OXVA Xlim C Kit
We check out yet another pod kit, this time it is the turn of the OXVA Xlim C, a tidy little kit with a few tricks up its sleeve
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OXVA XLIM C Kit
I love surprises which is handy as I wasn’t expecting OXVA to send in the XLIM C kit. To make it even better, it was purple, and that is always a decent way to instantly get in my good books. But on the flip side, it is yet another pod kit in an ever crowded market. Surely there are only so much you can do with a pretty basic pod system, but OXVA are usually pretty good at delivering great products and an all-round excellent vape, so I didn’t roll my eyes quite as much as I usually do when having to review bread and butter vaping gear.
Specs and Contents
- MTL/RDTL Pod Kit
- 8 - 22W Output Range
- 900mAh Built-in Battery
- Single Button Device
- 2ml Refillable Pods
- 3 Power Settings
On paper, this looks decent but unspectacular, but it isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. The stand outs for me are the 900mAh battery, which is generous in such a compact device, and the three power settings. It was looking like it might be a surprisingly versatile little kit. It also is quite a comprehensive package with everything (apart from e-liquid) that you will need.
- OXVA Xlim C Device
- OXVA Xlim C Pod
- 0.6 Ohm OXVA Xlim C Coil
- 0.8 Ohm OXVA Xlim C Coil
- Lanyard
- USB-C Charging Cable
- User Manual
Not only are you getting a USB-C cable, but you also get not one, but two coils. This always earns brownie points as, although it is pretty rare, there is always the chance of a dud coil which can massively sour any new toys. It is also a good call to include two different coils as it means you can try them out to see which you prefer when you need to buy new ones.
First Impressions
After unboxing everything and spending a little while admiring the rather lovely purple gradient colour (there are a varity of other colour options and they all look really good so you are sure to find something you like if purple isn't your style), I spent a bit of time looking at it a bit closer. This is a nice looking bit of kit in an understated style. It is quite minimal in all the best ways. First up, the branding is clear, with OXVA printed on the front and Xlim C on the side, both are plain and small and don’t distract from the overall style. I really hate OTT branding, so I am quite happy with this. The base has the battery capacity and the safety check markings, again subtle and discreet.
The front sports a fire button which reflects the light attractively and has an X shaped into the middle which also doubles up as the LED indicator to check your battery level and show the chosen power setting. The button is edged in chrome, and it looks really smart. It is also almost flush which will help to avoid accidental firing if you forget to engage the lock. It doesn’t have much travel but is responsive and has a satisfying click, not that I really used it much.
The base is where you’ll find the USB port, so you need to lay it down to charge. It has rounded edges which are purely cosmetic, but to aid stability there is a ridge around the flat surfaces so it stands up very well when you put it down. Whilst it is nice to have a pod kit that stands up solidly, I did find it a little uncomfortable but that is down to the way I hold smaller devices. I usually sort of rest it on the crook of my little finger as this is the best position for me when it comes to lining my other fingers up with the fire button, and the ridge rubs slightly.
Charging is very good indeed. OXVA state it will charge to 80% in half an hour, and this seems pretty accurate. They also seem to reckon this is good for two days’ worth of vaping, which is very optimistic. Realistically, I was able to get a full work day of heavy use before I needed to charge up, but a quick ten minute top up was enough to keep me going.
Another feature I really like on any kit but is something you don’t always get on these kinds of pod devices is a lock function, but the Xlim C does have one. Four quick presses of the fire button locks it so it will only work with the auto draw function.
The final detail of note on the main body is the airflow control on the side. This is a simple sliding affair with three holes which you reveal depending on your preference. With one hole open, you can get a tight MTL vape, fully open you can have a lightly restricted DTL, and then you can fine tune things to your requirements. Whilst I’m normally a MTL vaper, I found I preferred fully open, it has just the right balance of restriction and flavour.
The Pod and Coils
The pod is made from a dark, clear plastic which looks great but also means you have great e-liquid visibility. It is a side fill pod which helps to prevent leaks and is effective. To access the fill port, you have to lift a small silicon flap. I have small girly fingers but still found it a little fiddly to pry up, and because it is thin and flexible, you have to really double check that it is correctly fitted back in after filling the pod up. The fill port itself is quite a generous oval shape and I had no issues with pointy bottle nibs, but more stubby, round ones might be tricky. All in all, filling was a mess free affair, and I didn’t waste any precious juice.
