Smoant Cylon 218w Mod Review – So Is This One Out Of This World?

Smoant have been around for a while now and it would seem all of their releases are well received and none more so than the Smoant Cylon 218w mod which I’m taking a close look at in this review.

I know we’re a little late to the party on this one so we will see if it was worth the wait!

Is The Smoant Cylon Really One Of The Best Vape Mods Out There?

OK the Smoant Cylon 218w mod – despite the recent release of the Ranker – is I’m sure still their flagship device and little wonder.

Since its arrival on the vape scene it’s been compared in looks to a high end mod and rated performance wise as one of the best devices released in the latter part of 2017 going into this year.

This is well built with a stunning space age Battlestar Galatica bad guy themed design – the Cylon being the bad guys in the sci-fi show I’m led to believe lol.

And some might say it’s a step up from the very well received Battlestar 200w mod and certainly a step up design wise [for me at least] on the angular and boxy Smoant Charon 218.

Incidentally Smoant burst onto the vape scene with the futuristic Knight V1 a side by side mod that was again a much loved device.

So with that kind of pedigree does the Smoant Cylon deserve its place as the flagship of the company’s star fleet?

Let’s take a closer look…

Inside the Box

Attractive sturdy and 100% recyclable packaging and inside you’ll find:

• 1x Smoant Cylon Mod
• 1x Usb cable
• 1x User manual
• 1x Warning card

Smoant Cylon Features and Specs

• VW Mode power range: 1 – 218 W
• Output modes: VW / VW Curves / Temp (Ni, Ti, SS) / TCR / TC Curves
• Resistance range: 0.05 – 2.0 Ohm for Temp / TCR mode / TC Curves
• 0.1-5.0 Ohm for VW / VW Curves
• TC temperature range: 100 – 315°C / 200 – 600°F
• Display: 1.35 inch TFT color screen
• Charging via USB port
• Firmware upgradeable
• Reverse protection/ Over-heating protection/ Low voltage protection/ Overload/Short-
  circuit protection/ Over-time protection
• Compact size: 47mm(L) X 32mm(W) X90mm(H)

Smoant Cylon 218w Quick Start Guide

The operating and menu system is clean clear and intuitive and doesn’t take long to get to grips with – kind of!

There’s no instructions on how to exit the menu – you just need to hold down the fire button to return to the main screen!

• x5 clicks of the fire button to power on and off
• x3 clicks of the fire button when device is on enters menu
• Use up and down buttons to scroll through menu and fire button to enter/select chosen mode
• Hold fire button down to exit screen

Key Features

This is a mod that covers pretty much every single vaping style you could imagine.

There’s a plethora of Temperature Control settings and curves for both TC and wattage modes and of course a straightforward power mode for the simple no frills vapers like me.

Powered by x2 18650 batteries the awesome and firmware upgradeable Ant28-V2 chip means the 218w max is probably reachable and the Cylon has a super-fast firing time of 0.015 seconds – that’s fast!

There’s a choice of two user interfaces one which simply shows the wattage or current temperature setting with one of the 9 backgrounds – or a sporty looking speedometer style that is apparently modeled on the one in the Lexus LS Sport.

The brightness on the 1.3inch colour screen can be adjusted and I found it crystal clear even in the current spate of sunlight the UK is getting and without my reading glasses.

And of interest to many will be the Smoant Clyon can take tanks and drippers up to 30mm with ease and given its slightly taller size than most dual 18650 mods larger tanks sit nicely and look good too.

Design and Build Quality

OK first up let’s tackle the obvious – yes it does kind of look a bit like that mod of choice of the elitist vaper – the gorgeous SX Mini G Class!
Right let’s carry on now that’s out of the way and first up build quality.

One word – awesome.

Before you even touch the Cylon you just know this is an extremely well made and rugged mod – this bad boy can take some knocks for sure.

The buttons are perfectly clicky – the centred 510 is spring loaded with just enough ‘springiness’ for want of a technical term.

