Freemax Maxus Solo Kit Review: Test Results Are In

Product intro and specs
The Maxus Solo 100W is the latest kit by longtime manufacturer Freemax. Freemax gained popularity due to having some of the best, if not the best sub ohm tanks and coils in the industry. As of late, they have been making some pretty good vape mods to pair with their tanks.

The Maxus Solo is the latest in a somewhat long line of Maxus products that have mostly been pretty good. The kit is a fully-fledged mod and tank combo like we were getting a lot before the pod vape craze hit—it’s nice to see a more advanced device come out even though they aren’t as popular as they once were.

The mod is rated for a 100-watt output and takes a single cell (hence the name “Solo”.) It can take a 21700, a 20700, or an 18650 with the included adapter. The included tank is the Fireluke Solo which uses their FL line of coils. The Fireluke tanks have been known as some of the best in vaping for a long time so we’ll see if this one can live up to its name.

Price: $69.99 (at Element Vape)
Colors: Cobalt blue, black, sea blue, gold, gunmetal, red.

Specifications
·Output voltage: 0.7-7.5 volts
·Input voltage: 3.3-4.2 volts
·Output wattage: 5-100 watts
·Output mode: Power (Normal/Sport/ECO)/VPC/Bypass/TC-NI/TC-TI/TC-SS316/TCR
·Resistance range: 0.1-3.0 ohm
·Battery: External single 18650/20700/21700
·Charger specification: 5V/2A
·Dimensions: 28.8 mm x 42.8 mm x 90 mm
·Tank dimensions: 28 mm x 50.35 mm
·Tank capacity: 5 mL (TPD 2 mL)
·Drip tip: 810

Kit contents
·1 x Freemax Maxus Solo 100W mod
·1 x Freemax Fireluke Solo Tank (Pre-installed FL1-D mesh coil 0.15 ohm)
·1 x FL2 mesh coil 0.2 ohm
·1 x Glass tube 5 mL
·1 x USB Type-C charger
·1 x 18650 battery adapter
·1 x Extra silicone ring
·1 x Warning card
·1 x Warranty card
·1 x User manual

First impressions
Off the bat, I noticed a few things about this mod that were popular a few years back but haven’t shown up on many recent products. First off was the LED which I personally like (it can be turned off though,) and also having temp control, which is something that’s becoming rare lately. Most big companies have stopped including TC in their mods, but I’m personally a fan of temp control if it’s done right. It’s also a fully-fledged kit so the mod and tank can be used with other devices instead of it being an AIO. Overall, I really like the design of this device and the features.

Build quality and design

The Maxus mods have been known for their style, often featuring large color screens and LED panels, and this one is no exception. The clear front allows you to see the chip which is also lined with LEDs in some spots, and the back is also clear with a design over it that allows the LEDs to shine through, creating a cool-looking device. Of course, if you aren’t an LED fan you have the option to turn it off. The nerd in me though does love being able to see the chip through the front of the mod.

The body itself in the non-clear spots feels like a thick and sturdy metal that could handle the everyday wear and tear. Overall though, it winds up feeling pretty lightweight. It’s not a large mod, but it’s not super small either since it does need to accommodate up to a 21700 battery.

The fire button is a simple rectangle on the front of the mod. Below the screen are the up and down buttons. The device charges through USB-C and the port is located below the menu button. It features a large 1.06-inch color screen that’s clear and bright and looks great. I think it’s one of the largest screens I’ve seen on a mod lately.  The 510 pin is great and gave me no issues with any atomizer, and the included tank fits nicely on it.

The mod has a rectangular front but a rounded back making it really comfy in the hand.  It uses a latch-style door that fits great and it’s easy to remove and replace the batteries. I had no issues with most batteries, but the slightly larger iJoy 21700s don’t fit. The Samsung 30T, which is my battery of choice for 21700 mods, fits great.

The mod comes in six color options. I have the black one which looks great. The outside frame is a matte black, which compliments the see-through panels—especially the black and green designed back panel. All the color options have different frame colors and designs making them unique, while all the tanks in the kits are black. Matching tanks would have been nice. The metal frame on the left side has a small Freemax on it and the back panel has a Maxus Solo logo which is big but fits in nicely with the design. There is no button rattle on this mod which is great.

 

The Maxus Solo comes packed with all the modes and features you’d expect on a mod these days. Of course, you have power mode with normal, hard, and soft preheats (they’re calling hard “sport” and soft “eco”). In addition to that, they have VPC (watt curve), Temp control (Ni,Ti,SS,TCR,) and Bypass. All the major modes here. The large screen displays a puff counter, resistance, battery meter, and live voltage output. In the settings menu, you have full control over the LEDs and screen colors and a puff reset.

Using the Maxus Solo
The Maxus Solo is a pretty typical mod. There is a fire button, an up button, a down button, as well as a slider on the side to lock the mod which is great. Basic operations are as follows:

·Click the fire button five times to turn it on/off.
·Click fire three times to enter menu mode (blinks over the option that can be adjusted.)
·Use up and down to cycle while in menu mode and fire to select it.
·Use up or down to adjust wattage.
·Hold the up and down to lock the adjustment buttons.
·Use the slider to lock the mod.

