Freemax Marvos S 80w Review – Pod or Mod Kit? You Decide..

Today I’m taking a look at the Freemax Marvos S 80W Mod ‘Or’ Pod Kit.

It’s the first pod kit I’ve used with this kind of design so my thoughts will be original even if the form factor isn’t.

I had a taste of what to expect from Freemax while reviewing their Gemm 25W disposable kit. The pod screwed down onto the 510 pin giving rise to the somewhat confusing term ‘pod tank’.

– but ooh that flavour! I couldn’t quite believe how good it was for such an unassuming, low powered device. Definitely a sign of good things to come.

Freemax went on to release the Marvos 60W pod kit featuring a DTL pod tank, designed to be future proof with further updates in the series.

Future updates indeed arrived with the Freemax Marvos T 80W pod kit. Using coiltech 4.0 the anticipated 0.15ohm MS mesh coil could now be pushed to its true potential.

They’re clearly also pushing the Marvos series by placing emphasis on the range.

The clever thing is, they’ve avoided the usual stagnation by attempting to emulate the SBS form factor. Ok, there’s less integration as the pod screws down on top of the battery section but it still looks quite funky!

So is this change in appearance enough to warrant an upgrade?

What Can We Expect From The Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit?

FM Coiltech 4.0 is included ensuring compatibility with all MS mesh coils.

The included 510 adaptor now means all pods in the series can be used with the Freemax Marvos S 80W pod kit.

At the beating heart of the device is the FM chip 2.0. The three step wattage adjustment of its predecessor has been removed in favour of three independent vaping modes.

Although it resembles one, the Freemax Marvos S 80W pod kit is far shorter and stubbier than a traditional box mod. This means we can expect good things in terms of portability.

Can I expect to get a full day of use from the external 18650 battery?

We’ll be testing that too.

If you already own the Freemax Marvos T 80W pod kit expect more of the same from the DTL pod tank, the same MS mesh coils even come bundled with the kit.

Inside the Box

Removing the slip case reveals the contents.

Freemax has included a ribbon to allow easy removal of the device from the foam inlay – that’s a nice touch!

Remove the foam inlay to gain access the rectangular box of extras underneath.

• Freemax Marvos S 80W Mod
• Freemax Marvos DTL pod tank 2ml (0.15ohm MS mesh coil pre installed)
• 0.25ohm MS mesh coil
• Type C USB charging cable
• User manual
• Warning card
• Warranty card

Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit – Key Features

The integration previously seen in the series has been replaced in favour of a single 18650 battery.

The 510 adaptor uses its own adjustable airflow. There’s no spinning pods with this one!

The mouthpiece has been designed to prevent spit back by way of a unique V shaped carving on the inner edge.

Type C charging is available to those without external means eradicating any unnecessary handling of the battery. Remember to periodically check its condition if taking this route.

A large 0.96 inch TFT screen can change colour scheme to suit the users taste and the zinc alloy body incorporates soft fake leather padding around the battery section.

The colours available are Silver/Grey, Gunmetal Red, Gunmetal Yellow (under review), Black/Black and Black/Blue.

Gunmetal yellow…It looks like brown to me but hey…

The US and standard editions come with a 4.5ml pod. The EU version includes the 2ml TPD alternative – all other box contents are the same.

Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit – Specifications

• Size 26 x 51.7 x 110.2mm
• Material Zinc alloy / Artificial leather / Stainless steel / PCTG
• Weight 159.42g
• Pod capacity 2ml/4.5ml
• Coil MS mesh coil tea fibre cotton formula + SS904L mesh
• Coil resistances 0.15 / 0.25 / 0.35 / 0.5ohm
• Battery 18650 (not included)
• Output mode Power / Smart / Bypass
• Wattage parameters 5 – 80W
• Voltage output 0.7 – 4.2V

Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit – Design and Build Quality

Marvos DTL Pod Tank

It’s the same pod used with the Marvos 60W and T 80W kit so no real changes here.

I’ve received the 2ml TPD pod which has a height of 39.5mm including the mouthpiece, it has a circumference of 24mm at the base.

Made of a semi smoked tough PCTG material, the 10mm mouthpiece incorporates a V shaped groove on the inner edge to prevent spit back.

