Freemax Galex Pod Kit
Freemax have brought out a banging MTL pod, the Freemax Galex Pod Kit. With the Galex Nano rated so highly, how will this new one measure up?
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by Si Davies
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Supplied by Freemax for review
https://www.freemaxvape.com/galex-kit
Price $27.99 Freemax Direct
I recently reviewed the funky Galex Nano pod kit from Freemax, and thoroughly enjoyed it, a superb MTL vape from the GX Mesh coils, but if you prefer a more traditional looking pod then the good news is you can use the exact same coils and pod from the Galex Pod kit. I can already guarantee that the vape quality is going to be superb, let’s see what the hardware has to offer…..
- Size: 23.5 x 16.5 x 107.47mm
- Pod Capacity: 2ml
- Battery Capacity: 800mAh
- Full Spectrum Vaping (Embedded LED lighting)
- FM SaltCoilTech 4.0
- FM Leak-Resistant Tech
- ISO 8317 Child Resistant Certified
- USB-C Port (Rechargeable)
- Output Wattage: 11-16W
- Output Voltage: 3.3-3.5V
- Coil Resistance: 0.8/1.0Ω
Unboxing
The Galex comes in quite a compact box with an outer sleeve displaying your colour choice, removing the outer sleeve you get the complete Galex with the pod and a 1.0ohm coil preinstalled held in a foam tray, there’s a handy little ribbon to remove the foam and under that is another box holding the accessories.
The Galex features replaceable coils and Freemax include two different ohms:
- 1 x GX Mesh Coil 0.8Ω
- 1 x GX Mesh Coil 1.0Ω (Pre-installed)
Credit goes to Freemax for including two coils as there is a bit of a nasty trend of only including one in a lot of other manufacturers pod kit, there’s also a USB-C charging cable and the documents.
First Impressions and Overview
The Galex is a bit of a dark horse until you get it going as it looks pretty much like every other pod, but it has a secret under its skin, a natty little LED light-show under the front panel that you need to activate, more on that in a bit but mine was a review sample without the manual and I discovered it by accident.
The styling is quite basic and follows the traditional rectangular pod shape, but the Galex is a bit bigger than most due to a larger 800mAh battery and that lighting panel along with the cross compatible pod, it still fits comfortably into your hand and all edges have been rounded off for comfort.
It weighs just 48g with a full tank so it won’t weigh your pocket down. Back to the size, since I forgot to state the dimensions; 23.5mm x 16.5mm x 107.5mm, the height and width are quite standard but it’s the thickness where it ate some pies but only a couple, I would still class it as a compact pod.
The base has the charging port and the obligatory markings along with the battery capacity, there are no hard edges on the base which again adds to the comfort.
There’s a separate LED for the battery status, the reason for this is that when you disable the light-show, you will still get a three colour status light.
While I don’t think it will win any style awards, it should appeal to folks who prefer a more classical look, but you can still bling up with the LED light-show.
Bear in mind that I didn’t even know it featured this function until a few days into performance testing, it came as a nice little surprise, by default the light panel is disabled so I just thought it was a plastic badge, it turns out that if you replace the pod twice within three seconds, it enables the light-show. I enjoy LEDs in most gadgets, especially in vape stuff as it gives me something to look at between draws, the LEDs aren’t too bright so it gives a nice smooth colour changing effect as it cycles through the spectrum, it’s nice and subtle with a mesmerising effect, but for those times when you prefer not to have the LEDs on, you can simply turn it off again by replacing the pod twice within three seconds.
I’ve already covered the pod in my previous Galex Nano review and I rated it as one of the very best pod designs I have experienced, Freemax have refined every little detail right down to how easy it is to replace the coil and easy top-fill.
I much prefer the less wasteful replaceable coil pods, Freemax are renowned for their coils in both flavour and lifespan so I’m glad we get this replaceable coil option. I also prefer replaceable coils as they are easier to prime by squirting a few drops down the inside of the coil.
Filling is a breeze, you simply lever the mouthpiece over with your thumb. The fit is just right so that you can pry it open easily without breaking your thumb, but it is tight enough that it doesn’t come off in your pocket in normal usage. Visibility is perfect, and you can pretty much fill it completely (but I like to leave a little air gap to help it circulate).
As previously mentioned; the Galex pod and coils are cross-compatible with the Galex Nano, this should add to the availability and shelf life of the coils and pods.
