Eleaf Tance Max Pod Kit 1100mAh 2ml/4ml

[timwis]

Hi Vaping Underground members, In this review i will be taking a look at the Tance Max Pod Kit from Eleaf. The Tance Max Pod Kit was supplied for the purpose of this review by Eleaf.

http://www.eleafworld.com/tance-max/



Introduction

Eleaf of late have been releasing products of a high standard and improved build quality but if there is one area that has let them down it has to be their pod device's as i can only really think of the Elven that performed to a high standard. The Tance Max looks from the outside to be a step in the right direction offering adjustable airflow, replaceable coils, and both large battery and e-liquid capacity. Their is also another version available which is just called the Tance which looks less impressive spec wise, so does the Tance Max fulfil it's promise?

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In The Box



Contents:

1 x Tance Max Battery
1 x Tance Max Cartridge
1 x GS Air M 0.6ohm Head
1 x GS Air S 1.6ohm Head
1 x TYPE-C Cable
1 x User Manual

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Aesthetics and Ergonomics

The Tance Max came in the usual cardboard packaging and on opening i was met by a solid very well made device. When handling it had some weight to it due to it's metal construction (believe it's Zinc Alloy) but only to reconfirm it's excellent build quality. The Tance Max comes in a number of colour/design options with matching panels front and back and a chassis that varies in colour depending on the option picked. I received the 2ml (TPD version) of the colour/design option Trick, the other colour/designs are White, Geometry, SeaBlue, SeaShell and Black.
On the front we have a vertical positioned rectangular fire button with an LED indicator strip in the centre, towards the bottom "Eleaf" is printed, the reverse has the same panel design with "TANCE MAX" printed towards the bottom. Both sides have a cutout towards the top to allow air to get to the airflow control on the pod, one side also has printed safety stamps. The slightly tinted pod has a recorder style mouth-section then moving to the base we have a type C USB port.




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Tance Max Specs and Features:

Size: 31.2 x 20.36 x 101mm
E-juice Capacity: 2ml/4ml
Battery Capacity: Built-in 1100mAh
Output Wattage: 15W
Resistance Range: 0.3ohm - 3.0ohm
Charge Type: TYPE-C Charging
Coil Material: GS Air M(Ni-Cr alloy) / GS Air S(SS316L)
Three Colour Battery Indicator Light: Green(100%-60%), Blue(59%-20%),Red(≤19%)
Six colors for your selection
1100mAh Rechargeable battery & 2ml/4ml refillable pod
GS Air M 0.6ohm head and GS Air S 1.6ohm head
Three-colour battery indicator
Magnetic connection cartridge
Colour/Design: White, Geometry, SeaBlue, SeaShell, Trick, Black



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Tance Max and Tance Differences

People have probably noticed their are two devices available, one being the Tance Max and the other the Tance. The device's do look identical although the Tance is much smaller being a tiny device as the Tance Max is more average for a pod system. Unlike the Tance Max where you can replace the coils the pods for the Tance have fixed coils so the whole pod will need replacing. The Tance Max also comes in both 2ml and 4ml versions wile the Tance is 2ml only. The Tance also doesn't have the same adjustable airflow system and the battery capacity is only 580mAh compared to the Tance Max battery capacity of 1100mAh.



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The Pod

The Tance Max comes with either a 4ml (standard version) or 2ml (TPD version) slightly tinted pod, i am not a fan of pods being tinted but actually this is so lightly tinted visibility of your juice is the same as with a clear pod. The mouthpiece is similar to a recorder shape and very comfortable between the lips, then moving to the base of the pod this is where all the action is. The Pod for the Tance Max allows the coil to be replaced making it more convenient and more economical than pods that once the flavour gets muted needs throwing. We have a protruding cylindrical base section which can be unscrewed to change coil heads, this base section also houses the adjustable airflow but i will cover both fitting the coils and the airflow in later sections. The protruding base section has a central positive contact surrounded with Peek, the outer of the metal cylindrical plate is the negative. To one side on the base we have where we fill the pod, the fill port has a tight fitting plastic cover which keeps it sealed rather than a plug, this cover can be swivelled outwards to reveal the port. The port is a good size for a pod but we don't have another hole for air to escape but i guess the pod is allowing air to escape from somewhere as i found filling a doddle and completely mess free.




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The Coils and Fitting Them

The Tance Max uses the GS Air series of coils and 2 different coils are included in the kit.
Pre-installed in the pod we have the GS Air M which is a Kanthal single mesh coil, 0.6ohms and rated between 8-20W, for a restricted lung hit. The other included coil head is the horizontal SS316L regular coil, 1.6ohm and rated between 5-10W, this coil is for MTL.
Fitting the coils is straightforward, just unscrew the protruding cylindrical base section from the pod and the coil screws straight into this base. Once a fresh coil has been screwed into the base and primed via the wicking ports just screw the base section back in place, now with the coil inside the pod.




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The Airflow

The airflow adjustment can be found on the previously mentioned base section of the pod which houses the installed coil. The base section has grooves for grip and narrow dual cyclops with stopper. When turning the airflow it reveals a seies of small holes and looking at it i did think even a very tight draw would be possible (i was mistaken) but it does give good adjustability and although to adjust you need to remove the pod from the device the fact this is a pod system with adjustable airflow is still a big bonus!