One issue I thought I might have is the battery door especially as it’s a latch rather than magnets. However once closed there’s no rattle whatsoever and after over a month’s use its showing no sign of coming loose.

As to the design it is absolutely stunning – especially the ‘tan’ version – a kind of brushed steel and brown leather – I received the full black and it really does purr at you – very sleek.

And yes I’m pretty sure that is real leather on the sides – if it isn’t then it’s a bloody good copy!

I’ve already mentioned the screen and it does sit quite beautifully above the angry eyes like look of the up and down buttons which are contrasting stainless steel.

The exposed steel screws also add to the overall bad ass industrial come space alien look and the understated Smoant logo on the front of the 510 looks great.

Turn the mod around and there’s an embedded 3d blue circular logo which again adds to the space age feel and Cylon is printed underneath.

I have to say this is a looker but in a classy understated way which is my style of mod – just enough design features but not too many to make it look over the top if you get my drift.

It is a little on the heavy side – due to the quality materials I guess – but certainly not uncomfortably so and the shape and those leather sided grips make this a very ergonomic mod indeed.

How Does the Smoant Cylon 218w Mod Perform?

First up the fire time and yes that chip fires fast with absolutely no delay!

Scrolling through the menu to tinker with your settings is as easy as it gets with a ton of options including the usual Minimum – Normal and Max setting in wattage mode that adds an extra bit of power to your first hit.

BTW once it times out it will revert to the smart clock or you can change that in settings to your chosen screen saver of which there’s 9 included.

I did my usual very basic temperature control test of a simple stainless micro coil with dry cotton and the Ant28-V2 as I expected passed with flying colours with little or no banding after x3 fires.

I don’t have any fancy gadgets to test if it’s under or overpowered – instead I relied on ‘feel’ testing it next to the Lost Vape Paranormal DNA250c and the YiHi SX450J-BT chip.

Based on that very un-scientific test it certainly felt like it matched those two popular chips with obviously the merest initial under power as you might expect in Minimum and Normal setting.

However in the Max option it of course gave me a good whack with the first pull and from then on in seemed to hit the power I’d set with ease closely matching the two chips I’ve already mentioned.

What I can say for sure is performance wise this is an extremely impressive mod with a high functioning chip!

I’ve used this religiously for about a month now so you can tell I like it.

It’s never missed a beat – not once and I’ve had it in low wattage with a Mouth to Lung (MTL) tank on top and up to 200watts with a dripper and it handled those and everything else at threw at it without a stutter.

Apart from the Smoant S8 pod mod this is the first box I’ve used from the company and I have to say I’m extremely impressed with performance – the chip – build quality – design and overall vape experience.

The menu has just enough options for the dedicated vaping hobbyist and is simple enough for the newbie right through to the vaper like me who just likes dependable power.

Pros

• Superb build quality and materials
• Contemporary design
• Centred 510 taking up to 30mm tanks
• Intuitive and clear menu
• Choice of x2 User Interfaces and x9 wallpapers
• Ergonomic design
• Upgradeable firmware
• Decent price point
• ‘Hits Hard and Fast!’

Cons

• Struggling here even with my known fickleness lol
• A tad heavy maybe?
• No instruction on how to exit the menu [see above]

Final Review Verdict

Well beam up Smoant – may the intergalactic vape force be with you and make it so this is in your vaping arsenal as sci-fi types might say – this is a superb mod it’s a simple as that.

I can’t fault it performance wise as you can tell from the rather bleak Cons lol.

Despite that space age bad boy look to it the Smoant Cylon still manages to look both contemporary and classy without the designers going overboard – that disc on the back certainly adds another level of class.

They haven’t skimped on the materials either – this is one solidly built tough mod but with an elegance to it from the grippy leather side panels to the wonderful crisp clear colour screen it’s a joy to vape on. One of my favourite vape mods to date.

So have I lost my heart to this starship vaper and should you set your credit card phasers to buy?

Make it so because this is a stunner…ouch sorry Trekkies…lol.