The underside of the pod is home to four circular magnets which provide strong contact with the 510 adaptor. A reassuring click can be heard when the two join forces.

The fill port is also located here and the silicone stopper is easy to use although the PNP coil can get in the way of prying fingers during refills.

The opening is around 6mm so most bottle nozzles should fit.

The coils in the Marvos MS mesh range are all plug and play. There’s no need to line them up with any flat edges, making installation a doddle for the new vaper.

Simply push them up inside the pod housing and make sure the seals of the coil make a firm contact.

Filling the Freemax Marvos DTL Pod Tank

• With the coil installed remove the silicone stopper of the fill port
• Gently squeeze E juice into the pod chamber until full
• Push the silicone stopper back into place ensuring a firm seal

• Snap the pod back into the 510 adaptor and screw into the battery section
• Leave the E juice to soak into the cotton for around five minutes before vaping

The Battery/Mod section

The mod section is made of zinc alloy which really helps with keeping the initial weight down.

Inserting a single 18650 does change that but the device still feels solid.

The fake leather and stitching makes a return but it probably won’t take long to fray. The overall effect would have looked more appealing without it.

The mod has a height of 76mm when taking into account the protruding battery cap, this extends to 111mm on the pod side.

It’s great to see adequate battery venting on the underside of the device. This and the top of the mod are the only places star drive screws are seen.

It helps to give the main body a clean and sleek appearance.

A large 13mm fire button sits in the centre of the curved front panel and emits a dull click when pressed. The size makes it easy to find without having to fumble.

Situated further down is the type C charging port, positioned vertically. This means the device can be charged in an upright position. Happy days!

The Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit is a stumpy little fella. Inevitably the 18650 battery protrudes from the top but the screw cap takes care of aesthetics and acts as the negative contact point.

The threading is pretty good. It only takes a few turns to kick the FM 2.0 chipset into life. Suitable knurling has been applied for those with sweaty fingers and thumbs.

Main Display and Functionality

As previously alluded to it only takes the insertion of the battery to bring the device to life. It’s still the usual five clicks to power the device on or off thereafter.

From top to bottom, left to right the 0.96 inch TFT colour screen presents us with the following information:

• Vaping mode
• Battery strength icon
• Current wattage and device lock status
• Voltage (vape time only) and coil resistance
• Puff counter
• Vape duration
• Available colour schemes

The left and right menu rocker appears directly beneath the screen.

The Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit has three vaping modes:

Power, smart and bypass, and these can be changed by pressing the fire button three times in rapid succession.

To change the colour scheme press and hold the left menu and fire buttons simultaneously to cycle through blue, yellow, green, red or white.

Press the fire button and right menu button to reset the puff counter. Hold all buttons down together to restore the factory settings.

The chip has a total of eight safety precautions built in so all eventualities are catered for in the event of malfunction such as high temperature, low voltage or low resistance.

Freemax Marvos S 80W Pod Kit – How Does It Perform?

I used Milkman Delights Melon Milk to test out the 0.15ohm MS stainless steel mesh coil. It’s a 70VG/30PG short fill with a single freebase nicotine shot bringing the level to 3mg.

The coil is best suited to the 60-80W range so I opted to go central at 70 watts using standard power mode.

I set airflow wide open but there was still a degree of restriction. Even though the voltage equivalent was quite low at 3.2V it still felt like a powerful vape.

The initial throat kick of Melon Milk with a new coil was also present and that made me chuckle!

Cloud production was excellent and the honeydew melon content was clean, bright and mouth watering during exhale.

The coil wasn’t picking out too much of the cream but flavour notes were still well defined and enjoyable.

A wide open airflow created a noisy vape but there wasn’t any turbulence of note. The coil held up well during periods of chain vaping.

Cutting the airflow by fifty percent didn’t seem to make much difference to the inhale. It still seemed airy and only partially restricted. Did the flavour improve? Actually it didn’t and was somewhat stifled.

The tightest airflow settings created that restrictive direct lung vape but again with no gain in flavour quality. The inhale did become warmer but never to the point of heating the mouthpiece.

MS Mesh 0.25ohm coil (40-60W)

This tea fibre cotton mesh coil decided to register at 0.35ohm when installed.