Just one note, although the Xlim C is part of the larger Xlim family, the pods are not interchangable so if you need to buy extra pods, you need to make sure you get the specific ones or they won't fit.
The pod is held in place with magnets, one at each end of the base. They are plenty strong enough and the pod didn’t come loose even with the most vigorous of shaking. There are also no signs of any rattle or wobbles.
The kit comes with two coils, a 0.6ohm for DTL and a 0.8ohm for MTL. Both are mesh coils so you can expect good flavour with either. They are press fit, just line up the flat edge with the shape of the base of the pod and push. They also pop back out nicely when it comes to changing coils. I didn’t really notice a massive difference in use, but if you want to use the latest generation of salts that replicate disposables, the 0.8ohm will be very welcome.
In Use
I am surprised how long it has taken to get to the meat of this review considering it is a pretty basic kit, I guess that is testament to how many features they have managed to squeeze in whilst still keeping things very simple and totally user friendly. But we are here now, coil fitted and primed, it was ready to go. There are three power settings (three presses of the fire button cycle through them and the LED changes from red-low, blue-medium, and green-high), so I started on the vanilla setting of medium with the 0.8ohm coil and the airflow fully open. The flavour was pretty intense and there was also a surprisingly decent throat hit. The vapour production was full and satisfying, and I was able to get a lot of the more subtle notes in more complex flavours. Closing off the airflow lessened the flavour a bit but greatly boosted the throat feel, I prefer smooth and flavourful though, so I quickly opened things back up again. Cycling through the power settings offered slight changes but nothing too major so if you need to stretch out the battery life, the red setting still gives ample performance. I ended up back on the medium power as it had the best balance of flavour to battery life.
Changing to the 0.6ohm coil gave a slightly more intense flavour, but the difference wasn’t massive. I also found the coil life took a slight hit, it started to show signs of burnt flavour a couple of days earlier than the 0.8ohm coil which lasted me a comfortable 6-7 days before I had to swap them out. On this basis, I would recommend the 0.8ohm coil out of the two as it will also help stretch out that battery life a tad. Don’t get me wrong, both coils are superb so you can’t really go wrong with either, it’s just my personal preference.
Whilst I normally favour using fire buttons, the auto fire was so good that I quickly got in the habit of using it. No matter what the setting or the strength of the pull, it never stuttered or didn’t engage. It was consistently good every time. It is nice to have the option of both methods though.
The final master stroke is the lack of any mess or leaking. As a test, I left the Xlim C standing full of juice for a couple of days and when I checked under the pod, it was bone dry. Even with heavy vaping, there is just the faintest hint of condensation, so this should be a device that can last the distance.
Final Thoughts
As I said in my introduction, OXVA aren’t revolutionising anything here, there is nothing new or innovative with the Xlim C, but what you do get is a very capable and versatile kit which is a pleasure to use and is also very easy on the wallet. For around £21, you get everything you need to get you up and running, and a pack of replacement coils will only set you back around £12 for five.
Usually I will use a pod kit for the review period and then it goes back in the box and is quickly forgotten about, but I really enjoyed using the Xlim C kit and quite often I found myself choosing to take it out instead of my big mod and tank. That doesn’t happen very often, so I guess that shows just how good this kit is.
I think it goes without saying that I have no problems recommending the Xlim C kit. For new vapers, it is simple and straightforward to set up and use, and it will compete with any disposable on the market today, and for old hands, it offers a compact and extremely tasty out and about kit to shove in your pocket.
Michelle (Purplefowler)
Reviewer at POTVWhen her usual forum closed, Michelle found herself in a brave new world full of excitement that something fresh and new was happening. A few days later she somehow found herself on the moderating team and is still not really sure how that happened. Even stranger, she slowly worked her way up to admin and now helps behind the scenes, liasing with vendors and coordinating social media but she can still be found making smutty comments on the forum. If all that wasn't enough, she also is a proud member of the Potv review team specialising in E-liquid reviews for the discerning vaper.
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