The VMESH X1 brought to you by Heatvape which it describes as, “the strongest protected mechanical mod.”
Heatvape Co. Ltd are based in Shenzhen, China. Their goal in their own words is to, “find and develop the best technology and provide the best service to the e-cigarette community”.
VMESH X1 Features:
- 75A 3500mah polymer battery cell. (Claimed to be the strongest in the industry)
- A fixed 510 thread
- Best matched to RDA/RTA and Sub Ohm Tanks
- Resistance range 0.1-3.0 ohm
- LED battery life indicator
- Short circuit protection
- Output Power 0-150w. Dependent on users coil resistance
Heatvape highlights the following advantages over regular mechanical mods:
- A strong battery cell ensures tanks will put out maximum vapour production
- A Protected PCB Board ensures high safety
- Anti-heating, no overheat after long term use
Packaged together in a black cardboard box it includes:
- 1x Heatvape VMESH X1.
- 1x USB Charging Cable
- 2x Alternative Mesh Covers. In the case of the review item which was stainless steel the black mesh covers were already pre fitted. The stainless steel ones were included as extras.
- 1x brush, similar to those included with shavers. I assume its to help keeping the USB charging port, the mesh covers and the 510 connector dust free
- 1x Allen Key, very sturdy.
- 1x User Manual
What The VMESH X1 Is Not:
Let me first state clearly for all concerned that the VMESH X1 is not a VV/VW device. Unlike other mods such as the SMOK Morph or the Geekvape Aegis Solo this device does not allow you to adjust your preferred wattage the manual way.
This is a mechanical box mod with its own internal battery with an included PCB board to provide short circuit protection. It is designed to provide a constant 4.2 volts of power but wattage is determined by the actual resistance of the coil in your RDA/RTA or Sub Ohm Tank.
The VMESH X1 is a smart looking and well constructed device:This device has some real weight to it, it is very well constructed and I suspect it is a device that would be quite resistant to a few knocks.
Everything about it feels really solid. I wouldn’t say it was overly heavy but it certainly is considerably more weighty than comparable sized devices. Someone who is used to the weight of a standard tube mechanical mod will certainly like the feel of this device with its high quality construction.
The button used to fire the device has a very satisfying click to it and the feel of it is just right. My one issue is from a purely ergonomic point of view is that the button does protrude a little too far, I feel it would have been better if it was slightly flatter. Its not uncomfortable but it does take a little getting used to.
I actually found it more natural to position the button between the crook of my thumb and forefinger.
The mesh covers are well made and you can tell that they serve to assist in the cooling of the device. The top and bottom of the device are polished stainless steel and I must point out that they are something of a fingerprint magnet.
The USB charging port is located on the bottom of the device. The LED display works well and is positioned at the bottom on the same side as the switch.
Heatvape points out that it “allows users to change the colour and shape of the mesh by themselves”.
In actual practice it means you can swap the colours of the covers, out of a choice of two.
Still its a nice extra and means if you want a complete stainless steel look you can achieve it, or even a two tone look.
Personally I just see them as useful spares in case a cover should ever become damaged.
Wait a minute my devices don’t sit flush:
If you purchase this device then this is something you will have to live with. There is a noticeable gap between the RTA and the top of the device itself. Its not a huge gap by any means but it is there.
The 510 connector is fixed and Heatvape point out that the gap is necessary to provide sufficient cooling.
Personally it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. All my tanks and drippers looked fine on it and I for one would rather the device was consistently operating safely than worry about slight gaps.
Is the VMESH X1 Simple to Use?
In practice the device has been extremely straightforward to use and I have had absolutely no issues with it. Replacing the mesh covers is also easy to do and requires you to remove both sets of screws from the top and bottom of the device before sliding off the existing ones.
Please note under no circumstances remove the PCB board from inside the device. The manual also warns against this.
Operating procedure:
- Screw the atomizer onto the device itself. Heatvape warns that you should not allow an atomizer to block the airflow holes.
- Three clicks switches the device on and three clicks switches it off.
- Power on display: The LED will flash twice and then will enter standby status.
