Vaporesso Luxe X3 Pod Kit

Filling is easy: the Luxe X3 uses a top-filling pod, so you lift the mouthpiece and drip your e-liquid straight in, no fiddly side ports. It runs the Luxe X pod family, so when a pod tires you swap it rather than the device, and there are several resistances to tune the draw.

For a tight MTL vape, a 50/50 nic salt is ideal: Hayati Pro Max, MaryLiq or IVG Intense. If you run the lower-resistance pods for a looser RDL draw, a lower-strength salt or a freebase like IVG 50/50 at 3 to 6mg is kinder, since more vapour means more nicotine. Steer clear of very thick high-VG sub-ohm juice.

Filling the Luxe X3 is about as easy as a refillable kit gets. Lift the mouthpiece off the top of the pod, drip your e-liquid into the exposed fill hole until the pod looks full, and press the mouthpiece back down. There are no fiddly side bungs to line up, which is one of the nicer things about the top-fill design. With a brand-new pod, leave it to stand for a couple of minutes after filling so the dual mesh coil soaks through, then take two or three gentle draws without firing to prime it. Skipping that soak is the usual cause of an early burnt taste on any pod, and the lower-resistance Luxe X pods are worth priming carefully because they run warmer.

After that it is straightforward. The Luxe X3 fires on a draw or the button, and the 0.8-inch screen shows your wattage, the pod resistance, the battery and a puff count. Set the wattage to suit the pod, lock the device with a quick button sequence so it does not fire in a pocket, and you are away. When a pod tires after a week or two, top it up before it runs dry and swap it when the flavour fades, since vaping a near-empty pod is the other quick way to scorch a coil.

Like any refillable kit, the Luxe X3 makes its case on running cost and waste. The kit is £21.99 once, then your only spend is pods and e-liquid. A pod lasts a week or two and costs a couple of pounds, while a 10ml bottle of salt is a pound or two and refills the 2ml pod several times over. Against a disposable habit, where every device is a few pounds and lasts a day or two, a kit like this typically pays for itself within a couple of weeks and keeps saving after that, and the big 2600mAh battery means fewer charges and a longer service life than a smaller kit.

There is an environmental side too. A disposable is a battery and a circuit board in the bin every couple of days, whereas the Luxe X3 is one rechargeable device you keep for a year or more, with only the small pod as a consumable. If you are stepping off single-use bars and want more power and battery than a slim pod kit gives, the Luxe X3 is a sensible long-term home.

The Luxe X3 is the upgrade over the older Luxe X2: a bigger 2600mAh battery, up to 45W with manual wattage control, a proper screen rather than just LED lights, and faster charging. The X2 is simpler, auto-adjusting and a touch cheaper if you want a no-fuss MTL kit.

Against the XROS 5, the Luxe X3 is bigger, more powerful and better for a looser RDL draw, where the XROS is the slim, pocketable MTL specialist. If you want range and power, go Luxe X3. If you want small and simple, go XROS. A useful way to decide is to be honest about the draw you want: committed mouth-to-lung vapers who like a discreet device are better served by the XROS, while anyone curious about bigger clouds and longer battery life will get more out of the Luxe X3.