Voopoo DRAG X Pro

Supplied by VooPoo for review purposes
https://www.voopoo.com/drag-series/drag-x-pro-kit.html

Having recently tested the DRAG S Pro, I was also sent the ‘X’ version. The main differences are that it takes 18650/20700/21700 batteries and it’s taller, everything else is the same. Since I highly rated the ‘S’ version, then I can’t see the ‘X’ failing to please me also.

I will be shamefully copy and pasting from my review of the ‘S’ as essentially the same can be said between the ‘S’ and the ‘X’ which isn’t a bad thing as there are many vapers that prefer using their own batteries. Since the DRAG S Pro has impressed me a lot, then it’s no surprise that the ‘X’ did too, better in fact. Read on to find out why.

At the time of writing this review, I don’t have the full specifications so going by the box and manual here are some of the highlights:

• Accepts 18650/20700/21700 batteries (not included)
• Physical locking switch
• Boost mode of 8.5 volts
• Button or Auto-Draw firing
• Gene.Fan 3.0 chipset
• 5.5ml Capacity Pod
• Highly Effective Airflow Control
• New TPP X Pod
• Compatible with all TPP/PNP coils

Unboxing

The kit comes in a 2-piece box. The outer sleeve features a rather nice glossy embossed picture of the DRAG X Pro, but the colour is generic and doesn’t represent your choice, the sturdier inner box is well packaged and should be Postman proof.

On the top layer is the mod and pod held in place with foam, underneath is an envelope box holding the coils, manual and charging cable.

Silly me forgot to check the contents before photographing, there is an 18650 battery adaptor inside the mod, I photographed it later on.

First Impressions

With the unboxing out of the way, I got down to inspecting the kit for the first time, there’s something about VooPoo’s construction that oozes quality and the DRAG S Pro does exactly that, I felt that every fine detail was well designed and refined into a really classy, solid and ergonomic bit of kit.

Part of a reviewer’s job is to nit-pick on some of the smaller details but I honestly couldn’t find anything cosmetically that I would have wanted to be improved, at a push the electronics had a couple of minor things but more on that later.

Little details like the rubber base insert on the battery door showed just how refined this design was, the designers had really nit-picked beyond normal expectations. The control face is also well thought out, the buttons have limited travel and almost zero play. I especially liked the inner curve of the fire button which makes it very tactile.

Every single edge and corner has been smoothed off and sculpted to be really ergonomic, finished off with the now common leather wrap which is embossed with the large ‘DRAG X PRO’ title. Usually I would dislike such a large branding but it just works when on leather, and VooPoo have kept the other branding very subtle with a really well contrasted and small sized print on either side of the front plate.

The airflow adjustment ring is one of the best I have seen on a pod system, not only is it very effective, it feels superb as the resistance is nothing short of perfect; as in not too loose that you could accidentally adjust it and not too tight as to make it difficult to adjust. I appreciate that we all have our own perspective on ‘not too tight – not too loose’ but trust me, this is spot on.

The final thing I would like to mention is the physical locking switch, I wasn’t expecting it so I found it interesting though this is nothing new as it has featured in other brands, but it turned out that the implementation was a very nice surprise, more on that later.

Onto the main advantage that the X has over the S, and that’s the battery options. VooPoo only list 18650 and 21700 but I found it also accepts 20700 too.

The ability of taking a 21700 battery has the advantage of increasing the battery capacity up to 4000mAh (using a Molicell P42A) over the internal 3000mAh of the ‘S’.
https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collections/batteries/products/molicel-p42a

It will work perfectly fine with the more common 18650 size using the adaptor, but I would advise getting a decent 21700 as it will last longer, especially if you intend to use it at higher wattage.

Pod/Tank

VooPoo appeared to have paid as much attention to the pod design, the styling really suits the battery section. It almost looks as if it is permanently attached due to the recessed pod bay. Once removed it is quite simplistic with the now common PnP (Plug & Play) press fit coil.

A nice surprise was the 810 removable drip-tip, this makes it easier to clean and you’re able to fit your own. That said, I think the fitted one suits the pod nicely with the silver base ring.

The included coils have nice large wicking ports, this for me was very promising as it not only helps the coil wick faster but it also prolongs the coil life in my experience. They are the new PPT DM coils of 0.15Ω and 0.3Ω which are clearly aimed at DL (Direct Lung) users, I’m afraid I am clueless as to what the difference is compared to the older PnP coils, but the pod is also backwards compatible so you can also use the full range of PnP coils.

The innovative filling method features a rotating ring at the top, to access the fill port you need to push in a little button and rotate the ring clockwise until it reveals a silicone filling bung which you need to pick open with your fingernail. Once open, it is big enough to fit a standard short-fill bottle nib but due to the location it was a little restrictive and almost a side-fill which was a little messy on the first time but I soon got used to it. Although I found it quite novel, I didn’t exactly find it very convenient, hats off to them for trying something innovative though.

Operation and Performance

*Everything is the same as the DRAG S Pro so only a slight edit only.

So, with the coil saturated and primed, it was time to set it up and check out the functions, I deliberately decided not to read the manual to see how simple it would be for a novice to use.

It turns out that you almost need to do nothing at all, the DRAG X Pro defaults to ‘SMART’ mode which automatically sets the wattage to the recommended power for the coil chosen and will only allow you to increase it to the maximum rating of the coil. This is perfect for new vapers to avoid nasty dry hits and burning out the coil too early, I honestly feel that users do not need anything else other than this mode when using stock coils.