- When the device is in standby the LED light will switch off and there will be no output.
- Vaping Status: Holding the fire button down the LED light will be bright gradually and then stay constantly bright while continually pressed.
- If the fire button is held for more than 12 seconds the device will shut itself off until the button is released.
- Low Voltage Warning: The LED light will flash red every 5 seconds. After 5 warnings the device will switch of.
- No Atomizer Status: The LED light will blink every 3 seconds. The device will turn off and stop working after 5 blinks.
- LED Battery Life: Above 90% battery life remaining is displayed as a green light. A blue light for between 50-90%, a pink light when between 10-50%.
- Finally below 10% is displayed as a red light.
How Does The VMESH X1 Vape?
This is going to be entirely determined by what RTA/RDA/Sub Ohm Tank that you’re using and far more importantly the actual resistance of your coils.
Lets say you want at least 50-60 watts for your Sub Ohm Tank.
Using an online calculator such as http://www.onlineconversion.com/ohms_law.htm we know the Heatvape VMESH X1 puts out a constant 4.2 volts and lets say that our tank uses 0.6 ohm coils. Inputting both the volts and the resistance into the calculator gives us a result of 29.4 watts. However if your Sub tank requires at least 50 watts for typical vaping and only uses 0.6 ohm coils then the device would not be practical for you.
Now lets say your tank supports 0.2 ohm coils. We do the calculations again and the result is 88.2 watts. Which is good enough for most high power Sub Ohm tanks out there but may be a little too hot for some.
To be fair it will all be something of a balancing act and this is perfectly fine for most existing mechanical mod owners who are comfortable building their own coils to their preferred resistance anyway.
To actually get the maximum wattage you would have to have a very low resistance coil. A 0.12 ohm coil would get you to 147 watts. However if using a coil this low please do take care and be safe. I do wonder that if running at 0.12 ohm how much undue stress you would be placing on the internal battery long term.
I used a Vision MK Tank on this device for almost three days. The MK Tank was pre fitted with a 0.2 ohm coil and I have had a consistent 88 watts of vaping until the battery finally ran out of power. Flavour was good vaping Wick Liquor Deja Vu and at all times vapour production remained constant. I did heavily chain vape on the device for the first day.
On the second day I was more moderate in my usage since I was also testing other devices, by the third day I was once more chain vaping simply to drain the battery so I could check the amount of charging time.
Overall in my estimate I would say I got somewhere between 15 and 24 hours worth of constant use out of the device before having to charge it.
Charging time was 3 hours 45 minutes. The LED light will blink when charging, changing colour at each power level. Finally when fully charged it is a solid green.
Importantly the device stays cool at high wattage due to its unique design.
Is The VMESH X1 Worth It?
If you want a mechanical mod experience that offers a greater degree of safety than a typical mech then yes its a good device.
Its limitation for some will be that you can’t adjust the wattage manually to suit your preferred juice or style of vape.
For those that enjoy rebuildable devices and tweaking their own vaping experience via coil making then this device will be right on the money for them.
My only major concern is that the device having its own internal battery is yet another limiting factor and while the battery charge is excellent I wonder long term on how long it will last for.
Price wise for what the device does its very reasonably priced at £50 which I think is worth it for the solid construction and ease of use. Plus it is a decent looking device.
Overall – Final Thoughts
A very well made device but one aimed at specific types of vaper’s, namely rebuildable fans and mechanical mod users.
Certainly it offers yet another choice to people who have a passing interest in mechs but may have until now been put off by many of the safety concerns.
For anyone who wants to tweak wattages very specifically this is likely not for them. I personally thought it was great but I happen to enjoy mechs and RTA/RDA’s.
The Good
- Excellent solid construction and good looking
- Long battery life
- Consistent 4.2 volts until the charge runs out
- Capable of very high wattage but dependent on coil resistance
- Short Circuit Protection
- Stays cool even at high wattage
The Not So Good
- Wattage limited to coil resistance, no manual tweaking
- None replaceable internal battery
- Somewhat weighty
- Non adjustable 510 pin which leads to a slight gap between atomizers and the device due to necessary device cooling
