OXVA Xlim SE 2 Voice Edition
It's ok, it's not the voices in your head...it's the new OXVA XLIM SE 2 Voice Edition pod kit!
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Modern technology is amazing. Not only do the latest consumer products work better than they ever have before with vastly improved build quality at cheaper and cheaper prices, but they are also really pushing the boundaries when it comes to quality of life improvements too. For example, I never realised I needed a robot vacuum until I got one and my life was changed. I’ve recently upgraded and now I have one that not only keeps on top of the dust and dog hair, but it also mops the floor and even empties itself…..incredible! I am living in the star trek universe! I never realised I needed a smart washing machine, I actually laughed when I first saw the concept as I stupidly thought I just needed something that would wash my socks…how naive was I! My current machine can be controlled from my phone (or through my tv) and I can download custom programmes depending on what I need to clean, it tells me when it needed to be cleaned and even has a diagnostic mode if it has any problems. I can be out and about, and it will buzz me a message to let me know that my washing is done. It’s brilliant and I couldn’t imagine life without it. I love gadgets and the latest tech really makes my life easier and unexpectedly more fun too. So when OXVA said they wanted to send me a pod kit that talks, I went through all the usual emotions I go through when I hear of something new. Why the f**k do I need a vaping kit that talks to me? Well it turns out, the OXVA Xlim SE 2 Voice Edition is actually pretty cool!
Specs and Unboxing
The packaging of the OXVA Xlim SE 2 is small but smart. I’m always going to be a sucker for anything shiny, so I was drawn to the box straight away, even the not shiny bits are still glossy, and there are some nicely embossed details. It is a compact kit, but it comes with everything you need. The device comes seated in a white plastic blown tray, and underneath you will find a spare pod, a lanyard, a USB-C cable, and the paperwork. It is a pretty generous bundle and here at Potv, we will always champion any kits that come with an extra pod or coil.
- Dimensions: 24.2 x 14.0 x 112.7mm
- Weight: 44.5g
- Output Power: 5-30W
- Resistance range: 0.33-3.0Ω
- XLIM Pod Capacity: 2 ml TPD compliant
- Battery Capacity: 1000 mAh
- 5V/1A
- Type-C USB Charging
The Basics
Anyone familiar with OXVA products will feel instantly at home with this kit, it is very initially very similar in feel to the original Xlim series which is no bad thing as the og was a great little kit with some top marks going into the build quality. The main body is made from aluminium alloy and pctg and is shaped to feel smooth with no sharp edges. I like to fiddle with things, and I got great pleasure just from holding it in my palm and spinning it, it just feels good. The finish looks great too with a brushed finish and some smart diagonal lined patterns, it is understated but still eye-catching, quite a tricky balance to get right.
On one side you will find the airflow adjuster which is a slider with three airholes which you cover up to finetune your vape, and on the other side there are a couple of buttons, but we will get to them further on. The USB-C port is on the base so you’ll have to lay it down to charge.
The front has a light bar on the bottom which gives you a couple of visual prompts. Whilst vaping, it gently flows through a colour gradient but as soon as you stop inhaling, it will flash up a solid colour to show you how much battery life you have left (Green 100%-60%, Blue 60%-20%, Red 20%-0%). It is a good system which is unintrusive but highly functional. There are also several colour coded flashing warnings to indicate things like overheating, short circuits and over vaping, I assume they all work but as I had no issues, I never got to see any of these.
The Xlim SE 2 comes with the new top fill Xlim pods which I looked at in more detail in my previous review, but it is also back compatible with the older pods so if you have a stockpile of the older spec pods, you can still use them up. I love this as there was a time when every kit seemed to come out with brand new pods leaving any old ones instantly obsolete. It really bugged me as I hate waste, but there was another negative, there were a few kits which I loved but shortly after release, it would be next to impossible to buy replacement consumables so the kits would very quickly be relegated to my draw of despair. Top marks to OXVA for doing this. That said, whilst the old pods were great, the latest versions are exceptionally good when it comes to flavour and longevity, and the top fill is the icing on the cake.
The Voice
Now so far, the OXVA Xlim SE 2 has proven itself to be a very capable kit, but there are loads of really fantastic pod kits around at the moment, so for something to stand out, it needs to have an edge, and OXVA have come up with a neat trick. It talks! Now you won’t get a deep and meaningful conversation here, and you can’t ask it questions, it isn’t Siri or Alexa, and that was quite a relief as I had visions of it being an annoyance. You will also notice that there is no screen on this device. Usually you just have to rely on the chipset to do everything on screenless devices and hope that it is all correct, but this is where the voice feature comes in. When you first pop in a pod, a little female voice chirps up and tells you what ohms your pod is and what the current power is set at. It is clear enough to hear but quiet enough not to be embarrassing! It’s a surprisingly nice little feature, but it doesn’t stop there. If you remember earlier, I said there were two little buttons on the side? Well if you press the bottom button, "she" tells you how much battery charge is left, and if you press the top button, you can change the wattage and that little voice tells you what setting it is at.
Whilst most people will be using this in auto draw mode as it works faultlessly, if you press both buttons simultaneously, the voice will tell you that the fire button has been unlocked and the top button becomes the fire button. It is nice to have the choice, but I can’t see many people will choose to use it.
I have to say that when I first read the blurb, I really thought it was going to be a gimmick that would get old very quickly, but it actually is pretty useful. For example, if I am driving, I don’t want to be having to focus on the lights to tell me my battery status, it is much more practical to press a button and get the device to tell me how much charge I’ve got left. The voice isn’t too loud either, so it isn’t intrusive or too annoying. Once the review period was up, I was surprised to find I actually missed the audio prompts.
Final Thoughts and Score
This is an OXVA kit, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad kit from them, and thankfully the OXVA Xlim SE2 Voice Edition lives up to its pedigree well. It is a well-made kit which looks smart and just works really well out of the box. I didn’t really expect the voice feature to be any more than a gimmick which would get old fast, but it was surprisingly well implemented and became reassuringly useful. Bag this up with great battery life and exceptional flavour, and you have a winning combination especially when it comes in at under £20!
9/10 – it makes a change from the voices in my head!
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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