Press down and fire to enter the settings menu.

Power mode performance

Testing on this mod was done with Samsung 30T 21700 batteries. They only list two max outputs: watts at 100 and volts at 7.5. Unfortunately, amps aren’t listed on their site or in the manual. During my testing, the max achieved wattage was 100, so an excellent rating at 100 watts. The amp limit I got was 27 amps with a 0.11-ohm coil, which is average for a single battery mod. Most are around 30 give or take. The volt limit I got was 7.784, so there is a boost circuit, which is required for single-cell mods to perform well.

Overall, it’s a solid performer. It did struggle a little at 0.11 ohms which is normal with such a low resistance, and it was a little high with the high ohm coil. But in the medium range of my testing, it performed well, and in some resistances excellent. It’s more than good enough to work well, but not necessarily impressive overall. It’s just a solid performer.

The mod adjusts in 0.5-watt increments which is good but I prefer full watts. It scrolls fast but it does not round-robin, which is no big deal. You can see the full test results above.

As far as the charge rate goes, they list the device at 2A charging. The max charge rate I got during my testing was 1.93A which is more than good enough to earn a 2A rating as most will round up. Anything higher than a 1.8A is suitable to be rated at 2A so no complaints there. It does allow for passthrough vaping as well so you can vape while it charges. Of course, the actual charge time will depend on your batteries and it’s always just better to use an external charger and swap out batteries and not worry about charging in a mod or waiting.

Temperature control performance
Using SS316L wire in SS mode (TCR for SS mode is set at 096,) I tested three builds:

·One simple round single coil
·One simple round dual coil
·One fancy wire single coil build

The power is fully adjustable in TC mode with the full 100-watt limit. As far as performance goes, I found it to be pretty good. Even though the preset TCR is not technically correct for SS316 (the correct TCR is 092,) it still winds up being pretty accurate. Around 430F you get a nice warm vape with plenty of room to adjust. It’s smooth and consistent and prevents dry hits. Overall, it’s a good mod for temp control usage, which is nice since not many mods are offering it these days.

Fireluke Solo tank rundown

The tank included in the kit is the new Fireluke Solo. Having the Fireluke name means it has big shoes to fill—the Fireluke series of tanks have been some of the best, if not the best tanks in vaping. It features plug-n-play coils which is the norm these days, and comes with dual bottom airflow. The drip tip is a standard wide bore 810. It does have a good 5 mL capacity thanks to the included bubble tank which makes it low profile. The fill method is a slide-back fill on the top which works great and is a proven design. The tank itself feels well built with good threading.

The tank uses the new FL line of coils which cover the 70-90 watt range. To replace the coils, you unscrew the base from the tank and pop them out. You can’t do it with a full tank but can be done with about 2 mL of juice in—probably better to do it when it’s empty though. Thankfully the coil protrudes enough that you can remove it by hand without using tools.

There are three coil options in total right now (although a fourth is listed on their site as coming soon).

·FL-1D mesh 0.15 ohm rated 50-80 watts (best at 80 watts) (included)
·FL2 mesh 0.2 ohm rated 50-80 watts (best at 80 watts) (included)
·FL3 mesh 0.15 ohm rated 50-90 (best at 90 watts)

The two coils included are the FL2 double mesh and the FL1D, which is their new design and is a parallel mesh giving you a full 360-degree contact area to the wick. I’m going to lump both coils together because they are similar.

I found both best around 75 watts. I put 80 mL of juice through each one of them and they were both still good, so coil life is great. And both had great flavor. In short, both are excellent coils, as I’ve come to expect from Freemax. There wasn’t a huge difference, but I did slightly prefer the FL1D coil for flavor. But both are excellent and you should try them yourself to find out if you prefer any of the two. In short, these coils live up to the Freemax name—and make the Solo the best tank I’ve had in a kit in a long time.

Pros / Cons
·Solid build quality
·Lightweight and durable
·Nice LEDs and plenty of options for them
·Good size for a single 21700 mod
·Nice hand-feel
·Six color options with unique designs
·See-through front to view the chip and partially see-through back panel
·Huge and bright color screen
·Solid power mode performance
·Boost circuit and high volt limit (7.784V)
·Good wattage rating (100 watts)
·Fast charging (1.93A)
·Good temp control performance
·Excellent tank
·Both coils are great
·Easy to remove/replace coils

·No amp limit listed
·Some larger 21700 batteries don’t fit (iJoy)
·All kits come with a black tank (would have preferred a matching tank)

Gallery

Verdict
Overall, this is just an excellent kit for DL vapers who vape in the 70-80 watt range. Mostly due to the tank being the best one I’ve had in a kit in a long time. Freemax lives up to its name with this kit easily. The mod is solid as well and offers good temp control, so you have that option if you want to try it. I had to be pretty picky with the cons as there aren’t any big ones. Mainly, I just wish it came with a matching tank. If you are in the market for a good DL kit to start with, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one than this.