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Review Continued Below:

 

[timwis]

Review Continued:

Fitting The Pod

Looking inside the bay for the pod we can see a rectangular magnetic plate which also houses a central spring loaded positive contact and either side negative spring loaded contacts. To the sides we can also see light entering through the side holes which allow air to get to the airflow, the bay is very neat and tidy. The pod fits in place very well via the magnetic plate and while it can be easily removed it is perfectly secure with any movement when giving it a wiggle not even really worth mentioning, cracking job! The pod will actually fit either way which does allow options of which way you want to hold the device when vaping or which way around you prefer the mouthpiece.



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Using The Tance Max

The Tance Max uses a traditional fire button to fire the device rather than draw activation which is more common with pod systems which whether that is a pro or a con is entirely down to the individual. The fire button can also be used to turn the device on and off which is done by pressing the fire button 5 times in quick succession, the LED indicator on the fire button flashes 4 times to confirm either action. The device doesn't have different power settings so the power is simply down to the voltage on the battery in conjunction with the ohms resistance of the coil, just press the fire button and vape!
The device has battery status indication which isn't the 4 or better still 5 stages i prefer but is acceptable. The battery indication is shown by what colour the LED on the fire button lights when pressing the fire button, the indications are as shown below:

Green = 60-100%
Blue = 20-59%
Red = 0-19%

As well as the LED showing battery status when vaping you can also check the status at any time with a quick press of the fire button.

The Tance Max also has all the usual safety features which are indicated by various flashes of the LED. The Tance max has a type C USB port which i believe all devices should now be using and charging takes little more than an hour which for a 1100mAh battery is more than acceptable. While charging the LED is Red and once the device is fully charged the light goes out.



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Performance

Before using the device i did have quite high hopes thinking it might even be better than the Elven as it appears to have a lot going for it but i was left very disappointed.
Both coils are terrible for flooding, i did try different ratio's of VG/PG but came to the conclusion i have either received some coils of a bad batch or these coils are going to be quite rightly hammered by reviewers. If i did get bad coils then because i received no extra and only the ones that were included in the kit i have no way of knowing that's the case so have to assume the coils will all perform the same.
I spent less time using the Tance Max than any review product i have used for a long time because it was all work and no pleasure. I persevered the best i could to get some idea of how the device performed hoping that Eleaf will sort the coils out before the retail version and get some idea of the coils other than the constant flooding and spit back. The 0.6 Kanthal Mesh coil is for a restricted lung hit only and the flavour when getting a few decent hits was fair but far from great. This coil has larger wicking holes than the 1.6ohm coil which did make me think the flooding was down to using 50/50 nic salts so tried some 80VG which did improve the situation but still if i went any length of time without vaping it got flooded.
The 1.6ohm regular SS316 coil has smaller wicking holes but after the bad experience i had with the 0.6ohm coil used this from the off with my 65%VG DIY liquid but yet again i was getting regular flooding if not as bad as i got with the 0.6ohm coil. The 1.6ohm coil can be used for a loose MTL or even a very restrictive lung hit with the airflow wide open, despite the adjustable airflow it doesn't give a tight draw. The flavour from the 1.6ohm coil was at it's best with the airflow closed down vaping MTL (loose draw) and although better than the 0.6ohm the flavour was still only average at best. The last think to mention is despite not using the device for a long period of time what flavour both coils did give has already muted so not impressed with the longevity either but again that could be down to the coils being a bad batch.
The coil situation really is a big shame because the Tance device is right up there, i received the TPD 2ml version which is adequate so the 4ml standard version is going to be giving great capacity for a pod system. I like the filling method, also having adjustable airflow is a big pro even if you do need to remove the pod to adjust. The fact the coils can just be replaced rather than the whole pod is another pro and although i do not like tinted pods the pod i received is so lightly tinted it's as easy to see your juice as if it was a clear pod. The battery life was also impressive and when using with the 1.6ohm coil it seemed to last forever. The device has a type C USB port (another pro) and charged in just over an hour which for the battery capacity i found perfectly acceptable (it also supports pass-through). The Tance Max does feel and look far better quality than most pod devices which is yet anther pro and finally battery status indication while it could be better is again acceptable.



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Likes

Very good build quality
Nice in hand and portable
6 colour/design options
Good capacity (especially 4ml standard version)
Replaceable coils
Coils easy to replace
Nice swivel fill system (found it quick and mess free)
Pod fits securely in device but easy to remove
Adjustable airflow (massive pro although pod does need removing to adjust)
2 different coils included
Bright good size LED indicator
Device can be turned on and off
Pods only slightly tinted and give excellent visibility of juice level
Battery status indication (but could be done better)
Very good battery life
Charges in just over an hour
Supports pass-through
Type C USB port
Multiple protections


Cons

Both coils flood regularly
Flavour average at best
Question mark over longevity (could of received some of a bad batch as they were rubbish)
Need to remove pod to adjust airflow (very petty as even having adjustable airflow is a big pro)
Battery status indication could be better (4 or even 5 stages much preferable)
No different power settings

I would once again like to thank Eleaf for supplying the Tance Max Kit for the purpose of this review.

http://www.eleafworld.com/tance-max/

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