Geekvape Aegis Legend 5 Kit Review: A Tough, High-Wattage Beast

Design & Build Quality

The Legend 5, like the Legend 3, has received overall minor design changes from its predecessor. However, unlike the Legend 3 which I found almost impossible to tell apart from the Legend 2, the Legend 5 has a couple of obvious tells that make it easy to tell apart from older Legend devices.

Sure, it still has the signature “C-frame” bezel, and it looks like an Aegis Legend device through and through. But the overall appearance looks cleaner, with flatter sides and a curved front display area that looks really modern and aesthetically pleasing. The sides also have a textured plate that says GEEKVAPE, which is the key way to tell the Legend 5 apart from other Legend devices.

Also new to the Legend 5 are LED lighting bars that flank the sides of the display. These can be customized to one of five lighting patterns, or turned off completely in the settings.

The mod has a solid and premium feel, but the only rubber on the device is on the battery door and base, which makes me hesitant about its long-term drop durability. Sure, it’s designated as shock-resistant by Geekvape, as well as being IP68 water and dust resistant, but that doesn’t make me any less nervous about dropping it.

All of the buttons feel good and responsive. The rocker-style firing button is a pleasure to use, as are the nearly completely recessed adjustment buttons. The physical locking switch is nice to have and feels super solid as well.

The display is larger than previous Aegis Legend devices, coming in at 1.08 inches. It’s very bright and has the nicest UI yet, with a bunch of useful information neatly displayed on the screen. 

The battery door is also very nice and secure, featuring a slide-to-open switch. The switch is slightly recessed, which makes it highly unlikely to open in your pocket. The battery compartment is snug, but not tight, holding batteries securely in place. There’s no battery rattle, even when I shake the device hard, which is excellent.

Features & Functions

If you were hoping for a host of new features with the Legend 5, you’re going to be disappointed. The features are nearly identical to the Legend 3, just with a larger display, a nicer UI, and a physical locking switch instead of touch locking/unlocking.

The Legend 5’s modes are a bit weird. There are five modes: Eco, Normal, Smart, Custom, and TC, which can be selected from the mode menu. However, if you choose Eco, Normal, or Smart, the mode will automatically change between the three depending on the wattage that you set. 

For example, with the 0.15Ω coil, ECO mode is active from 70-73W, Normal from 74-77W, and SMART from 78-80W. It’s a bit of a weird setup, but it keeps you in the optimal range for the coil to prevent burning, so I guess it’s good for beginners.

Thankfully, there’s also Custom mode, which allows you to set the wattage to whatever you like without the mod interfering. If you’re like me and don’t like your mod telling you what to do and what wattage to vape at, this is the mode to use!

The TC mode on the Legend 5 is actually TCR, so you’ll have to set the correct TCR value for whichever coil material you’re using.

If you’re unsure what value to use for your coil, head on over to our temperature control mode guide, which has a helpful chart that you can reference.

The locking switch is super convenient, although I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the Legend 3’s touch locking/unlocking just a tiny bit. Using the lock switch locks the entire device, firing button and adjustment buttons, which is ideal for putting the Legend 5 in a pocket or bag. But you can also hold both adjustment buttons together for a few seconds to lock only adjustments, allowing you to still vape while preventing the wattage from being changed accidentally.

Haptic feedback is also a new feature found on the Legend 5. The device will vibrate when there’s a problem, like when it isn’t detecting a tank, or when you use the lock switch. The vibrating can’t be turned off, but since it only vibrates for certain infrequent actions, I didn’t find it to be annoying at all.

Accessing the menu can be done by pressing the fire button three times. There aren’t a lot of options in here, but you’ll find the mode selection, puff counter reset, screen brightness, lighting selection, and battery options in here.

The battery option is a neat one, called Smart Battery Management. This setting lets you restrict charging to 80%, in order to keep batteries healthier in the long-term. While I still suggest using an external battery charger, it’s a good setting to keep in for those cases when you do use your mod to charge.

The lighting options for the Legend 5 are really cool. The LED bars look awesome, and I personally didn’t mind adding a little bit of flair to my device with the NEBULA setting which pulses in a Rainbow pattern. There are four other lighting options to choose from, or the lighting can be turned off altogether.

Geekvape Z Sub-Ohm Tank 2021

The Aegis Legend 5 kit includes the Z Sub-Ohm tank 2021, which is the same tank that comes with other Geekvape kits, like the Aegis Solo 3. This is a tank that has been around for a while, and there’s a reason why it hasn’t been replaced—it’s just a great tank overall.

This is a top airflow tank with a 5.5ml capacity. It uses Geekvape’s Z coils, which are widely available in a variety of resistances:

• Z0.15Ω Coil (80-90W)
• Z0.15Ω XM Coil (70-85W)
• Z0.20Ω Coil (70-80W)
• Z0.25Ω Coil (45-57W)
• Z0.4Ω Coil (50-60W)
• Z0.4Ω XM Coil (50-60W)

The Legend 5 kit includes a 0.15Ω XM and 0.4Ω XM coil, but there are (clearly) many other options if these don’t suit your taste.

I’ve reviewed this tank extensively in my review of the Geekvape Z200, so if you’re interested in learning more, head on over to that review. 

Performance

The Legend 5 is like other previous Legend devices—an absolute beast for high-wattage vaping. I tested it with the Z subohm tank that comes with the kit, as well as with a few other RDAs. With the Z tank, I used the included 0.15Ω XM and 0.4Ω XM coils in Smart and Custom modes. With my RDAs, I used Custom and TCR modes.

 The Legend 5 fires fast. It’s basically instant as soon as I press the firing button, and it gets the clouds going instantly, too. Even when low on battery, it still hits hard. 

Performance in Smart mode is great, and it’s especially good if you’re a beginner. The wattage limiting keeps you within the limits for the coil, so you can’t accidentally set it too high and burn out your cotton. Custom mode is great too, but only if you know what you’re doing. If you’re using a tank other than one of Geekvape’s, you’ll also want to use Custom mode and set the wattage according to the wattage range of the coil you’re using.

With the 0.15Ω XM coil, I liked vaping a bit higher than the recommended wattage range, at 82W. With the 0.4Ω XM coil, 58-60W felt like the best experience. Both of these coils deliver good flavor, but I would put the 0.15Ω XM coil just slightly ahead.

TCR performance with the Legend 5 is excellent. With a pair of SS316 coils and the TCR value set to 0092, it’s a really smooth, warm, and flavorful vape at around 420°F. If you like it a little hotter, 425-430°F is the temp to vape at.

Verdict

Geekvape’s Aegis Legend 5 continues the legacy of one of the most respected mod lineups in vaping. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to the Legend 3, the refinements it brings, like the nicer display & UI, LED lighting, and the return of a physical locking switch, make it feel more modern and well thought-out than its predecessors.

Performance is exactly what you’d hope for from a dual-18650 mod. There’s plenty of power, and the different modes make it a device that can be used by both beginners and experts alike. Smart mode helps beginners stay within safe wattage ranges, while Custom and TCR modes can be used by experienced vapers for full and precise control over their vape.

If you’re looking for a new kit, the tried-and-true Z Sub-Ohm Tank pairs great with the Legend 5 and delivers excellent flavor and clouds, along with multiple coil options to choose from.

The bottom line is that the Aegis Legend 5 is a beast of a mod that is ideal for high-wattage vaping. If you want a durable, feature-rich device that balances power with ease of use, the Legend 5 is an excellent choice and easily one of the best dual-battery mods available today. Highly recommended.