Zelos X Kit by Aspire

Review by Jen_Turista

Aspire Zelos X – A Solid Starter Kit!

Hello, vaping family! It’s getting colder and colder for us here in the UK- winter is definitely upon us! Be that as it may, today I have another hardware review for your perusal. This time, we are taking a look at Aspire’s newest addition to their famous Zelos line of devices: the Zelos X kit!

This kit was sent to me for the purpose of a review by Aspire (thanks, Tina!), with my utmost thanks!

Aspire is a brand that perhaps needs no introduction. It is extremely well-known within the vaping community and one I consider to be the “old guards” of the e-cigarette industry. Established in 2013, Aspire are well-known for very positive reasons due to the excellent and reliable products they release, and from my perspective, the very professional way they go about their business. They have a “grown-up” brand image, making their products appealing to adult vapers of all ages.

The Zelos series of devices go some ways back, and to my mind have always been aimed at beginners. The Zelos 50W Kit was released followed by its (version) 2.0 kit, which was actually the kit that successfully got me to quit smoking. It took a couple of years before Aspire released additions to the Zelos line, such as the Zelos 3, Zelos Nano, and now the Zelos X.

So, is the Zelos X any good as a starter kit for smokers wanting to switch to vaping? Let’s find out!

As always, this review will be based on my experience of testing this kit as an average vaper, as most of you guys reading this review will be.

Packaging and Contents

I was sent the Aspire Zelos X Kit in sample packaging, which includes:

• Zelos X mod that uses an external 18650 battery.
• The Nautilus 322 tank can hold 3 mL of e-liquid.
• 1.0 ohm Nautilus Mesh coil.
• 0.3 ohm Nautilus Mesh coil.
• Spare glass and o-rings.
• Spare 510 drip tip, one that has a narrower bore for a tighter draw.
• A USB-C charging cable.
• User manual.

Salient Features of the kit are:

• The Nautilus 322 tank is compatible with all Nautilus and Triton coils, which makes this a very versatile tank given the wide range of Nautilus coils in existence.
• The tank has an e-liquid shut-off valve for a mess-free coil change. Bloody good this!
• Mod ranges from 1W-80W in power using the ASP chipset.
• Reads 0.1 ohm to 3.5 ohms.
• 2A fast charging (I always recommend using external chargers).
• Tank dimensions at 22 x 53 mm with the drip tip.
• Mod dimensions at 37 x 24 x 83 mm. 24 mm atomisers will fit nicely on the mod but nothing larger than that.
• The tank has an adjustable bottom airflow that is quite precise, with 7 airflow hole size options (3.0, 2.5, 1.8, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8 mm).

Impressions and Experience

The kit, even in sample packaging, came boxed in the classic Aspire format and colourway.

On the packaging has a coloured photo of the device that is glossy and embossed. Package contents, manufacturer information and socials are printed on the outside packaging. The kit itself sits on a tabbed tray, with the kit accessories underneath.

As a whole, the kit feels solid and comfortable in the hand, with the ergonomic shape of the mod and the lightness of the tank. It is quite well-balanced, even with the tank filled to the max. The kit itself is pretty light, being made with zinc and aluminium alloy, but will of course have some weight with the external battery installed into the mod.

As a major pro for someone like me, there is hardly any branding on the kit at all! The tank only has the tank model name and brand at its bottom plate, and the mod has the “Zelos X” branding in a relatively small font on just one side of the mod. Quite frankly, it is subtlety at its best, with the branding being classy and unobtrusive. It’s almost as if Aspire wants to tell you that you don’t need to read the branding on the kit to know that you are using an Aspire product because by its quality and performance alone, you will definitely know you are using an Aspire masterpiece! Aspire deserves a round of applause for choosing this route for branding, at an age where most new vape devices seem to have bigger and bigger branding. Bravo!

A. Nautilus 322 Tank and Nautilus Mesh Coils

The tank may look simple and unassuming due to its materials, but I can assure you that it is anything but!

It is a top-fill tank that slides to open, to reveal its generous-sized fill hole. There is also a very obvious mark of where you should press your thumb to slide the top cap open. No fumbling or guesswork is required here!

It is compatible with standard 510 drip tips, however, I did find that the drip tips that came with the kit are already very comfortable to use. The narrower drip tip is perfect for the 1.0-ohm Nautilus mesh coil for MTL, and the wider drip tip increases the airflow to facilitate the performance of the included 0.3-ohm Nautilus mesh coil for RDL.