The two coils are a good range for MTL vaping, the 0.8ohm coil will better suit the latest thicker/sweeter ‘disposables’ style e-liquids, and the 1.0ohm will suit more traditional 50/50 freebase or nic-salts.
Freemax are naturally proud of their coils, and they are always improving. Here’s what they have to say about the GX oils included:
"With FM SaltCoilTech 4.0 technology, the lifespan of the GX Mesh Coil has been significantly improved and can last for 10 refills."
Ten refills is very welcome and I can tell you it is accurate, in fact it lasts me a few ml more than that.
Perfect timing for this review was that TECC sent along the new ELFLIQ Nic Salts to review, these e-liquids are based on Elf Bar’s disposables and are generally over sweetened and are coil-killers usually, but hardware manufacturers are onto this and the trend of 0.8ohm coils with larger wicking ports can now handle this type of juice. I whacked in the 0.8ohm coil to see if the Galex could handle the ELFLIQ.
Performance
I already knew the Galex was going to give me kick-ass flavour going by the Galex Nano review, the rest of the vape was pretty much the same, and the draw was a proper MTL draw (not too tight, not too loose). The warmth was spot on and never got too hot even when chain-vaping, the auto-draw was instant and never missed a beat, it had no wake-up time and hit instantly no matter how long I left it.
Importantly for me, it also handled the ELFLIQ without effort, in fact I noticed no difference as the lifespan of the coil lasted two bottles (ten refills), I didn’t push my luck with the 1.0ohm coil though and switched to my regular nic-salts. The GX 1.0ohm coil was more my style, a slightly lower powered vape meant less e-liquid consumption and a longer battery life.
Battery life was good with the 800mAh cell, even with exclusive use and heavy/greedy vaping due to the lush ELFLIQ, it lasted around 3ml before requiring a recharge using the 0.8ohm coil. I couldn’t see much difference with the 1.0ohm coil but that makes sense, you get more ‘puffs’ but you are consuming a bit less e-liquid per puff, I could trust the 1.0ohm coil for over 24 hours but if you say at least 2ml then you can judge it for yourself depending on your consumption.
Leak resistance worked a charm and I never experienced any excess or condensation throughout the coils lifespan.
Galex or Galex Nano – Which one comes on top?
Which one is for you will depend on a few factors; style being the obvious one. I preferred the Nano as I prefer its individual looks, the vape is pretty much identical but the Nano has three power settings if you wanted to tweak it, but the Galex had it nailed anyway. I never found the Galex lacking in power or warmth, both feature a light-show but the Nano was a bit ‘louder’ as it isn’t diffused. Another difference why I prefer the Nano is that you can physically turn it Off/On due to the button, I also preferred that it had a lanyard mount, but then again it weighed considerably more that the Galex (Galex = 48g / Galex Nano = 88g). I liked both for different reason but the Nano was more my bag.
Conclusion
Freemax have nailed a near perfect starter friendly pod kit, pleasingly it is a pure MTL kit, and with the focus on that, then it delivered the ideal MTL draw, flavour and warmth. I’m an experienced vapour and I enjoyed it, a beginner should equally enjoy it with the minimum knowledge required, pick the right e-liquid and it will piss all over any disposable (early days of the ELFLIQ, but it is a very promising option).
Even if the LED Light-show isn’t your thing, you can simply turn it off and you will still get one of the very best MTL vapes out there with a decent 800mAh battery life.
Pros
- Superb vape quality
- Long-lasting replaceable coils
- Flip-top-fill
- Simple auto-draw only
- Pleasing LEDs with the option to turn off
- Proper MTL airflow (fixed)
- Leak-resistant
- 48g weight
The pros are almost the same as the Galex Nano, the weight being the main difference.
Cons
I have absolutely none, there can only be subjective pros and cons depending on how fussy you are or if indeed the looks appeal to you or not, I honestly cannot fault it in any way.
Final Thoughts and Score
Freemax weren’t on my radar when it came to MTL vaping, but with the Galex Nano and this Galex Pod Kit, they are now amongst my favourites. There’s no question that the vape quality and flavour is right up there with the very best, this kit is a no-brainer for anyone looking to quit ciggies and start vaping and trust it will do a perfect job (as long as you choose a decent e-liquid).
Score: 9/10 – Free is good – Freemax is better
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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