vaping preferences.

Is it perfect? Not quite – the Poker is a little big and boxy, the tank is “iffy,”and there’s one annoying quirk that keeps this from the top spot in my rotation. But make no mistake, its combination of looks, feel and performance have made a huge impression on me.

Let’s see what our friends at Element Vape say about the dual-18650 Teslacigs Poker 218W vape kit:

The Teslacigs Poker kit is a visually striking high-performance vape system, featuring extensive temperature control suite and output chipset and paired with the Teslacigs Resin Sub-Ohm Tank to create a powerful masterpiece. Nestled behind a magnetic battery door, two high-amp 18650 batteries sit to power the POKER Box Mod, allowing for wattages up to 218 and resistances as low as 0.05ohms. This wide range is achievable due to the proprietary chipset within, unlocking the full potential of the extensive temperature control suite accepting wires of nickel, titanium, or stainless steel composition.

Right out of the gate, you’re going to know if you love or hate the Poker mod. Without the mishmash of graphic design, it’s a standard-looking, old-school box mod, with hard edges and pretty wide diameter. With the graphics, it’s a standard-looking box mod with an assertive use of modern camo designs and strange playing card cutaways.

But you know what? It looks like nothing else in my collection, which is reason enough to enjoy it. It might not be subtle, but it will spark a few conversations at the bar. Just don’t drop it in heavily grassed areas.

The hand feel didn’t bother me too much, either. Even with a 54.5mm width, the 26mm depth and compact 88mm height combine to make the Poker a little more palm-friendly than you might initially think. Maybe 26mm is a little narrow for those looking to rock their 30mm tanks, but for the lion’s share of today’s popular atomizers, this is plenty. Though you can expect some overhang, thanks to the beveled corners throughout the Poker mod’s design.

The round fire key and squared-off adjustment keys are top-notch stuff, with a tremendously firm throw and near-immediate responsiveness. Maybe it doesn’t sound like much of a “feature,” but it amazes me when companies continue to release mods with mushy keys – Teslacigs doesn’t make the same mistake.

Standout Features

This is going to sound stupid, but the best feature of the Poker mod is the sliding metal on/off switch that makes things a little safer. Rather than relying on a series of clicks or menu navigations to turn the damn thing off (not to mention removing batteries), you can simply slide it off and rest easy knowing you’re not accidentally draining power. Only a handful of mods we review have had these power switches, and we wish more did just that.

Also, we need to mention here that the Poker kit comes with the all-new Teslacigs Resin Tank, which is a nice, reliable but unremarkable throw-in. The tank itself looks quite nice, with a high-gloss resin exterior, smooth threading and tremendous build quality. But the coils were just so alarmingly average and short-lived, it’s hard to recommend the Resin Tank as a standalone purchase.

The two included heads – the 0.18ohm TS-XX Coil (rated for 60-110W) and the 0.15ohm TS-120X Coil (rated for 70-120W) are completely indistinguishable, both in flavor quality and vapor production. I noticed absolutely no difference in longevity, either, with both giving me just a few days of steady vaping before giving up the ghost.

Are they horrible? No – you’ll get decent flavor and all. But in a world that has the HorizonTech Falcon King, why would you choose the Teslacigs Resin offering much less of the enjoyment? Enjoy it if it comes in the box, but don’t bother seeking it out.

Vaping the Teslacigs Poker Kit

Just like a deadly sniper with a steady face, the Poker kit delivers unwavering performance and no surprises … except for one – the mod regularly resets itself based on momentary misreads of the coil. Let me explain…

When attaching the companion Resin tank with the 0.18-ohm coil, the Poker would read it accurately and make a recommended “starting suggestion” for the wattage. I’d tweak it to my liking, and things would go well for a while. Then, out of nowhere, I’d see my wattage lowered by 25-30, and the ohms reading sitting at a much higher point. One click of the fire key recalibrated the coil resistance, but the wattage never reverted back to its previous state, forcing me to power up countless times when vaping.

I figured this was a quirky coil, but it wasn’t. Then I thought it was the tank itself, but that also proved untrue. Even using my most reliable tanks and RDAs, the wattages continued to skip around at random, forcing me to start over and reset the levels.

Interesting, it DIDN’T happen in temperature control mode, which is when I usually face some issues with erratic readings.

However, looking past the quirk, the Poker vapes tremendously well, with ridiculously fast ramp-up time, smooth elevation and true 218-watt performance. Once firing, there were no skips or stutters, nor were there any sudden power spikes, which can happen pretty often when moving to higher elevations.

Pros:

– Gorgeous design (at least to these eyes)

– Extremely well-built and machined

– Excellent vape quality

Cons:

– Iffy companion tank/coils

– Random resistance mishaps

– A little big and boxy for some

Spinfuel VAPE Recommendation and Score

This might go down as my most-recommended B+ device ever. Because even though I can’t let the underperforming tank and wattage mishaps slide, it hasn’t stopped me from using and enjoying the Teslacigs Poker kit. And isn’t that what these reviews are really all about? While it isn’t perfect, and some of these hiccups really shouldn’t happen in 2019, I can’t help but love the old-meets-new design, classic box mod format, and powerful vape quality. And I think most of you will feel the same way.