Queue the forthcoming issues I had with the FM chip 2.0.

It was important not to overload the coil with additional power if it wasn’t capable of 0.25ohm as suggested in the specs.

I used Zeus Juice Black Ice to test for flavour and cloud production.

Using the standard power mode I opted to vape at 40W with airflow wide open.

Wow!

That blast of ice was certainly effective enough to act as a livener even if lacking some of the sharpness usually associated.

The inhale was quieter than the 0.15ohm mesh coil. It was also a smoother all round vaping experience. The blackcurrant was particularly focused and offered plenty of fruity punch on the way out.

Cloud production replicated the 0.15ohm coil as well. There was very little difference to the thick, billowing output – so all good stuff.

As before, restricting the airflow did nothing to improve the flavour. It becomes quite obvious both coils are aimed at true direct lung users, those that crave the most open of draws.

Freemax Marvos S 80 – Testing Bypass Mode

As soon as I entered bypass mode the coil resistance dropped to a more realistic 0.28ohm.

This was still cause for concern because the chip didn’t seem to be sticking to the plot.

The freshly charged 18650 battery was only supplying around 40W. No different from that experienced in power mode – hardly realising the full potential of the coil.

So instead of any additional clout it was merely the same vape experience.

Admittedly it was still very enjoyable but I was expecting more power from a fully charged 18650.

In this instance it felt like the performance of a battery 50% spent.

So What About Smart Mode?

This mode left me frustrated beyond belief if only for the lack of explanation inside the instruction manual.

The chip is supposed to recognise the optimal output based on coil resistance, a feature purposely designed for the fledgling vaper.

It totally refused to work with the 0.15ohm coil, even allowing the full 80W limit to be used. When removing and replacing the pod is would constantly reset to 50W.

Smart mode would suggest 30W using the 0.25ohm coil – well below the minimum parameter. In fact 40W was the maximum output allowed.

All of this was no doubt influenced by the chip failing to recognise true coil parameters. It was grossly inaccurate at measuring or sustaining resistances.

So to conclude, power mode is the only reliable mode available…Very disappointing.

How Did the 18650 Battery Perform?

The battery held out for three hours while using the 0.15ohm coil at 70W with some heavy vaping patterns. It’s not really feasible to expect miracles under these conditions.

I doubled that time using the less powerful 0.25ohm mesh coil even when chain vaping. The battery performance is pretty much as to be expected.

Out of curiosity I did charge the battery using the type C USB charging port. Two hours seems quite respectable given it was totally exhausted at 2.5V.

Pros

• Good design and build quality
• Excellent flavour and cloud production from both MS mesh coils
• Colour screen is sharp and readable
• Large, easy to locate fire button

Cons

• Smart mode and Bypass mode are a let down
• Erratic reading of coil resistances from the FM 2.0 chip
• Inability of FM 2.0 chip to make full use of coil capabilities
• Dual airflow structure not as effective as it could be
• Juice guzzler when using the 2ml TPD pod tank (subjective)
• Both coils prone to leaking
• The display is difficult to read in direct sunlight

Final Review Verdict

The coils absolutely devour e-liquid when using the 2ml TPD Marvos pod tank.

It took around 40 puffs of average duration to drain it! It’s going to need plenty of replenishing so a top filling system would have been preferable given the capacity.

A lot of condensation builds up inside the clear mouthpiece. This may annoy some people but it’s still only a subjective con.

Both coils are prone to leaking, unfortunately.

When using the coils best performance was achieved with airflow wide open. They don’t respond well under much restriction.

Generally speaking I received excellent flavour and cloud production from my beloved tea cotton fibre coils, in this respect, Freemax reign supreme.

I just can’t say the same thing about the FM 2.0 chip. What is going on there?

If these are teething issues, Freemax need to jump on them straight away. It’s one thing to have good flavour and cloud production but if the board prevents their true potential..

So to return to the opening statement. Yes. I’m left beside myself in frustration.

I can’t score the device down for design, build, coil performance or ease of use. I’ve had to include chip performance to the overall scoring system to ensure the result reflects my thoughts.

Unfortunately, unless these issues are resolved I can’t recommend the Freemax Marvos S 80W pod kit.

Is this a kit your interested in buying or are already using?

Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.