There are a couple of features that novices will find handy though; firstly, and it was a total surprise for me, the DRAG X Pro has auto-draw by default. Auto-draw is nothing new in the pod market, but I’ve never found it as effective for airy DL vaping but this has been very sucessful and turned out to be one of its main strengths combined with the locking switch. Secondly the other feature beginners will need is the adjustable airflow ring.

As mentioned earlier, this is so effective and offers airflow from an airy DL to a very restrictive RDL. That said, at a push it will go as tight as a MTL draw but with such a large mouthpiece, I wouldn’t bother with MTL personally, but it was impressive that it could go down that tight.

Menu and Navigation

The user interface has been kept easy to navigate and setup

• 5 x FIRE = Turns device On/Off
• FIRE & DOWN = Resets puff counter
• Press & Hold Up/Down button = Enters options menu:
  • SWITCH = Gives you two options for the physical switch; disable all buttons or turn the device On/Off
  • MODE = Options to switch SMART On or Off and RBA mode
  • EXIT = Obviously exits the menu

The main function I found to be the pick of the bunch was the SWITCH which gives you the option of using the physical switch in two different ways; by default it is a physical locking switch for all the buttons, the second option is to set it as a physical On/Off button which fully powers the device on or off, both modes are incredibly handy though the locking option proved to be the best in action due to the auto-draw still functioning with the buttons locked. Basically you didn’t need to use any buttons other than the occasional FIRE to wake it up. Why did I find this so handy? Well it made it perfect for my pocket or bag without accidentally adjusting or firing the mod.

For more experience vapers, the DRAG X Pro offers more handy features but since I don’t have the RBA or the optional 510 adapter then I couldn’t explore these functions. There is also another version of this kit that has 510 connection instead of a pod though; DRAG X PLUS Pro.

In ‘POD’ mode the maximum wattage is 80 watts, it will go up to 100 watts in ‘RBA’ mode though.

The screen is nice and bright though there’s no options to change the colours or brightness. My only niggle is the DRAG logo is pointless and a battery percentage would have been much better. I think with the large DRAG embossed into the leather, we should have already have guessed by now that it’s a DRAG.

But onto how it all vapes. In a nutshell, the new TPP coils are both superb! I started off on the lower powered DM4 0.3Ω rated between 32-40 Watts, Smart set it to 35 Watts which turned out to be ideal for me. Flavour and vapour production were superb, it wicked nice and fast and kept up with chain vaping without any hint of a dry hit. This will be my coil of choice for when I need a longer battery life as it lasted me most of a day and evening. The DM1 0.15Ω coil was a bit of a beast and is rated between 60-80 watts, 70 watts being the optimum for me. The flavour and vapour were on another level, it performed flawlessly without any dry hits and would be my coil of choice for a fuller, more intense vape where battery life wasn’t as important. It lasted me a good six hours though.

The battery life will be relative to what battery you use but using a Molicell P42A, it was more than adequate. I got over a full day at 35 watts, I charge my batteries externally so I can’t comment on the charging time but I did do a quick test, and it appears to be 2 Amp as it felt pretty warm as it charged. The only battery ventilation was potentially from the USB port.

DRAG S Pro vs DRAG X Pro

As far as the vape quality goes, there’s very little in it apart from getting a longer vape time with the increased power and capacity of my 21700 P42A.

The main difference, other than the battery option, is the ‘X’ is noticeably taller. One detail I didn’t notice until editing the photos was the airflow control ring has a different knurling, I don’t have a preference over which one I preferred as they both felt right.

The surprising difference was how it felt in the hand, the additional height actually felt much better, and the leather padding filled your palm more. The slight stretching of the control face also felt better when I swapped from one to the other, this surprised me due to how comfortable the ‘S’ already was.

Personally, I would choose the X over the S as I prefer the battery options, but if you prefer a simpler vape without the faff of battery maintenance then the S is probably the better option.

DRAG X Pro vs DRAG 3 – FIGHT!!!!!

Actually they are chalk and cheese and it is far from a fair fight, I just wanted to include my Hulk figure (for the record I prefer the DRAG 3 though the X is far better for out and about)

Conclusion

With the looks, handling and performance of the DRAG X Pro kit, there’s very little if anything not to like. Though it offers the capability of using an RBA or a 510 adaptor, I think the new pod on this kit is the far better option, it never felt like a pod in use and I often had to remind myself that it was. This will be a great starter kit but it offers such a good DL vape that I think experienced vapers will also enjoy it.

I preferred the X over the S mainly due to the ergonomics as it felt more comfortable in the hand due to the slightly stretched length, that said, either option are damn comfortable.

The other highlights, other than the coils, were the airflow, auto-draw and the useful physical switch. It might have done just enough to make it my new favourite DL Pod/Mod, time will tell but so far this is my weapon of choice.

Pros

• Effective DL auto-draw
• 18650/20700/21700 options
• Airflow control is one of the best I’ve tried
• Longer chassis is more comfortable than the S
• Physical multi-function switch
• New TPP pod and DM coils
• Classy styling
• Attention to detail

Cons

• ………….

Nope I have none! At a push, the lack of battery percentage is a niggle, but the icon was fine when in use as it was pretty accurate.
(No cons is the same as the S version)

Final Thoughts

Had I tried the X before the S then I might have felt a tiny bit disappointed with the S, but for my personal preferences rather than anything. Both are damn good bits of kits, and the choice is good for the consumer.

Score: 9.2/10 – The X Factor.

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