The Aegis Max was sent to me for review from Geekvape. This is basically an updated version of the Aegis Solo, which is a single-battery device, but this has the ability to use a bigger, 20700 or 21700 battery.
Aegis Max Device
Specs
- 5 to 100 watts
- Accepts 18650, 20700, and 21700 batteries
- Resistance – 0.05 to 3ohm
- Size: 93mm x 46.3mm x 34mm (3.6 inches tall, 1.8 inches wide, and 1.3 inches wide)
In The Box
- The Aegis Max device
- Micro USB charging cable
- Aegis Zeus Sub-Ohm tank
- Spare parts and tools
- Two mesh coils
Design
This is very similar to the Aegis Solo as far as form factor goes but it’s a little bigger and there are lots of minor design changes on little things like the buttons and the frame. And this device can now fit a 21700 battery.
My guess is that they got enough customer feedback to warrant the update. The Solo has been one of my favorite devices over the last year or so just because it has the traditional Aegis look, it’s in a smaller form factor than the dual battery Aegis, and it works every bit as good as anything else in the line. So if you like it as much as I do and you want to use a 20700 or 21700 battery, now you have that option.
The Aegis Max is extremely durable and it looks and feels the part. The grip has a leather type of material on it and the curvature of the grip section makes the device really comfortable to hold.
On the front of the device is a firing button a bright LED screen, and two adjustment buttons. On the side is a watertight micro-USB charging port, and on the bottom is the battery compartment.
You can get the Aegis Max in five colors, which they call Black Space, Grey Pearl, Black Tungsten, Red Phoenix, and White Storm.
Features
The Aegis Max uses the AS-100 chipset, which is the same as the Solo and Aegis Squonk. To turn the Aegis Max off and on, click the firing button five times fast.
The Aegis Max fires faster than 0.020 seconds, which is practically immediately. It’s super fast.
To access the menu, click the firing button three times fast.
In the menu you’ll find several settings
- Regular power mode
- Temp control for Ni200
- Temp control for stainless steel
- Temp control for titanium
- TCR mode to custom set the TCR values for temp-control wires
- VPC mode to set custom curves for each second of your vape, up to five seconds
- Bypass mode to run your device sort of like a mech mod
The temp control modes have a range of 100-315 degrees celsius, which is 200-600 degrees fahrenheit.
You also have a couple of shortcuts. If you hold the up and down adjustment buttons, you can lock the device settings, but you can still fire it.
Shockproof and Waterproof
The Aegis Max is shockproof to some degree. I don’t know what the shockproof rating is but it’s at least more durable than most any other device on the market. If you drop it from a reasonable distance, it should end up just fine. Dropping it from a balcony might be a different story, but it still might survive a fall like that too.
The Aegis Max has an IP67 rating, which means that it can be fully submerged in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes and is completely sealed from dust particles. If you need a tough device in your line of work, this is probably the one you want.
Battery
The Aegis Max is compatible with 18650, 20700, and 21700 batteries. 20700 and 21700 batteries fit right into the Max, but if you want to use a 18650, you’ll need to use the included battery sleeve.
The battery slides down into the device with the positive end pointing down or towards the 510 connection. The negative end makes the connection with the battery cap. As always, the battery cap screws on and creates a tight seal to keep the device waterproof.
The Geekvape Zeus Sub-Ohm Tank
The Zeus Sub-ohm tank isn’t a new tank. This came out sometime in mid-2019 I believe, but this is the first time I’ve used it. It looks very similar to other Zeus tanks. It’s a wide 26mm diameter tank that is leakproof, uses top airflow, and uses Geekvape’s great mesh pre-built coilheads.
The Aegis Max kit comes with different colors of tanks to match whatever color of device you buy but you can get the tank in lots of other colors too. They sell black, rainbow, gunmetal, blue, stainless steel, red/black, and gold.
Specs:
- 26mm diameter and 42.5mm tall without the drip tip
- 5ml capacity (or 3.5ml with the spare glass tank)
- 810 drip tip
Drip Tip
Rather than using a lower profile drip tip like the Zeus X used, this tip is a more traditional straight 810 tip. Nothing really special about it but it works
Top Cap
The top cap unscrews from the airflow ring and gives you access to the fill ports. The fill ports are big and easy to fill.
Glass Tanks
There are two silica glass tanks in the box. The pre-installed tank holds 5ml of liquid and the spare glass tank in the box holds 3.5ml
Airflow
The airflow comes in from the top of the tank, makes it way down the barrel and comes up right beneath the coil and back up to the mouthpiece. The top airflow is how Geekvape is able to make this leakproof since it’s not able to leak from the base.
The airflow adjustment ring has two airflow intakes, both of which are pretty big. So you can get some nice big lung hits from this tank.
The one drawback that I have with the airflow is that the ring is hard to turn. It’s really tight and hard to move, but it’s also hard to get a good grip on it since it’s flush with the glass tank. Over time it’ll probably loosen up, but I still would have liked if it was easier to grip.
Coils
The coils that the Zeus Sub-ohm uses are mesh coils made with A1 Kanthal.
There are two types of coils:
Z1 Coil
This is a 0.4ohm Mesh coil rated for 60-70 watts. This coil performs well at its recommended wattages. I think the flavor is decent but not amazing.
Z2 Coil
This is a 0.2ohm Mesh coil rated for 70-80 watts. The flavor out of this coil seems slightly better than the Z1 coil and it performs great at 80 watts. Lots of vapor, hit after hit. And the vapor is pretty warm too if you like a hotter vape.
I really like how easy the coils are to install. Instead of having to take the base off and screw it in like lots of other tanks, these just slide into the bottom. You take the base off, keep the tank upside down and then put the coil in and make sure it’s fully seated. There are little tabs on the coils that fit into slots on the chimney, so just make sure those go into place.
But this method of coil installation is really nice because you don’t have to worry about making a big mess to change the coil. You do need to make sure that the tank is around half empty or below the liquid intakes on the chimney or the liquid will pour out.
Performance
The Zeus Sub-ohm tank works really well. The flavor from the Z coils is very good, the airflow is nice and smooth, and you can get a lot of satisfying vapor. I’m happy with the performance.
Final Thoughts
Alright, that’s the full kit.
It’s a great combination of Geekvape’s products. The device is awesome and I absolutely love it. And I knew I would because I loved the Solo so much. And now having the ability to run bigger batteries, I can get a lot more vape time out of it every day. The sub-ohm tank looks nice and works well too. I personally don’t really like using sub-ohm tanks because I don’t like buying coils, but if you like pre-built coils, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the tank. I would have liked a little better flavor out of the coils though.
So now that the Aegis Max is out, is there any reason to buy the older Aegis Solo? I would say yes, but only for two main reasons, the Aegis Solo is about $10 cheaper and it comes in different colors that you can’t get with the Aegis Max. If you really want a particular color and you don’t mind using a 18650, you can save a little cash and get the Solo and be totally happy with it.
You can get the Aegis Max without the tank for $48, the Geekvape Zeus Sub-ohm tank for about $26, or you can get the full Aegis Max kit for $68.