The coils press-fit into the tank, with the tank base that can be screwed on and off. Where it gets really interesting is that the e-liquid shut-off valve is engaged upon coil removal, making it really convenient for swapping coils with no mess and even with remaining e-liquid in the tank. Yes, that’s right, you don’t need to dump the tank just to swap your coils out!

I wish all stock coil tanks have this feature as it would make our lives so much easier, but moving on…

As mentioned, you have various options when it comes to the airflow: you can make the draw as tight or as loose as you want. The smallest hole gave me a legit tight MTL, especially with the 1.0-ohm coil. And with a combination of the 0.3-ohm coil and the widest airflow hole, I was able to achieve an RDL vape with an adequate amount of air. My sweet spot was with the 1.5 mm hole for MTL: the draw and warmth were just right for the vape I wanted.

The Nautilus 1.0 mesh coil (13-15W) is a good MTL coil, with great flavour (7.5/10). The coil has lasted my 2 weeks of testing and is still going strong, again another trademark of Aspire’s quality (but be sure you get authentic coils, Aspire coils are heavily cloned!). Cloud production is decent and roundabout what I expected for a 1.0-ohm coil. I was using this coil primarily at 15W as I do like a warm MTL vape.

Next up is the Nautilus 0.3 ohm mesh coil (23-28W) which performed well at RDL. A combination of relatively restricted airflow and a smaller tank really showcases the flavour that can be achieved with this coil (8/10). The coil gives satisfactory clouds too, although of course, nothing like when vaping at higher than 28W. Saying that, vaping this coil at 27W with 70/30 e-liquids gave me a really pleasant restricted direct lung experience, albeit at a wattage lower than I would normally vape for RDL.

Neither of the coils needed breaking in, they are performers off the bat!

B. Zelos X Mod

The mod’s shape is almost that of the number 8, which contributes to its pleasant feel on the hand. The 510 plate is screwed on, adding durability to the mod. The external battery is installed through the bottom of the mod and via a vented battery cap that screws on and off. The cap threading is smooth, and the battery cap screws in flush to the rest of the bottom of the mod (no wobbly scenes here). Battery polarities are clearly marked which is another pro.

The USB-C port is also at the bottom of the mod. Although not a big deal, I do wish that the port was in a place that would allow its use with the mod/kit in an upright position.

The front of the mod has the fire and adjustment buttons. It also has a 0.96” TFT colour screen which displays vaping data like mode, wattage/temperature, volts, amps, ohms, puff counter, and battery life in bar and percentage which is always very useful. At its brightest, the screen is crisp and easy to read; however, I feel that making it brighter than what it is currently capable of will be of great use to some vapers out there who struggle with their eyesight.

Operating the mod is as easy as:

• 5 clicks on and off.
• 3 clicks lock and unlock all buttons.
• Pressing both up and down buttons simultaneously locks these buttons, but the mod can still fire.
• Pressing fire and up buttons at the same time allows you to select the different modes (wattage, bypass, voltage, TC, CPS) and clear your puffs.
• Press the fire button to confirm a selection.
• Pressing fire and down buttons adjust the screen brightness.

Having the ASP chipset, it is a relatively fast scroller that goes by 0.5-watt increments in short presses, and 1-watt increments for longer presses. It is very responsive, and with an output voltage range up to 8.4V, it does kick out the power required even at high wattages.

Overall: Yay or Nay?

As a starter kit, definitely a Yay for me! The tank and mod are quite simple and intuitive to use, perfect for those starting out and want a device that’s easy to use and maintain. Of course, provided that the beginner is initiated in battery safety (if you are a beginner reading this, just be sensible with batteries and you will be fine).

The mod is also versatile enough, for when let’s say, a vaper becomes experienced and wants to try the different modes offered in this compact mod.

The tank’s compatibility with all the Nautilus and Triton coils offers up a world of possibilities for the vaper to explore, allowing them to customise their experience to eventually find their style of vaping.

I can also recommend this kit to experienced vapers, especially those who are particular about their MTL (like me) due to the quality of MTL vape that can be had with this kit and also to those that prefer low wattage RDL.

And the kit looks absolutely classy and premium. As I mentioned before, Aspire is a grown-up brand, and the Zelos X is a grown-up device. No frills and all about performance, just the way I like it!

Once again, my biggest thanks to Tina and Aspire for sending this to me for the review! To purchase the kit, the links are at the start of the review or check out your usual vape outlets.

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This review was written by jen_turista who is very active within the vape community. You can go give her a follow on Instagram and Twitter.