Riil X by Aspire
Review by Jen_Turista
Aspire Riil X Pod Kit – Oooh That Is Sexy!
We’re in the third quarter of 2022, and Aspire continues to invest and release new kits that leverage their newest AF coils platform such as the Flexus series. The latest and probably most unique looking of these kits utilising AF coils is the Aspire Riil X, which we will be looking at today.
Big thanks to Aspire (thanks, Tina!) who have sent this kit to me for the purposes of a review.
If you have had a chance to read my reviews of the Flexus kits (available here on the blog), you will know that I highly rate the AF coils, and continue to do so. So, I am definitely excited to see what the Aspire Riil X brings to this line of devices and if it’s a “worth it” investment for vapers!
As always, I will be reviewing this kit as an average vaper, as most in our community are.
Packaging and Contents
I was sent what I believe to be retail packaging of the Riil X kit that included:
- The Riil X device.
- 1 x 2 mL Riil X pod that is refillable via a side fill port.
- 1 x AF 0.6 ohms mesh coil.
- 1 x AF 1.0 ohm mesh coil.
- USB-C cable.
- User Manual.
- And a chain/metal lanyard for convenience.
Salient Features include:
- Device with a 700 mAh battery.
- 2A fast-charging that charges the device to full in 20 minutes (more on this in a bit).
- A stealth LED light to show battery life(green = 60-100%, blue = 30-60%, red = <30%).
- Direct output device utilising the ASP chipset (Aspire calls it Smart Constant Wattage Output).
- Dimensions at around 74 x 43 x 21 mm.
- Only auto-draw firing. No buttons anywhere here!
- Airflow control on the device.
- And of course, has the standard protections we are familiar with.
Impressions and Experience
The kit comes in a large silver box with big and bold lettering. Illustrations of the device adorn the front/box lid, with kit contents and manufacturer information printed around the rest of the box. The kit and an accessories box sit on top of a large soft foam tray, underneath a relatively large user manual.
With this presentation, I can tell that Aspire is going for something completely different here with the almost cartoonish illustrations on the box and the theme of everything being “big”: the box, the user manual, and the large fonts used. If you’ve owned Aspire products in the past, then you would notice too the stark contrast of this new packaging versus those that have come before. I suppose this ties into the rebranding Aspire did back in May of this year, sort of like nurturing a new and younger image? Perhaps, although I had no issue whatsoever with Aspire’s previous branding image as it evoked professionalism and reliability to me. But moving on…
The box presentation and unboxing experience were nice and unique to all other Aspire devices I’ve used in the past. The only qualms I had were: 1) the box not having cutouts to help remove the lid, as with the large size of the box, I couldn’t stretch my tiny hand across to grip and pull the box apart, and 2) just the sheer size of the packaging for a very small kit, if I’m being honest, I think it was rather excessive and leads to unnecessary wastage. In my opinion, that “premium feel” can be attained in other ways than having oversized packaging.
A. Riil XDevice/Battery
As soon as I saw the pre-release photos of the Riil X on socials, I already knew that this device will look spectacular! True enough, upon receiving it for review, it is one of the smoothest vape devices I’ve seen and handled in terms of finishing. The machining done was precise with smooth curves and grooves. And as such, it is very comfortable in the hand.
There is something that the Riil X device reminds me of. If you are familiar with a popular brand of metal travel suitcases, the Riil X sort of looks like a miniature version of it! It’s small, all-metal, a little thick, and almost like a squished cube- very unique indeed!
Up top is where the pod slots in via strong magnets, and it also has the metal contacts for the coil and microphone for auto-draw. The USB-C port is at the bottom which does mean that you can’t charge the device upright.
Airflow control is achieved via a grooved slider to one side of the mod. It lets in and regulates the air going to the exposed slot and towards the bottom of the coil. Once again, I found this airflow control system to be very effective as it allowed me to experiment with tight MTL all the way to RDL. The slider isn’t loose and has just the right amount of resistance that makes it stay to where you’ve placed it, giving you a consistent draw even if you’ve pocketed the kit. I did mention RDL but as I’ve mentioned before in other reviews, it will be a cool RDL given the wattage limitation of the device and resistance of the coils.
The Aspire Riil X is at its best when used in MTL. Indeed, the warmth I get is fascinating, even if using the 1.0-ohm coil! I cannot find the wattage range for this device at the time of this review, but judging from my experience, the warmth I get when using the 0.6 ohms coil (for example) feels like it’s around 13 to 15W or so. With the device giving me a satisfying draw tightness and warmth, I really can’t complain!
As for the 2A fast-charging and the 20 minutes to fully charged claim, I can definitely vouch for this! Upon the device warning me of a low battery (red light flashing 3 times), I plugged it into my laptop and after around 20 minutes of a meeting I was attending, the device indeed charged to full! And you would know when the device is fully charged when the LED light flashes 20 times and then goes off.
The LED light is sort of stealthily hidden on the mod. Basically. It’s the “Aspire” logo in front of the mod which looks like it’s just another design detail on the mod. But once you take a puff, this logo lights up in the colour indicating your battery life. I really like this feature of the kit because it helps to keep maintain a clean and classy appearance.
B. Riil X Pod and AF Coils
The pod is made from food-grade PCTG and is clear all around which definitely helps in seeing E-liquid levels very easily.
The flat/duckbill mouthpiece is a bit on the wider side of things but was still very comfortable to use. The side fill hole is covered by a rubber bung and is just the right size to accommodate most E-liquid bottles.
The coils press fit from the bottom, and I’ve had no leaking issues with either coil in combination with the Riil X pod. This is always a major pro for me as it’s one less (major) thing to worry about!
As I mentioned in the intro, I have reviewed the AF coils in the past, and the AF coils included in the Riil X kit performed exactly as I expected!
The 0.6-ohm coil (15-18 W but I am unsure of how much wattage it pulls from the Riil X device) still gave me a warm and very flavourful (8/10) vape. For the way I like to vape, this coil is undeniably my preference of the two included. Even when used with dessert flavours, this coil expresses flavour beautifully and clearly, which is always impressive as this is not easy to achieve in MTL vaping.
The 1.0-ohm coil (12-15 W) was also excellent for flavour (8/10), albeit and expectedly providing a relatively cooler vape owing to the lower wattage range. I’ve found that my sweet spot for this coil is using it with fruit-flavoured 50/50 E-liquids, for that right balance of flavour and warmth.
Overall: Yay or Nay?
Small, compact, sexy AF, and gives great flavour – there are plenty of reasons to give the Aspire Riil X Kit a Yay! It’s a decent MTL pod kit that will surely help to satisfy cravings.
I understand that there will be a certified 24k solid gold finish of the Riil X in future, so if you’re into an even more luxurious-looking vape device, be on the lookout for that!
I recommend this kit for beginners, those just making the switch from smoking or even from disposables. This kit is very easy to set up and maintain which makes it perfect for beginners. The Aspire Riilx also makes for a competent backup device for travelling or for experienced vapers. Indeed, as I was reviewing this kit, I sort of wished I had received it prior to my recent travels as I surely would have taken it with me!
At the time of this review, it has already been launched in the UK and I could see some relatively hefty price tags for this device (as compared to other similar pod kits), which tells me that this device is aiming to come into the market as a premium vape kit.
My warmest appreciation again to Tina and Aspire for sending this kit for my review! To pick up the Riil X Kit, visit the links to Aspire at the start of the review or have a search at your favourite vape shops!
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.
